Eliza David's Blog - Posts Tagged "new-release"
Cougarette in the Country - OUT NOW!
Readers, I'm happy to announce that Cougarette in the Country is officially released! YAY! Click HERE to order your Kindle copy.
As I mentioned in previous blog entries, this will mark the beginning of my two-month writing hiatus. I'll still blog and jot down ideas about Book #3 as they come to me but my life will be Cougarette-free for the next 60 days minimum.
Click HERE for today's Virtual Launch Party. LOTS of party favors and free swag for my RSVPs!
A big, huge THANK YOU to all of my supporters over the past few months. I love writing about CeeCee and I absolutely LOVE that you love reading about her misadventures! I hope you'll join us this afternoon for the launch party madness. Happy reading!
As I mentioned in previous blog entries, this will mark the beginning of my two-month writing hiatus. I'll still blog and jot down ideas about Book #3 as they come to me but my life will be Cougarette-free for the next 60 days minimum.
Click HERE for today's Virtual Launch Party. LOTS of party favors and free swag for my RSVPs!
A big, huge THANK YOU to all of my supporters over the past few months. I love writing about CeeCee and I absolutely LOVE that you love reading about her misadventures! I hope you'll join us this afternoon for the launch party madness. Happy reading!
You Hate Me! You Really, Really Hate Me!
As I've mentioned, I'm on a writing hiatus.
(I'll repeat this often, more for my own personal reminder than for your benefit. You've been warned.)
That hasn't stopped me from thinking about Cougarette #3, especially when it comes to the development of the three new characters I'll introduce in the book. One character in particular is not what I'd categorize as an antagonist...but the character is, shall we say, slightly antagonistic.
I'll be honest: creating a villainous persona is one of my biggest challenges as a writer (which is precisely why I need to do it more often). When I created Felicity Hunter in The Cougarette, for example, I struggled with the task a bit. I like bitches but she was a straight up See You Next Tuesday, for real. The night I wrote the first draft of her climactic confrontation with CeeCee in the boardroom, I felt CeeCee's tears, envy and pain. I wanted to tear Felicity's weave out. I hated her, I still hate her...but she was pivotal for the book to end the way it did. Felicity was required and I thank the skank for her contribution. *tips hat*
This time around, I am trying to build a character that my readers by and large will not like. I know this because I know (and love!) my readers. My struggle will be my innate need to infuse sympathy for this character because I really feel sorry for them. I'm trying to figure out why this is an issue for me. Am I afraid that my readers will spend at least half of the book stewing in anger while reading about this person? Is that really a bad thing? Writing should evoke emotion, right?
But how much is too much emotion when it is a negative one?
So come May 1st, when I dust off my brain and begin the obligatory shitty first draft of Cougarette #3, I am going to challenge myself. I am going to write this character organically. I am not going to infuse likeable characteristics unless they truly fit him/her. I am going to give you - the reader - a true portrait of an antagonistic character. I won't shortchange you.
Just promise me you'll keep reading when all you want to do is send me a nasty Tweet about how much you hate this person - because you are GOING to hate this person.
(I'll repeat this often, more for my own personal reminder than for your benefit. You've been warned.)
That hasn't stopped me from thinking about Cougarette #3, especially when it comes to the development of the three new characters I'll introduce in the book. One character in particular is not what I'd categorize as an antagonist...but the character is, shall we say, slightly antagonistic.
I'll be honest: creating a villainous persona is one of my biggest challenges as a writer (which is precisely why I need to do it more often). When I created Felicity Hunter in The Cougarette, for example, I struggled with the task a bit. I like bitches but she was a straight up See You Next Tuesday, for real. The night I wrote the first draft of her climactic confrontation with CeeCee in the boardroom, I felt CeeCee's tears, envy and pain. I wanted to tear Felicity's weave out. I hated her, I still hate her...but she was pivotal for the book to end the way it did. Felicity was required and I thank the skank for her contribution. *tips hat*
This time around, I am trying to build a character that my readers by and large will not like. I know this because I know (and love!) my readers. My struggle will be my innate need to infuse sympathy for this character because I really feel sorry for them. I'm trying to figure out why this is an issue for me. Am I afraid that my readers will spend at least half of the book stewing in anger while reading about this person? Is that really a bad thing? Writing should evoke emotion, right?
