Hooked on Romance

A sweet "Adieu"

2009-11-13T09:15:00.006-06:00

We never thought this day would come so soon, but after much thought and discussion, we've decided to close our doors after a short run.

Although we thoroughly enjoyed blogging, interviewing authors, and getting to know the readers, sometimes life gets in the way and we have to take a step back and shift our focus.

We want to thank everyone who has visited, followed, commented, lurked, and provided us with incredible material to share with the world. It's been a great experience and we hope that you will continue to follow us at our individual virtual homes:

Jax's Website
Jax's Blog

Nikki's Website
Nikki's Blog

Abi's Website
Abi's Blog

Thank you....

XOXO,
Jenius Jax, Naughty Nikki, & Amusing Abi

Guest Blogger :: LAURA BRECK

2009-11-12T07:00:00.003-06:00

**UPDATE: Congratulations RKCharron for winning Laura's giveaway! We'll contact you shortly**

Writing Hooks - and Giving Away a Prize!

Thank you, Hooked on Romance, for opening your blog to me today. I love the theme “hooked,” and it immediately brought to mind an article I wrote about writing hooks into the end of each chapter of a novel.

I’ve always heard that putting a great hook at the end of the first chapter would entice that dream agent or coveted editor to want to read more. And it pertains to readers as well. I know I’ve set down books after the first chapter, and haven’t picked them up again because I wasn’t engaged, and my interest flagged.

Here’s the hook at the end of the first chapter of Secret Vegas Lives:

Valerie's forced smile slipped as she looked into Antonio's eyes. She couldn't read the meaning in his intense stare, but she couldn't look away--and neither did he.

His date broke the spell by sliding her hand into his and rubbing the side of her breast on his arm. "We should get going, Antonio."

He shook the mayor's hand and nodded to the committee in general. With one last glance at Valerie, he escorted Sherry from the restaurant.

Valerie watched them leave, feeling the aftermath of his gaze. He was angry. He knew her name. And he was obviously volatile. Damn, this wasn't turning out to be a very good day. She blinked and brought herself back to what the mayor was saying.

"That was interesting," he commented to no one in particular.

She shrugged and said the first thing that came to her mind. "He and I had…an animated discussion recently. He must still be a little worked up."

"You're quite the diplomat, Dr. Val," the mayor winked.

She smiled. Oscar had been a family friend since she was a child. He was a kind, gracious man and she liked him more every time they spoke. She couldn’t say the same for Antonio Daniato. He was an ass.

And the ass was sitting on the back bumper of her SUV when she left the restaurant a half hour later.

Oh, I love that sentence. It’s in Valerie’s point of view, and we are living the moment with her as she sees Antonio sitting on her bumper. When I first started writing, I would put a hook at the end of each chapter that was completely contrived, and in omniscient point of view. Something like, “But soon Valerie would run into Antonio again, and the results would be catastrophic.” Notice the difference between the two hook sentences?

The easy way to end your chapters with hooks, is to not intentionally write the hook, just find it in your scene. I write my whole book (and they’re over 100,000 words) without chapter breaks. I put asterisks *** between scenes and point of view changes, then I go back through my manuscript and find places where the scene’s suspense is at its peak. THAT’S where I put my chapter break.

Valerie swayed, felt her chest tighten. Oh, God, Antonio was here at Caesar’s Palace, looking for a public event to humiliate her.

Oscar grabbed her arm. "Are you alright, dear?"

She choked back the anxiety attack. "I'm sorry, Oscar, I haven't been feeling well. I think I'll find Troy and ask him to take me home."

"Of course." He gestured toward the dance floor. "I see Ryan right behind you."

She smiled, wanting to reassure him. "I'm fine. You know how it is. I've been starving myself to fit into this dress…"

He nodded. "I completely understand. You go, but call me when you feel better. I'd like to get a handle on this Antonio Daniato thing."

She leaned in for a kiss on the cheek and went to find her date.

Her brother, Ryan, stood beside the dance floor and she put her hand on his arm. "Where's Troy?"

"Monica stole your date." He nodded toward their sister and Troy dancing to Springsteen's “Born to Run.” Monica danced gracefully and Troy--she tried not to wince--did the best he could. They looked like they were having fun.

"Take me out on the dance floor. I have to talk to Troy."

"Uh-uh. I don't think I want to get near whatever he's doing. Looks dangerous. He could hurt himself and others."

"I need to talk…" Too late. She saw a face across the dance floor. Her stomach contracted. Antonio walked directly toward her. His tux fit him perfectly, his white shirt emphasizing his Mediterranean skin tone, and the gold cufflinks at his wrists catching the light. He reached into his pocket and pulled something out.

Oh, God. Her breath panted from her lungs.

His hand held a folded paper, his eyes held malice.

Ooooh, malice is always a good hook. Have you ever read those books that you just couldn’t put down? You tell yourself, “Okay, just one more chapter.” Then the end of the chapter has something so intriguing, that you just have to read on. That’s what I attempt to give my readers. The “can’t put it down” factor that an author loves to see in their book reviews.

Three days later, Antonio stood in the waiting room. Betina said, "Wish me luck," and walked into the office, closing the door behind her.

Within five minutes the door opened and Betina poked her head out. "She's not happy." She gestured. "Come on in. We'll talk her into it."

He walked into the office and closed the door behind him. Valerie sat with her legs crossed, tapping a pencil on the desktop. Her dark stare drilled into him from across the room.

As I did here, I sometimes put a chapter break at the beginning of a new scene or point of view change. It leaves us wanting to know more right away.

Another opportunity for a hook is in the blurb. A little teaser to get a reader’s attention.

Mistaken for a blackmailer, socialite Valerie Kane will do anything to keep sexy Italian crime writer Antonio Daniato from publicly exposing her, and Antonio is wickedly intent on seeing how far Valerie will go to protect her reputation.

I hope you enjoyed my mini-workshop on hooks, and if you’re an author, I encourage you to try this technique sometime. If you’re a reader, I hope you’ll find writers who keep you reading chapter after chapter, when you know you should put that bookmark in and get to sleep!

Stop by my website, LauraBreck.com, for more writing tips, excerpts from Secret Vegas Lives (available now from RedRosePublishing.com) and the second book in the series, Scandalous L.A. Desires (coming in 2010.) And check out my monthly drawing, where I give away a heart-shaped carabiner and lipstick USB drive!

I donate a portion of the proceeds of Secret Vegas Lives to The Shade Tree Shelter in Las Vegas, a shelter for women, children and their pets. Find out more about this marvelous shelter on The Shade Tree’s page on my website.

It’s a privilege to share today with you, and if you’d like, leave a comment or question and I’ll be around all day to chat. One random commenter will win a goodie bag of my promotional items.

Thank you!
Laura
LauraBreck.com
Buy Secret Vegas Lives at RedRosePublishing.com

ABOUT LAURA:

One of the primary goals of my writing is to give readers a world into which they can escape the stress of life. And a fun read for lounging on the beach or cuddling up with a blanket and a cup of tea. ~Smart Women ~Sexy Men ~Seductive Romance.

Another goal is to make a difference in the world. That is why each of my books will sponsor a community program, and a percentage of my proceeds will be donated to that organization.

I live in Saint Paul, Minnesota with my family, I’m a member of Romance Writers of America, Midwest Fiction Writers, Wisconsin Romance Writers of America, ESPAN, and Elements of RWA. I blog every Wednesday on RosesOfProse.blogspot.com

Reflections and Thanks

2009-11-10T09:24:00.004-06:00

It's November, and this time of year always gets me thinking about what I've thankful for.I always feel a bit nostalgic during the holidays, but I've spent a lot of time this entire year thinking about what makes me happy. For longer than I can remember I had a habit of doing everything that suited everyone around me. If someone needed something I would drop whatever I had going for myself to help them. It didn't matter if it was for the kids, a teacher, a group I belonged to, or a friend, I put everyone else first.

Somewhere around the beginning of the year I realized I couldn't do that anymore, and I began looking for places I could change. I've taken some heat for my own changes this year from family and friends. Some people have seen what I'm doing and have understood and applauded it. Others...not so much.

Regardless, I've found a semblance of inner happiness that makes it easier to maintain. I've looked hard at myself and those around me over the last year. I've paid attention to what I respect in others and what turns me off in people. I've figured out triggers in each of my relationships and have worked at avoiding them. I mean, if you know that talking about an ex is going to cause a fight with your current man, why bring it up, right? Unless you want to fight. I don't.

I've looked hard at myself and things that I do to irritate others. Sometimes it's a matter of pushing their buttons unintentionally, but I'm working to become more aware of it. Life is too short to spend it fighting and arguing and making everyone around you miserable. Or being miserable. I still have work to do, but since the beginning of the year I've noticed a mental shift in myself and a lot of the people around me. It's made me realize something. Until I could make myself happy, I couldn't really make anyone else happy. My efforts to change myself have changed others around me from my kids, to my husband, to friends and family and coworkers.

I'm grateful to be surrounded by people who understand me and who're willing to stick by me while I figure myself out and learn where all the new parts of my life fit.

Persistence is key

2009-11-09T07:00:00.003-06:00

It seems the romance industry is still going strong during this economy, yet publishers are reorganizing, downsizing, dropping authors and becoming pickier than ever. And they're taking their sweet little time about it. Somehow, whether you're agented or not, the wait time is long and drawn out--often becoming a real downer for authors who are anxious to know their fate. The most interesting thing that's come out of all this is that authors who used to snub ePublishing are now seeking them out. Authors are finally getting an education on the world of ePublishing...It's about darn time!

Okay, I know that when it comes to advances, authors can see those dollar signs in their mind, but they may be disappointed because there's always a catch. Depending on the publisher, authors can get as little as $500 or anywhere in the six-figures...before you think you can quit your day job, do your homework. Although advances are great in the print world, ePublishing offers almost an instant income without having to pay back the advance before royalties kick in. There are plenty of authors who offer great insight into the publishing industry, but the most impressive is possibly Lynn Viehl who provides actual breakdowns, royalty statements, and details of the reality of being a NY Times Bestseller.

Her post really got me thinking...

Everyone chooses the path they want to go to reach publication, including me. There's really no wrong way. However, I chose ePublishing to start my writing journey and I've never regretted it one bit. In fact, I love all my publishers and I love how personable they are and I love their eagerness, their willingness to help their authors. Some ePubs may be more professional than others (like with any business) but while I'm working toward a NY contract, I'm already getting exposure and practice. I'm learning about promoting myself, connecting with my readers and building a backlist. This is the time to write the things that I've always wanted to write. I can push the envelope and I know my publishers are more than willing to take chances. Because of the low overhead, they can do just that. In my eyes, ePublishing is still a win-win.

By no means am I not working on book proposals to get my foot in the door with NY. Why else would I have gotten an agent? My dream doesn't force me to choose the two, in fact, I'm able to balance the benefits of both worlds. I know there are thousands of other authors who also dream of NY sales but this is a marathon, not a sprint. It's about persistence and forging ahead even when the going gets tough. It's about pushing yourself past your limits and never looking back. It's about believing in yourself no matter the odds. It's also about aligning yourself with the right people who will ride that wave with you during the ups and downs. It's also a good thing to have author friends, most importantly, non-author friends because you'll need them both to provide the normalcy to keep you sane.

Now for the reality check portion: New York isn't what it's cracked up to be...there are more pressures, tighter deadlines, more competition, more reasons to cry. I hear it quite frequently from my fellow NY author friends and, to be honest, I'm simply happy with my approach to this industry. I used to get that twinge of envy to hear about their NY sales but over time, I've found that comfort zone in which I'm almost glad I haven't gotten contracts in my hand. Actually, I'm taking my time and I'm content with honing my craft, acquiring more experience, and preparing myself for when "it" happens. By then I should be taking every conceivable issue in stride. For now, I'll happily listen to the nuggets of wisdom and keep the secrets in my back pocket as reference. I also plan on writing for myself. I plan on being persistent because I want to secure a place on the bookshelves for years to come, not just for the time being...

***

P.S. One Monday each month (if I remember) on my personal blog, I participate in Excerpt Monday where I post a snippet from a current or upcoming release. I may even post an scene from a work in progress...if I'm really brave, I may even post a piece from my proposal that I'll be sending my agent. It's a lot of fun and will give readers a taste of my writing style.

Guest Blogger :: KELLY GAY

2009-11-05T07:00:00.006-06:00

**UPDATE: Congratulations DANICA AVET for winning an autographed ARC of BPOD. If we can't find your email, Please send me your name and mailing address to jaxcassidy@gmail.com to claim your prize!**

This interview isn't just a one-on-one with another author, it's an interview a long time in the making... Five years ago I met Kelly in Los Angeles while she was participating in a screenwriting fellowship. At the time, I was working on my own screenplays and struggling to figure out what I really wanted to do with my life. Kelly and I just clicked and became fast friends. During one of our weekly outings, she told me about her desire to write a romance. In fact, she had already started one and was practically done. She urged me to try my hand at it since I already had one foot in the door with writing romantic comedy screenplays. She thought I'd be good at it and even handed me a stack of Karen Marie Moning books as research. I think I devoured those Highlander stories in a few days and that's when I made the decision to try my hand. I had read romances in my teens but it struck more of a chord in me as an adult. I began to understand how different I viewed these stories now, including the strong heroines and engaging storytelling. Kelly had thrown down the gauntlet and, of course, I wasn't one to refuse a good challenge! Starting our romance writing journey together wouldn't have been so much fun without her constant enthusiasm. Although all good things did come to an end (kinda) when she moved home, and there were some large patches of time where we didn't contact one another, but I could never thank Kelly enough for introducing me to romances. Without meeting her, I may never would have found my calling.

Yes, we've come full circle and although we took different routes to reach publication, Kelly THANK YOU for planting that seed in my head all those years ago. With that, I'm thrilled to have her visiting HoR and proud to introduce my dear friend and fellow author...

You've won the Laurie for your paranormal contemporary BED & BREAKFAST and finaled in the Golden Heart for the same manuscript, yet had you ever imagined your urban fantasy would be the genre that would launch your writing career?

Nope. B&B had gotten a lot of recognition, and for a while there, especially after it won the Laurie, finaled in the GH, and landed me an agent, I really thought this was the book, the one that'd get sold. But it never happened. That was a tough year. I watched a lot of friends sell and move on with their careers, and while I was super happy for them, it was still hard to keep my chin up and be optimistic. There was nothing else I could do but continue writing. So, I wrote a few more manuscripts -- a paranormal romance, a YA fantasy, and I revised B&B into BEDKNOBS & BROOMSTICKS. It, along with the YA, finaled in the 2008 GH. (I had also finished the urban fantasy and decided to enter it in the GH as well. It was the only one that didn't final. Little known fact there.) Figures the one that didn't final would be the one to sell. My world is so backwards! :-)

Seriously, though, once BPOD was finished, I had a very special feeling about it. It was unlike anything else I'd written. I followed my own rules, and it was the only book I had written without the market or anything else in mind. You'll hear people tell you to write what you love and not to write to the market, but you'll also hear agents and editors say how they're looking for more of this or more of that. So, for an aspiring writer (or at least for me), it was hard not to write with the market in mind, to not think "Editor X said at the panel she's dying to see more paranormal zombie romance. Maybe I should write that..." When you're constantly knocking on doors, you want to give folks what's hot, what they're looking for. But, after a lot of failed attempts, and getting so close, I finally just sat down, put the romance aside, and decided to write the dark story that had been stewing my head for a while. I love reading romance and getting to the Happy Ending, but as a writer I learned that my voice naturally gravitates toward a darker side.

BETTER PART OF DARKNESS is the first release in your urban fantasy series and it's already garnered a lot of excellent reviews, including the Fall 2009 SIBA Okra Pick. How do you feel about all the buzz and is this added pressure for you?

I feel great about the buzz! Relieved, actually. Before the book started on the review rounds, I felt a lot of pressure. My publishing house had invested time and money in me. I wanted to do well for, not only my own sanity, but for them as well. And I kept telling myself, "Just one great review, that's all I ask. I'll be okay as long as someone out there likes it." But, so far so good. I'm still prepared to get some 'meh' reviews. If there's anything I've learned through the years it's that you can't please everyone. Someone is bound to not like or 'get' your work. It's like art. It's subjective. But, yeah, it's a big relief that people are responding well to the book. The pressure has now shifted on the book selling well. And if this book does well, the pressure will no doubt move to another area -- like my second book. :-)

What have you learned most about the publishing industry since you began? How much has the economy impacted your career?

I've learned to relax, trust, and have patience. The publishing industry is one of those things that teaches you patience or demands it -- how ever you want to look at it. :-) Once you sell, decisions are taken out of your hands and you have to be okay with that. I've learned to chill out about what's going on behind the scenes and to focus on my work. This economy really drives that point home. There are no guarantees that just because I sold once, I'll keep selling. So the writing has to be stellar, and I have to leave the stress about things I can't control behind me, or it ends up affecting my work.

How tumultuous was your writing journey and where do you hope to see your career going? Any secret desire to write different genres?

It's been full of ups and downs. I'd been trying to break into 'working writer-dom' since I was in my late teens, so about fifteen years or so, first with plays and screenplays and then with fiction. It's been, quite frankly, full of frustrations, full of 'almosts' and a lot of times I wanted to give up. (Which I did a few times). But the thing that always brought me back wasn't the need to sell, sell, sell; it was the spark of an idea. I couldn't stop being a creative person, couldn't stop the scenes and story ideas from coming. It's part of me. So I decided to keep going, keep writing new material, keep putting my work out there, because that's who I was. I couldn't stop writing, and I couldn't stop wanting to share it with the world. I figured if I kept going that at some point, the planets would align, the book would be the right book at the right time on the right editor's desk, and a sale would be made. Of course, the only thing I knew for sure, though, was that I sure as hell wouldn't sell if I quit.

And, yes, there are a few genres that I'd love to write in. I've been writing young adult for a few years now, and finally have a project that I really love. Fingers crossed! I also really love historical fiction and commercial fiction with a paranormal slant. I can definitely see myself working on side projects of that nature.

Writers either work alone or with a group of other writers. Do you have a posse you write with and do they write in the same genre you do? Do you meet them for writer dates?

No. No posse. For the most part I write alone, in a vacuum. I have an excellent CP in fellow urban fantasy and YA author, Jenna Black. We typically share our work once rough drafts are done, but that's usually on new work or a new genre where we still have those the first-book uncertainties. We don't critique everything and on contracted work (sequels and such) we don't usually share unless we feel the need for a second pair of eyes or there's an issue with the story. We've known each other for several years now, and we have very similar creative minds, and we like the same kinds of stories. It's a wonderful partnership. We meet for lunch about every other week to discuss the publishing biz, our own writer neurosis, and just to eat and gab. It's a great way to connect and have some face to face time.

Tell us about your latest release BETTER PART OF DARKNESS? Would you like to share an excerpt for our readers?

THE BETTER PART OF DARKNESS started as 'what ifs'. What if our myths and traditions of heaven and hell were grounded in some obscure truth? What if the beings in these places were nothing like we had imagined, but as real and as diverse as the human race? And what would our world be like if they integrated into our society?

The story takes place in Atlanta about a decade after the Revelation (the discovery of two alternate dimensions: heaven-like Elysia and hellish Charbydon). Atlanta has become a crossroads of sorts, a thriving melting pot of human and off-world races. My heroine, Charlie Madigan, is a divorced mother of one and her job with the Integration Task Force puts her right in the middle of the off-world population. It's her job, along with her partner, Hank, a siren from Elysia, to see that everyone obeys the law, but when a new off-world drug is released in Underground, her daughter is targeted, and her ex-husband makes a fateful bargain to win her back, there's nothing in heaven or earth (or hell for that matter) that Charlie won't do to set things right.

There an excerpt of Chapter One HERE.

What is the most extreme sport you’ve ever done, or adventure you’ve ever taken, and what did you learn about yourself?

Good question! I am not one to jump out of airplanes (I can hardly get myself inside of one to travel), but I have done a few daring things in my time. I drove my little mini-bike off a cliff one time. But I was ten when I did that. I jumped into an icy river in the wintertime -- exhilarating at first, but damn painful after you realize you have to walk a half mile to get home. But I was a teen when I did that. Um.... Okay. I'm realizing that as an adult all those daring things that were just on the tip of my tongue are all in my head and not real-life. ;-) I live vicariously through my characters!

If you were a nail polish, what would it be called and why?

Hmm. Probably something like a 'Bleeding Soul'. Dramatic and serious and dark. That's a place where I spend a lot of my creative time. :-)

ABOUT KELLY

Kelly Gay is the author of the upcoming urban fantasy novel, THE BETTER PART OF DARKNESS. She is a three-time RWA Golden Heart finalist, and recipient of a North Carolina Arts Council fellowship grant in writing. She lives in North Carolina, where she is currently working on the sequel to her debut novel and a new Young Adult series. You can learn more about Kelly at www.kellygay.net

Romanced by Music

2009-11-03T09:21:00.005-06:00

According to Abba in Dancing Queen, anybody could be that guy. But not any song hits the right note. You guessed it, I'm a writer that prefers music when I'm writing. Normally I have a predesignated soundtrack that I listen to the entire time I'm working on a book, but this last book was a bit different.

I had my songs prechosen to work to, but when I started writing, they just didn't work. So, I went back to my iTunes library and found some that worked for me. The next day that music would be more of a distraction so I would have to shift to a completely different mood. It was bizarre, I bounced around between stuff like Coldplay to mood CDs you would listen to during a massage or facial to Godsmack and Disturbed.

There were a few songs that stayed completely true to the story that were on that first playlist, songs that I'd planned to be sort of like Kami's theme songs. Turns out that while I had the song right, in a few cases I had the character wrong. And through it all, Abba continued to pop in with Dancing Queen. Funny thing about that song, when it doesn't match the rest of your play list and you've been sitting and writing for 2.5 hours, it's a great signal to get up and move around. Dancing around like a loon every time that song came on kept me writing until shortly after 5:00 this morning, which allowed me to finish up the story I was working on.

So, here's my playlist. Which songs do you think were for the hero and which were for the heroine?

~ Dirty Little Secret by The All-American Rejects
~ I Bruise Easily by Natasha Bedingfield
~ I'm a Believer by The Monkees
~ Somewhere I Belong by Linkin Park (not sure of his spelling)
~ Hanging By A Moment by Lifehouse
~ If I Fall by Tara MacLean

'Tis the Season

2009-11-02T07:00:00.000-06:00

Normally the Fall brings with it cold weather, changing leaves, and a whole lot of planning for holiday events. For writers, it's about getting all your deadlines finished and sent off before the industry closes for the holidays. It's no fun having to wait three months for responses so there should be an influx of submissions going to editors about this time. That's not to say that they aren't bombarded anyway, but this time of year is notorious for last minute queries so you're added to the 'waiting' queue.

I've been busy re-writing my paranormal proposal. It is rather challenging, however, I do have a reason to celebrate. I recently sold my short contemporary to Amber Quill Press, I've already gotten a January 2010 release. So on top of priority writing deadlines, I've got to promo my butt off in order to prepare for the January release. That's just the tip of the iceberg for writers. It's a constant rotation that a writer has to expect in order to stay in the game. It certainly seems like there are a lot of writers out there, but there's room enough for everyone...well, that's what I believe, anyway.

I can't begin to tell you how frustrating it is to be on a schedule. I've been pretty lenient on myself until recently. Even authors have their bad months and mine seemed to have lasted for several--but now that I've got my head back on straight, I realized how far behind I really am. Hopefully this time next week I'll be bragging about meeting my own personal deadlines...

Hopefully you've all had a great Halloween. Mine was a quiet evening snuggled up under the blankets while watching "Ice Age 3". It was a great way to celebrate without having to weather the cold. :)

Now it's time to get back to commitments. Fun.

Guest Blogger :: GEMMA HALLIDAY

2009-10-29T07:00:00.007-05:00

UPDATE: **And the winner is ELI! Congrats on winning an autographed copy of Gemma Halliday's book. You should be contacted with the good news.**

One of my good friends, GEMMA HALLIDAY, is in the house and she's giving us some hot gossip on her HOT new series set in the heart of Hollywood...this is going to be one of those keeper series for me since I lived in L.A. for almost a decade (still miss it)...so I've been waiting for this book to come out! If you know Gemma's HIGH HEELS SERIES, you probably already know it's going to be a fun, laugh-out-loud, and entertaining read. This is the type of mystery that doesn't make your stomach queasy but brings a smile to your face. You really should pick it up...need more convincing? She's got a link to the infamous L.A. Informer Online site where you can find out where the gossip all began....

