Sarah Mäkelä's Blog, page 32

Guest Author Karen E. Taylor

With the upcoming re-issues of books from my Vampire Legacy series, a lot of people have been asking me why I chose to become an author. It's a good question and on the surface, it's a fairly easy one to answer. I fell into it, or stumbled over it, almost accidently. I was surprised when it happened. I'm still kind of surprised even now. I'd been searching for most of my life for some sort of artistic expression. I was always an imaginative child, maybe too much so, content to live in a world of dolls and plastic horses and imaginary friends. I suspect I was hard to handle. So my mother sent me to countless classes to find out what I'd be good at. I did ballet for a year and loved it, but she pulled me out after the first recital, mumbling something about a mack truck amidst sugar plums. I went to the Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh every Saturday for art lessons – I did so well at sketching (and so miserably at water colors) that the instructors transferred me to painting classes exclusively. That time quitting was my idea. I took singing lessons, speech lessons, pursued acting in college and community theatre. I sculpted, made pottery, sewed, knitted, designed my own clothing, made toys for my own children – the list goes on and on. And we don't even want to start talking about the jobs I held over the years.



Then, in 1988 I sat down in front of a newly purchased Smith Corona Word Processor and found out where all that striving finally led. Here, at last, was something that I dared hope I might be good at, good enough to make it work, good enough to stick to it. And in all the years since then, with all the ups and downs of life and career, I still look at writing as the one thing I do that works. For me. And for my readers.



There are many things to love about writing. You can't beat the hours, for one. The dress code is as casual as your environment permits – my favorite work suit is a plaid flannel nightgown with black leggings underneath. It's good to have an office, but a writer can work anywhere there is a computer. Or a tablet and a pencil. You can live any place, provided you have electricity, coffee and access to a post office. It's not a problem to moonlight at another job when you're a writer. Sometimes, in fact, it's an excellent idea, providing money to live on and ideas to dream on – a little outside stimulation is good for writer's block too. It's even okay to stumble around every so often, talking to yourself. If anyone asks, you can explain that you're working on a scene. And need I mention how the smell of a box of newly printed books is one of the most heavenly odors on earth?



The things we most love about writing, though, often come hand in hand with the things we hate. Deadlines. Writer's block. Rejection letters. A power outage right as you're finishing up the scene you've been working on for hours. Precious words not easily retrieved. Precious words cruelly cut from your manuscript by merciless editors who more often than not really do know what they're doing. And don't you hate that too?



A writer's job is never done. Even with the end of a book, we look forward to the next one. And no matter how much grief and sweat and tears the last book caused, all is forgotten and forgiven when we type the words Chapter One.



Choosing to become a writer may not be that much of an accomplishment after all. But choosing to remain one – that's the path we take. I can't think of a better one to walk.



Karen E. Taylor

www.karenetaylor.com





Deirdre Griffin didn't choose to be a vampire. But she is. And she's determined to make the most of her fate. For Deirdre that means surrendering to the raging hunger ignited by even the slightest whiff of blood a hunger that pulses through her body like a fever, demanding release. It means making friends in dark places and savouring every hot, salty, bitter, revitalizing drop of life force the night has to offer...



From Book #1 of HUNGER:



After the kiss, I buried my face in his neck. Now, I thought as I heard the blood pulse in his veins, Oh, please, now.



I nipped him at first, savoring the moment, my low moans echoed by his. Then when my teeth grew longer and sharper, I could hold back no longer. I bit him brutally, tapping the artery and was rewarded by the flow of his blood: hot, salty and bitter. He shuddered violently and fought to push me away, but his resistance was futile. Finally his struggles ceased and his body grew limp as I continued to draw on him, gently now, almost tenderly. I drank a long time, slowly, relishing the feel of my own body being replenished, then I withdrew.



Arising from the couch, I caught sight of myself in the mirror. No longer pale and haggard, my skin glowed with life and my eyes shone, victorious and demonic. A few drops of blood were trickling down my chin; I wiped them away with the back of my hand and turned from my reflection in disgust...



From Book #2 of HUNGER:



He was trembling violently under my touch, but that merely encouraged me and I spoke his name again.