But how much is too much emotion when it is a negative one?
So come May 1st, when I dust off my brain and begin the obligatory shitty first draft of Cougarette #3, I am going to challenge myself. I am going to write this character organically. I am not going to infuse likeable characteristics unless they truly fit him/her. I am going to give you - the reader - a true portrait of an antagonistic character. I won't shortchange you.
Just promise me you'll keep reading when all you want to do is send me a nasty Tweet about how much you hate this person - because you are GOING to hate this person.
Hello Muddah…Hello Fadduh…
You knew this was coming: I’ve decided to shorten my hiatus.
But – BUT! – before you give me the side-eye, it’s for a very good reason. For the first time in almost 30 years, I’m going to camp!
Camp NaNoWriMo!
Since NaNo was the birthplace of The Cougarette, I thought it was only right that I start Book #3 of the series during the event. If you are an aspiring writer or are even just thinking of starting a writing project, I encourage you to join the event in April. It’s a monthlong journey toward as many words as you like - 1K, 10K, 50K. You set your goal and run your race. As you’ll recall from previous blog entries, word counts are very important (read: too important) to me so the goal totally gets my literary motor revving!
I also thought this would be a good motivator because my current vision of Book #3 is going to be very dramatic. There will be crazy highs and deep lows. I think that of the four books, this will be the most intense. It represents the arc of CeeCee and Jay’s relationship, which – once again – is going to sail some choppy seas.
The NaNo community will be very supportive, especially since each participant can belong to a ‘cabin’ – an interactive group of fellow Camp NaNo writers within similar age, similar word count or similar genre. The introverts among us can opt out of the cabins but you know me: I love people until I’m sick of them or vice versa. I’m joining a cabin of fellow women fiction writers because I will need some support while I write these dramatic ass plots that only another romance writer can provide.
Click HERE to visit my profile for updates during my stay at Camp NaNo. I’m looking forward to writing again because Book #3 needs to get out of my brain.
The NaNo road to 50K begins at midnight on April 1st…
But – BUT! – before you give me the side-eye, it’s for a very good reason. For the first time in almost 30 years, I’m going to camp!
Camp NaNoWriMo!
Since NaNo was the birthplace of The Cougarette, I thought it was only right that I start Book #3 of the series during the event. If you are an aspiring writer or are even just thinking of starting a writing project, I encourage you to join the event in April. It’s a monthlong journey toward as many words as you like - 1K, 10K, 50K. You set your goal and run your race. As you’ll recall from previous blog entries, word counts are very important (read: too important) to me so the goal totally gets my literary motor revving!
I also thought this would be a good motivator because my current vision of Book #3 is going to be very dramatic. There will be crazy highs and deep lows. I think that of the four books, this will be the most intense. It represents the arc of CeeCee and Jay’s relationship, which – once again – is going to sail some choppy seas.
The NaNo community will be very supportive, especially since each participant can belong to a ‘cabin’ – an interactive group of fellow Camp NaNo writers within similar age, similar word count or similar genre. The introverts among us can opt out of the cabins but you know me: I love people until I’m sick of them or vice versa. I’m joining a cabin of fellow women fiction writers because I will need some support while I write these dramatic ass plots that only another romance writer can provide.
Click HERE to visit my profile for updates during my stay at Camp NaNo. I’m looking forward to writing again because Book #3 needs to get out of my brain.
The NaNo road to 50K begins at midnight on April 1st…
Release Week*! (*Or The “BUY MY BOOK, PLEASE!” Online Campaign)
So, it’s finally here – the third book in The Cougarette series, Cougarette Takes Manhattan drops in seven days.
Seven little days. Wow. I’m pretty stoked about it.
(Notice the lack of exclamation points that I am fighting the will to type.)
One of the reasons that this book is special to me is that it’s a very emotional read for every character involved (except Laney, because lesbians always have their shit together). Of course, the central focus remains to be CeeCee and Jay and how their union fares after their move to the concrete jungle.