And here's Gemma:

You're known for your HIGH HEELS series, where high crime meets high fashion in fabulous Beverly Hills...and now you've got a juicy new series set around Hollywood headlines. I bet you had a lot of fun writing about this topic since it's everyone's secret (or not-so secret) obsession. What prompted you to come up with the idea for the series?

I’d love to take full credit for the idea, but my editor actually had a lot to do with it. I’d gotten tons of positive reader response to my tabloid reporter character Felix Dunn in the Heels series, so we thought it would be fun to do a sort of spin-off, borrowing him and a few other Heels characters in the process. Plus the whole tabloid setting gives me a legitimate excuse to indulge my TMZ addiction.

Has it been a challenge writing it with a new baby in the house?

Yes. Times ten. Baby’s adorable, but he hasn’t yet learned the fine art of power-napping.

Most people may not know that you have a background in screenwriting and acting. Did you have difficulty transitioning to screenplays?

My books tend to be very dialogue heavy, so switching between book and screenplay format isn’t that difficult of a stretch for me. The hardest part has been now boiling my paragraphs of description down to a couple sentences for the screenplays.

Have you ever considered going back to acting, even part-time?

It would be fun to do a cameo or something like that should one of my books hit the big screen, but other than that, I’m a lot happier writing than trying to stay “camera ready”.

What have you learned most about the publishing industry since you began?

Oh boy, hard to pick just one thing. I’d say that the most important lesson I’ve learned is that you’ve never really “made it” in this business. It’s a continuous battle to stay on top of trends and continue delivering what readers want. Which can be a fun challenge, but it’s always challenging.

How much has the economy impacted your career?

Interesting question. No doubt about it, publishing houses have been taking some hits in the current economy. But, I’ll be honest, I’m not really sure why. Everywhere I turn I keep hearing how romance is one industry that’s doing well in the bad economy. Go figure.

How tumultuous was your writing journey and where do you hope to see your career going?

It’s been a fun ride. :) There have definitely been some unexpected twists and turns, but I’m pretty happy with where I am and where things seem to be going for me. As to where I see myself going… the NY Times bestseller list, of course. ;)

Any secret desire to write different genres?

Not sure if it’s really a secret, but I’d love to write YA.

Writers either work alone or with a group of other writers. Do you have a posse you write with and do they write in the same genre you do? Do you meet them for writer dates?

I do have a group of other writers whose opinions I trust more than my own. Whenever I have something new, I’ll usually send it out to at least one of them (whoever isn’t in a deadline cave at the time) to read. We’re pretty spread out, so we don’t meet regularly, but they’re always an email away. And, no, we write in all different genres, which I think makes it even more fun reading each others' stuff.

Tell us about your latest release SCANDAL SHEET?

SCANDAL SHEET is the first book in my new Hollywood Headlines series, that focuses on the explotiots of L.A. most infamous tabloid, the L.A. Informer. Tina Bender is the Informer’s gossip columnist extraordinaire. She knows everything about everyone who's anyone. And she's not afraid to print it. That is, until she receives a threatening note, promising, "If you don't stop writing about me, you're dead." Teaming with a built bodyguard, a bubbly blonde, and an alcoholic obituary writer, Tina sets out to uncover just which juicy piece of Hollywood gossip is worth killing over.

Would you like to share an excerpt for our readers?

Absolutely. :) They can read an excerpt of the first scene of listen
to an audio excerpt of the first three chapters on my website at:
http://www.gemmahalliday.com/books/scandal_sheet/

What is the most extreme sport you’ve ever done, or adventure you’ve ever taken, and what did you learn about yourself?

Okay, I’ll admit, I’m not much of a sports gal. I did earn a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, though, so I guess sparring big 6 foot guys would be the most extreme thing I’ve done. What did I learn? I can beat up 6 foot tall guys. ;)

If you were a nail polish, what would it be called and why?

Great questions! Lol! Um… Rockin’ Red, because I love painting my toenails the brightest color I can find.

Any advice for our writers or parting words for our readers?

Advice for writers: Keep writing! And try to read as many other authors in your genre as possible.

Parting words for readers: buy SCANDAL SHEET! ;)

ABOUT GEMMA:

In her previous life, Gemma worked in such diverse jobs as a film and television actress, a teddy bear importer, a department store administrator, a preschool teacher, a temporary tattoo artist, and a 900 number psychic. All of which have given her excellent fodder for future characters.

Gemma started writing fiction in 2002 and after winning several awards as an unpublished writer, her career kicked into high gear in 2005 when she won RWA’s prestigious Golden Heart Award. One month later she was offered her first book contract, saving her from adding another dead end to her eclectic employment history.

Her first book, SPYING IN HIGH HEELS, was published in 2006, and since then Gemma has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the National Reader's Choice award and two RITA nominations.

Gemma now makes her home in the San Francisco Bay area, where she is hard at work on her next book.

Want to find out more about Gemma, visit her online: www.gemmahalliday.com

The Land Of The Living

2009-10-28T09:43:00.004-05:00

I didn't realize how much I took my health for granted until the swine flu knocked me clear on my butt. I'm usually a fighter. The minute my body doesn't feel quite right, I delve into my arsenal of herbs and start the process of kicking whatever is trying to invade my immune system to the curb.

Nothing I tried this time worked, and I've spent the better part of the last ten days in a dizzy, fever induced fog. The weeks before I fell ill, I was putting in long hours, working hard on my proposal and longing for the chance to spend just an extra few hours in bed. My wish came true, but not at all in the way I imagined. I'm not 100% better yet, but I feel well enough to try and enter the land of the living.

My agent has my latest WIP in her hands and is getting ready to begin submissions. I hope to have good news really soon.

Enjoy the rest of your week everyone!

Fun in the Office

2009-10-27T09:42:00.003-05:00

My office and I have been very close friends lately as I have been working on several projects while having a huge blog party and watching constantly the bestseller list at My Bookstore and More to see what SOUNDS TO DIE BY is doing (and I thought I'd moved past the neurosis stage.)

Anyway, in the last two weeks I spent 12 days the Top 10 Bestseller list at MBAM. This last weekend SOUNDS TO DIE BY was voited Best book of the week at Long and Short Reviews (well it was a tie, but I'm still excited to get to make that claim.) I'm having a blog party at my personal blog with a different guest every day. Today's guest is my ediotr Lindsey Faber and she's addressing a super scary topic. You should totally go check it out. I look forward to reading the comments when I get home from volunteering at the youngest kiddo's school.

But the best part of the last two weeks, the part that gives me warm fuzzies and makes me feel all gooey inside, are the reader emails. Like most authors, I was sure that I'd written a good book but was a little worried that my message might not translate well. So far it has. I have gotten some amazing responses to the story, which has helped motivate me to get book 2 finished. Though you guessed it. I'm worried it won't be as good as the first one. LOL Guess I'll be counting on Lndsey to help make sure it is.

Why do you think that we have so much self-doubts when it comes to something that really means something to us? Why do we convince ourselves that something we know we do well isn't going to be recieved well?

A wee bit o' paranoia

2009-10-26T07:00:00.004-05:00

Every writer reaches a point in their career where paranoia becomes a huge obstacle in the writing progress. In my case, getting my proposal to my lovely agent. She's been good at the subtle hints but she's very anxious about reading this new project. It's totally not what I usually write and it's a lot of pressure. Maybe these unnecessary fears are causing my own subliminal sabotage. Yep, it's easy to start the wheels of self-doubt, anxiety, and paranoia to turn when your head is stuck in personal struggles. What keeps me going, even with all the pressures that comes with publishing, is my love of storytelling. Maybe it's because I feel it deep in my gut that this project may be 'the one'. I've probably felt that with all my projects but this time it's different in a good but hurt-so-bad kind of way.

Well, during this writing lull I decided to contact a few of my writer friends for some pep talks. Some of these authors have even made it to the bestseller lists in the past...but they're going through this bizarre transition I'm going through with their own proposals. It's scary. No one's safe and if someone who's had good success in the past are struggling to find a publisher now...it makes it even more intense for someone who's at the beginning of their career like me. Writers need other writers. Often along the way we step back, but it's only for personal clarity and reflection. Sometimes we're needy, and sometimes we need the alone time but the pure truth is that we're never alone--after all, no one understands writers better than other writers who walk the same path.

Honest, this post isn't meant to be a downer. It's about perseverance and commitment to a goal, to yourself. It's a commitment to achieving that career that we've all been working toward for as long as we could remember. We just need to remind ourselves the reasons why. Sometimes we lose ourselves in the moment, the crisis...but if we can't see ourselves facing these same speed bumps in our future, then maybe we should stop and consider if this choice we've made is really what we want....

As for me--I'm making a stand to fight the paranoia monster! I've decided that I'm not going to allow myself to fall into that gray area where authors throw away their career because they couldn't take the pressure. I've seen it happen with girlfriends who have put out one amazing book that garnered rave reviews and instant lists who have quit before they even began--those one hit wonders who should have kept the paranoia locked up. It's a shame to see such talents wasted...a real shame. Not me. I'm a fighter, I'm going to keep my eye on reaching the finish line. After all I've been through, I think it's good to have some self-doubt to get us to re-evaluate things. It just means we're human. We're bound to make it happen if we never give up. Those famous words that Rose said to Jack on the raft after the Titanic sank, "I'll never give up, Jack. I'll never give up." Let those words ring in your ears a few times and it'll stick.

Goal for this week: I'm going to put my all into my proposal, then I'm going to close my eyes and press send.

Guest Blogger: MARIA GERACI

2009-10-22T07:00:00.005-05:00

**CONGRATULATIONS LYNNE ROBERTS for winning an autographed book of BUNCO BABE TELLS ALL by Maria Geraci! You'll be contacted shortly. If you didn't leave an email addy, please email me at jaxcassidy@gmail.com.**

I love interviewing authors I've met and authors I call friend. A lot of interesting things happen at conferences and you'd have to show up to find out...Anyway, I love attending these week long or weekend events to meet the people I've been corresponding with via email for years. Mostly, I love the connection I have with other authors who share a common career path and desire to succeed. When Maria and I met up in Washington, she kept me laughing and she's the most down-to-earth person you'll ever meet. Contrary to what people believe, authors have to keep their day jobs until they hit it big and it could be a while. I admire her work ethic and commend her for being a nurse. She's smart, funny, and very personable--the type of person you can go out to dinner with and chat all night. Her books have the same fun and intimate feel and I hope that you'll pick one up. I'm telling you, it's a great read when you're curled up during those cold, rainy (or snowy) nights. Stoke the fires, have a glass of wine or a cup of hot cocoa because you'll keep turning the pages and forgetting the craziness around you...

Now for the interview :)

What made you decide to write about Bunco and what exactly is this game (for those who are unfamiliar with it?

Bunco is a fast paced dice game, usually played by women. Think of a guy’s poker night, but substitute margaritas for the beer and gossip for the cigars. Plus, there’s prizes.

I’ve played Bunco for over 16 years now. It’s a totally fun girl time and a great way to de-stress. When I decided to write a women’s fiction novel, Bunco seemed like the perfect backdrop. Think Bunco meets Sex in the City, and voila! You have my Bunco Babes!

How did you come up with the concept of your series? Was this your first project, if not, how many manuscripts did you write before you took a chance on this?

I wrote 2 historicals before I wrote BUNCO BABES TELL ALL. The first one was terrible- my first ever attempt at writing. The 2nd historical was much better. That manuscript was a finalist in the American Title 2 contest and helped land me an agent.

The concept for the Bunco Babes series actually came to me at the RWA convention in Reno. I was out with friends at dinner and had on my “lucky” Bunco bracelet. I looked down at it and it came to me in an epiphany. I had to write about a group of friends who’ve played Bunco every week for the past 10 years, but one of them was still single… etc, etc… You get my drift.

What have you learned most about the publishing industry since you began? How much has the economy impacted your career?

Wow, that’s a loaded question since I knew absolutely nothing about publishing before I decided to write! And what I knew before I sold would fill an ocean. I guess the most important thing I’ve learned is to always expect the unexpected. People come and go, an idea that seemed “hot” one day, isn’t the next. The only thing you can control about your career is the quality of your writing and your professional attitude.

I’ll be honest, since I sold in a down economy I’m not sure how much it’s impacted my career. I know that my publisher (Berkley) has gone green and that’s reduced paper and postage waste. Personally, I love doing copyedits on the computer. But I would have loved more ARCs, a bigger promotion budget for my book, that kind of thing.

BUNCO BABES GONE WILD is the second book in your Bunco Babe series, can you tell us more about it and share an excerpt of your latest release?

Bunco Babes Gone Wild is the story of a woman who decides to shake up her boyfriend after he presents her with a calculator for their 5 year anniversary (instead of the engagement ring she’d been expecting). So she goes to my fictional town of Whispering Bay, Florida, home to the Bunco Babes (the characters I introduced in my first novel, Bunco Babes Tell All) to seek solace and advice from her big sister. She gets a lot more than she bargained for though, and finds herself in the middle of a Bunco feud and a theft. She also meets a hunky new guy she can’t seem to stay away from. All in all, it’s a sexy, humorous, light women’s fiction story.

Here’s an excerpt:

Dave pulled off his jeans. Underneath he had on a pair of board shorts. Georgia crossed her arms over her chest. “That’s a bathing suit.”

“You sound disappointed.”

“Well, I’m not.”

He gave her a look that said he didn’t believe her. “Your turn.”

“I’m not stripping down to my underwear.”

“Suit yourself.” He walked out the sliding glass doors and onto the beach.

Georgia watched, blatantly jealous as he dove into the cool blue water.

He made her feel prudish. But she wasn’t a prude. There was just something… unnerving about him. Like she was betraying Spencer. Which was ridiculous. Dave had absolutely nothing over Spencer. Spencer was classically handsome, smooth, successful, smart, urbane, thoughtful (well, most of the time).

Dave on the other hand, was just sort of good looking. Sure, he had a nice butt and every once in a while he could be funny, but he was like beer. It was tasty, but who wanted beer if you could have champagne? And she was definitely a champagne kind of girl.

If Dave could strip down to almost nothing, then so could she. Besides, he’d already seen her boobs. And it wasn’t like she was naked. She was wearing a bra and underwear. Her bikini was a lot more revealing than—

Her fingers froze on the jeans zipper.

Shit. She’d forgotten she was wearing granny panties.

But that was good, wasn’t it? It was in no way revealing. Or sexy. Or anything remotely connected to sexy.

She bit her bottom lip. What if Dave thought this was the sort of underwear she wore all the time? She craned her neck to see him floating on top of the calm water. It looked absolutely blissful.

A river of sweat ran down her back, pooling into her already damp jeans.

The hell with it. What did she care what Dave Hernandez thought of her underwear?

***

How tumultuous was your writing journey and where do you hope to see your career going?

I don’t think I’d call my journey tumultuous. I’m probably pretty lucky by most standards. It took me 5 years to get the “call” but I don’t think I was ready earlier than that.

I hope to continue to sell books, gain more fans, become a better writer. And of course, get bigger advances!

Writers either work alone or with a group of other writers. Do you have a posse you write with and do they write in the same genre you do? Do you meet them for writer dates?

I write alone, but I have a great group of supportive friends. My local RWA chapter meets once a month and of course, there’s fabulous online networking. I can’t imagine how writers did it before the computer age. It must have been very lonesome! I have a couple of critique partners who I depend on to give me advice, but they don’t live near me, so again, thank God for the internet!

What should readers expect to see from you in the future? Will you ever write outside of the contemporary genre?

I’m working on a new women’s fiction novel titled THE BOYFRIEND OF THE MONTH CLUB. It will come out early 2011 from Berkley. It’s quirky and hopefully funny and sexy, like my Bunco books.

I began by writing historical romance, but I don’t really see myself going back to it. However, you never know, right?

When you sold your first book, how did you feel and what did you do to celebrate?

I was sick with the flu, so I “celebrated” by going to bed and sleeping. Honest! I wish I could describe the feeling when my agent called to tell me I’d sold. It was part relief, part disbelief, part haze (maybe because of the cold medicine I was on!), but honestly, I’ll never forget it. It was like a dream come true.

You threw a crazy fun Bunco Bash at the Romantic Times Convention, do you plan on doing another at RT next year? Don’t hold out on me.

I loved throwing that Bunco Bash! It was so much fun, and I wish I could do it again. But unfortunately, I’m not. The timing on my release just doesn’t make it financially prudent since I won’t have a Bunco book to promote next year.

If you were a nail polish, what would it be called and why?

I’d be “Clear and Shiny.” Because what you see is what you get with me. And of course, I have such a shiny, fun disposition.

Any advice for our writers or parting words for our readers?

Keep writing. Write what you love and don’t ever give up!

About Maria:

Maria Geraci was born in Havana, Cuba, and raised on Florida’s Space Coast. Her love of books started with the classic, Little Women (a book she read so often growing up, she could probably quote).She lives with her husband and their children in north Florida where she works part-time as a labor and delivery nurse by night and writes romance full time during the day (sleep is not an option). Her first book, Bunco Babes Tell All, a sexy, funny women’s fiction story debuted in May, 2009. The follow-up, Bunco Babes Gone Wild, comes out in November. Maria is currently working on a romantic comedy scheduled for an early 2011 release date. You can visit her website at www.mariageraci.com.

Darn Bug!

2009-10-21T12:27:00.003-05:00

I'm sure you're expecting Abi but she's in bed with the FLU which has been going around. Last week I caught something and luckily it wasn't nearly as bad but I guess I'm doing a double blog post this week.

What shall we talk about? (Since I was suddenly asked to be a replacement)

I've been worldbuilding because that's what you do when you write paranormals. Unfortunately, I was so smug about creating such an amazing universe that I tend to get consumed by it. As I was working on my proposal...which is taking much to long...I realized that my overactive imagination may be the reason why I'm having so much difficulties writing it. As a writer, we are filled with details and it's about how much we want to reveal to the readers to keep them hooked. While I was so eager to expand on this world, I forgot that readers want to be whisked away, not bogged down with too much story. That got me thinking--instead of investing so much on ideas that would bore folks, I need to focus on things that should matter the most in a romance: Emotion. Relationship. Love.

Because I spent most of my life writing screenplays, I'm very visual in my head. It's a positive and a negative when it comes to writing. The positive is that I am pretty decent at dialogue, the negative is that I tend to go over the top. Writing books is a different level of writing all together. You have to make things simple, yet every single word has got to count. Readers want to invest in the characters, they want the jarring emotion, they want the intensity of the relationship...but they also want to be able to read a story that makes sense. Sounds easy, right? WRONG. Simple isn't easy. Simple is complex in its own way and the challenge has really gotten me to think outside the box. Well, the epiphany came just in time but the downside of understanding is me having to re-write all these chapters to fit the new story mold I've created.

Fun, fun, fun. I get to start over from page one again.

If you're sick, I feel for you. Been there and finally recovered.

If you're well, you need to write! What's your excuse?

Marathon Tuesday

2009-10-20T13:59:00.003-05:00

So, it's 2:00 and I'm just now getting to my computer for the day, which is very strange for me since I live at my computer. Anyway, I've been asked a lot recently about writing a blind hero. I don't closely know anyone who is blind, but I did try to become aware of what a blind person would have to go through on an daily basis. Our very own Jenius Jax joined some other friends and blindfolded me one night at a retreat. They had fun and I gained insight.

When I was writing Ian (my blind hero), I watched Daredevil several times and I thought back on At First Sight with Val Kilmer. I was watching Ray for the first time a few days ago, and it made me think of Ian in Sounds to Die By. I know one person who lost her vision as she aged, but I don’t know anyone who has been blind for most of their life. I relied on movies and my own imagination to make sure I captured Ian’s character correctly and handled his lack of vision as accurately and believably as possible.

When I watched Daredevil, I paid attention to how things sounded and how he could judge where things were because of sound waves, but I didn’t go so far as to give Ian an actual visual sensation from the sounds. That was one of my favorite things they did in that movie, but I wanted Ian to have to get through life without that sort of advantage. I also needed to get inside Ian’s head, so I blindfolded myself a few times to see what I noticed when I didn’t rely on my vision to get me through the house. I would shower and dress with all the lights off and my eyes closed to consider even the small challenges a blind person would deal with.

I felt that I’d done a pretty good job of writing a blind hero, and after watching Ray, I’m even more confident that I did. Jamie Foxx (Ray) was on a bus at one point and the driver asked him how he got around without a cane or guide dog—something Ian does in the book by choice at times. He explained how everything makes a different sort of sound and that he wore hard-soled shoes because they made sound vibrations off the walls so when he came to a doorway the sound changed. I used the sounds waves vibrating in the air around him as the explanation in the book, but Ray’s sense of hearing was a lot like what I did with Ian’s character. For example, he was in a restaurant on a date and made a comment about the Hummingbird outside the window. His date was surprised that he could hear it, but he sort of shrugged it off with the remark that you just had to listen. Ian does the same kind of things to Kieralyn.

Sounds to Die By has by far been my most challenging story to write, but it has also been extremely rewarding. In doing a few simple exercises of blindness, my writing improved because I had to find new ways to describe things, but I also came to appreciate the things we take for granted a little more. Like a great song.

For example, I love the song Do You Know by Enrique Iglesias. If you listen to it normally, you hear the ping pong ball bouncing at the beginning, but you can easily lose the sound of it when the music and lyrics kick in. By closing your eyes and concentrating on that ping pong ball, the rhythm and feel of it before the song kicks into full swing, you can hear the ball beneath the lyrics and music. You feel its rhythm more viscerally. Try it. I’d love to know if the same is true for you.

Available Now!
Sounds to Die By, Sensory Ops book 1
Samhain Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-60504-677-8
Pre-Order:
Samhain | Kindle Version | Books on Board

Also, check out my month long blog party. I’m giving away some great prizes with an eReader for the grand prize on Halloween. www.nikkiduncan.com/blog.

Cold season

2009-10-19T18:25:00.004-05:00

I normally love cold season just because I can pull up my boots, wrap myself in the plush scarf and don my knit hat to complete the full fall/winter attire. Living in LA, when the weather dropped to 60, you'd see all the women ready for the winter to parade the latest fashion. Unfortunately, when I'm talking about 'cold season'--I'm really talking about being laid up in bed with runny nose, stuffy head, coughing, and downing cold meds like it's candy. I totally lost track of life. I even missed last Monday because I was down with the icks. Today, I'm just behind schedule because I found myself trying to catch up with my workload. Clients aren't necessarily happy when you aren't working on their projects so I had to cram a weeks worth of work into a weekend.

The only good thing that came out of being sick was catching up on tv. I don't watch the tube when I'm working and I tend to become overly obsessive. It's easy for the day to disappear and I'm wondering what day it is. Now that things are starting to ease up, I can feel a bit of breathing room. Unfortunately I'm going to have to start up on my writing projects that I've managed to neglect. I'm really excited about the current WIP because when you're writing paranormals it's always a good thing to have a breakthrough...thankfully, I had one and now I'm ready to start back up.

Hopefully next week I'll an entertaining topic--but for today, I thought I'd pop in to give you the 411 on my life....yes--even writer's have to deal with real life. :P

Guest Blogger: KATE PEARCE

2009-10-15T07:00:00.006-05:00

**UPDATE: CONGRATULATIONS, JODER! You just won an autographed book from Kate Pearce! She'll be emailing in regards to your win. Thanks for playing!**

I'm one of the lucky ones who got to know Kate before all these string of releases and--let me just say, she's an incredibly amazing and lovable person inside as she is on the outside. This past conference in Washington, I finally got a chance to hang out with her in person and she's a real inspiration! We have so much in common but beyond that--she's smart, witty, and full of life--which I can't wait to spend time with her again. I am so excited about the buzz she's getting, which is SO deserved, and I'm happy to have her visit us at HoR!

**For your chance to win an autographed book by Kate Pearce, all you need to do is comment to this post and leave your email address if it's not linked to your blogger account. A winner will be chosen at random and announced on Friday**

And now, let's get to the inteview...

You’re most known for your steamy erotic historical romances from Kensington and you have plenty of experiences writing in different genres. Was it a difficult transition for you and how do you get all the stories straight when your deadlines are close together?