"Mitch."



This time I connected. I knew he heard me and understood, his hands tightened on mine and he whispered my name. Then before I could react, he quickly dropped my hands, formed a fist and silently punched me on the jaw, striking me with such force that I fell to the floor.



As I pulled myself up, shaking my head and gingerly feeling my jaw, I saw him running from the room, pursued by a nurse and two orderlies.



I stood, swaying in the air slightly, oblivious to the uproar Mitch's action must have been causing around me. The noise level in the room rose, as if from a long distance. I could hear the laughing and crying and shouting of the rest of the patients in the room. But my eyes were fastened on the door through which he had disappeared.



What the hell did you expect, you fool, I thought, a passionate embrace, a warm welcome-back kiss? His eyes had been the eyes of one who looked on hell, and I had helped to put him there...

Writing Sex Scenes

Hey everyone, if you're interested in reading the first chapter of Techno Crazed, you can find it here.

With any romance novel (or novella), there's got to be romance! Some people who don't read or write romance might think romance writers sit at our desks with candles aglow and massage oil on hand when writing sex scenes. Some might, and that's cool if it works for them. Although, when it comes down to it, most writers I've heard talk (or seen write) about this say they tend to either skip over them leaving **insert sex scene here** or they muscle through them even if they're not "in the mood."

Then again, I think that goes back to the fact that writing, while fun, is work. If someone wants to get published, and stay published, they have to produce novels, and that means writing even when they're not in the mood. There's no waiting for the muse to strike before getting to the computer or notepad to write. And back to the topic of sex scenes!

I've been trying to muscle through a sex scene this week, and I have to admit, it's been... kind of... blah. Yep, both the scene and the writing of it. I know I'm going to need to go back through it and revise it heavily. And no, I haven't been "in the mood," but then again, after writing a few sex scenes, it's a little more go in, write it down, and get out.

I will concede that some sex scenes still are fun, especially when they're in a new and crazy place. Or maybe the characters are totally out there. Or maybe I'm just really into the writing that day, but on average, they're another scene that needs to get down on the page for revising for me. But! Sexual tension, that's another beast altogether. I love that.

So what do you think? Do you enjoy writing sex scenes? Why or why not? What are your ways of dealing with them?

It's Official!

Techno Crazed is now available! Woohoo! Below is the blurb, excerpt and buy link.

ISBN: 978-1-60521-649-2
Genre(s): Futuristic, Paranormal, Action Adventure/ Suspense, Sci-Fi, Cyber-Punk
Theme(s): Magic
Series: Hacked Investigations
Length: Novella

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Private investigator Hannah Franklin's life is turned upside down after being contacted by a former employee of MAX Home Security, the leader in security services. But they're not just protecting people anymore. Hannah's informant claims to have proof that MAX has ordered the assassination of politicians who stood against the corporation.

When her informant is killed and an attempt is made on her life, Hannah has no choice but to contact a freelance hacker. Her only hope now lies in the hands of a man she never expected to welcome back into her life.

Ian Bradley has lost his girlfriend and his job, as well as having acquired a very annoying gnome. Now his ex, Hannah, is in danger, and she needs his help. Ian vows to protect Hannah with every resource available to him -- and as a technomage in a high-tech world, his resources are almost endless...

Excerpt:

Hacked Investigations 1: Techno Crazed
Sarah Mäkelä
All rights reserved.
Copyright ©2011 Sarah Mäkelä

This e-book file contains sexually explicit scenes and adult language which some may find offensive and which is not appropriate for a young audience. Changeling Press E-Books are for sale to adults, only, as defined by the laws of the country in which you made your purchase. Please store your files wisely, where they cannot be accessed by under-aged readers.


A loud, metallic click sounded from the other side of the room. Then footsteps raced around the couch.

"Hannah? Are you okay?" Ian's voice drew her gaze to his concerned face.

"What did you do? What are you?" She gulped, unsure if she wanted an answer to that.

He frowned, and a muscle clenched in his jaw. "I'm a technomage. I use and simulate magic through technology."

"What?" She pressed the back of her hand to her forehead. Pain formed at her temples. "Whoa. How long have you... ?"