Throughout CTM, you will witness a very specific shift not only in CeeCee’s relationship with Jay – but within CeeCee herself. This latest change in her life will be more chaotic than her divorce. CTM is going to navigate the reader through the ups and downs of CeeCee’s new life in the Big Apple.
As I’ve stated in previous blog entries, this was a tough book to write. I sat with some chapters for days, afraid to write them but eager to get the words out on paper all the same. I spent a lot of time fighting my characters in my head because they refused to behave. REFUSED, I tell you! I’ve found that by Book Three, I have zero control over these imaginary people. In contrast, The Cougarette was easier to write because the characters were newborns.
By the time I wrote CTM, they had become toddlers. Threenagers. Spoiled fucking brats.
So, when you read CTM, don’t blame me for any visceral reactions you may experience. If your favorite character (*sets eyes on #TeamJay*) does something you don’t like, understand that my hand was forced before you threaten my life via social media. My ARC readers already have hits out on me, I’m certain of that.
If you aren’t too busy reading CTM on your e-reader next Saturday, May 2nd, please join me and a bunch of naughty author buddies of mine at the Online Release Party, starting at 4pm CT. It’ll be a great time and, of course, we’ll all be giving away free stuff. Everyone likes free stuff, right?
Plus, you’ll need a break from devouring CTM – because once you hit the end of Chapter Nine…you won’t put it down. See you there!
Seven little days. Wow. I’m pretty stoked about it.
(Notice the lack of exclamation points that I am fighting the will to type.)
One of the reasons that this book is special to me is that it’s a very emotional read for every character involved (except Laney, because lesbians always have their shit together). Of course, the central focus remains to be CeeCee and Jay and how their union fares after their move to the concrete jungle.
Throughout CTM, you will witness a very specific shift not only in CeeCee’s relationship with Jay – but within CeeCee herself. This latest change in her life will be more chaotic than her divorce. CTM is going to navigate the reader through the ups and downs of CeeCee’s new life in the Big Apple.
As I’ve stated in previous blog entries, this was a tough book to write. I sat with some chapters for days, afraid to write them but eager to get the words out on paper all the same. I spent a lot of time fighting my characters in my head because they refused to behave. REFUSED, I tell you! I’ve found that by Book Three, I have zero control over these imaginary people. In contrast, The Cougarette was easier to write because the characters were newborns.
By the time I wrote CTM, they had become toddlers. Threenagers. Spoiled fucking brats.
So, when you read CTM, don’t blame me for any visceral reactions you may experience. If your favorite character (*sets eyes on #TeamJay*) does something you don’t like, understand that my hand was forced before you threaten my life via social media. My ARC readers already have hits out on me, I’m certain of that.
If you aren’t too busy reading CTM on your e-reader next Saturday, May 2nd, please join me and a bunch of naughty author buddies of mine at the Online Release Party, starting at 4pm CT. It’ll be a great time and, of course, we’ll all be giving away free stuff. Everyone likes free stuff, right?
Plus, you’ll need a break from devouring CTM – because once you hit the end of Chapter Nine…you won’t put it down. See you there!
Adult Education
"So you got a little education/
And a lot of dedication/
But you want a little night school/
Maybe some of it will rub off on you/"
~Hall and Oates, Adult Education
My next release Girls' Night In: A Collection of Short Stories based on The Cougarette Series - or GNI, for short (because that title is a lot) - is finished and slated for release on August 28th (you can preorder HERE).
And I couldn't be happier.
In fact, I haven't been this happy to end a book in my very short writing career. GNI was not only my first foray into short stories, but it was my first time trying my hand at erotica. The whole process made me nervous, I'll be honest. I walked into this book a relative novice into the world of sensual writing. Now, I make no qualms - the previous four books of the Cougarette Series do contain a little bit of sex. What sets GNI apart from the rest of the series is the major emphasis on female sensuality.