When I did finally get published, I was published in 3 different erotic romance sub-genres within the first year, (Regency, Contemporary Western and Futuristic), so I never had to make a definite choice as to which single sub-genre I wanted to write and there was never any question of me having to stick with one. (I’m a great believer in not having all your eggs in one basket.) Now, of course, just to complicate matters, I’ve added paranormal historical romance to the mix with my NAL contract :)

I never have any problems keeping everything straight, because the characters are all so distinct in my head. I have written the wrong character name in occasionally, but I usually catch that before it is too late!

What have you learned most about the publishing industry since you began? How much has the economy impacted your career?

I’ve learned that in publishing things seem to happen either super-fast or super slow and that even when you make that coveted sale to NY, you just enter a whole new world of worrying and a level of paranoia that can destroy you. I’ve learned to focus on the things I can control, like writing an excellent book and turning it in on time and ignore the other stuff.

I’m not sure yet how the economy has affected my career. I’ve been lucky enough to be offered new contracts, although I know many excellent authors who haven’t. I should imagine that print runs and sales have been affected, but until I see my royalty statement in Nov/Dec I won’t be able to say precisely what the impact has been.

You recently landed a major deal to write a vampire series historical set in the Tudor period, can you tell us a little more about it? What inspired you to come up with this idea?

This was a weird one. My agent, Deidre Knight, was talking to NAL about me and was asked by the editor if I could write Tudor Vampires, because they would love some of those. So Deidre asked me. :) I thought about it while I was picking my daughter up from school and came up with an idea to base a series around King Henry VIII and his six wives. (I did Tudor politics as a minor in my history degree), the premise being, that the real reason Henry had so many wives was due to all that Vampire activity going on at his court. (of course!).

Deidre loved the idea and asked me to write up a 1 page proposal. I did that, and off it went to NAL who seemed to quite like the idea as well and asked me to send in a proposal for the first three books. I ended up doing this in three weeks…It was really tough going and I had to keep it to myself because it was all so new and we were hoping no one else was doing the same thing. :) After a couple of rewrites, to add more sex, (I think I’d gone too far the other way LOL) Deidre sent it in and gave them a couple of days to get back to us. Then we heard nothing…and we were just beginning to think we’d missed the mark, when they came back with an offer for the three books. Deidre took over the rest of the negotiations, while I went out and bought lots of non-fiction about the Tudors to refresh my memory! :)

How tumultuous was your writing journey and where do you hope to see your career going?

I wouldn’t say it’s been particularly tumultuous. Like most aspiring writers I’ve had terrible contest scores, horrible critiques, many many rejections, editors turning down fulls , editors leaving…the usual stuff that makes you want to just give up and cry. From the outset I saw it as a slow and steady progression and that’s how I still view it. I write the best book I can, and if someone wants to buy it, that’s great. If tastes change and I’m out of a job again, then I’ll just keep going and reinventing myself until I get it right again.

And of course, I’d like to be famous-did I forget to mention that?

Writers either work alone or with a group of other writers. Do you have a posse you write with and do they write in the same genre you do? Do you meet them for writer dates?

I have a great set of local critters, The Hot Writer Babes, whom I’ve worked with for several years now. We all met at a local writers group and have stuck together through a load of life experiences. Only one of them writes romance, but the four of us make a great all-round team. I also have several people who crit my work for me online-I write so many books I need them all--LOL--I don’t really brainstorm much I usually wait until I have something written down before I get any feedback on it.

Tell us about your latest release SIMPLY WICKED? Would you like to share an excerpt?

SIMPLY WICKED is book #4 of the Regency-set erotic romances set in The House of Pleasure. Here’s a quick blurb:

When Anthony Sokorvsky wakes up in the punishment corner of Madame Helen’s pleasure house, he questions where his desire for sexual punishment has led him. In an effort to change his life, he agrees to squire Madame Helene’s widowed daughter, Lady Marguerite Lockwood about town.

Marguerite has her own issues to deal with, her short marriage ended when her husband was killed in a duel with his best friend, ostensibly over her. In an effort to avoid the scandal, she’s tried to withdraw from society, but Anthony Sokorvsky proves impossible to resist.
Anthony’s nemesis, Lord Minshom refuses to give him up. To Anthony’s horror, even as he finds sexual compatibility with Marguerite, he’s still drawn to the darker side of pleasure. While the couple struggles to understand each other, Lord Minshom believes he holds all the cards to destroy their relationship. But Marguerite and Anthony discover than when it comes to love and acceptance, anything is possible.

****

Here’s a short excerpt from Chapter 1 when Anthony is invited to meet the mysterious Lady Lockwood by her half-brother, Christian Delornay.

“Would you like me to scrub your back?”

Anthony’s startled gaze flew to the doorway. Framed against the sunlight stood Christian Delornay, Helene’s son. A permanent fixture for the last year at the pleasure house, seeing as he now lived there and worked for his mother. In the past, Anthony had never paid much attention to him, being far too busy with his own pursuit of sexual excess to worry about another man’s.

“No, I thank you.”

Christian shrugged, the gesture eloquent of his French upbringing as was his slightly accented English. From his prone position in the bath, Anthony took Christian’s measure and reckoned they were of similar height, although as he understood it, Christian was only twenty.

“Are you sure?”

At Christian’s amused tone, a now familiar burning rage churned in Anthony’s gut.

“Absolutely, and you can get out as well.”

“I am perfectly within my rights to be here. This is my mother’s dressing room after all.”

Christian moved closer until Anthony was forced to look up at him.

“You often frequent your mother’s bedroom do you?”

Christian smiled. “Unworthy of you, Lord Anthony. Try again.”

Anthony closed his eyes. “Get out.”

“I will if you agree to have dinner with me and my sister tonight.”

“Why would I want to do that?”

Christian skimmed his fingers along the rim of the bath. Anthony couldn’t take his eyes away from the slow gliding motion.

“Because I asked? Because you wish me to go away so that you can finish your bath in peace?”

“All right.”

“You will come?”

Anthony glared up at his smiling companion. “I said I would, now get out and shut the door behind you.”

Christian bowed. “We will see you at seven then in the main salon.”

As soon as Christian left, Anthony got out of the bath and dressed hurriedly in the plain brown coat, black breeches and matching waistcoat Judd had left for him. If he caught a cab down to the shipping office by the docks he should still be able to meet Valentin. He paused to check his reflection in the mirror. His lips were a little bruised and swollen, but apart from that, he looked well enough. Lord Minshom was always very careful not to mark his lovers above the neck.

****

You’re originally from England but moved across the pond to California, do you ever see yourself moving back? What is the most exciting thing about where you live?

I’m not sure if I could take the weather over in England anymore. I like my sunshine too much :) But I do miss my family and friends over there, so maybe when I’m famous, I’ll have a house in London as well and a private jet to take me back there quickly!

I live in the Bay Area near San Francisco and it is a fabulous place to live. You can reach the beach, the mountains, the lakes, the snow and the beauties and sophistication of the city itself all within a few hours drive. What’s not to like?

What is the most extreme sport you’ve ever done, or adventure you’ve ever taken, and what did you learn about yourself?

I did a tandem sky-dive on my 40th birthday-is that extreme enough? I learned that I can scream really loudly with terror, and yet still feel more alive and more aware of being alive than I’d ever felt before.

If you were a nail polish, what would it be called and why?

I would be Pansy Pinkalicious Sparkles because, well-that name says it all, right? And my 7 year old daughter would love it so much.

Any advice for our writers or parting words for our readers?

Just keep writing and please keep reading!!

ABOUT KATE:

Kate Pearce was born into a large family of girls in England, and spent much of her childhood living very happily in a dream world. Despite being told that she really needed to ‘get with the program’, she graduated from the University College of Wales with an honors degree in history.

After graduation, real life did intervene and she ended up working in finance which was not the greatest career choice for a would-be writer!

A move to the USA finally allowed her to fulfill her dreams and sit down and write that novel. Along with being a voracious reader, Kate loves trail riding with her family, ‘western style’ in the regional parks of Northern California

Kate writes in several different romance sub-genres under different names. She is a member of RWA and is published by Kensington Aphrodisia, Ellora’s Cave and Virgin Black Lace/Cheek.

To find out more about Kate, visit her online at http://katepearce.com

Happy Tears

2009-10-14T08:19:00.005-05:00

Today is my son's 12Th birthday and I'm torn between celebrating and wanting to cry. I'm really proud of him. In these uncertain times that we live in, I've managed to raise a smart, conscientious and honest young man. But when I look at him, so tall, strong and handsome, I long for the days when he'd let me hold him for hours and rock him to sleep.

I'm happy to report that I've finished my latest WIP. As I neared the finish line, I was so excited that my hands were actually shaking when I typed 'The End'. I wanted to dive right in and start editing, but I know that I need to approach it with fresh eyes. So, it will sit on the shelf for a couple weeks until I decide to tackle it.

Enjoy the next few days everyone...my weekend will be filled with birthday cake and happy tears.

Abi

It's Release Day!!

2009-10-13T09:07:00.003-05:00

Today is the day that my debut story SOUNDS TO DIE BY releases.

I'm having a month long celebration at my blog with goodies every Saturday leading up to an eReader given away on Halloween. I've also just posted an interview with Ian and Kieralyn on my website and I'm blogging multiple places today. I’ll also be chatting and sharing excerpts today in the Samhain Cafe, on the Samhain Blog, at Shayla Black’s blog, Melissa Schroeder’s blog, and the Sizzling Pens blog.

Rescheduling

2009-10-08T12:51:00.006-05:00

I know, we're expecting Trish Milburn today but due to an unforeseen personal emergency Abi had to re-schedule our guest blogger today.

So, if you're interested in reading about Motivation and the four steps I think would help you through a first draft, visit me on my BLOG and find out!

October is just flying by and soon it'll be Halloween. I love that holiday, the only thing I don't love is the fright night events and horror flicks. Call me chicken but I have never enjoyed any of those things. That's where me and Mr. Right are different. He loves mindless gore movies and I want to throw up even though I know it's all Hollywood magic. Maybe I'm too visual of a person. I started out writing horror screenplays but I can't, for the life of me, sit through a horror flick without totally wigging out. Uh-oh, just let out one of my personal secrets...I guess I am a girly-girl beneath the tough exterior. I love chick flicks and I love being pampered, but don't get me wrong...I am no stranger to whipping out my vicious side when necessary.

So what do you love about the season? What will you be doing for Halloween? What is your deep, dark secrets....spill it!

Writing......

2009-10-07T09:17:00.002-05:00

I am still writing and trying to get things polished and done before sending it my agent. I had to take a break last week and deal with a very sick husband who is still recouperating at home. Writing is proving to be a bit challenging when having to stop every five minutes or so to administer meds and chicken soup. But then....life goes on.

In other news, my angel is turning 12 next week! Sometimes I can't believe that I have a child, much less one that is so handsome, smart and well adjusted. We are celebrating with a laser tag party and a barbeque. He's invited 12 of his boys and we'll have tons of family and friends in attendance. The only person missing from our celebration will be Jax who is truly a part of our family :(

I hope you all have a great week!

Abi

Halloween is Nearing ad Some Exciting News

2009-10-06T10:38:00.003-05:00

My family has been invited to a costume party. I have my costume, a Play Boy Bunny, but I'm wondering what I should get for CIS. I was thinking of getting him some silk jammies and he could be Hugh. He would also be comfortable, which he would love. What do you think? Can you think of something else I could do for him that would be fun/funny?

Now, for some exciting news. Reviews and feedback is beginning to come in on SOUNDS TO DIE BY. It's a Recommended Read from Joyfully Reviewed and I've received emails from other reviewers and winners of ARC giveaways that they LOVE it. As this is my debut book, I'm sure you can imagine I was a little nervous about how it would be received. My mind has settled tremendously with the positive responses.

And if you want some exciting new for you, for the month of October I'm having a party at my personal blog. I'm celebrating my release, my anniversary, and other authors with October releases. Some guest bloggers are having their own contests on their day, but every Saturday is Giveaway Saturday. The prizes with get better each week and will end with an eReader pre-loaded with some great books given away on Halloween. I hope you'll come visit. Here is the kick off post that explains the details of the party.

Must Have Monday

2009-10-05T11:00:00.006-05:00

I can feel the cold season creeping through and know that winter is right around the corner. There's a devilish delight because I love breaking out the winter clothes. I love layering shirts, wrapping up in scarves, knit caps, and stomping around in those cute and comfy UGGs that people loathe. When the Christmas lights and decorations come up, I get all giddy because it's a confirmation that the holidays are near. It's also a great time to stoke the fires, curl up to a book, and just take everything in stride. Most people may find this time of year stressful but I find it rejuvenating. I'm re-energized and ready to meet all those goals I set out for at the beginning of the year.

Since cold weather can be hard on the body, there's a few products that I rely on to get me feeling all soft and pretty...don't we deserve to feel pretty?

Naturally is a product in Canada and this whipped Wild Mint Lime lotion in a 4 oz tube is to die for! It smells so good and I'm totally addicted to the creamy smoothness, without the oily after affects of most lotions. I stumbled across it at The Cracker Barrel. I know! It's around $9 a tube but well worth the price.

Neutrogena's Moisture Shine lip gloss not only tastes good, it hydrates the lips and has just a hint of color to make your lips look natural and shiny. I hate those lip gloss that taste too sweet..if I want candy, I'd rather be eating that instead of my gloss. It's taken me several dozen of trial and error buys before I found this one and it's a keeper. For $6 a tube at Target, it lasts quite a while even with several applications a day.

I love, love body butter! Bath and Body Works has the most amazing selections but my all time favorites are the Japanese Cherry Blossom and the Velvet Tuberose. I'm thrilled that they're $7 each when I normally get them for $15. I need to load up on them because I can't get enough of the product. The mild fragrance and the great softness that comes after the application always make me feel like I'm pampering my skin.

Another great buy at Target is Botanic's brand products. These face washes, scrubs, moisturizers are all amazing stuff. My favorite is their Purifying Face Scrub for $8. I usually use face wash in the shower and then the face scrub and I guarantee a shiny softness to your face. I even noticed that it helps when I have minor breakouts.

Hopefully you'll take a day out of the week to make your own mini-spa...just sink in the bath, light the candles, and make sure to indulge. Between work, life, family, and everything in between...YOU should come first.

Okay, I'm off to write...

An Interview with Kate Douglas!

2009-10-01T09:00:00.001-05:00

10/02/09 - Thanks again to Kate for a great interview and thanks to everyone that showed up and left a comment. Our winners are Chaeya, A.M. Wells and Dyanne. Please contact me at abigail@abigailmckenley.com so I can get your books to you!

Kate Douglas is an amazing author and I'm so excited that she agreed to let me interview her here on HoR! She signed with Kensington in 2005 and hasn't slowed down since. Keep reading to find out more about this talented writer and don't forget to comment for a chance to win one of three books!

When and why did you begin writing?
Does my first published poem in the local paper in the fourth grade count? LOL...my first writing job was right out of college in 1972 when I went to work for a country/western radio station—KCEY in Turlock, California—writing commercials. I did a lot of freelance over the years and was a newspaper reporter for a weekly paper for three years, but in the back of my mind, I always wanted to write fiction. I never really knew what kind until I discovered romances, but it took me years to act on it and many more years to get published. I sold my first romance to an epublisher, Hard Shell Word Factory, in 1998, but I didn’t sign with NY until 2005 when Kensington bought Wolf Tales. I was fifty-five years old, sort of late to be starting a new career, but I don’t think I’d want it any other way. Timing has worked perfectly for me.

What is a normal day for you? Do you have a regular writing routine?
I generally write seven days a week. I’m up early and in my office before seven most days, coffee in hand. Some nights I’m still here at eleven or even later. Obviously I take breaks during the day, but with my schedule I really do have to write every day. The good thing is, there’s nothing else I’d rather be doing!

Where do you like to write and is there anything specific you need - like a favorite pen or a favorite snack?
I work best in my office, in my big old leather recliner with my laptop in my lap and a glass of ice water or cup of coffee beside me. My office is upstairs in a house that’s built on five levels—at this end of the house it’s the second story, but I can go down five flights of stairs to get to my husband’s workshop because we’re built on a hill...at least I know I’m getting my exercise!

How much time do you spend doing background research for a book - and what has been your favorite "find" while doing this research?
It depends on the story. For the DemonSlayers series, my new release from Kensington Zebra that debuts in March, 2010, we actually made trips up to Mount Shasta in northern California, and down to Sedona, Arizona so that I could actually experience the energy vortexes I’m writing about. In my series, the vortexes power gateways between dimensions and demons are slipping through from Abyss, intent on taking over all the worlds of Earth, Eden(heaven), Atlantis and Lemuria, another mythological world. Actually going to the places and hiking to the vortexes makes a huge difference in the writing. I can write with more authority if I’ve actually been to the places I’m describing in my books. For my Wolf Tales series, I’ve done a lot of reading about wolves and pack dynamics, though my Chanku obviously have their own dynamic that’s nothing like the real critters. We also made a trip up to Kalispell and Glacier National Park, since that’s where Anton Cheval has his Montana home. Seeing those mountains and forests really gave me more insight into the descriptions for my stories.

As far as my favorite find? That would have to be a little crystal/metaphysical shop in Sedona where I could have spent days wandering through the displays! I’ve always loved rocks and gems in their natural state, and this place was a treasure trove. I ended up spending way too much money on little bags of rocks that I bought for the sole purpose of wanting to take a bit of the shop home with me.

You write Contemporary, Paranormal and Erotic Romances. Do you find it difficult to switch gears when writing different types of books? Do you write one book at a time or do you work on one or more concurrently? Which is your favorite to work on?
I haven’t written straight contemporary for years, not since I made the switch to erotic romance back in 2001, so that’s not been a hard change to make. I’m not having too much trouble switching gears between erotic paranormal and “regular” paranormal (is there such a thing?) though I have to admit, when I was writing DemonFire, (NOT erotic) where I have two very powerful men in lead rolls, I was constantly fighting the desire to put my two men together in a relationship! LOL...Dax is my hero and Alton is a Lemurian warrior who is brought in to help Dax fight demons, and if this had been erotic romance, they would have ended up as the love interest. As it turns out, Eddy Marks is perfect for Dax and she gets the guy...but Alton finds his woman in HellFire, the second book in the series. I’m writing that one now, and Ginny Jones is a fun character. She’s a young African American woman who works as a 911 dispatcher. She’s got a pretty jaded and cynical view of men in general, most specifically arrogant men, and Alton, as the immortal son of Lemuria’s leader, has arrogance to spare. Putting them together has been fun.

I can only work on one book at a time. I tend to totally immerse myself in a story and actually have to take a day off between books and read a book by another author to get myself out of my fantasy world. The world of the Chanku is totally different from my DemonSlayers, so it’s not an easy segue to make. As far as my favorite? I’d have to say whichever one I’m currently working on at the time. I fall in love (or lust as the case may be) with all of my heroes! While I’m writing in a particular world, it’s more real to me than the one outside my door. If I don’t love a project, I don’t think I could write it very well.

Your Wolf Tales series is one of Kensington Aphrodesia's top sellers. In January 2010 your fans will be running to the bookstores to pick up your ninth installment. I've read almost all the books in this series and you manage to never disappoint. How do you keep your writing fresh and your readers coming back for more?
Thank you—and don’t forget, the series continues in the Sexy Beast books (and that one Wild Nights anthology) so Sexy Beast VII, which just released, is actually the sixteenth story in the series. I’m currently contracted through Wolf Tales 12 and Sexy Beast VIII/Chanku Spirit (which will be my last Chanku novella—only writing novels after this one) and if the series continues as Aphrodisia’s top selling series, I imagine they’ll want more. I find it pretty easy to keep the Chanku stories fresh because they, as a species, continue to evolve. More characters are continuously added, and in one case, we’ll be losing a character, as there is a death in Wolf Tales 10 that will put a whole new set of events in motion. I’m not going to publicly announce who dies, but I’ll be posting the excerpt before the book releases, and the character’s death occurs in the first chapter, so anyone who wants to know in advance will be able to read it on my website.

FWIW, I have first chapters of all my books through Sexy Beast VIII/Chanku Spirit on my website at www.katedouglas.com/eroticromance I have an 18 and older button readers need to click, but it’s there for my protection as well as to keep younger readers out. My books are NOT pornographic, but they are sexually explicit, and I’m not comfortable posting things for younger readers, even though I’m well aware that there are a lot of high school kids hooked on my books. (Of course, if Wolf Tales had been around when I was in high school, I imagine I’d have been reading them!) I’m glad to hear you think the stories remain fresh. I try!

Your Demonslayers series comes to Kensington Zebra in 2010. Can you tell us a little about it?
This one is so much fun! Dax is a demon who’s too good for hell—he’s kicked out of Abyss (hell) and ends up in the void, where he’s hired by the good guys to fight a demon invasion on Earth. He’s not the most heroic of heroes—he’s hit with a curse the minute he steps into Earth’s dimension and ends up working with the pragmatic newspaper reporter who saves his life and a tiny will-o’-the-wisp named Willow who helps him access his demon powers while he’s in a borrowed human body. They’re accompanied by Bumper, a mutt who’s a cross between a standard poodle and a pit bull—sort of a pit in a Shirley Temple wig look. They are eventually joined by an exiled Lemurian warrior (Lemuria is a mythological world much like Atlantis—you can read about it online) named Alton, battling demons in the little town of Evergreen, California, on the slopes of Mount Shasta. Dax has just seven days in his borrowed body before he’s sucked back into the void, so the whole story is a race against time to save the world. My tag line says it all: It’s the battle of good versus evil—and the demon’s the good guy.

I’ve got the first chapter posted at www.katedouglas.com Just click on the DemonFire cover.

What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
Never, ever give up. The one who said that to me, Patricia Lucas White, just passed away this summer after a long battle with cancer, but years ago when I was very discouraged and wondering if I’d EVER sell a book, she encouraged me to keep at it. If I hadn’t believed in her belief in me, if I’d quit when I wanted to, I wouldn’t be where I am now, enjoying my career to the fullest and watching my books selling around the world. It’s been an amazing experience, and I will always owe Pat for forcing me to see that if I quit, I was giving up on something I’d never be happy without.

Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?
See the above—and remember that writing isn’t something you do—it’s who you are. If you can easily walk away from writing, you’re probably not meant to be doing it in the first place. This is not an easy job and it’s not one where you’re ever through learning. Even well-established, famous authors I’ve gotten to know are quick to say that if you don’t keep putting out books that are always better than your last one, you won’t make it as an author. It’s the hardest work I’ve ever done, the most rewarding and at the same time the easiest, because there’s nothing I’d rather be doing. If you love it and if you have the stubbornness to stick with it in spite of rejections, it’s the most rewarding career in the world.

Which reminds me of another bit of advice—when you get a rejection from an editor or a bad review, remember that the editor is NOT rejecting you as a person, merely that particular piece of work. The same with reviews—reading, whether as an editor or a reviewer, is subjective, so take the comments/critique as that person’s opinion of that piece of work at this particular time. Learn never to take it personally, or the negatives will eat you alive.

Do you have a favorite book(s)? What makes it/them your favorite?
LOL...whatever I’m reading at the time. I love to lose myself in a good book—I’ve got favorite authors and I’m discovering new ones all the time. I’ve just gotten into Christina Dodd’s new series—haven’t read her before and she’s wonderful. Anything by Jayne Ann Krentz, Susan Andersen, Angela Knight, Virginia Kantra, Stella Cameron, Joey Hill, JR Ward, Elizabeth Hoyt...and the list goes on! I want my books to flow, to have a rhythm to them when I read, and all of my favorite authors write that way. I love Jayne’s characters, Susan’s dialogue, AK’s amazing action scenes. Stella sets a scene so beautifully you practically fall into the pages, and Joey Hill captures her readers with absolutely beautiful prose. Elizabeth Hoyt sets her historicals so perfectly that you feel as if you’ve entered that period along with her characters, and when I read JR Ward I swear I can hear heavy metal playing in the background—point being, I like really good writing. I want to read well-written books, and hope to some day write as smoothly as my favorite authors manage to do.

Is there anything you would like your readers to know?
I hope my readers know how much I appreciate their support. I spend so much time on my computer that the online community has become my social life, and my readers are the friends I interact with the most. I love their encouraging letters and the funny notes they send me. I really love hearing what they think of my books, even if they don’t particularly like a story or a character. That interaction is important to me, and it often gives me ideas for new stories.