"Since puberty. My mother was also a technomage." He shrugged a shoulder. "It's always been part of who I am. I'm just pretty good at hiding it."

She blinked. Wow, his mother had seemed so normal when she'd met his parents. Had she really known him? He seemed like a stranger. No, she wouldn't throw away their memories together because he'd hidden part of himself. She wouldn't do that to him. Or she'd try not to, at least. "Were you ever going to tell me? Like if things had progressed between us?"

He helped her up and grabbed the blanket, keeping her covered. "I would have, eventually. Wouldn't be nice of me to do otherwise, you know?"

She nodded and stared into his brown eyes. "I've missed you."

He released a breath and rested his forehead against hers. "I've missed you too. God, I really screwed things up, didn't I?"

Placing her hand against his chest, she angled her face to brush her lips against his. "We both did."

Ian ran his hand through her hair, cupping the back of her head before deepening the kiss. His mouth possessed hers like a thirsty man at a well. He always kissed hard and desperately, and she loved it.

Ian scooped her into his arms, making her feel desirable. He carried her into the bedroom and kicked the door shut. Crossing the room, he set her down and ran his hands over her neck, shoulders, and down to her hips.

"You're so beautiful, Hannah. I missed out on a lot when --"

"Hush. Don't think about that. We're together now." She drew his face down to hers, kissing him.

He held himself over her, obviously being careful of her wounded state. She appreciated that, but part of her didn't care about the injury, she just needed him.

He stiffened and glanced over his shoulder, looking at the door. She followed his gaze to see the gnome peeking inside.

"Sorry to disturb the party. As much as I'd like to listen to you two HAVE SEX, there's stuff to be done!" Bernard looked as happy as ever, and she so wanted to wipe that cheerfulness off his face.

Yet he was right. Damn it. She still needed to check out the donut shop. There was a possibility they might find evidence of a struggle that they could bring to the police. But hadn't she heard a couple weeks back about someone spreading rumors of police involvement with MAX Home Security? Ian rolled next to her and placed his hands over his face. He let out a ragged sigh. "Fine. We'll be out in a moment."

"No more SEX!" The gnome slammed the door behind him.

"Why do you put up with him?" she asked.

"I don't know. He tends to be okay. Most of the time, that is." He propped up on his elbow and ran a fingertip along her arm. "He's dangerous, though. Don't antagonize him. He causes suicide. That's what happened to his previous owner. I happened to be nearby, and Bernard started following me no matter what I did."

"How do you keep him from killing you?" Hannah frowned.

"I keep him happy enough. Besides, my power doesn't let him impact me much." He glanced back at the door. "Unfortunately, we need to get going before he bursts in here again."

She nodded and stared down at the quilt. "Would be easier if I had something to wear. I saw your living room floor; you cut my blouse off."

He sighed. "Right. Well, I can give you some sweatpants and a T-shirt. Guess we'll need to do some clothes shopping." Cocking an eyebrow at her, he smiled. "Not that I mind."

"Okay, what did you do to the Ian I know? You used to hate when I took you shopping." She grinned.

Ian shrugged. "I'm just glad to do stuff with you now. I'm not like I used to be." He glared at the door before glancing back at her. "Trust me."

"I do." She nodded. "With my life."

His lips thinned into a pink line. "I'm going to do everything I can to make you safe again. I swear." He caressed his thumb along her jaw line and brushed his lips against hers once more before getting out of bed.

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Bugbear

Hey everyone! Just a quickie Into the Paranormal post today since I'm in the throes of release week. If you're interested, I'm being interviewed today at Darcy Drake's blog and Clancy Metzger's blog. I'd love to see you there.

So, today's topic...


Bugbear is a bearlike goblin, which is a type of bogeyman from medieval England used to scare children to keep them from misbehaving. The name bugbear is from the Celtic bug, which means evil spirit or goblin. They're also known for frightening and annoying people in folktales. Female bugbears tend to take and raise babies themselves. Today, the term is also used for scarecrows.

Have you heard of the Bugbear before?