GNI opens with CeeCee's friends gathering at her condo to have as the title suggests: an evening in with bottles of wine and tons of girl talk. And yeah, that girl talk gets a little...suggestive. It's meant to turn you on, no doubt. But my bigger mission with GNI was to blow the lid off of misconceptions about women and sensuality. I wanted to show women enjoying themselves for themselves, not for the sake of a man's (or another woman's, in some cases) orgasm. It was important to me that that came through clearly. According to my recent advance readers, I've accomplished just that. (Excuse me while I do my CeeCee Banks Happy Dance...)
Another benefit I gained from writing GNI was an opportunity to fine-tune my carnal writing, because let me be the first to tell you in case you didn't know: writing sex is not an easy task. I'm sure that most of my readers have picked up a romantic and/or erotic novel before reading a Cougarette book. I'm also sure that they've read some pretty bad love scenes. Lord knows I have!
But after having written a love scene or two myself, I can appreciate the forethought that goes into scripting sex. It's easy to write boring sex - insanely easy! What I've learned is to implement as many of the five senses as possible. I was able to tap into those unique factors by asking myself some questions like:
1) What does the character's sexual partner's neck smell like?
2) Is the room they are in able to reverberate the sounds of the lovemaking?
3) Are either one of the characters a 'talker' in bed?
4) The sheets - are they silk? Cotton? Are sheets a factor in the scene? What does the surface (sheets or nah) feel like rubbing against the character's skin?
5) What muscles are moving during the act? Vividly describe that.
Many more questions came to me as I wrote all five short stories and I found them helpful. I know this because my advance readers felt as if they were there. Right there in the bedroom, hotel suite, or private nightclub with the characters.
And that's the point.
Finishing GNI felt like graduation because I learned so much about describing one of the oldest human functions in civilization without making it feel like it was mechanical. I interviewed people that gave me insight into sexual activities with which I had no experience. Also, I learned a lot about myself as an author and my own writing style.
I learned that I liked writing about sex and that I shouldn't be ashamed of it.
The illustrious words of Erica Jong sum me up best:
"I write lustily and humorously. It isn't calculated; it's the way I think. I've invented a writing style that expresses who I am."
That's exactly how I felt after I wrote GNI. I stepped into who I am as a writer and it felt good.
Actually, it felt...sexy. ;)
(c)Eliza David, 2015
Don't forget to add Girls' Night In: A Collection of Short Stories based on The Cougarette Series to your Want To Read lists!
And a lot of dedication/
But you want a little night school/
Maybe some of it will rub off on you/"
~Hall and Oates, Adult Education
My next release Girls' Night In: A Collection of Short Stories based on The Cougarette Series - or GNI, for short (because that title is a lot) - is finished and slated for release on August 28th (you can preorder HERE).
And I couldn't be happier.
In fact, I haven't been this happy to end a book in my very short writing career. GNI was not only my first foray into short stories, but it was my first time trying my hand at erotica. The whole process made me nervous, I'll be honest. I walked into this book a relative novice into the world of sensual writing. Now, I make no qualms - the previous four books of the Cougarette Series do contain a little bit of sex. What sets GNI apart from the rest of the series is the major emphasis on female sensuality.
GNI opens with CeeCee's friends gathering at her condo to have as the title suggests: an evening in with bottles of wine and tons of girl talk. And yeah, that girl talk gets a little...suggestive. It's meant to turn you on, no doubt. But my bigger mission with GNI was to blow the lid off of misconceptions about women and sensuality. I wanted to show women enjoying themselves for themselves, not for the sake of a man's (or another woman's, in some cases) orgasm. It was important to me that that came through clearly. According to my recent advance readers, I've accomplished just that. (Excuse me while I do my CeeCee Banks Happy Dance...)
Another benefit I gained from writing GNI was an opportunity to fine-tune my carnal writing, because let me be the first to tell you in case you didn't know: writing sex is not an easy task. I'm sure that most of my readers have picked up a romantic and/or erotic novel before reading a Cougarette book. I'm also sure that they've read some pretty bad love scenes. Lord knows I have!
But after having written a love scene or two myself, I can appreciate the forethought that goes into scripting sex. It's easy to write boring sex - insanely easy! What I've learned is to implement as many of the five senses as possible. I was able to tap into those unique factors by asking myself some questions like:
1) What does the character's sexual partner's neck smell like?