I would also love it if all my readers were on my newsletter, as those folks are the ones who know where I’ll be traveling and how we can get together. I don’t usually do regular book signings, but when Doug and I are on the road, we make planned stops at bookstores and I get a chance to meet readers who live in the area. It’s turned out to be such a terrific way to meet the people who read my books, and I’ve loved getting to know every single person who’s made it to one of my stops. We always have a good time, but the only way I’ve found to plan these stops is through my newsletter. You can subscribe by sending an email to KateDouglas-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Thank you so much for this opportunity. As I told you, and will tell anyone reading the blog, I will be in Hawaii when this is published, babysitting our three year old granddaughter Ella and one year old grandson Owen—along with our daughter and HER daughter, five year old Gracie. It should be a blast, but if I don’t respond right away, that’s why

For more information about Kate and her books, visit her website at www.katedouglas.com.

So Close!

2009-09-30T09:00:00.001-05:00

This week is already shaping up to be a great one! I'm so close to typing THE END on my WIP that I'm just giddy with excitement. I would have been done already, but last week I noticed that the end seemed a little rushed so I buckled down and fleshed out the problems.

Once I'm through, I'll put it to the side for a couple weeks and start work on a whole new project. Then I'll pick it up again and with fresh eyes, start my edits. I'm actually looking forward to the editing because I've decided that I'm going to put the techniques I learned in Margie Lawson's DEEP EDITS workshop to good use. I can't wait to send it to my agent. I've got a good feeling about this one and I hope she agrees :)

Stop by and visit us tomorrow when I'll be interviewing the amazing Kate Douglas. She's got a lot of good information to share and if you comment you could win one of three books!

See you tomorrow!

Always,

A Catchy and Somewhat Hysterical Tune

2009-09-29T10:44:00.003-05:00

I just returned from Lora Leigh's Readers Appreciation Weekend and it was a blast. We laughed until we cried, we danced until we couldn't walk, and then we did it all some more. My favorite part of this weekend every year is hanging out with some awesome women who are also great friends. One memory that stands out for me this year is when the DJ started playing this one song. None of us knew it, and it made me think of Jax's Mr. Right when I heard the lyrics. Jax, if he needs a laugh make sure he watches this video. It's a catchy tune that I actually think I like. LOL

Guest Blogger :: LUCY WOODHULL

2009-09-28T07:00:00.000-05:00

Hello, Hooked on Romance readers!

I’m “Lunatic” Lucy Woodhull and am trés honored to be guest blogging for Jenius Jax this fine Monday. Please keep reading - I’m bribing you with a contest and everything!

If you’re anything like me on Mondays, you’re lucky to make it out of the house with your underpants on the inside of your clothes. So I thought I’d initiate the world’s easiest writing exercise - Romance Mad Libs! Yes, you, too can write a “quality” romance novel, using the handy-dandy form I’ve given below.

Meet Lady Chastity Quiverlips and the wicked man who wishes to capture her lush, throbbing… er… heart.

Give us your best mad lib in the comments! Special points for use of the word “mantitty” (with all honorifics to the Smart Bitches). I will be choosing the best terrible mad lib and offering a copy of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES to the winner! Huzzah!

***

Lady Chastity Quiverlips gasped at the sound of a _________ behind her. "By the _________s!" she exclaimed _________ly.

"All alone in the _________, eh Lady Quiverlips?" a familiar voice purred. Oh, no! That voice belonged to none other than Lord Guy Princely, the _________ Earl of _________. Heavens to Betsy, if she were caught _________ with him all alone in the _________ her reputation would be _________! Everyone knew of his _________ penchant for _________ing young, _________ maidens, and, also, of his love of _________ _________ _________ing them!

"N-no!" Chastity turned and gasped. As usual, the vision of his _________ _________ unnerved her. And something else as well... a _________ feeling of _________ pulsated through her _________s at the very sight of his well-muscled _________. "I am expecting my _________ to join me at any moment," she _________ed.

"Nonsense!" said Lord Princely, _________ly. With nary a by-your-leave, he pulled Chastity into his manly _________. "Finally, I have you _________ _________! Now, Chastity, I shall _________ _________ you as I have always dreamed of! And, also, I shall _________ you for good measure. You look like you could use a good _________ing."

Her head spun _________ly in three wild directions at once. It was true - she could use a good _________ing. But how did he know? The feel of his _________ on her _________ caused her _________ _________ to spasm _________ly. Never had her _________ spasmed so! Not even that one time, when a _________ had _________d her _________, last March.

"Lord Princely! You must stop this _________ing at once!" She pushed against his _________ frame to no avail. He was stronger than a _________ wrassling a _________ _________ and beefcakier than a _________ _________. "I shall never be your _________!"

He laughed, the dark _________ sound sending _________ down her _________. "It is pointless to _________, luscious Chastity. Never forget, I know all about the _________ you once _________ _________! I shall tell everyone your secret unless you let me _________ _________ your creamy _________. Haha! When I’m through _________ing you, you shan’t be called Chastity anymore, but will have to answer to the name of _________!”

Shucks and drat! How did he know her secret? Chastity _________d. Her poor, virginal _________ might never recover from the sexy onslaught of Lord Princely’s _________ _________.

ABOUT LUCY:

Lucy Woodhull has a background as an actress and producer, as well as writer. She loves to laugh and to make others laugh. Red lipstick and vintage clothing are amongst her favorite things, as well as a shameful enjoyment of the teenage angst show Gossip Girl. Her favorite non-shameful authors include Elizabeth Peters, Anne Perry and Alexander McCall Smith. In her spare time Lucy enjoys out-punning her friends and inspiring her wonderful husband to call her “weird”. She owns a cat. A very fat, rather bitchy, cat.

She is finishing edits, together with her writing partner Fellatia Langley, on her first complete novel, a romance parody called Love’s Bountiful Bulge. Recently she completed a sci-fi rom com novella, Ragnar and Juliet, which she would love to sell you. Learn more at www.lucywoodhull.com or her blog, http://www.yousayweird.blogspot.com/

Guest Blogger: AGENT LAURA BRADFORD

2009-09-24T08:39:00.003-05:00

We're proud to welcome Literary Agent Laura Bradford with Bradford Literary Agency to Hooked on Romance today.

Laura Bradford has fifteen years of professional experience as a literary agent, editor, writer and bookseller. Laura began her career as a literary agent at Manus and Associates Literary Agency and formed Bradford Literary Agency in 2001. She considers herself an editorial-focused agent and takes a hands-on approach to developing proposals and manuscripts with her authors for the most appropriate markets. During her own misadventures as a writer, Laura came to understand the importance of having a friendly but critical eye on your side, a career strategist in your corner and a guide who can lead you through the travails of publication.

Her recent sales include books placed with Berkley, Grand Central, Harlequin/Silhouette, Kensington, Spice Books, Pocket, Virgin Books, Avon, Dorchester, Hyperion, NAL, Eos, and Mira Books. She continues to actively build her client list and is currently seeking work in the following genres: Romance (historical, romantic suspense, paranormal, category, contemporary, erotic), urban fantasy, women’s fiction, mystery, thrillers and young adult as well as some select non-fiction.

She is a member of the Association of Authors’ Representatives (AAR) and Romance Writers of America and she is an RWA-recognized agent.

Laura is with us today to answer any questions you may have about publishing, agents, submissions, etc. If you would like to get some feedback on a query/pitch, you can post that here (limiting it to 3 or 4 lines) and Laura will try to help you out to see where you might be able to improve it. Or you can ask her any other questions that pop into your head.

This is one of those chances that we don't get all the time, so I hope you'll take advantage of it.

Songs To Inspire

2009-09-23T08:06:00.015-05:00

These days, as I near the end of my WIP, you can find me in my home office listening to tunes as I write. I'm one of those quirky writers....I make a play list at the beginning of each new project, but I can only bring myself to use it as I near the end of the book.

Today I thought I'd share some of what's been inspiring me these days.

.
The Slumdog Millionaire Soundtrack is awesome! Every beat of every song on this CD captures the energy of daily Indian city life. As I listen to it I'm whisked away to an exotic world where my heroine reigns supreme

Air Supply is a constant on every play list I create. I'm a huge soft rock fan and when I listen to them I'm happy. As I write this, Even The Nights Are Better is floating though my house and bouncing of my walls.

I also love 80's and 90's R&B. My iPod is full of artists like Debarge, Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam, Teena Marie, New Edition and of course Prince. Do you remember the first time you heard Purple Rain?

My eleven year old loves the fact that I like some of what he does. Linkin Park is one of his favorites and they happen to be one of mine too. We were giving each other high-fives in the theatre when we heard New Divide during Transformers.

That's just some of what I'm rocking out to these days. There is sooooo much more. This play list alone has over 300 songs and DH made them even easier to enjoy when he bought me an iPod stereo as a surprise a few months ago.

What do you listen to when you write?

Enjoy the rest of your week everyone!

Always,

The Differences Between Men and Women

2009-09-22T09:54:00.003-05:00

First off, if you haven't checked out Jax's personal blog you should. She came home to an awesome surprise from her man. http://jaxadora.blogspot.com/2009/09/best-ever.html

Jax's blog reminded me of something I was thinking about the other day--how different men and women are but how alike we are, too. Our differences are vast. While there are men like Jax's Mr. Right who have a large creative streak in them, men tend to be more logical and streamlined in their thinking while women are more inclined to take the emotional approach to things. CIS, my husband, and I are the same way. He worries about the little things right now and I look farther out and what can be accomplished if we get creative with the little things now. I guess that's a sign that I'm the creative and emotional one in our relationship. :)

For example, I know that CIS understands what it's like to be creative. He plays the saxophone and used to do photography (and was really good). He listens to me babble about writing and plotting and characters enough that he has a good idea what I go through on a story, though he still thinks it's easy to bust out 20+ pages in one day. Doable, yes. Easy, not always.

Anyway, our oldest kiddo, Chaos has started playing the flute. Pain and agony from listening to the beginning practices has ensued. CIS and I had a debate over whether or not to get private lessons for Chaos. He wanted to get the lessons because he could have been a better sax player if his parents had been able to give him that edge, but they're not cheap and money is one of those little things CIS stresses about. (And yes, I do know that money is not a little thing.) He was so worried in fact that he decided against private lessons. I however disagreed and put our name on the sign up sheet so I could get more information. (Insert normal married couple argument here over who is right. I sort of won the first round by calmly pointing out that we don't know how much the lessons would be without getting more information to make a more informed decision. Yes, I've learned the key buzz words to use on CIS.)

So, the call comes about the lessons. They aren't cheap, but neither are they as expensive as we expected them to be and they won't be as often as we'd anticipated which helps the cost. Now, I was mostly raised by a single mother but was still afforded the opportunity to compete Arabian horses through high school. I know what she went through to make that work for me. As a writer fighting to achieve my goals, just as I did when I was a kid riding, I couldn't sit back and not give my kid the advantages that could make the difference between mediocrity and greatness if I could od it and still have food on the table and a roof over our heads. If Chaos' dream is to play the flute, and who knows where that could lead, it's our job to make it work. Right?

There was a lot of passionate emotion in my "pro lessons" argument. So much so that I almost forgot to sprinkle in the logic that hubby needed to hear. It amazed me when we finally decided to go ahead with the lessons that I was reminded so starkly of how different CIS and I are. We get so wrapped up in the day to day of being parents and the pettiness of small arguments that we sometimes lose sight of why we fell in love with a person. CIS is willing to go to bat for me or the kids on anything that we truly want. He wants to see us work hard and put in the effort without sending him into debt, but ultimately his emotions win out and we get to do most of the things we desire.

We are tremendously different creatures and I couldn't be more glad about that. Even when he drives me nutty, CIS is the best companion and partner I could have chosen.

Tell us about the person in your life that compliments you. That drives you to be your best and supports you in your passions.

I'm baaaack!

2009-09-21T19:31:00.006-05:00

Sorry about missing my Mondays but I've been out of town. I had pre-scheduled some guest bloggers but managed to miss a few.

Got back into town late last night and I'm still groggy, tired, and in need of decompressing. Spending time with family is always a good thing, in a way, it's therapeutic because you start to analyze yourself and your goals. I didn't get any writing done due to the constant activity during my time home but I did get much time to think. Thinking is a lot like brainstorming. I was able to iron out some problems with my current project and come up with new ideas. It's so amazing how much we can accomplish even when we're not writing. A writer doesn't always need to write to create. You just need the focus and dedication to get the engine going. Now that I'm back in familiar surroundings, I've discovered this fire has been lit and I'm ready to make things happen...

Oh, yeah--you gotta get this book because....

Kelly L Stone, the author of TIME TO WRITE, recently interviewed me for her second book for aspiring writers. The book is called THINKING WRITE: The Secret to Freeing Your Creative Mind, and it's about how to use the power of your subconscious mind to maximize your creative output and attain all of your writing aspirations. It even comes with a CD with 4 meditations for writers, including one on how to give the perfect pitch to an agent or editor.

I'm told I have a couple of quotes included in this book...isn't that just totally awesome?

Almost There!

2009-09-16T09:32:00.003-05:00

For the past few days, the McKenley household has been knocked flat on it's back surrounded by a sea of tissue and medicine bottles.

It happens to be that time of the year again...when the pollen count in Central Florida goes sky high, leaving my entire family wheezing and hacking as though we'd
contracted the pneumonic plague.

Yesterday, as I slowly came out of my antihistamine induced fog,I realized that I'd managed to sleep through a couple events that left America and the world screaming in unision... WTF! I'm glad to have missed them though, bad manners and hurtful behavior make me sick and I don't think my aching body could have taken much more.

In writing news, I'm more than 75% finished my WIP. I'm sooooo excited, because this is when a book becomes easiest for me to write. My usually elusive muse is now ever present and is shoving me towards the finish line. I can't wait to type THE END.

I'm heading back into my cave to write.

Enjoy the rest of your week everyone....

Always,

A Writing Challenge and Goals

2009-09-15T01:00:00.001-05:00

I've been flailing some in my focus lately, so I've resolved to fix it. I have set myself some goals and have written them out with deadlines on the ones I can control and have posted them on my desk where I see them daily.

My current goal is to finish writing th first draft of my current WIP before September 21. It's doable. It's a 10 chapter book and I'm in chapter 3. That means I have to write one chapter every day. When this is finished I get to take short break and atend Lora Leigh's Readers Appreciation Weekend for some R&R. This will be my 3rd year to attend and it just keeps getting better, though I do need to put together a sinning saint costume before I go. :)

When I get back I will get straight to work polishing the WIP and another story that I want to get in shape for agent submissions. I figure at the very least all this work will help keep me from being a complete neurotic mess as I get closer to my release day. I'm trying very hard to compartmentalize so I don't overstress. HA! We'll see how well I succeed (and possibly how much weight I gain in the process).

So tell me, have you set any goals for yourself? Did you set some at the beginning of the year? Have you accomplished any? If you were going to set some new ones, what would they be?

Guest Blogger :: ANGELEQUE FORD

2009-09-14T07:00:00.006-05:00

**As a thank you, I'm giving away a copy of SECOND CHANCES. If you post a comment on this blog, I'll add your name to the drawing. Leave your email address if you want to be included. A winner will be chosen at the end of the day.**

SECOND CHANCES: A Ramos Brothers Story
Release Date: September 18th
Publisher: Cobblestone Press

When Elaina Matthews ran into Sebastian Ramos at his grandmother’s house, she never expected it would lead to another night of wild sex. Or a relationship.

Sebastian knows what he wants and that’s Elaina in his life and in his bed, forever. He moves full-steam ahead in getting her to agree to a relationship. But will his desire for Elaina overwhelm her and end their relationship before it really starts. And there is another problem on the horizon for the new couple – what will his family say when they discover he’s dating his brother’s ex?

One thing has always been consistent in my life – my writing. Or rather, my need to write. When I was a child if you asked me what I wanted to be when I grow up, the answer would have been a published author.

I write because I love it. But it is hard. Long hours spent in front of the computer, hours in isolation with little interaction outside of online forums and friends. Have I wanted to give up? Yes. But I still persevered, kept writing because I love it. The thrill of creating worlds, crafting characters, manipulating situations and plotting storylines.

On this path I have learned much, like don’t compare myself, my writing or my word count to others. There will be good days writing wise but a bad day is only one where I have not tried to write anything. And there have been a few of those along the way.

Learning how to balance real life with my writing life, balancing being a sister, daughter, caretaker, friend with promo, writing time and building an online persona. My real life is what helps to feed my creative juices and energy and provides story ideas and character insight.

Have I dropped some balls? Yes. But I just picked them up and got going on. I’m not done by a long shot. I have a harddrive full of stories and ideas that need to be finished and developed.

Today I am lucky enough to say that my dream has come true. I have had one novella published with Phaze Books titled TAKE ME AS I AM. And I have another short story coming out for with Cobblestone Press titled SECOND CHANCES. SECOND CHANCES is actually the first in a planned series centered around a group of brothers – The Ramos Brothers.

TAKE ME AS I AM started as an heterosexual romance based on a comment I heard on a radio show. It turned out to be a reunion story about the love two men share for each other. And the funny thing is that SECOND CHANCES is another reunion story. It started out as a story about a one night stand without a happily ever after. When the story evolved into what it is now which is a romance between friends who share a unique past.

ABOUT ANGELEQUE:

Angeleque was born and raised to be a “good girl”, she followed the rules until she graduated college. She decided to have fun and live by her own rules. Angeleque is the bad girl to her real life good girl who wants to have fun and live life to it's fullest. The practical side of Angeleque (who always has money saved up for bail) is one of the aspects of the real me which shines through.

She loves to travel, has a thirst and passion for life and love that shines through in her writing. She admits to liking sex (and is not afraid to admit it), motorcycles, leather and roller coasters. And can appreciate the sexiness and mystery of both genders.

To find out more about Angeleque, visit her at:

Webpage: http://angelequeford.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/angeleque
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/angelequeford
Yahoo Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/angelequeford/

Guest Blogger: ROSEMARY CLEMENT-MOORE

2009-09-10T01:00:00.004-05:00

Rosemary Clement-Moore is with us today to talk about her latest release THE SPLENDOR FALLS. I met Rosemary through my local RWA chapter. She was the first Young Adult author that I read, and I have to say that I LOVE her books. It's especially fun that I can share them with my oldest kiddo who is reading Rosemary's first book and will be doing a journal exercise on it for school.

Rosemary is one of those genuine people that you sincerely want to see succeed. This last summer at the RWA National Conference, Rosemary was a RITA nominee for the Young Adult category. A group of us that know Rosemary sat together and I'm pretty sure that we were crying more than she was when she won.

It's is an absolute thrill to have Rosemary with us here today.

How tumultuous was your writing journey, or were you one of those lucky writers who got picked up on the first attempt?

I did sell the first novel I finished, but not the first one(s) I'd attempted. I'd written short stories and plays before, but Prom Dates From Hell was the first time I'd managed to break out of that endless cycle (come on, we've all done it) of writing three chapters, revising them to death, until we're sick of the project and start another first three chapters... etc. etc. etc.

Of course, I prefer to think it was due to my fabulous talent rather than luck. ;-) And some of it was planning--I made a very strategic attack on my agent querying process. Lots of research, lots of tactical analysis. And my agent is awesome--she had a lot to do with things. Plus, I had a YA paranormal to sell, right as YA paranormals were really taking off. That, however, wasn't planning. That really was just dumb luck.

Which books are still on your shelf from when you were in school? Any “required reading” you hated in high school that wasn’t so bad ten years later?

Pride and Prejudice, of course. Most of the Shakespeare plays (whether I liked them or not), Jane Eyre, Dante's Inferno, The Canterbury Tales, Rebecca, The Odyssey, Brave New World, Turn of the Screw, The Crucible, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, Antigone and Oedipus Rex, Cyrano de Bergerac... I seem to have hung onto a lot of plays. This may just be because they're thin and take up less room on the shelf. Also, I took a drama as literature class in college. Those may be from that class.

What books have improved with (my) age? The Scarlet Letter, I think. In high school I couldn't see past my youthful feminist indignation that Hester was punished and her lover was not. I hated everyone in that book. Now I see Hawthorne's point--by turning her "A" into a thing of beauty and wearing her sin outwardly, Hester fared better than Dimmesdale and his unacknowledged sin/guilt. Plus, maybe I have spent more time thinking about sin and repentance since then. ;-) I won't say it's become a pleasure to read, but I appreciate it now.

Who is the person whose book advice you’ll always take?

My editor! That's the only absolute. My critique partners give me excellent advice, though, and I always evaluate everything they say, though I don't 100% follow it. In the end, you have to listen to your gut, because it's your name on the cover.

Last page: read it first or wait ’til the end?

Wait until the end. Very rarely do I turn to the end, and when I do it means I'm evaluating whether the book is going to be worth the effort of finishing... and if I'm even asking myself this question, it's not a good sign.

What’s the best part of being an author?

Getting to work my own hours, creating my own worlds where I can have complete control. It's nirvana for a control freak like me!

Tell us about your book THE SPLENDOR FALLS. When does it come out and can you give us a teaser for our readers?

THE SPLENDOR FALLS, which just came out September 8th, is a gothic, romantic mystery set in Alabama. (You may have notices Rebecca and Jane Eyre on my keeper list. I love gothic novels!) When ballerina Sylvie's dance career is ended by a terrible injury, she's sent to stay with her late father's family, in a remote, antebellum mansion where the past is a little too much alive. She's seeing things that aren't there (like shades of her ancestors), feeling things she can't explain (like why she feels she knows complete strangers), and doubting her own sanity. There's magic, mythology and mystery, and Kirkus reviews says it's "Satisfying and chilling."

Here's a little taste:

I managed to lever the suitcase onto the edge of the carousel, and stood in an uncomfortable arabesque while I tried to figure out how to pull it down without knocking my good leg out from under me. That would be an awkward headline: Ex-ballerina flattened by actual baggage. Overdose of irony suspected.

“Careful there.” The masculine voice startled me, but not nearly as much as the arm that wrapped around me, steadying the heavy pink suitcase. My normal instincts--the one that told me when someone was coming up behind me, the one that told me to scream ‘fire’ instead of ‘rape’ if someone grabbed me--all short circuited with a tangible fizzle so strong that I was surprised I didn’t smell smoke.

My inhale of alarm carried in a whiff of herbal soap, but it was the scent of clean air and damp earth that filled my head and took me to a strange place, so I seemed to be simultaneously standing in an airport in Alabama, and someplace wild and wet and green. The only constants were the steadying arms around me, and the feeling that my heart was going to beat out of my chest with anticipation, or fear, or both.

It was dizzying, unnerving, like confusing a memory with a dream. For an instant, the nanosecond between information coming in and my brain processing it, I was certain that if I turned around, I would know this guy.

My heart squeezed with real fear then, at the thought that reality going slippery on me. Again. But before panic could do more than flex its claws, the moment ended. The eerie feeling of recognition vanished, leaving just a perfectly normal rush of Wow, someone smells really nice in its wake.

Any parting words for our readers and aspiring writers?

Keep moving forward, whatever stage you're in. That cycle of writing and revising the same chapter over and over comes from fear--fear you do thing 'wrong,' fear of moving forward. But you can't leave things unwritten. Mistakes can be fixed, certainly in prose, and most of the time in life. Keep writing, keep submitting, keep living. When you make mistakes, learn from them, cut the paragraphs (or chapters, or entire manuscript), and start over.

And good luck!

Check out Rosemary's website at www.rosemaryclementmoore.com and be sure to pick up her book!

My Favorite Things!

2009-09-09T09:53:00.012-05:00

Ever since catching the writing bug, I've developed an addiction for writing tools and gadgets. Some of my favorite things happen to come from the same site...www.ninthmoon.com They are the coolest!

Like many of my counterparts, I've always got a notebook or two with me at all times. I have a few of this one. My hubby got it for me and I smile every time I read the quote on the front.

I love paperweights. This is a great one.

My house could really use this door hanger. My 11 year old is always barging into my office when I'm working.

I'm always in search of inspiration. This framed prayer seems like a good way to help put the dark moments into perspective.

Why don't you check them out. They also have tons of promotional items you can use when the time comes to promote your masterpiece.

Have a great writing day everyone!

Always,

Romancing the To Do List

2009-09-08T01:00:00.001-05:00

The kids are back in school and October 13th is rapidly approaching, so I settled in this last week to work. To kick things off I created a new To Do list and let me tell you...it's long. The good news is that I am getting to mark things off now that I have it written down to serve as a motivation.