5 Tips for Keeping Your Sanity (and Cash) While Promoting

Hey everyone! Make sure to stop by the My Books section to see an excerpt from Techno Crazed!  I hope you all enjoy it. Also, I'm guest blogging at Gabriella Hewitt's about The DO's and DON'Ts of Caring for Gnomes. Stop by and say hi!

Now on to the topic. I've been on my blog tour for a little over a week now, and I have several more stops to go. How hard is it to have a little under twenty stops in a single month as well as hitting other venues? Whoa... just... whoa... I'm amazed at others who handle it effortlessly without breaking a sweat. (Although, between us, I haven't met a person like that.)

So, how about those tips?

Check out blogs you enjoy reading and fit with the genre or theme of the book you're promoting and ask to guest blog, if they do that. Blog tours only cost time and effort. No money involved.Review sites like Romance Reader at Heart, Love Romances Cafe, Coffee Time Romance, Night Owl Reviews and The Romance Studio (among others) tend to have free promotional opportunities. Sometimes, they also have special opportunities like Release Parties or chances to do pure shameless promo.If you're like me and have to think long and hard about blog topics, go for interviews at some of your blog tour spots. Yes, you run the risk of having several places ask the same questions, but they're also a breath of fresh air when you're scrambling for ideas. As much as you want to saturate the internet with your presence for the book release, you have to know your limit. It's not a good idea to sign up for more than you can handle and then have to cancel some of your spots because you realize you've over-committed.If you do decide to get a paid cover ad/banner ad/etc, do your research and figure out where you feel will be the best place(s) instead of dishing out a ton of money for several places. Also, ask others who have done it before, they might have interesting information to help you decide. Do you have any advice when it comes to keeping your sanity and money while promoting?

Weekly Wrap Up

Hey everyone! Hopefully you all had a fantastic week. I'm posting this a little later than normal because I got caught up in a good book, Touch of Madness by C.T. Adams & Cathy Clamp.

To recap the blog tour so far, if you're interested, I've visited Savvy Authors on 6/3 and blogged about Utilizing What Makes You Happy. On 6/6, I was at the Goddess Fish Party Pavilion blogging about the story behind getting Techno Crazed published. Yesterday, I visited the RWA's Fantasy, Futuristic & Paranormal blog and talked about Developing a Futuristic World. Today, I have a thread up at Coffee Time Romance telling about my upcoming release and discussing the giveaway I'll be doing on 6/24. If you're interested in a chance to win, sign up for my newsletter.

Well, that's about all I can think of for now. Have a fantastic weekend!

Interesting Links:

The Other Side of the Story with Janice Hardy -- A very informative blog with lots of posts about writing, editing, etc.How Can Authors Reach (Non-Writer) Readers Online? -- An interesting take on how authors can reach readers. The comments section is also a great read.Q&A With Ellora's Cave Editor Meghan Conrad -- Great interview that gets an editor's take on pitching.Rejection Taught Me Craft -- So often rejection is seen as a strictly negative thing, but sometimes it can be helpful.How was your week? Anything cool to share?

Ouija Boards

Today's Into the Paranormal topic is Ouija boards. Okay, I'll say right now that I don't really have experience with them besides from watching television and movies that have them in it. To me, they seem like the kind of thing to not mess with unless you really know what you're doing. For that reason (and not wanting to open myself up to , I don't think I would ever decide to use one either.

What is a Ouija board? Wikipedia says:

A Ouija board..., also known as a spirit/fire key board or talking board, is a flat board marked with the letters of the alphabet, the numbers 0-9, the words 'yes' 'no' and 'goodbye', and other symbols and words are sometimes also added to help personalize the board. Similarly pronounced Hindi word Ojha means the ones who deal with spirits. The Ouija board was invented as a means to deal with one's spiritual self, to access a part of the soul not usually accessed. However it is more commonly believed to be a way of communicating with spirits of the dead.

Interesting Tidbits:

The name Ouija is thought to be from the the French word oui and the German word ja.The first known use of automatic writing using a Ouija board was in China during the Song Dynasty around 1100 BC.It was introduced as a toy unrelated to the occult during the 1890s and popularized for it's purpose of communicating with spirits during World War I by Pearl Curran, a spiritualist.
What do you think about Ouija boards? Would you ever use one?