2) Is the room they are in able to reverberate the sounds of the lovemaking?
3) Are either one of the characters a 'talker' in bed?
4) The sheets - are they silk? Cotton? Are sheets a factor in the scene? What does the surface (sheets or nah) feel like rubbing against the character's skin?
5) What muscles are moving during the act? Vividly describe that.
Many more questions came to me as I wrote all five short stories and I found them helpful. I know this because my advance readers felt as if they were there. Right there in the bedroom, hotel suite, or private nightclub with the characters.
And that's the point.
Finishing GNI felt like graduation because I learned so much about describing one of the oldest human functions in civilization without making it feel like it was mechanical. I interviewed people that gave me insight into sexual activities with which I had no experience. Also, I learned a lot about myself as an author and my own writing style.
I learned that I liked writing about sex and that I shouldn't be ashamed of it.
The illustrious words of Erica Jong sum me up best:
"I write lustily and humorously. It isn't calculated; it's the way I think. I've invented a writing style that expresses who I am."
That's exactly how I felt after I wrote GNI. I stepped into who I am as a writer and it felt good.
Actually, it felt...sexy. ;)
(c)Eliza David, 2015
Don't forget to add Girls' Night In: A Collection of Short Stories based on The Cougarette Series to your Want To Read lists!
Interview with Cassandra Caprio (IG: @thebookishcrypt)
Click HERE for my interview with Cassandra!
RELEASE WEEK EVENTS!
Hi Readers!
So, the week is finally here! Girls' Night In: A Collection of Short Stories based on The Cougarette Series drops on Friday (click HERE to preorder if you haven't already!) and I have a slew of events in line to celebrate it!
Check it out!
Monday 8/24 – Live Interview with T.A.Woods (http://t.co/n84HcwKIAI)
Tuesday 8/5 – 7pm Book Boyfriend Hangover Blog Takeover
(https://www.facebook.com/bookboyfrien...)
Wednesday 8/26 – 4PM: Cree Storm Event Takeover (https://www.facebook.com/events/95581...)
Weds 8/26 – 6pm: Anything But Vanilla Blog Takeover
(https://www.facebook.com/groups/38987...)
Thurs 8/27 – 7pm: The Naughty Librarians Blog Takeover
(https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Na...)
Friday 8/28 – 11am – 10pm: GNI Release Party
(https://www.facebook.com/events/16315...)
Sat. 8/29 – 9am: Bound Event Takeover
(https://www.facebook.com/events/85795...)
See you there!
So, the week is finally here! Girls' Night In: A Collection of Short Stories based on The Cougarette Series drops on Friday (click HERE to preorder if you haven't already!) and I have a slew of events in line to celebrate it!
Check it out!
Monday 8/24 – Live Interview with T.A.Woods (http://t.co/n84HcwKIAI)
Tuesday 8/5 – 7pm Book Boyfriend Hangover Blog Takeover
(https://www.facebook.com/bookboyfrien...)
Wednesday 8/26 – 4PM: Cree Storm Event Takeover (https://www.facebook.com/events/95581...)
Weds 8/26 – 6pm: Anything But Vanilla Blog Takeover
(https://www.facebook.com/groups/38987...)
Thurs 8/27 – 7pm: The Naughty Librarians Blog Takeover
(https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Na...)
Friday 8/28 – 11am – 10pm: GNI Release Party
(https://www.facebook.com/events/16315...)
Sat. 8/29 – 9am: Bound Event Takeover
(https://www.facebook.com/events/85795...)
See you there!
RELEASE PARTY for The Cougarette's Secret
Greetings Readers!
The release party for The Cougarette's Secret is scheduled for Sunday, November 1st!
Click HERE for the deets. I'll have some of my writing buddies joining me: Cree Storm, Siobhan Daiko, and more!
Stay tuned to my blog for more Release Week updates!
The release party for The Cougarette's Secret is scheduled for Sunday, November 1st!
Click HERE for the deets. I'll have some of my writing buddies joining me: Cree Storm, Siobhan Daiko, and more!
Stay tuned to my blog for more Release Week updates!