The biggest thing I've tackled so far is a short story that will be a free read on a Samhain site in October. Ian and Kieralyn from SOUNDS TO DIE BY go to a party where we meet Eden Maverick and Breck Lawson. Eden is struggling with the possibility that the love of her life who vanished two years ago is about to reappear (or that she's somehow the brunt of a cruel joke) and Breck is realizing that as much as he wants a relationship with Eden she'll only ever be an honorary sister for him - he seems to be collecting sisters these days.

It was a challenge for me to write something so short, we were limited to 3-4 thousand words, but the few people who've read it for me have said that I've done well with it. It was fun to play with some characters that I've been "finished" with for awhile and explore a new hero a little more. Now I'm really chomping at the bit to settle in with that hero and finish his story.

While I do that, be sure you come back Thursday to visit with Rosemary Clement-Moore. She's a super lady and you don't want to miss her.

Also, I have a contest going on at my website. Check it out!

Guest Blogger :: STEPHANIE ADKINS

2009-09-07T07:00:00.004-05:00

**CONGRATULATIONS CATHY M! You won Stephanie Adkin's eBook!**

Hello everyone! It's release day for my contemporary erotic romance suspense novella, RESISTING KANE, and I'm so happy to be celebrating it here at Hooked On Romance!

In honor of it's debut, I'll be giving away a free copy to one lucky person who leaves a comment on this post. To enter, all you have to do is answer this question: What's the hardest thing for YOU to resist? Is it chocolate? Jewelry? Your sexy next door neighbor? *wink* I'll be drawing a winner tonight, so get those comments rolling!

Now, here's a little peek at RESISTING KANE. I hope you enjoy it!

BLURB:

Past inequities are hard to forget … and harder still to forgive. After fifteen years, high school classmates Madison Carey and Terence Kane are forced to work together to stop a madman whose sole purpose is to seek revenge … with her life as the prize.

EXCERPT:

The weekend had dragged by in a monotonous way that had Madison almost excited to head back to work the next morning. At least she would be around other people. She’d had several calls from friends over the weekend to go out for drinks and such, but she turned them down, not wanting to risk anyone finding out the circumstances that surrounded her. She wasn’t used to being without her friends and having no one to pass the time with. Normally she was encompassed in a bustle of activity so the quietness made her two-story home feel even bigger … and emptier. Waking up early that morning, she had bounded out of bed, eager to get dressed and back to work just so she would have someone to talk to. Walking down the stairway, she rolled her eyes in distain the moment she saw Terry waiting for her in the foyer.

“Good morning, Madison.” He said cheerfully.

By placing her hands on her hips, she avoided the urge to slap the smugness off his face. It was bad enough for them to be thrown together against her wishes, but seeing how he was obviously enjoying her misery over the whole situation made it even worse.

“I really don’t see why it’s necessary for you to drive me. I have a chauffeur who can do the same thing with far less aggravation.” She said, walking past him and into the den.

As he followed her every move, she heard him chuckle under his breath. Choosing to ignore it rather than start a futile argument with him, she looked around the room for her purse. She vaguely remembered setting it down in the den when she returned from work Friday evening, but now it was nowhere to be seen. Maybe the housekeeper had moved it.

“Your chauffeur isn’t the one being paid to protect you.” He said, picking up her purse from a nearby table and handing it to her. “Look, Madison, I know you’re not thrilled with me being assigned to your case. That’s pretty obvious.”

Snatching it from his hand, she stormed past him and walked toward the kitchen.

“Good. Then I can stop pretending to be civil toward you.”

After pouring herself a cup of coffee, she fumbled with some paperwork on the countertop while Terry stood nearby and watched. In his black dress pants, long-sleeved blue shirt, and tie, she had to admit he looked quite handsome, but she immediately forced the thought from her mind as quickly as it had entered. She wouldn’t go there again if her life depended on it.

“Pretend all you want. I’m not going anywhere. It’s my job to watch over you and I’m going to do my job whether you like it or not.” He replied, arrogantly crossing his arms over his chest. “I see you haven’t changed any. You still want things done your way or no way.”

Swallowing hard, Madison glared at him, trying valiantly not to wail at him with her claws bared.

“You might have walked over me and everyone else you looked down upon in high school, but you won’t do it to me again, Terence Kane. I don’t need your protection. My Father hired you. I didn’t. I can take care of myself.”

Shaking his head in disbelief, he walked toward her and cornered her against the kitchen counter before she had time to escape. Undaunted, she looked up into his cold hazel eyes and never flinched. She had been up against far more intimidating men than him in her lifetime, and she wasn’t about to be bullied.

“You can stand here and act all high and mighty as long as you want to, Madison Carey. I can do this all day long.” He seethed. Placing his hands on either side of her against the counter, his glare was unwavering. “The fact that you’re rich and well-known in this shallow business you seem to love won’t stop Joseph Sinclair from killing you if he’s given the slightest opportunity.”

His breath was hot against her skin, and even though she knew she should try and step away from him, her feet felt permanently glued to the floor. She couldn’t remember a time she had ever been this close to him and it was unsettling to say the least. The scent of his cologne pervaded her senses and, as much as she tried, she couldn’t control her body from quivering.

“Terry, I know the thought of some helpless woman falling at your feet excites you, but I don’t need you. If he makes the mistake of getting near me, I’ll … I’ll just take care of it. I’ll kill him if I have to.”

“And how do you expect to do that?” He asked incredulously.

Shrugging her shoulders, Madison tore her gaze away from him and glanced out the window, refusing to look him in the eye. She had protected herself this long; she certainly didn’t need him to start doing it. What he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.

Jerking away from her, Terry inhaled sharply as if something had suddenly occurred to him. Then, before she had time to react, he grabbed her purse with both hands and poured all of its contents on the countertop. Bewildered, she tried to stop him, but he was much too strong.

“What the hell are you doing? You have no right going through my things! Stop it!” She yelled.

He opened every zipper and compartment as Madison looked on helplessly. With his jaws clenched tightly together, he franticly searched through her wallet, every lipstick case, and every other content scattered on top of the kitchen counter as if searching for buried treasure.

“What are you hiding, Madison? A knife? A gun? Where is it?” He demanded, turning to look at her. The severity behind his gaze was probably meant to alarm her, but instead she felt her knees weaken.

Grabbing her by the waist, he pushed her back against the counter. His lips were so close that she could feel each of his ragged breaths as they slid across her own. It was enough to make her heart race and her head spin.

Unsure of what to do next, she looked up at him and waited expectantly. For reasons she couldn’t explain, she desperately hoped he would kiss her, but instead he began frisking her. Confused and angry, she tried pushing him away as he patted her hips with both of his hands, making his way down her body.

“No! Stop it, Terry! I don’t have …”

Now on his knees in front of her, her pleading ended abruptly when she felt his hands grasp the pistol she had strapped to her right thigh. As he looked up at her, the shock was apparent in his gaze, and suddenly she was afraid to say anything else that might anger him even further.

“Madison …” He began, the disappointment evident in his tone of voice.

“I’ve been carrying it for protection. That’s all.” She said resolutely. “It’s mine, Terry. I own it legally. I have the documents to prove it.”

“It’s dangerous, Madison. You could hurt yourself or someone else accidentally.”

As he lifted her skirt to her thighs and his hands slipped beneath it, she closed her eyes and sighed deeply as his fingers grazed her skin.

“You forget who my Father is. I know how to use a gun.”

Deftly, he slid his fingers over her skin as he began removing the gun and holster while she clutched the side of the counter to keep from falling. It was maddening having him so close to where she wanted to be touched. Her defenses down, she relaxed against the kitchen counter and tried to keep her voice from shaking with emotion.

“I’m tired of looking over my shoulder all the time. I’m sick of worrying if today is going to be the day that Joseph gets his revenge. You don’t understand. I just wanted something to help me feel safe.”

After resting the gun and holster on the floor, he slid his hands up her legs once again where he clasped on to the hem of her skirt and pulled it back down, smoothing it into place. She expected him to let go, but instead he held on for several agonizing seconds. The warmth of his fingers made her dizzy. It was exhilarating almost to the point of being painful.

“That’s what I’m here for. You don’t need this anymore.”

The tenderness in his touch made her wince. She wanted to reach out and twine her fingers through his hair, but before she had the chance to, he abruptly picked up the gun and holster and stood up.

“I’ll keep these.” He said sharply, never once looking her in the eye. “We should go.”

As he turned and walked away, Madison held on to the counter and tried to catch her breath. Suddenly catapulted back to reality, she felt angry all over again. After all these years, she was still acting like a fool around him. She should have known he still had a heart of stone. Damn him! Throwing her belongings back into her purse, she cursed him under her breath and silently swore that it would never happen again. He wasn’t worth it. He never was.

ABOUT STEPHANIE:

Growing up in a household that consisted of four brothers and no sisters, Stephanie Adkins spent most of her childhood locked in her bedroom, escaping the testosterone by filling page after page of her diaries with short stories and poetry. Now, surrounded by even more men in her life – her husband of fifteen years and two sons – she still enjoys the “great escape” by turning her childhood dreams into reality … one story at a time.

Since August 2008, Stephanie has been published with Wild Child Publishing, Liquid Silver Books, Phaze Books, and Cobblestone Press.

You can visit her at:
http://www.stephanieadkins.com

Guest Blogger :: KRISTEN PAINTER

2009-09-03T07:00:00.006-05:00

**CONGRATULATIONS LESLIE DICKEN! You just won Kristen Painter's latest release ALL FIRED UP in eBook format. Please contact me to collect your prize at jaxcassidy @ gmail.com **

THE ART OF INSPIRATION

One thing Jax and I share is a love of great, interesting art, so it seemed a no brainer to me to blog about the topic of art as inspiration. Especially since my debut book, ALL FIRED UP, was solely inspired by a picture I found on Deviant Art called Mixed Ashes by Mahtaliel. If you haven’t been to Deviant Art, you’re really missing out. Some of the artists there are AMAZING!

The picture stayed with me so much that I returned over and over to look at it. Like most writers, the “what if” gene is strong and I started thinking…What if this guy were real? What if the Phoenix wasn’t a bird but a man? What if he had the power to change past mistakes? The questions kept coming and the story began to unfold like a scroll of possibilities.

And so, ALL FIRED UP was born. And Mahtaliel gave me permission to post the pic on my website as well so that readers can see what inspired the book. I even sent a copy of the pic to the cover artist who did my Samhain cover. I think you can see a little of it in there, don’t you?

What art has inspired you lately?

Mahtaliel’s Gallery: http://mahtaliel.deviantart.com/gallery/

ABOUT KRISTEN:

Kristen Painter is a former college English teacher, personal trainer, advertising exec, maitre d’, and runway model. When not building fantastical worlds, creating new characters or plotting herself out of a corner, she hangs out in the forum at Romancedivas.com, the award-winning site she co-founded with Jax Cassidy, blogs at www.kristenpainter.blogspot.com (except for Tuesday's when she's on deck at www.fictionistas.blogspot.com) or tweets at http://twitter.com/Kristen_Painter.

She’s represented by The Knight Agency.

No Compromises Allowed

2009-09-02T09:52:00.004-05:00

It seems as though it was just yesterday that I woke up excited that school was out for summer. I vowed to immediately become a productive member of the writing community, working eight hours a day and dedicating the remaining sixteen to fun and family. It was a good idea in theory, but it didn't pan out. Life has a way of throwing you curve balls and you just have to learn to adapt.

Fast foward three months later and we are now in our second week of school. Normally, I'm a little sad, because I enjoy my son immensely and hate not having him around during the days. But this fall I couldn't wait to pull up to the school and shuttle him off to his classroom.

I've made a new writing schedule and I intend to stick to it. I wake up at five in the morning and I work until he gets up at seven. Once I drop him off at class, I come home and write for six hours. There are no exceptions and no compromises allowed.

With that said, I'm heading to my cave to get some work done. Have a wonderful and productive week everyone!

Always,

What Kind of Romance Do You Like?

2009-09-01T13:30:00.002-05:00

I was reading emails earlier and someone was talking about the genres of romance they like and someone else was talking about genres they've never read before. I got to thinking about all the different genres of romance and now I'm wondering, what is your favorite? What haven't you tried before? Why not? What would you like to see more of? Do you like your stories to be on the lighter side or dark?

Inspirational?
Young adult?
Contemporary?
Romantic suspense?
Paranormal?
Steam punk?
Fantasy?
Urban fantasy?
Erotic?

Come on. Don't be shy. Inquiring minds want to know.

Guest Blogger :: MG BRADEN

2009-08-31T07:00:00.003-05:00

I know that Mondays are normally my day but for the rest of September I'm having guest bloggers fill in for me while I'm off taking care of my mum in Florida. So today, please welcome my friend MG BRADEN who's kind enough to step in this first week of my hiatus....

Thanks, Jax, for having me on Hooked on Romance today.

My name is MG Braden, but you can call me Michelle. Or MG. Or Ms. Braden if you're nasty. :-) I am the author of five contemporary romances and one erotic paranormal in varying lengths. But, I'm not here to talk about my writing today, although I will be giving away an ebook of Snowbound to one lucky commenter.

I'm here as a candidate for the 2009/2010 RWA Board of Directors. I am running for Regional Director, Region 4. Even though I am running for Region 4, all voting members vote for all regions, so it is important you get to know every candidate in each region. This is a member organization, make sure you (if you are a member) have a say and an interest in who is representing you on the BOD.

I heard recently that it was considered distasteful for the candidates to campaign for office in the RWA. I'm not sure who started this rumour or even why, because we (and by that I mean myself and several other candidates that have discussed this) have never received any official word that this is not ok. Why would it be in bad form? Why distasteful? If you don't know the people you are voting for, how can you choose? Again, this is your organization, it will only be what you help to make it.

Therefore, so you can get to know me a little, I present you with my official RWA bio (as opposed to the more whimsical one on my website http://www.mgbraden.com):

Michelle (MG) Braden has been writing for over twenty years, but only decided to pursue publication in 2006. A RWA PRO member, Michelle is an epublished author who is presently seeking representation for a single title manuscript. She has volunteered at both the National conference and the Emerald City Writers' Conference. Michelle is the Vice-President of the ESPAN Chapter and also belongs to the GSRWA, Chick Lit and Kiss of Death (where she previously served as the Murder One Coordinator) chapters. A business owner and entrepreneur, she has spent a good number of years in business administration and management.

You can see my list of the official RWA Member Questions and Answers on my blog and you can go to the RWA National website and see how all of the candidates answered these questions.

So here's the thing. I am not any better or worse than my opponents. I just have a different perspective (as we all do). We all bring different things to the table, so what you need to do is review what you know, what you need to know, what you want to know and weigh it when you cast your vote. If you have questions, I urge you to email the candidate and ask.

Bottom line for me: I am not a politician and I am not good at playing games. What I am good at is working hard and persevering. I do not give up easily and I do not think that there is only one solution for any given problem. If elected I can promise you that I will work hard to address the needs of all members, to the very best of my abilities, within the context and constraints of the position.

I am actually out of town and away from the internet (unbelievable as that may sound, but I'm really going to try) as this posts, I am returning on September 7th and look forward to reading any and all responses upon my return. Every eligible comment (which means not spam and more than a Hello or hi or enter me) will be entered for a chance to win a copy of my ebook, Snowbound.

To find out more about MG BRADEN, visit:

www.mgbraden.com or her BLOG

GUEST BLOGGER:: MARCIA COLETTE

2009-08-27T10:43:00.016-05:00

I met Marcia the second time I attended the annual Moonlight & Magnolias conference put on each year by the lovely ladies of GRW. Her writing mirrors her personality...fresh and colorful. She is truly an amazing individual and a talented author. I'm so pleased to introduce her to you all and hope you enjoy getting to know her.

**Please comment for a chance to win a free ebook from Marcia. Winner will be chosen at random and announced on this blog Friday**

Where are you from?
Utica, NY

When and why did you begin writing?
I started in 2000 because I had finished reading everything associated with Laurel K. Hamilton and wanted another fix. Since there wasn't anything else out there I could find, I started writing my own.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?
After I started putting in the hours and noticed that I didn't have much of a life because of it.

Do you have a specific writing style?
I'm a panster, mostly, although I will plot from time to time when I struggle with how a scene will play out.

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing
Not really. I'm open to all styles or methods, but when it comes down to it, I always seem to go back to "old reliable" pansting.

Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work? I LOVE Kelley Armstrong. She was the first author who made me wonder if werewolves could really exist in our world today.

What was the hardest part of writing UNSTABLE ENVIRONMENT? The sex scenes. I'm usually not one for writing sex because I don't know where to put it in a book. Luckily, several opportunities came up during UE and I took advantage of them all. The last thing I want is two characters going at it while the killer is lurking outside the door.

Do you have any advice for other writers?
Always make time to write. Even if that means stealing a few minutes to plot out a scene. It'll keep you focus on your work and there might come a time when you push through the "I hate this book" phase to "I love this book!"

Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
I hope I'm doing a good job and if I am, I'd love to hear about it. Don't be afraid because I love conversing with readers.

What can we expect to see next from you?
More on my werecheetahs and more urban fantasy. Hopefully, a paranormal YA in my future, too. ;-)

EXCERPT - UNSTABLE ENVIRONMENT

Pummeling footfalls pounded around them. Sinclair clutched Nahla and hunkered down behind a tree.

Several cheetahs stampeded through the underbrush, heading straight for the cottage. Sinclair’s heart sank as one led the way, followed by two more on its heels.

When the cheetahs passed within a few feet of them, Sinclair leapt out of her hiding place and shouted, “Rio! Runnnnnnn!”

Growls lit up the area in front of them as they crashed through the forest, paws skidding across the gravel driveway.

She couldn’t stay there knowing Rio was in danger, nor could she leave her niece alone in the woods. Who knew what other horrors lurked out there? Hoisting Nahla onto her hip, she forged ahead, prepared to live with the cost of her decision.

Sinclair burst through the woods on the side of the cottage, a few feet from the Pathfinder’s open door. It waited for her like a free offering. Fleeing to the SUV, she shoved Nahla in the passenger seat and got in behind her. Unlike the women in the movies, she had no problem with slamming the key into the ignition and starting the engine.

“Sinclair!” Rio shouted.

She lifted her head. Rio and Kyle left the heavy-metal man curled into the fetal position on the ground and came to the driver’s side. It dawned on her for the first time that the buzz-cut man and the cheetahs had disappeared. Could they have been the ones in the woods?

Sinclair triggered her window. Before she could say a word, Rio reached inside and pulled her in for a kiss.

“Are you two okay?” he asked, glancing at a frightened Nahla in the other seat.

Breathing hard, she replied, “We’re fine. But they’re out there, Rio. There are real monsters out there. I’m talking men turning into cheetahs!”

“I know,” he said, scanning the area and wrinkling his nose with a whiff. “I want you and Nahla to stay inside until I say it’s safe, understand?”

He knows? Sinclair couldn’t answer him. How did he know about the monsters lurking around the house? Did he know they would be paying him a visit? Funny, how he showed up at just the right time too.

Sinclair watched her niece as she sat on her knees and rocked back and forth in the seat. But it was the smile and the way Nahla looked at Rio that bothered her. “What are you smiling at? Aren’t you scared of the monsters?”

She shook her head. “No. Wee-oh like ‘em. But he’s diff-went. He help us. Not hurt us. Uncle Kyle too.”

“What do you mean like them?” She glanced at Rio who pointed toward two cheetahs who began stalking the front of the cottage. Where did they come from?

“Both kitties too. But they friendly kitties. I smell it, Auntie Sin. Can’t you?”

ABOUT MARCIA:

Paranormal author Marcia Colette was born and raised in a single-parent household in upstate New York. She graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with a bachelors degree in biomedical engineering and a masters degree in information technology from American Intercontinental University. After a couple of moves from north to south to north, she is now living in the south again in the lovely state of North Carolina.

Unlike many authors, Marcia hadn’t discovered her love for reading until her late twenties. As it turned out, her tastes were very selective and different than most of the stuff her English teachers tried to shove down her throat. She has been a lover of the paranormal from her first horror movie and has never looked back.

Marcia is a member of the Horror Writers Association, Paranormal Mystery Writers, and Romance Writers of America.

The best place to find her is on her blog where she loves connecting with readers and other writers.

Conferences/conventions where sci-fi, fantasy, and horror reign supreme are a good bet, too, along with the occasional romance conference. Her website is www.marciacolette.com

It's Getting Real!

2009-08-25T01:00:00.003-05:00

In the last few weeks I've finished round one of my revisions, gotten an awesome cover, and I've been making some time for reading. I know, it's a shocker. It has been for me, too because I got way involved in the business of being a writer and mommy to take time to indulge in reading. I'm working on a better balance--I seem to always be working on a better balance.

Part of that balance is dealing with the business of my upcoming release. As a part of that, I created a book video. It's taken me a long time to come up with something that I'm happy with--I'm extremely picky about book videos--but I've done it. Finally last night I found a piece of music that I thought I loved for it. This evening when I got to my computer I realized that I still felt the same way about it. So, with some tweaks here and there, I have a video for my first book. I hope you enjoy it!

Unleashing

2009-08-23T22:49:00.003-05:00

Seems like the recession isn't just affecting the bottom line--it's also affecting our minds and the way we view everything in our lives. Of course, for me, I've been teetering on the edge...well, I've been going through a transition for a while and with this strange lull, I'm realizing my goals have changed. It's been kind of stagnant when it comes to my projects and writing schedule but I am going to change all that. I've decided that I need to become more proactive so I'm going to crack the whip on myself!

Next week I'll be in Florida to take care of my mother who's getting knee replacement surgery. While I'm there for almost the entire month, I've made it a mission to write my butt off. There shouldn't be any distractions while I'm at the hospital. Basically I'll be living there, so I won't have any excuse except to write!

It's time to build and strengthen my career so I'm going to totally unleashing all the weeks of stifled creativity. After all, my book isn't going to write itself! I'm going to have to reach deep down in my soul and produce something spectacular. Time to make things happen and--at least at the end of the day--I'll finally feel like an author again...

Guest Blogger :: JULIE COHEN

2009-08-20T07:00:00.002-05:00

**UPDATED: And the winner is...BRENDA! Congratulations on winning Julie's (aka B.H. Dark) eBook. Please email me at jaxcassidy@gmail.com to claim your prize.

Thanks for participating!**

I had met Julie Cohen during RWA conference a while ago and I always thought she was pretty cool but never had the opportunity to spend time with her. This year, I had the pleasure of sitting across from her at the Literacy for Life Signing in Washington, DC. We smiled and waved at each other and she even tossed me some chocolates. With her cool fashion sense, bright red streaks and laid back attitude, we just had to become friends! So, I’m very happy to introduce her to you all. She’s currently residing in the UK but she’s already making a splash in the US.

Julie also writes sexy alien abduction stories for Samhain Publishing under her alter ego B.H. Dark with author Kathy Love. There’s never enough books about sexy, edgy men from outer space, that’s for sure!

**Here's your chance to win her eBook CLOSE ENCOUNTERS. All you need to do is post a comment and we'll pick a name at random. Winner will be announced on Friday.**

Now, let’s officially welcome Julie, my friend from the other side of the pond, to Hooked on Romance!

Thank you, Jax! It was great to catch up with you again in DC and I’m so pleased you invited me here to Hooked on Romance.

You’ve written quite a few books for Harlequin as well as some single titles that have a fun and unique, almost chick-lit style voice. Was it a difficult jump from the structured Harlequin romances to your current projects?

I’ve been making the transition from category romance to chick-lit/women’s fiction for a few years now, and to be honest it’s both exhilarating and scary. I love writing for Harlequin, but there were so many things I wanted to write about that just weren’t going to fit in a category romance novel. So I was lucky to have a single title romance accepted for a new romance imprint in the UK, Little Black Dress, when it was just starting out. And my editor there has been wonderful at encouraging me to spread my wings. My books have been getting longer and longer (and some might say, stranger and stranger) and I’ve been working on structuring more complex stories that have a lot of romance, sure, but also deal with friendship, family, career, and very important things like Star Trek and cardboard Wookies.

The B. H. Dark book, CLOSE ENCOUNTERS, on the other hand, is just a pure sex romp. That was enormous fun to write, pleasure from beginning to end. I especially loved using all those dirty words!

I am sure sci-fi fans are going to love your current release, GIRL FROM MARS. Can you tell us a little bit about the book and provide an excerpt for our readers?

Philomena Desdemona Brown (Fil for short) is an artist for the long-running comic book Girl from Mars. She’s a geek, a tomboy, and a misfit with blue hair. She spends the rare times when she’s not drawing with her only friends, three similarly misfittish men, watching Star Trek and X-Files reruns and arguing about who’s the best super hero ever.

One day, though, one of her friends falls in love, and suddenly isn’t around any more. Stung by the rejection, Fil and her remaining two friends take a vow (in Klingon) to forsake all romantic relationships and stick together.

But changes are afoot at Girl from Mars—including a handsome new writer who seems determined to make unwanted changes in the comic, and in Fil’s life.

It’s a fun, funny book about friendship, love and comics and I absolutely loved writing it.

Here’s an excerpt from when Fil meets an attractive stranger, by accidentally switching coffees with him in her favourite café:

“I‘m not sick or anything.”

It was an American accent, and it was right next to me again. I opened my eyes and he was standing beside my table.

“Uh,” I said. “What?”

“I thought you might be worried after drinking from my cup, that you might have caught something. So I thought I’d reassure you that I’m not sick.”

“Um. Well. Thank you.”

He stood there as if he were expecting me to say something else. But what would I say? Sorry I was staring at you, it’s just that you’re handsome and I can’t help drawing you, you know, just as an exercise?

So I was quiet. He cleared his throat a bit.

“I’m Dan.” He held out his hand to me. He had a broad palm, but not square or clumsy. A deep-grooved life line, and a broken love line. I looked at it.

“Like I said, I’m not contagious,” he said. “Not at the moment, anyway.”

“Oh.” I shook his hand, which was what he’d meant for me to do all along. I noticed how small and scrubby my hand looked, how untidy the nails, how smudged with pencil.

“What’s your name?” he prompted.

“Philomena.” Should I ask him to sit down, though I couldn’t imagine anything more embarrassing?

“That’s an unusual name.”

I nodded. My parents were both university lecturers in literature. I was lucky I wasn’t named Eustacia Vye.

“Do you live around here?” he asked.

“No, I work nearby.”

He nodded. I nodded back. Was it my turn to say something?

“Well, I’ve got to—” I began at the same time that he said, “Do you mind if I sit down?”

“—Be going,” I finished.

“Oh. All right. Nice meeting you, Philomena.”

“Um. Yeah.”

I pushed aside the rest of my coffee and stood up, even though I didn’t have to be going, even though I could really use that coffee, because Daniel’s smile made me all hot and twitchy, like a feverish hamster.

I should’ve drunk the decaf, because then he’d never have talked to me. He could have ignored me like every other attractive man in the world usually did, which was really for the best because I was such a fool when I felt this way.

“See you around,” he said as I left.

I hope not, I thought.

Where do you get your creative ideas? What inspired GIRL FROM MARS?

I got the idea for GIRL FROM MARS from reading comic books. I love them, but a lot of them seem to be very male-centred. I thought, what would it be like for a female comic book artist in a male world? I love writing about outsiders, so she appealed to me immediately. I pictured her, probably a bit of a tomboy, a lot of a geek. She’d have male friends, and she’d be uncertain of how to act like a “proper” woman. Then I thought of her name—Philomena Desdemona Brown—and suddenly, I had her. Because she feels like an alien herself, I had the title, too, GIRL FROM MARS, which is the title of one of my favourite songs, by Ash. It’s also a play on the title of the self-help book MEN ARE FROM MARS, WOMEN ARE FROM VENUS.

The rest of the book then wrote itself...er, I wish.

Your website announces this year is the year of the robots, can you tell us more about this? It sounds intriguing!

Ahh, well it’s because I’ve got two books that are vaguely science-fictiony out this year. GIRL FROM MARS has a Dalek in it, and I was lucky enough to have my photo taken next to a Dalek when I was visiting the BBC. (Note: Daleks are evil robots from the Dr Who television series.) Alas, there are no robots in CLOSE ENCOUNTERS, unless you count a big vibrator. Anyway, robots are cool. I think C3PO is hot.

Let’s have a little fun, after all, this blog is about being easily entertained….so, what is the most daring thing you’ve ever done and did you get caught?

I said the word “cunnilingus” on national television once. They edited it out.

Well, I won't edit you out because I should have known what I was getting into by asking that question! LOL

If you were a lipstick color, what would it be called and why?

Um...I know I should should come up with something like “Siren Temptation” or “Red Devil” or “Crimson Sin” but sadly I’m just not that clever or sexy. So how about “Funky Fuchsia” as that appears to be my hair colour at the moment?

What projects should we look out for in your future?

My next book is called NINA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF GLOOM. It’s the story of what happens when a typical shoe-obsessed chick-lit heroine suddenly loses everything and is forced to live in a run-down gothic mansion with spiders and a brooding, nocturnal upstairs neighbour. And no shoes. It should be out in 2010.

Any parting words for new authors? For our readers?

I think the best advice I heard recently was what Janet Evanovich said at the RWA National conference. She said “Don’t save anything for the next book. Put everything you’ve got into this one.”

I hold her personally responsible for the midnight stolen-horseradish-dealing, crop-circle-creating, airplane-flying scene in my latest manuscript.

ABOUT JULIE:

Growing up in small-town Maine, Julie Cohen dreamed of doing three things: moving to England, writing books, and marrying Paul McCartney. Well, the last one didn’t work out, but she’s accomplished the first two, and has become an international bestseller with her sexy Harlequin romances and her “funny, clever” romantic comedies from Headline (UK). HIS FOR THE TAKING was shortlisted for the UK Romantic Novelists’ Association 2008 Romance Prize, and HONEY TRAP took first place in the 2009 Romance Writers Ink’s More than Magic contest. She lives in England with her rock god husband, their small son, and about a million guitars. Her website is http://www.julie-cohen.com.

I Love You....I Love You Not.

2009-08-19T13:01:00.003-05:00

Last night I hosted a party at my house for a friend who has started her own home-based business. It was nice to take a break from my edits and sit down with a group of women and just enjoy some good conversation and laughter.

I must have sampled the libations a little too many times because I woke up with a monster headache that won't quit.

Not one to give up easily, I gave myself a stern lecture, put the coffee on and sat down to tackle my work.

I've developed a love/hate relationship with the book I'm working on. Adding word count and additional scenes to a project you once thought was a done deal can prove a daunting task. However, every time I change something I smile, because I like what I've done and I know that I can only benefit in the end. So I'm determined to see it through.

My son starts next week. I can't believe that summer is over already but I have to admit that I'm a little happy. Starting on Monday, I'll have at least seven hours of uninterrupted time to do nothing but write.

Enjoy the rest of your week everyone...

Always,

Better late than never...

2009-08-17T18:30:00.003-05:00

I can't believe how screwed up I am with the days of the weeks. I've been busy booking a flight home in September. You see, my mom is having knee replacement surgery and so, being the only one in the family with no children, I agreed to stay with my mom at the hospital for 2 weeks and then an additional week to help her with the recovery process. I'm not new to staying at hospitals as I had spent most of my life in them as well as during those times when my dad had been hospitalized. Doesn't sound like a good track record for health in my family but I can attest that I am as healthy as can be.

I spent the day running errands and taking care of all my clients before my trip. I'll be lucky if I can get wifi in the hospital but I am at least excited at the prospect of being forced to write for at least 3 weeks. I will most definitely have to plan for guest bloggers while I'm MIA. So, with school starting up real soon, I'm sure many parents are excited about dropping their kidlets off and having a full day to do the things they couldn't all summer. :)

While we're so busy with life, I think it's important for women to indulge. Just do it. Eat chocolates, go to a spa, get a pedicure...whatever the heck pleases you because we spend so much time on others that we often forget we need to focus on ourselves. I hope that everyone will have the opportunity to take an hour or two out of your day to do something special for yourself.

Tell me, if you could do one thing to pamper yourself...what would it be? The sky's the limit....

I think I'd take Mr. Jax to a secluded tropical island called Little Palm Island off the coast of Key West...It is the most amazing place and I've been eying it for a while ever since I was browsing the internet for vacation destinations. It's going to be a big decision between this type of secluded getaway and St. Lucia...I'm definitely going to write this down as a goal!

Terrific Tuesday Announcements

2009-08-17T01:00:00.001-05:00

All sorts of great things are happening recently. The kids are going to visit grandparents for the week, the first round of edits are done and turned into my editor, school starts soon, I'm on the coming-soon page at www.SamhainPublishing.com, and I have an official release date for Sounds to Die By!

So mark your calendars for October 13th! I’m planning an online celebration because this is not only my release day, it’s my 15th wedding anniversary.

Also, be sure to swing by Long and Short Reviews today for the trivia question of hte day that will get you entered in a drawing for a Sony eReader! Here's the link (http://longandshortreviews.com/) and at least one of today's questions will lead you to my website.

Have a great week!

Guest Blogger :: EMBER CASE

2009-08-13T07:00:00.004-05:00

**UPDATED: First off, CONGRATULATIONS, JENNIFER LEELAND! You just won a copy of FLAWED. Please email me to claim your prize :)

EMBER CASE is an awesome writer and equally awesome in person! I’m happy to have her visit our blog today. Besides being a writer of HOT romance, she’s also taking on a proactive role by running for Region 3 representative as Karen Steele at the next RWA elections. I’m interested in what she has to say about taking that leap into romance politics as well as learning more about her current release!

And as a bonus, here's your chance to win an eBook of FLAWED. Just post a question or comment to be entered in a chance to win OR tell us what you'd be willing to give up to make your dreams come true. **A winner will be chosen at random and will be announced on this blog on Friday**

First off, what made you decide to run for Region 3 and why?

I believe very strongly in the principles and goals that RWA was founded with. The organization has a history of members who supported each other, working together to develop their writing and the genre they loved. The 37 original members of RWA came together and really blazed a new trail.

But publishing has gone through some amazing changes over the three decades since RWA was founded. Changes in how books are published have affected every publishing house. Advances, print runs, and marketing have all felt the impact. These changes are still coming, and the ripples they create are impacting every aspect of publication.

It’s going to take strong leadership to continue guiding RWA as the organization faces new challenges and explores developing opportunities. I believe the organization needs board members committed to educating themselves on where Romance Writers of America came from, and looking with sharp eyes at where insightful and balanced leadership can take us. My own enthusiasm for hard work, open mind to new approaches, and belief that RWA can continue to develop and grow have led me to run for office.

You’ve been really active in the online chapters including the Passionate Ink and ESPAN, what drives you and why is volunteering for these efforts so important to you?

I have to credit most of it to what one of my chapter mates and fellow officers calls “helium arm”. Some things I think I have a natural skill for – organization, and technical application especially. But when I see something that needs to be done and no one else is jumping in, I just can’t seem to stop my arm from floating up in the air to say “I’ll do it”. It doesn’t mean that I think I can do something better than anyone else, but that I believe something needs to be done, and I’d rather learn on my feet to make it happen than see it not get done at all.

Especially with Passionate Ink, I came into the chapter at a time when the chapter was just finding its feet, and deciding what type of organization it was going to be. It was really important to me that it be a place where authors found total support. There is absolutely no entitlement given to any author at Passionate Ink based on what she (or he) writes, or which publishers our authors write for. Just complete support, encouragement, and a willingness to share knowledge and industry tips. We have several hundred members who know that even if they can’t tell their own mother what they write, they can tell us! When you write in a market that is frowned on or even vocally scorned by others, the confidence that support gives you can make all the difference.

ESPAN is another amazing chapter that is finding its feet right when it is most needed. It has undergone refocusing in the past year as new, strongly focused board members have come in and refused to let the chapter be thought irrelevant. The current board members, especially President Kristen Painter and VP MG Braden (who is also running for a seat on the board – she’s running for Region 4) are amazing, strong willed women who aren’t afraid to shake things up if that’s what is needed to get the job done. Like with Passionate Ink, ESPAN’s members are all part of different “niches” in romance writing – in ESPAN, they’re all either published electronically or by a small press, or they’re someone who wants to support those writers. Some of the most knowledgeable minds in digital and small romance press are members in ESPAN, and I think the chapter can have a strong voice in educating writers looking for information in these markets.

I’m really excited about your new release, can you give us some details and an excerpt for our readers?

Oh wow, this has been an amazing summer! Flawed released from Samhain a few weeks ago, and I was amazed by the feedback from readers on this one who say they love the genre bending of high fantasy and erotic romance. There are elves and magic and danger and of course that happily ever after at the end. My heroine has been stripped of her birthright – the magic that would let her rule her kingdom. But two very special heroes come into her life just when she needs them most. I love this line from the end of the official blurb – “Nothing is as it seems in the Bright Court, and their one night of exquisite pleasure could trap them all in a web of mortal danger…”

Here’s an excerpt from the opening scene –

Flawed.

The word echoed in Emilia’s ears as she slipped unnoticed from the quiet hall outside the receiving room. Futile tears unexpectedly spilled from her eyes and she fled blindly down the palace halls. But she couldn’t outrun the venomous words she had overheard spilling from her stepmother’s lips.

“With no Stone of Power, she isn’t much use to her father here at court. That sliver of dead mineral on her forehead is every bit as useless as the time she wastes with the mages. King Vayle has agreed to send her away if the stone still has not awoken after her birthmoon has passed.” Satisfaction had been clearly evident in Gisa’s voice. Emilia had lingered in the hallway, unnoticed by the ladies gathered just inside the doorway.

“Where would the king send her?” The question came from one of the handful of women clustered around Gisa like so many vultures around a fresh carcass. Gossip was the currency of the court and word that the princess could soon effectively be banished was high coin indeed.

“Does it truly matter? To the deserts of the south likely. There are many clan lords that will gladly take a princess of the forest in handfast. Several of the clansmen we welcomed tonight have expressed an interest in such a union. Even with one so flawed.”

Her father’s consort had never hidden her distaste for Emilia. In the dozen years since Gisa had seduced her way into Vayle’s bed, she’d driven every wedge possible between the king and his daughter. What had begun as a somewhat-discreet power play had developed into a dislike for Emilia that her stepmother no longer tried to hide. Now her stepmother was openly reveling in the thought that soon, Emilia could be removed from the court for good. Gisa was not from Silverhaven herself, and could not claim the title of Queen to the Bright Elf people. But she hungered for every scrap of power she could claw from her marriage to the king.

Anger, humiliation and pain screamed in her heart for release. Her father was nearing the end of his mortal life. The man who had once carried her on his shoulders and taught her to love the forest he ruled had faded away to a shell of the striking figure he once had been. Even the Stone of Power that had once pulsed between his eyes had begun to dim. If Gisa succeeded in having Emilia removed from court, how long would it be before the king’s consort ruled the council, the palace fortress of Silverhaven, even the great forest of Silvertop, queen in all but name?

The noise of the court’s revelry was fading behind her as she rounded another twisting turn in the maze that formed the palace halls. With fumbling fingers, Emilia pushed open the next door she came to and slipped soundlessly into the shadow-filled room. Closing it behind her, she leaned her overheated face against the wood’s comforting coolness. Her escape may not have been elegant, but with any luck it had gone unnoticed. Taking a deep breath and holding it in, she listened for signs anyone had noticed her departure and followed her.

She heard nothing but the rapid pounding of her heart and the shallow breaths she forced into her burning lungs. The tears she refused to let fall were blinked away, and she swallowed against the bitter taste of defeat that lingered in their wake. Satisfied her escape from the court receiving line had not been seen, Emilia sagged against the door in relief.

Attempting to calm herself from the ugly scene she had fled, she rolled her flushed face against the coolness of the wood. First one side, then the other, before she let the warming surface press against the useless dark rock that rested in her forehead. There was a distant sensation of pressure where the stone met her flesh, an unwanted reminder of her most obvious shortcoming. The stone that should have been a source of great magical power was nothing more than a daily reminder that she was, indeed, as flawed as a princess could be.

A low moan from the room behind her jerked her from her thoughts. Spinning around to find the source, Emilia stared openmouthed in surprise at the scene before her.

Gods alive.

Firelight cast a dim light over a couple near the fireplace. A large male body reclined across the brocade cushions of a finely carved settee, one long leg propped against the back of the small sofa and one braced on the floor. His thighs were spread wide, giving her a clear view of the naked muscled chest that rose from a slender waist. A cream-colored shirt of the finest shadowsilk was unbuttoned across his skin, framing the sculpted muscles and smooth ebony skin in light.

His head was thrown back in abandoned pleasure, allowing shadows to flicker across the planes of his face. A rising flame threw him into light, and then his features were cast again into the shadows. Through the haze of shock she felt a stab of recognition. Rorek Northmark, Lord Magician of Darkknell, the visiting ambassador and blood cousin to King Torek of the Shadow Elf, was sprawled in lusty abandon as she had never seen him before.

On the floor by his side, a male Shadow Elf knelt in sensual service.

So, how tumultuous was your writing journey? Was your family supportive with this career choice?

I really see myself as just barely having taken the beginning steps on the road of this career, but I’ve been incredibly fortunate so far. My first romance was accepted by Samhain Publishing just over a year after I stared writing, and they have been an amazing publisher to work with. Heidi Moore, my editor, and Executive Editor Angela James are both the kind of smart, articulate, and educated women that make you sit up and listen when they tell you something. My family has been hugely supportive too. One of my sisters is my first reader on everything – Flawed was dedicated to her. And my husband is an amazing man. He believes in me, and never lets me down when I need him.

How many books do you write a year and what have you seen the most results in doing promotions?

My writing schedule has grown over the three years since I started writing, so I can’t say there’s been a “standard” year yet. My goal for this year is to finish 3 novellas and two novels. Since January I’ve finished 2 novellas and am well into the first novel, so I’m on track so far.

Promotion for novellas is a funny animal. Since electronic novellas are only sold online, there aren’t any book signings to set up (unless you end up in a print anthology). But interacting with readers is still the key. So I do a lot of online blogging, twittering, and reader loop type discussion. A lot of it I don’t even consider “promotion” while I’m doing it – I’m sure not out there saying “Buy my book!” every day. But I’m making friends, forming bonds with readers, and if that relationship makes someone more interested in my books when they release then it’s a happy bonus. If it doesn’t, I’ve still met some amazing people on the journey.

Do you have a posse you write with? Do you suggest critique partners or beta readers?

A posse! I want a posse. I really want to be the quirky sidekick though, the one standing off to the side making snarky comments and jumping in at the last minute to bail the lead out of trouble. I think I’ll get more writing time that way.

No, my schedule has kept me from finding an in-person writing posse, but that’s one thing I love about the internet. I can find an online group at any time of the day. There’s Romance Divas, which I joined even before I found RWA – the Divas are amazing! My RWA chapters run various writing challenges, which can really help with cranking out some pages. And I’ve got a half dozen close writer friends on my IM lists that live everywhere from Australia to Great Britain; they’re my kick in the ass when I need it.

I don’t like to submit chapters to critique partners as I’m still writing, because I’m enough of a pantser that by the time I write the last chapter I’ve always got huge structural changes that need to be made. I’d feel guilty for wasting someone’s time if I’d had them critique it, then those pages ended up in the trash bin. But once I’m at The End I can’t imagine submitting something without having it critiqued. Tunnel vision on a manuscript can really keep you blind to some big flaws that are obvious to fresh eyes.

Do you ever run out of ideas and are you ever afraid that you will?

I think, of all possible horrible things that could happen to a writer, this one would be way down there as far as how likely it is that it could happen to me. I’ve got a “plots” folder from just the last 3 years with over 30 developed ideas. There’s another folder with even more ideas that haven’t made it to plot status yet. I’ve got the usual writer’s tools of a notebook by the bed, another in the car, one by every seat I frequent in the house – I write down those “What if’s” as soon as they pop in my head. “What if” is the seed to everything for me. I can’t imagine those words never popping into my head again, but even if they stopped I’ve already got more ideas than I can ever write.

What is the most extreme sport you’ve ever done, or adventure you’ve ever taken, and what did you learn about yourself?

I love caving. Spelunking. Rappelling down over a hundred feet of rope into a dark, sometimes muddy crevice in the ground, and entering a world that relatively few human eyes have ever seen. Unfortunately, there aren’t a whole lot of caves in Florida. When I lived in Alabama, I was part of a group that went out almost every weekend and explored some amazing places. It’s been much too long since I strapped on a helmet and climbing boots, but I have amazing memories of those adventures and would jump at the chance to do it again. Having to work as a team, but at the same time having to depend on my own strength to get back up that rope at the end of a long day, was a powerful feeling.

Let’s have a little fun. If you were a nail polish, what would it be called and why?

Hidden spice. Because looking at me you would see a typical PTA mom, and you’d never know just how much spice there is under my surface. Dark coral color, like the sweet ripe flesh near the pit of a peach.

What’s can we look forward to seeing from you in the future?

I’ve got a holiday release titled My Christmas Wish coming from Samhain on December 1st! This is a first for me in a few ways – it’s my first Christmas theme story, first straight contemporary with no paranormal or fantasy elements, and first straight man/woman story. Also my first story set in the French Quarter of New Orleans, and my first Sexy Cajun hero, and my first… ok stop me now, I love this story and could go on from now until December 1st about it.

Any parting words for new authors? For our readers?

Not just authors, but everyone – whatever your dream is, don’t let it go. If you believe in yourself, have something that you want bad enough to sacrifice all the unimportant things (I’ve given up almost all my TV time, and sleeping in on the weekends) then stop sitting around wishing “if only” and go make it happen. Start with that first page, or that first brush stroke, or that first step on the track, whatever the beginning step is to making your dream happen. And then don’t let it go. Don’t look back. Believe in yourself, and surround yourself with people who believe in you as well. Hold your head up high and even if you can’t quite see your goal, tell yourself it’s right there over the horizon, and keep moving toward it until you can see it, until it’s really right there in your reach.

Just believe in yourself.

ABOUT EMBER:

Ember Case was born in Louisville, Kentucky, the second of five children. Life in a large family taught her that everyone is the hero in their own life story – lesson one for the writer.

After attending college in the deep south and doing time working in the IT department at a Fortune 500 corporation, she traded in her business suits and heels for jeans and bare feet. Today in addition to her writing career Ember is a graphic artist lucky enough to work from home, and has been a small business owner for over 15 years. She has spent most of her life in the south, from Kentucky to Alabama, and now lives with her husband and their two children near the sandy beaches in Florida.

Published in short length romance since 2007, Ember has 2 published romances with Samhain Publishing, and is currently under contract with them for more.

To learn more, visit www.embercase.com

Feeling A Bit Out Of Sorts.....

2009-08-12T14:39:00.006-05:00

I got some pretty bad news this week so I'm feeling a bit out of sorts. In addition to all that, I've got to add about twenty thousand words to a novel I'd already written THE END to.

I've been listening to Journey as I write today, so I thought I'd leave you with this.

All The Best......

Wanna Play a Game?

2009-08-11T10:42:00.002-05:00

I'm working on my edits for Sounds To Die By, and I need some help. It's going to have to be fast help (like today kind of fast). Here's what I'm thinking, if you can toss out some ideas on something bad that can happen to a woman in her college years, I'm not looking for horribly tragic or a mild bad breakup, it would be great. This would need to be something that she can get through with the help of an awesome friend who's there to pick her up and help her along. Something that would forge a really strong bond between two women.

If I use your idea in the story I will mention you in the dedication and you'll get an ARC of the book when it's ready. What do you say? Can you help me?

Post as many ideas as you can come up with by the end of the day and we'll go from there. Thank you in advance for helping me in my time of editing need. :)

Guest Blogger: MARGIE LAWSON

2009-08-06T09:53:00.007-05:00

First Page Lightning: Adding Power with Rhetorical Devices
By Margie Lawson

A big Thank You to Nikki for inviting me to be her guest today.

Nikki knows I have a serious topic I want to mention, my fundraiser for ALS. My cousin (pictured with me here) has Lou Gehrig’s disease and I am committed to helping him raise $100,000 to support ALS research.

Donate $50 on my cousin’s ALS web page, and you could win a prize valued at $450 each!
1. 75 page Triple Pass Deep Edit
2. Registration for a three day Immersion Master Class

The drawing is AUGUST 9^th.

Check out the details on my web site: www.MargieLawson.com

So far, only 14 people have entered the drawing. And I’m drawing two names. We’ll have TWO BIG WINNERS!

The odds are in your favor, big time!

Please join me, support ALS research, and you’ll have TWO CHANCES to WIN BIG. Thank you.

Now – we get to dive into the fun!

First Page Lightning: Adding Power with Rhetorical Devices
By Margie Lawson

You all know the three-second-rule. Right?

When you meet someone new, that’s how long it takes to form an impression. That all important first impression. That hard to reverse first impression. That colors-your-perception-forever first impression.

Three seconds.

Look. Blink. Smile.

Your three seconds are up.

Writers have a similar challenge to make a positive first impression on agents, editors, and readers. They have a first sentence challenge, a first paragraph challenge, a first page challenge . . .

The first few pages of most novels are the most rewritten. Writers scrutinize those pages. They revise, rethink, rework, rewrite, reject-and-start-over.

Having analyzed the first several chapters (and beyond) of over a thousand novels, I know what components add power to openings. Many writers overlook one of those options--the power of rhetorical devices.

My research reveals that some New York Times bestsellers almost always use the more obscure rhetorical devices in their first few pages. Harlan Coben almost always uses ANAPHORA in the first few pages of his books. In some books, he uses anaphora in his opening paragraph and several more times in the first chapter.

Lisa Gardner and Stephen White often use anaphora and epistrophe in their opening chapters too.

In my Deep Editing course, I teach writers how to use THIRTY rhetorical devices. I’ll introduce three of these devices in this blog.

We’ll dive into ANAPHORA first.

ANAPHORA – Using the same word or phrase to START three (or more) consecutive phrases or sentences.

From Harlan Coben’s NO SECOND CHANCE, opening paragraph:
I know that I lost a lot of blood.
I know that a second bullet skimmed the top of my head . . .
I know that my heart stopped.

Two more examples from the first chapter of NO SECOND CHANCE:
I remembered waking up that morning . . .
I remembered looking in on Tara.
I remembered turning the knob . . .

I longed for the numb.
I longed for the comatose state of the hospital.
I longed for that IV bag . . .

Here’s an example of using anaphora to start phrases. It’s from Harlen Coben’s THE WOODS, Chapter 1:

I have never seen my father cry before—not when his own father died, not when my mother ran off and left us, not even when he first heard about my sister, Camille.

Look what Harlan Coben accomplished in that line. He slipped in backstory. But with anaphora, it’s fast and smooth and intriguing. Here are two examples of ANAPHORA, from Allison Brennan, FEAR NO EVIL, Chapter 1. It’s two paragraphs.

Fourteen years ago she wanted the exact same thing as Lucy--to get out from under her parents thumb. But that was before she'd decided to become a cop. Before she realized how truly dangerous the city could be. Before she realized that justice wasn't always swift, that the system didn't always work.

That some murders would never be solved.

Stephen White used anaphora eight times in BLINDED. The example below is from Page 1:

It may sound goofy, but I also believed that on good days I could smell the spark before I smelled the fire and I could taste the poison before it reached my lips. On good days I could stand firm between tenderness and evil. On good days I could make a difference.

OKAY! What makes ANAPHORA powerful?

The rhythm . . .
The auditory echo . . .
The repetition of the message . . .

Anaphora speaks to the reader’s subconscious.

Using anaphora makes the read imperative.

Let’s look at another rhetorical device. EPISTROPHE. This one is even more obscure than anaphora. I’ve found 20 times more examples of anaphora, than epistrophe. Yet, it’s equally powerful.

And it’s as fun to write as anaphora. I used epistrophe to draw you into this blog. It’s in my second paragraph, and in my sixth paragraph.

EPISTROPHE – It’s the opposite of anaphora. Using the same word or phrase to END three (or more) consecutive phrases or sentences.

When you meet someone new, that’s how long it takes to form an impression. That all important first impression. That hard to reverse first impression. That colors-your-perception-forever first impression.

They have a first sentence challenge, a first paragraph challenge, a first page challenge . . .

Here are more examples of EPISTROPHE from bestselling authors:

From Michael Connelly, the opening lines from THE BRASS VERDICT:

Everybody lies.

Cops lie. Lawyers lie. Witnesses lie. The victims lie.

A trial is a contest of lies. And everybody in the courtroom knows this. The judge knows this. Even the jury knows this. They come into the building knowing they will be lied to. They take their seats in the box and agree to be lied to.

The trick if you are sitting at the defense table is to be patient. To wait. Not just for any lie. But for the one you can grab on to and forge like hot iron into a sharpened blade. You then use that blade to rip the case open and spill its guts on the floor.

That’s my job, to forge the blade. To sharpen it. To use it without mercy or conscience. To be the truth in a place where everybody lies.

Here are the first four paragraphs of HIDE by Lisa Gardner.

My father explained it to me the first time when I was seven years old. The world is a system. School is a system. Neighborhoods are a system. Towns, governments, any large group of people. For that matter, the human body is a system, enabled by smaller, biological subsystems.

Criminal justice, definitely a system. The Catholic Church—don’t get him started. Then there’s organized sports, the United Nations, and of course, the Miss America Pageant.

“You don’t have to like the system,” he lectured me. “You don’t have to believe in it or agree with it. But you must understand it. If you can understand the system, you will survive.”

The family is a system.

LISA GARDNER used the word SYSTEM eight times. Plus—one use of SUBSYSTEM.

She nails the reader again and again and again with that regimented word, system. And she brings it home with her last sentence: a spotlighted, stand alone sentence.

The family is a system.

There’s a page break after that line—then the story kicks in with a vengeance. ;-))

I’ll share one more rhetorical device – SYMPLOCE.

SYMPLOCE uses a combination of anaphora and epistrophe – in the same sentences.

The SYMPLOCE example below is from Christa Allan. I met Christa when she attended one of my full day Master Classes. This is the prologue for her recently contracted first book, WALKING ON BROKEN GLASS.

PROLOGUE, by Christa Allan:

If I had known children break on the inside and the cracks don’t surface until years later, I would have been more careful with my words.

If I had known some parents don’t live to watch grandchildren grow, I would have taken more pictures and been more careful with my words.

If I had known couples can be fragile and want what they are unprepared to give or unwilling to take, I would have been more careful with my words.

If I had known teaching lasts a lifetime, and students don’t speak of their tragic lives, I would have been more careful with my words.

If I had known my muscles and organs and bones and skin are not lifetime guarantees that when broken, snagged, unstitched or unseemly, can not be returned for replacement, I would have been kinder to the shell that prevents my soul from leaking out.

If I had known I would live over half my life and have to look at photographs to remember my mother adjusting my birthday party hat so that my father could take the picture that sliced the moment out of time- if I had known, if I had known- I would have been more careful with my life.

KUDOS TO CHRISTA ALLAN! I’m looking forward to reading WALKING ON BROKEN GLASS. It will be released in the spring of 2010.

With anaphora, epistrophe, and symploce—once you’ve established the repetition three consecutive times, you can play with it. You don’t have to stop at three. You can have a sentence or two following the last repetition, that don’t carry the repetition. The last sentence could pick up the repetition and end with a rhetorical punch.

Anaphora, epistrophe, and symploce are three of the thirty rhetorical devices I cover in my Deep Editing course. Deep Editing has three power-loaded tracks: Rhetorical Devices, the EDITS System (deeper than in ECE), and more deep editing goodies like my killer Five Question Scene Check List.

This blog focused on using rhetorical devices to add power to first pages. They can be used to add power anywhere. Writers could use this stylistic power at the opening of any scene, at turning points, before a page break, at the end of a chapter.

NOW IT’S YOUR TURN!

If you have an example of an obscure rhetorical device in your work, please post it.

If you’d like to write an example of an obscure rhetorical device, one you may decide to use in your WIP, please post it!

Post a comment – or a ‘Hi Margie!’ - and YOU COULD WIN A LECTURE PACKET!

For every 25 people who post a comment today, I will draw a name for a Lecture Packet giveaway, a $22 value. Winners may choose a Lecture Packet from one of my six on-line courses:
1. Empowering Characters' Emotions
2. Deep Editing: The EDITS System, Rhetorical Devices, and More
3. Writing Body Language and Dialogue Cues Like a Psychologist
4. Powering Up Body Language in Real Life:
Projecting a Professional Persona When Pitching and Presenting
5. Digging Deep into the EDITS System
6. Defeat Self-Defeating Behaviors

Margie Lawson—psychotherapist, writer, and international presenter—developed innovative editing systems and deep editing techniques for writers.

Her Deep Editing tools are used by all writers, from newbies to NYT Bestsellers. She teaches writers how to edit for psychological power, how to hook the reader viscerally, how to create a page-turner.

Over four thousand writers have learned Margie’s psychologically-based deep editing material. In the last five years, she presented forty-eight full day Master Classes for writers in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

Lectures from each of Margie’s on-line courses are offered as Lecture Packets through Paypal from her web site. For more information on courses, lecture packets, master classes, and 3-day Immersion Master Class, visit: www.MargieLawson.com

Memories Of Home

2009-08-05T09:45:00.004-05:00

I've been trying to make a deadline but I'm having trouble concentrating.

You see I'm dealing with memories of home. Don't get me wrong, I love my life here with my amazing husband and son. However, over the years my visits to Jamaica have been happening less frequently so it breaks my heart to leave.

Instead of making my daily word count, I find myself looking at pictures and wishing I were still with my parents and everyone else I left behind.

That's why it is so important to surround yourself with people that are always there to support and lift you up. My hubby and son have been doing everything to lift my spirits, showering loads of love and affection on me, they truly are my rock. And, yesterday an unexpected phone call from Little Fabulous One had me grinning from ear to ear. That chick is like family to me and I miss her soooooo much!

Anyway, I hope you enjoy these various pics. They are from my family's home in Jamaica.

I have a cover!!

2009-08-04T01:00:00.001-05:00

It's officially been approved, which means I can share it! The artist did an awesome job of capturing the mood of the story. I hope you like it. I'm completely digging it.

Seeing

2009-08-03T07:00:00.005-05:00

It takes more than your eyes to see.

As writers, we have the ability to use our eyes in so many different ways. Not only do we have to see what's in front of us, we also have to see with our minds to create a story that readers will visualize. Sounds kind of confusing, doesn't it? Well, when I write a story, I like to see it like a film running in my head. I see the actors, the setting, the action. I see everything that makes sense to me and if the film appears to have something out of whack in it, I slice it out. Like any good film editor, I have to make sure every segment fits. Of course, as writers we tend to horde all the scenes because we believe they are perfect...unfortunately, that's a flaw we should give up. Writers should be able to step back and view the movie in our heads and make decisions that will be best for our story. The way we describe everything with the use of the senses (touch, smell, taste, see), the believability factor is strengthened. I'm one of those writers who like every sentence to flow. Like poetry, like literature doused in scotch where the words run across the paper and the sharp smell permeates your soul.

Often we think we are seeing the big picture but, in fact, we are blind to the obvious. We get stifled easily and we forget that our senses are more alert than the average person because we rely on every detail to make our stories jump off the page. It's when we don't think we are capable of comprehending, or hinder our ability to process what we've seen, we are only making an obstacle for ourselves. Don't let fears control the natural vision because our readers will know it.

I see more than with my eyes. I see things from my memory, a song I've heard, a painting that stares out at me behind glass walls. When you are able to see beyond what is apparent, you're so much closer to understanding where to start. It's always difficult to begin a project but if you allow your eyes to lead you through the scenes, they'll turn out so much richer...

Well, tomorrow I start working on my new paranormal project and this will be one of the most intense challenges of my life. This is where I must trust my eyes to show me all the things that I hope will captivate the audience. It's dark, it's dangerous, and it's darn sexy...

Now, for all you writing out there, open your eyes and really SEE!

A Fantastic Friday Announcement

2009-07-31T01:00:00.000-05:00

The Long and the Short of It is celebrating its 2nd Anniversary

CONTEST RUNS: August 3 - 30, 2009

Win one of three Sony EBook Readers preloaded with several stories donated by contest sponsors.

Earn one entry for every scavenger hunt question you answer. Simply visit the author’s site and find a specified object or answer to a question. Check back daily (at the Long and Short Reviews website) for your clues, beginning August 3, 2009!

Today's Guest Blog

2009-07-30T09:36:00.004-05:00

Rosemary Clement Moore was going to blog with us today, but something came up at the last minute. We're going to reschedule her because she's too awesome to miss. In the meantime, if you haven't read her before you should check out her books. She writes YA, but if you enjoy reading you'll enjoy her books.

Plugging Away

2009-07-29T11:54:00.004-05:00

So I've officially been back from vacation a full week now and I've been furiously trying to catch up where I left off. I know that many people compare us writers to schizophrenics and normally I would agree and even embrace the comparison, but the voices in my head were forced to stay silent for so long that they've managed to form an alliance and are now plotting to take over my brain!

They have been shouting at me from all angles and I can't get rid of any of them. As soon as I start working on one story, I'm pulled off and put on another one.
Right now I'm trying to complete three different novels in three different genres and have even started a fourth. I think I need a pill :)

My first release THE CHOSEN ONE is now available for Kindle download on Amazon and just seeing it there has had me grinning from ear to ear uncontrollably. I guess it finally feels real to me. If I'm this happy now, how am I going to react when it goes to print?

I've given myself a daily word count that I'm determined to stick to, so I'm going to head back into my cave and not come out until I make it.

Enjoy the rest of your week everyone!

The Definition of Romance

2009-07-28T10:28:00.003-05:00

I looked up the definition of romance in my dictionary this morning. It was interesting to see that the first definition listed is a list of the romance languages. In fact, what we often think of as the definition of romance is the third of four definitions. "Excitement, love, etc. of the kind found in such literature" according to Webster's New World dictionary. Out of curiosity, I went to dictionary.com. The listing there is a bit different.

–noun

1.	a novel or other prose narrative depicting heroic or marvelous deeds, pageantry, romantic exploits, etc., usually in a historical or imaginary setting.

2.	the colorful world, life, or conditions depicted in such tales.

3.	a medieval narrative, originally one in verse and in some Romance dialect, treating of heroic, fantastic, or supernatural events, often in the form of allegory.

4.	a baseless, made-up story, usually full of exaggeration or fanciful invention.

5.	a romantic spirit, sentiment, emotion, or desire.

6.	romantic character or quality.

7.	a romantic affair or experience; a love affair.

Is it me or do some of those definitions make it sound archaic?

One more week...

2009-07-27T13:22:00.004-05:00

First off, Congratulations Caffey on winning an eBook of Sunswept! Please let me know where to get it to you...email jaxcassidy@gmail.com. Thanks everyone who commented on Thursday!

...I promise to write something fascinating next week. It's been a crazy month and a half...including a part-time job (that isn't so part-time), conference, and more heavy work hours until Friday.

I finally got a day off but spent most of the day sleeping. Just woke up with the realization that it's my blog day. LOL

I don't know about you but I've discovered I'm a reality show junkie. The past two years I've been watching: So You Think You Can Dance, Top Chef, Hell's Kitchen, Next Food Network Star...and this year I added HGTV Design Star, The Fashion Show, and Chopped. I suppose when you can TiVo or come home late enough from work, you can still catch these episodes. I've started watching some things online.

I can imagine trying out for a few of those shows but when it comes down to it, I don't think I'd want to make a fool of myself on national tv. :) Perhaps these shows are filling the void of lack of time...I know my agent would be shaking her finger at me right now. No worries, I'll be tackling my paranormal proposal next week when I finally have the time. Life's too short to not have a breather...in the meantime, these indulgences is what keeps me sane!

Inspired by reality

2009-07-23T07:00:00.004-05:00

Okay, I know today I'm supposed to be interviewing EMBER CASE but I hadn't planned on conference sucking the life out of me...and no R&R before working 12 hour shifts so I dropped the ball... Ember was gracious enough to let me postpone her interview until August, so in the meantime, I'm going to share an article I wrote for Long and Short Reviews earlier this month.

Since you're missing out on a free giveaway, I'm going to offer an eBook ARC of my current release SUNSWEPT. Anyone who comments on this article will be automatically put into a drawing for the 3 novella anthology. Winners will be announce Friday....

Thursday, July 2, 2009 Article

Readers and interviewers often ask me where I get my ideas from and what inspires me. I can say I leave myself open to everything. Sometimes an idea pops into my head during a conversation, while I’m brainstorming with friends, or when I come across a news article or radio piece. It amazes me that I can literally think of an entire storyline in a matter of seconds based on one simple concept. Most of my stories are inspired by true life whether it’s a personal experience or plucked from a news story.

For instance, ART OF SENSUALITY was born when I watched a 2007 documentary called “My Kid Could Paint That” about a child artist prodigy who had been embroiled in a scandal. Art experts and media were vicious in their efforts to uncover whether the girl actually created her paintings or if her parents had a hand in art direction or tweaking of her artwork. Unfortunately, this ordeal was something the girl was never able to recover from and the truth is still unresolved.

Imagine being that child whose paintings were sold for over a million dollars and then in a matter of seconds was reduced to snide remarks and fodder for journalists. The story was so engaging I thought it would be a great premise to incorporate into my storyline about an artist. I guess I related to the girl because I never had formal art training, other than the occasional high school drawing courses. So, it was easy for me to imagine what it would be like if I were an art prodigy. I decided that it would be interesting to crawl into her head. I started to come up with questions to fill the holes in my story. I wondered: What if the artist felt exploited and confused and wanted to generate a little white lie to solve her problems without understanding there would be severe consequences? How would she overcome the bad press after realizing there would be no simple fixes? What if she had a nervous breakdown and how would she recover? How would she react to meeting a hero who understood her and accepted all her idiosyncrasies? The questions continued and during the process of writing the story I was able to tell a tale that was happy with and hoped my writers would be too. Of course, it’s one of those stories that either readers loved or hated if they couldn’t open their mind to the possibility.

Many of my past and future projects are inspired by the news and I think that it makes for a more deeper, compelling story. I find that when you can turn reality into fiction and execute it well, it’s a true test that you can tackle any challenging storyline.

Planes, Automobiles & THE CHOSEN ONE!

2009-07-22T16:45:00.007-05:00

So I've finally recovered from yesterday's almost twenty-four hour trip back home from Jamaica to Orlando. My flight got routed to Fort Lauderdale and my always loving husband had to drive four hours to pick us up and four hours to get us all home safely. When I finally collapsed in bed it was 3:45 in the morning and I've only just awakened.

My trip home to Jamaica was nothing short of amazing. I spent seven incredible days languishing in the company of family and dear friends. Seeing my father walk my aunt down the aisle at her vow renewal ceremony was a beautiful heart-warming moment that will probably always leave me on the verge of happy tears whenever I think about it.

The best part of my vacation however was just sitting on my parent's verandah and looking at this spectacular view.

In writing news....I am so excited to finally be able to announce that my first novel is available on the Parker Publishing website. It is being offered in eBook first and will hit the shelves in February. You can find it here!

Enjoy the rest of your week everyone!

Always,

Soul Searching at RWA Nationals

2009-07-21T01:00:00.001-05:00

I was determined to see the sights while in DC, and I succeeded in seeing many of them. The memorials, monument, and architecture...it's a powerful city that has been romanticized to a certain degree I think. Some people visit the memorials and historical sites without putting a lot of thought into what sacrifices were made in the past. I'll admit, I started my journey out that way. Very quickly I found myself surrounded by things and people that had me reflecting on my life, my self, and my goals.

The Capitol Building, the Washington Monument,and the memorials were all beautiful. Even the run down and seemingly forgotten World War I memorial that sat off in a bunch of trees that was reached by a broken and falling apart. The Vietnam memorial...as I watched families search the books and walls for the names of loved ones, or I witnessed them finding the names on the wall, or as I walked past a memento of someone lost (flowers, wreaths, pictures) I was struck with a sense of pride.

It's the Korean memorial that lingers in my heart more than any of the others. I thought for awhile that it was because my grandfather fought in the Korean War, and maybe that was part of it. It goes deeper than that for me, though. I went to this memorial twice. The second time after hearing Candace Havens speak about perseverance (see part of her talk here). She was talking about writing, and she talked about her two closest friends, but when I went back to the Korean memorial a few days later...

As the wall says, Freedom is Not Free. It struck me, that while the men and women in war are fighting primarily for our freedom to live, they are also fighting for us to have emotional freedom, for us to live at peace with ourselves as much as with each other. Looking at the statues of the men, looking into their eyes, it didn't feel as if I was looking into stone. I could feel their pain. I could imagine how their minds would stray back to the families they had left had home. How thoughts of their wives, children, siblings, parents, and grandparents would drive them on when they wanted nothing more than to go home. More, I could see and feel their spirit. The part of each one of them that lived deep inside them that gave them the strength to face the hardships, the solitude that likely came with being away from home.

It occurs to me now as I think back on my visit to this memorial and the others and I think about Candy's speech, we all face feelings, thoughts, and fears similar to those that these soldiers dealt with. Granted, their fears are on a bigger scale than most of ours, but we all have dark places in our minds and hearts. We have fears, doubts, and questions that nag at us. We all wonder if we're making the right decisions. If we're taking the right actions. If there is a better solution to a problem than the one we're contemplating or acting out.

I didn't attend as many workshops this year as I wanted, and I will be listening to the cds when they come in, but I walked away from this conference with a better understanding of myself and what I want in this career. I don't have the answers yet on how to make sure my new goals come to fruition, as I'm still sorting through all the thoughts in my head, but I'm closer than I was before heading to DC.

If you're interested in more pictures from my DC trip, including some of the sites, more from the memorials, as well as pictures from the conference, check out my personal blog from yesterday at www.nikkiduncan.com/blog.

Back from RWA Conference

2009-07-20T10:31:00.005-05:00

I'm terribly exhausted. The trip to DC was fast and easy. The trip back, not so. We sat on the tarmac for 2 hours before we took off on a 3 hour flight back and with a crying baby in the row behind me, I had a tough time concentrating...but that's not what I want to talk about.

What I want to tell you is what an awesome time I had at Nationals! I'll recap the details next Monday when I am fully rested. I'm delighted to say that DC had a better vibe than San Francisco last year. As far as checking into the room and the on site restaurants--a total disappointment! I believe the hotel wasn't ready, or fully staffed, to handle a few thousand romance authors taking over for a week. I'm kinda seeing a trend with the past four conference hotels I've attended...however, the company I held made a big difference in my experience and I can only give a shot out to my online friends from Romance Divas.

From my trip to the Veteran WWII memorial to riding in a limo with my agency sisters to industry parties...there's plenty of dirt to give up...but as I mentioned, I'll be breaking all that down next Monday. For now, I will leave a bit of info regarding the erotic market for those who write in this genre. It's acquired from a compilation made by Laura Bradford, Bradford Literary Agency, during the Passionate Ink party...Feel free to pass this link :)

Avon Red -- Should be Kensington Brava heat level

Bantam Dell -- No erotica

Berkley Heat -- Cindy Hwang would like to see more threesomes and more-somes, M/M, menages

NAL -- Paranormals with dark tones (Angela Knight flavor). Heat level should be Eclipse sensual like Lacy Alexander

Dorchester -- No erotic, but like hot romance like SJ Day, Jade Lee and wants to see fantasy

Grand Central -- Not sure about erotic

HQN -- Sexy title like Victoria Dahl. Sassy, sexual fearless. No anal, threesomes, or the female "c" word

Spice -- 12 books a year. Looking for paranormals with 100K

Kensington Aphrodisia -- 2 books a month. Single title anthology. Should be beyond Shifters and vamps. Concepts and series. The hotter the better and what can't be found in traditional romance

Kensington Brava -- Sensual. 3 titles a month: contemporary, historical and paranormal with one mass market reprint. Looking for single title author anthology. like Sylvia Day, Diane Whiteside, and Allison Kent

Pocket -- Not actively acquiring erotica. Trade market has cooled down. Really sexy, envelope pushing. Hetero characters. No threesomes, etc. More in line with Gena Showalter, Shayla Black, and Kresley Cole. Also looking for sweet contemporaries and Women's Fiction

St. Martin's Press -- Great fresh voices in all genres. No Sherilyn Kenyon (already have one). No erotic line because they have Lora Leigh, Opal Carew. M/M and single author anthology OK. Anything not illegal is okay.

Black Lace -- Officially closed.

I'll Fly Away......

2009-07-14T12:00:00.004-05:00

As you read this post, DS and I are probably sitting on an airplane headed home to sunny Jamaica.

This trip is really important to me. I'll finally have the chance to see family members that I have'nt seen in way too long and my son will get to experience a culture and heritage that I am so very proud of.

While I'm there, we'll be attending my aunt's vow renewal ceremony and my dad will be walking her down the aisle. I'll try to post tons of pictures when I get back.

For everyone heading to RWA Nationals, I wish you safe travels and hope that you have loads of fun. Look out for Jax and Nikki while you are there!

Excerpts, Washington, conference

2009-07-13T09:57:00.003-05:00

Once a month I participate in Excerpt Monday where I provide an excerpt of my current release or WIP (work in progress). There are so many talented authors involved, some published and some trying to publish. It's a great mix of genres and heat level ratings and a wonderful way to get a first glimpse of something you may see at the bookstores some day.

Today I posted an excerpt of a book I started that is set in the Tuscan countryside and will be showcasing the vineyards, Italian cuisine, and a very touching love story. I hope to have it completed (or sold) sometime in the future. For now, it's on hold but I truly love the romantic aspect of Italy and what interesting adventures can be held there. Go to my BLOG (www.jaxadora.blogspot.com) and have a first ever look. I know if it sells I'll have to do some fine-tuning but it's just fun to see what people think. The final product will be an "R" rating but what I have up is a PG excerpt.

Next up, I'm going to be in Washington DC tomorrow so if any of you are going to be at the RWA Conference, please stop me and say "Hi". I love meeting you all and I would love to see you at the Literacy for Life Signing on Wednesday. It's a wonderful event that will help so many people with what we raise.

I am so excited about these events because it's one of the only time I can actually see my girlfriends from all over the world. It's very motivating and when I am surrounded by so much talent, it's hard not to feel enthusiastic and inspired. This year has been a milestone for a lot of my friends. Including my best gal pal, Kristen Painter, who landed a 3-book Urban Fantasy deal with ORBIT. I can't tell you how proud I am of her and know that she's just going to catapult to stardom. Her personality is as big a her heart. Now, it's my turn to get a big contract so I can finally make it to mass market instead of trade paperback. LOL Although, I'm just happy to be published. Period.

Okay, you newbie RWA conference goers, I've written an article for FRESH FICTION that gives you tips on what to do or not to do while there. I am just passing a bit of knowledge from my years of experience with going to conference. You don't have to take my advice, but just give it a read. Love to get your feedback.

Finally, Nikki and I will be doing interviews that we hope we will be able put up snippets of the events online for you to view. We'll see how that goes. :) The wrap ups will be showcased on our blog when we return. It's going to be a lot of fun if we get the awesome candid interviews. Angela James, Executive Editor at Samhain Publishing, is on our list of interviews as she and a panel of awesome folks will be doing a "Rogue Digital" workshop at Nationals. Can't wait to see what everyone has to say about Digital publishing.

I hope you have a wonderful week and I shall be doing updates of the conference on my BLOG. :)

See you all soon!

Guest Blogger: CANDACE HAVENS

2009-07-09T01:00:00.001-05:00

I'm lucky enough to call Candace "Candy" Havens a friend. I'm luckier still to be celebrating with her her latest release Dragons Prefer Blondes. If you've read Candace, you know that she writes wicked smart and kick-ass heroines that keep you entertained and flipping the pages. If you haven't read her, well she has this great new book out so you can remedy that.

Order it now! These books make great gifts.
Order from Amazon
Order from Barnes & Noble

Here's a teaser video that I made for Candace for the series. Her stories make it way easy to make fun videos.

~ Jake is absolutely fantastic! I loved him in The Demon King and I, but I LOVED him in Dragons Prefer Blondes. Can you tell us a secret about him that no one else knows?

I took it out of the first draft, but Jake loves to play XBox 360. He's absolutely obsessed with the Madden and Tiger Woods games. I swear, if I get to do more of these books I'm going to write a scene with Jake and Bailey Caruthers, the younger brother of my Guardian Keys, playing some kind of video game on the big screen.

LOL, I would love to see a scene like that. I can imagine how into the games they would get.

~ I know that you’ve celebrated many “wins” since your writing career took off, and you give a lot back to other writers. What has been one of the biggest rewards, personal or professional, that you’ve experienced in your writing career?

Honestly, for me, when people like you succeed, those are some of my greatest moment. The talent is all yours, but I like to think that maybe I gave you a 'little' push in the right direction. I set up the Write_Workshop to help other writers, because I had such wonderful mentors. Seeing you guys published is beyond cool for me.

Aww. And you didn't give me a 'little' push in the right direction. You gave me a huge one. Every time I thought about stopping or giving up, your voice was in my head encouraging me.

~ You've branched out and written a Blaze that’s coming out in February. I'm sure it's changed since I read your first draft (that I loved), but can you tell us a little bit about that?

It's called "Take Me If You Dare." It's a about a female detective who happens to run into a burned CIA agent in Bangkok. He helps her solve her case, and then escapes with her to beach resort. There's intrigue, lots of hot, sexy romance and some pretty funny characters.

~ What else do you have in the works? Please tell me there are more Caruthers Sisters books in the works?
I have proposals in for the next two Caruthers sisters books, and a couple in for some more Bronwyn/Kira books. Right now I'm working on the next Blaze, and a YA. The two books couldn't be more different, but then I like that.
WooHoo!

~ Will you please pretty please with chocolate coating on top share an excerpt from Dragons Prefer Blondes with us?

Prologue

Guardians protect Earth from other worlds. We are the first line of defense against those who want to harm humanity.

Add in the fact that we put our lives on the line every day and that the rest of the universe really doesn’t care for humans, and you have to figure only a crazy person would be a Guardian.

That’s definitely true. But I get to face down dragons, so it’s not all bad. These aren’t the dragons of myths and legends. The Ahi, which is their scientific name, come in all shapes and sizes. They are intelligent beings for the most part, but they have a warrior attitude that makes them hardheaded beasts.

It’s my job to make certain they behave—and take them out if they won’t. I’m not alone. My sisters are also Guardians who protect the rest of the world from creatures that would scare the pee right out of you.

We’re a tight-knit group, which comes in handy, since we’re in the middle of a big battle with evil trying to take over the universe. I’m talking darkness like we’ve never seen before. It hides in the most innocuous places and strikes at will. Scary stuff.

Don’t worry. We Caruthers sisters have a plan. Extinguish the evil and put its sad, sorry ass in a sling. Trust me, we can do this. Anyone who can run in four-inch Prada heels and kill a dragon can certainly save the world from the big bad.

Chapter One

“Alex, I’m getting married.” Aspen Randall screeched in my ear, her voice so high I could barely understand her. It didn’t help that I was holding the cell between my shoulder and ear as I pulled a dragon carcass out of the snow and into an industrial-strength trash bag. I was in front of a beautiful cathedral in Montreal, and thankfully, the streets were empty.

When Aspen called I thought it was one of my sisters, so I’d picked it up without looking. I mean who the hell calls in the wee hours of the morning if they aren’t family?

It dawned on me that I hadn’t responded to her comment. “What a happy surprise. Who’s the lucky guy?” I pretended to be excited. Aspen went through men as fast as she changed shoes, so I couldn’t be sure who had been either brave or stupid enough to chance going down that path with the woman.

“Silly girl, Lord Huffington, of course. That means a big ole royal wedding for me.” She squealed again, and I wondered if I might need a hearing aid after this conversation. “We’ve been dating for three months, and we just can’t wait to get married.”

I sighed—on the inside. From what I knew about him, Huff was a stuck-up aristocrat who probably wanted to marry Aspen for her money. Everyone knew that his family had been struggling for years. His father’s investments were rot, and Huff had seemed more intent on living the playboy life than saving his family fortune.

Then again, Aspen probably knew all that. She just wanted to be called Lady Huffington. I’d met her ten years ago at a birthday party for my sister, Gillian, and Aspen declared us instant pals. My mother insisted I be nice, so I went along with the charade, which turned out to be a huge mistake.

Aspen was as shallow as they came, but she was one of those poor little rich girls. At the ripe old age of fourteen, I’d figured out pretty quickly that her parents had given her everything except love. I felt sorry for her, so when she wanted to hang out, I always tried to be there for her. “Wow. That’s—wow. I don’t know what to say.”

“I know, right? Beyond cool. Daddy says we can have a wedding in the States and at the castle in England. I can have the fairy tale twice.”

Oh, my God. My heart went out to her wedding planner. “Well, that is wild.” I slid the dragon, which was still warm to the touch, into the garbage bag. Thankfully, he’d been in human form, except for the talons, or he wouldn’t have fit. I had caught him inside the cathedral stealing a gold cross from the altar.

Dragons, demons, fairies, and a variety of other creatures had been giving my sisters and me hell the last few months. They were after treasures on Earth, and it was a constant battle to keep them from stealing. None of us knew exactly why these creatures wanted the valuables, but we felt certain it had something to do with the darkness trying to take over the universe. We are all Guardian Keys, and while it’s our job to protect Earth from these jerks, lately it had turned into a full-time occupation.

I had the element of surprise on my side and was able to sneak up on him while he was busy stealing, but he went scaly fast. He managed a couple of good strikes against me before he died. With dragons it was almost always a fight to death. They never backed down.

The snow swirled around me, wet and cold. The damn dragon was slippery and almost too big for the bag. I had to shove it down with my boot.

“Soooo,” Aspen trilled. “Since you are the premiere party planner and one of my dearest friends, I want you to do it all. Everything down to the last detail.” She squealed again, and I dropped the phone into the bag with the dead dragon.

No, no, no. The last thing I needed right now was to plan a wedding for a woman who had to have at least six choices of outfits for each day. She had two full-time stylists who could barely keep up with her. Planning Aspen’s wedding—I’d rather fight a cadre of dragons with my bare hands.

I fished out the phone and wiped off the dragon goo. Pushing the speaker function so I didn’t have to hold it close to my face, I prepared to put her off. “Oh, Aspen, hon, really I’d love too, but—”

“I knew you would.” She cut me off. “Oh, the jet’s here. I have to run. I’ll e-mail you with the dates. Did I mention we want to do it before the end of the month? And my color choices. I’m in a strawberry mood right now, so think luscious red with lots of white, and maybe some pink. Oh, I don’t know, maybe more of a sapphire since it’ll be a winter wedding. I’ll think about it on my way to London to see the castle. Ta! Oh, listen to me, I sound like English royalty already.”

The line went dead.

I snorted. Aspen was in for a rude awakening when she saw that castle. The last time I’d been there was four years ago for a charity event. I’d stayed in the dusty, drafty hunk of stone for one night and swore never to do it again.

The Contest: You didn't think I would forget to have a contest did you? Here's how it will work. Chat it up with Candace. Chat, chat, chat. Should you feel the desire to Twitter about this book/blog/video, come here and let us know that you did. Post a link to it on facebook, MySpace, your own blog, all those good things. Come here and tell us where you put it. Every place you post a link gets you entered into the drawing. (Candace even has a great round of contests on her site including a message for you to send out to your friends. Check it out here.

The winner will receive a signed copy of both of Candace's Guardian Key books.

Ready, set, CHAT!!

The Voices Have Spoken

2009-07-08T12:26:00.003-05:00

Last week Thursday I started a story that I couldn't get out of my head. Normally I'd try to fight any urge to put my current WIP aside, but the voices calling to me were louder than any I'd ever heard so I relented, and I'm glad I did.

I'm happy to report that in one week, not only did I write a novella that I'm pretty darned proud of, but I also managed to pen another three chapers of FORBIDDEN MASALA. My goal for the remainder of the week is to edit the novella and ship it off to my agent for her approval.

Next Wednesday, my post will coming to you from the beautiful island of Jamaica. I'm really looking forward to being home with my family, but I'll miss not making it to nationals this year. I wish everyone safe travels and hope you all have lots of fun in DC!

Have a glorious week everyone!

2009-07-07T01:00:00.001-05:00

It's so easy to get wrapped up in the day to day and forget to look for romance in our lives. Sadly, that's a habit that relates to more than romance.

I've noticed though that setting a goal to identify "romance" has kept me a little more focused on it. And I find it in un-traditional places.

Just this last weekend, we got together with a bunch of friends for July 4th. One friend is going through a rough patch, but watching him reminded me of so many of the heroes we read about in romance novels. He's solid and dedicated to his family. I watched him in the pool with his daughter and while most of the other adults were talking to each other, he was talking to and playing with his kiddo. She was the focus of his world and he didn't seem to miss the conversations around him. It's said that we as women often look for our fathers in our spouses. In this little girl's case, she couldn't pick a better man if she finds a man like her dad.

Seeing them together inspired me to come home and dive into a round of revisions. A lot of my current hero mirrors this friend of ours.

Keep looking for the romance!

Guest Blogger :: NALINI SINGH

2009-07-06T07:00:00.001-05:00

**UPDATED: CONGRATULATIONS CRISTA! You just won an autographed copy of BRANDED BY FIRE**

Today I’m welcoming my favorite New Zealander Nalini Singh as our guest blogger! She’s just as sweet and brilliant in person and I’m excited about all her success. Glad you could spend the day with us. :)

(Yes, there is a contest at the very end of the interview...Enjoy!)

Thanks for the invite, Jax!

You’re most known for your Psy/Changeling series and they’ve garnered incredible reviews. How has life changed since the popularity of your paranormal books from your start at Harlequin? Was it a difficult transition from contemporary to paranormal?

The transition was actually quite smooth for me. I’ve always had an interest in writing paranormals – the very first short story I ever won a contest with was about angels!—so it felt very natural.

The biggest change from when I first started writing, is that I’m now able to do it full time, which is just such an amazing, wonderful gift.

I’m sure every author wants to make the USA or NY Times list someday, so how do you feel about making the USA Today’s Best Sellers list? What did you do to celebrate the first time you found out?

I think there might have been some screaming and insane grinning involved *grin* Oh, and dancing. It was just such a fantastic buzz, and every time I think of it, I smile.

Your new book Angels’ Blood from the Guild Hunter series is getting phenomenal reviews. What inspired you to write this series?

It began with an image of an angel—strong, beautiful, with an edge of cruelty—high in tower in New York, with a cell phone to his ear. Who was he? Why was he there? And what kind of New York was this?

I was incredibly fascinated by the image and had to know the answers to those questions.

How tumultuous was your writing journey? Did you have the support system you needed when you decided to write romance?

When I first started, I knew no other writers and wasn’t part of any kind of a writing group, so I had to learn and research everything myself. What I did have was a lot of support at home, and sheer stubborn determination—even when the rejections started coming. *grin*

A few years later, I found out and joined the Romance Writers of New Zealand, and not only did I find a huge resource in terms of information about writing and publishing, I met a fantastic group of women. Some of my dearest friends are members of RWNZ and they’ve been with me throughout this journey. :)

How many books do you write a year? Are you a plotter or a panster?

At the moment, I’m writing 3 books and a novella a year, and that’s a good balance for me. I’m a pantser, or as I prefer to call it, an organic writer. I do have to plot to a certain extent in terms of the overarching arc of my series, because that has a final end, but as to each particular book, I start writing and see where the story takes me.

If you were a nail polish what would it be called and why?

Midnight shadows. Because I could be exotic and mysterious…at least as a nail polish if not in real life ;-)

What is the most adventurous thing you’ve ever done, and what did you learn about yourself?

Packing up my bags and moving to Japan. I learned that I could not only survive, but thrive in an unfamiliar environment—it really built my confidence, and I think that flows through to everything I do in life.

What are you currently working on and what will we see from you in the future?

I’m currently working on the next Psy/Changeling book – to be released after November’s Blaze of Memory. I also have a Guild Hunter novella in the Must Love Hellhounds anthology (September). The next full-length Guild Hunter novel will be out in February 2010 and is titled Archangel’s Kiss.

Nalini has provided us with a blurb of her latest release and an excerpt of her book is featured on her website: www.nalinisingh.com/branded.html (warning, it might just singe your computer screen!)

BRANDED BY FIRE
BERKLEY BOOKS
July 7th 2009

Hailed by Christine Feehan as “a major new talent,” New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh now brings together two fierce changelings in her most explosive story yet.

Though DarkRiver sentinel Mercy is feeling the pressure to mate, she savagely resists when Riley Kincaid, a lieutenant from the SnowDancer pack, tries to possess her. The problem is not simply that he pushes her buttons; the problem is that he’s a wolf, she’s a cat, and they’re both used to being on top.

But when a brilliant changeling researcher is kidnapped from DarkRiver territory, Mercy and Riley must work together to track the young man—before his shadowy captors decide he’s no longer useful. Along the way, the two dominants may find that submitting to one another uncovers not just a deadly conspiracy, but a passion so raw that it’ll leave them both branded by fire…

Any parting words for our readers? For our aspiring writers?

To my readers – thank you for all your support of my work. You guys are the best.

To aspiring writers – believe in yourself and your voice. And write. Then write some more. That’s the best way to learn.

BIO:

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Nalini Singh has traveled as far afield as the deserts of China and the temples of Japan, but it is the journey of the imagination that fascinates her the most. You can find out more about her books, check out photos from her travels, and read free short stories on her website: www.nalinisingh.com

**To be eligible for an autographed book of MINE TO POSSESS, Nalini's RITA nominated book, just post a comment and you'll be automatically submitted into the drawing! If you already have the book, she will send you a Psy/Changeling series magnet instead. The winner will be picked randomly and results will be posted on at the top of this interview post on Tuesday**

GUEST BLOGGER: Meg Benjamin

2009-07-02T01:00:00.001-05:00

Happy Thursday!! Today we have Meg Benjamin (a fellow Samhain Publishing author) with us and she's talking about music and writing and how they go together in her world. She's also sharing an excerpt of her latest book with us, and YES, THERE IS A CONTEST!

For the contest portion we're going to challenge you a little bit. Whoever makes the best comment in the comment section (as judged by Meg who will be around) will win an ARC of Wedding Bell Blues. And come on, we all love to get our hands on ARCS so we can read the stories before anyone else. You know you do, so get creative and get to commenting. Make them fun!

And now, with no further chatter from me, here's Meg!! Hello HoR Readers! It's great to be here, I hope you like what I've come up with.

Music and Silence

At the end of Finder, Emma Bull’s author bio has a neat thing: the soundtrack for the book. These are the songs she listened to while she was writing, and it’s pretty extensive (also, from my point of view, sort of obscure). Bull is obviously one of those writers who likes to listen to music while she writes. I had a creative writing teacher who was like that once—he always used the same Mozart concerto, and when it reached a particular passage, it was his cue to begin writing.

I’ve frequently wished I were like that, too. It seems so cool—listen to the music and it jiggles your brain right into the story. Unfortunately, I can’t do it. When I write—and when I read—I need quiet. It’s always been that way for me. I’m one of those annoying people who will tell you to quiet down in the library, or ask you to turn down your music if you’re related to me and you’re in the room next door to my study. I don’t need absolute silence, of course. If I did, I’d never get anything done. Right now, for example, I’ve got some energetic finches cussing each other out just beyond my window. But that’s the kind of music I can always manage to blot out.

I think part of the problem is that when I listen to music, I like to listen to it. I want to hear the words along with the rhythm. That leads to some conflicts with my DH when I turn on my iPod in the car—he likes a soft background mutter, while I like it loud enough to listen to what’s being sung. One of the joys of Texas singer-songwriters is their lyrics, and I want to hear them (for some suggestions of singer-songwriters to listen to, check my Web site at http://www.MegBenjamin.com/music.html).

That doesn’t mean I sit in rapt silence while I listen, as you do in a concert hall. But the things I do while listening usually take a different part of my brain than reading or writing—playing computer solitaire, for example, or chopping onions. When I write, I need to concentrate, and the music seems to be filling the same channel in my brain as the words I’m trying to find.

Music can put me in the right mood for writing, though, even though I turn it off when I actually start work. And those songs sometimes show up in the books, as a sort of thank you to the artists for helping me get going. James McMurtry’s Red Dress shows up in Wedding Bell Blues because I wanted a really sexy song for Janie to dance to, and that song definitely qualifies. Joe Ely’s Cool Rockin’ Loretta is in Venus in Blue Jeans as a dance-around-the-shop-feeling-good song, which it really is. Some writers, like Jennifer Crusie, seem to include songs and singers in their books they want to clue you in on, like Dusty Springfield or Kirsty MacColl. If my references to McMurtry and Ely make people go out and listen to their stuff, I’d be delighted.

But I still can’t listen to music when I’m actually writing. For that, I have to listen to the music playing in my head! So I wish I could give you the soundtrack for my books. I wish there was a soundtrack for my books. But I can’t. My mind just doesn’t work that way. You’ll have to be satisfied with listening to the music my characters listen to. Apparently, they don’t have the same problems that I do!

So—this is what the characters in Wedding Bell Blues (July 21 from Samhain) are hearing. All of them are available on iTunes if you’d like to hear a sample.

Emmylou Harris, “Cattle Call”

James McMurty, “Red Dress”

Lyle Lovett, “If I Needed You”

Patsy Cline, “Faded Love”

Ray Wylie Hubbard, “Without Love (We’re Just Wastin’ Time)” (actually, Cal doesn’t specify a song, but Ray Wylie talks about playing this one at a wedding reception)

Willie Nelson, “Yesterday’s Wine”

And here's an excerpt for the book you're trying to win!!

Wedding Bell Blues

Pete Toleffson and Janie Dupree have to dance at the wedding reception since they’re best man and maid of honor, respectively. Pete’s a non-dancer, but Janie’s going to help him practice.

The music on the radio changed to Lyle Lovett and “If I Needed You”. Janie extended her hands. “Come on, it’s not that bad.”

“Yeah, it is.” Pete sighed, but he moved toward her, taking her hands. “This isn’t a waltz.”

“No, it’s not.” Janie smiled. “It’s just beautiful.” She swayed back and forth lightly, letting the music move into her bones.

After a moment, Pete began to move with her in a sort of tentative way.

Janie shuffled lightly to the left and back again, taking the rhythm from the music and pulling Pete gently in her wake.

He stumbled, half-catching himself, but Janie kept hold of his hands, sliding back and forth easily, humming along with Lyle. The tension began to fade in his arms.

On the radio, Emmylou Harris started singing “Cattle Call”. Pete stopped in his tracks. “What the hell?”

Janie laughed. “C’mon, it’s a waltz. Dance with me.” She extended her arms.

Pete pulled her closer, one hand at her waist, the other holding her hand out rigidly. After a moment, he began leading. Emmylou’s sweet soprano yodeling followed them around the yard. Janie found herself emphasizing each downbeat, enjoying herself immensely as Pete’s arms began to loosen slightly.

The music slowed and shifted to another slow one. Without thinking, Janie moved closer, letting Pete slide his feet alongside hers. She could feel the hard muscles of his shoulders beneath her fingers, flexing slightly as he moved her in careful circles. She let him push her along, keeping her spine straight but moving steadily closer until their bodies finally touched.

She hadn’t meant it to happen, really. Pete came to an abrupt halt, his shoulders stiff again. Janie started to move, but his hand at the small of her back held her in place. Then he began to dance again, more slowly this time. Another waltz began to play. Apparently, the DJ was psychic.

Janie could feel the smooth plane of his body pressing against her breasts. An ache had started low in her body that had nothing to do with exhaustion and everything to do with Pete Toleffson. She closed her eyes and let her cheek rest against his chest for a moment, feeling warm skin and smelling faint hints of sweat and aftershave, letting herself relax against the hard muscles of his chest and thighs.

One muscle was very hard indeed.

What the hell was she doing? Janie’s head popped up abruptly. Pete Toleffson was staring down at her, his eyes obscured in the dim light. “Something wrong, Ms. Dupree?” he murmured.

Janie shook her head, feeling a weird bubble of panic rise in her chest. This was just a dance, after all. She danced all the time.

Pete’s fingers spread against the small of her back, nudging her closer as their bodies moved slowly back and forth. Her hips brushed against him, and she was aware again of the hard shape of his erection.

Okay, she wasn’t imagining it—something was definitely going on beyond a quick turn around the backyard.

The music faded and changed to a muted commercial. Pete stopped moving.

Janie felt as if she were standing on the edge of a precipice, looking down. She could step back. Or she could leap over the edge and fly.

Pete’s hand moved from the small of her back to cup her cheek, and Janie stood very still, looking up at him. His eyes were dark in the dim light of the backyard, but she could see the fire behind them as he moved closer. Then his lips touched hers.

Wedding Bell Blues can be found at http://samhainpublishing.com/romance/wedding-bell-blues.

All right, peeps, get to commenting!