Guest Author Theresa Meyers

Where'd you get that idea?

For me as a writer, all the world's a shopping mall of ideas. Getting ideas isn't the problem, it's actually sifting through them for the best ones that is tougher. For example, the title of my latest book, The Vampire Who Loved Me, came off of a brainstorming session after watching a James Bond moviethon one holiday weekend. Of course it also produced other ideas like The Vampire with the Golden Fang, Being Vampire is not Enough and From My Vampire With Love. Others writer were kind enough to suggest The Vampire Strikes Back and even Cloudy with a Chance of Vampires (because the Sons of Midnight series is set in Seattle).

Music is another source of inspiration. Usually, when I start a new book, I create a soundtrack to go with it. There's usually all different types of music blended together, everything from heavy metal and country to jazz and hip hop. Any song is fodder if it speaks to me about the story. For writing on The Vampire Who Loved Me, the song "Wake Me Up Inside" by Evanescence so perfect captured Achilles's journey that I found myself playing over and over again on an endless loop in the pivotal scenes I wrote in his point of view.

Bits of conversation while standing in line at the bank or grocery store, a jingle from a radio commercial, even some random news story are all sources for ideas for me. When it comes to characters I'll often remember a particular mannerism of a person or they way they spoke that becomes part of a character that's a mash up of several different individuals.

There are many times when one idea will collide with another. It's not at all unusual when I'm in the middle of writing one book to get ideas for two or three others. While it's tempting to go after something new, pretty and shiny, I've found that writing the germ of the idea on an idea sheet and filing it away on my computer helps me focus on getting the present work done, while still capturing the creativity while it's fresh.

When I first start a story there's a ton of brainstorming that happens where no idea is a bad idea. They all get listed at random on a sheet of paper. Sometimes one idea will spark four or five more scenes in the story. Once I've brainstormed, I'll start organizing the scene ideas on a plot board to try and make sense of the flow of the story and make sure I'm not leaving important threads dangling. Each story thread gets its own color and each scene gets its own sticky note on a poster board divided into squares (one per chapter). I normally end up with between three to six sticky notes of various colors in the same chapter.

Sometimes it's the research that brings new ideas to the surface. When I was researching the process geneticists use to create new vaccines I found out about all kinds of things they could do to create a new vaccine and the various ways it could go wrong or right. That became an integral part of The Vampire Who Loved Me when the main female character, Dr. Rebecca Chamberlin is given a dose of her own vaccine before it's been thoroughly tested. It results in her starting to transition into a vampire, but getting stuck mid-way through the process. Historically researchers in the early years often tested on themselves and sometimes on other "forgotten" members of the population such as the mentally ill or those in prisons. While that's been many, many decades ago, it still intrigued me.

As for why I ended up with a virus that causes vampirism in the first place, well, that idea came from one simple question: Why is it you never really hear of vampires being thousands of years old? (Sure there are a few, but by and large most are only hundreds of years old.) My brain started to spin and I thought about what in a biological system can bring down a top predator. The answer was simple: a virus. But what would this virus be like? How would it impact those who had stronger immune systems? Could it be reversed? How would people react when they found out first that vampires were real and second that they were in danger of being turned into vampires by exposure to a virus? I suppose it's just the way a writer's mind words. I know. I'm out of my mind, but there's a good reason. It's dark and scary in there. LOL.

So the next time you're tempted to ask a writer, where'd you get that idea from? Make sure they aren't looking at you too intently. They may be taking notes.


The Vampire Who Loved Me
Book #2 in the Sons of Midnight mini-series from Harlequin Nocturne
By Theresa Meyers
ISBN: 0373618603
ISBN13: 978-0373618606
Releases: May 24, 2011

FROM SWORN ENEMIES…

Dr. Rebecca Chamberlin hated nothing more than the vampires who had turned her loved ones into creatures of the night…until she became one herself. Now her experimental vaccine has become more urgent than ever, and has made her the target of vampire security chief Achilles Stefanos.


TO FORBIDDEN LOVERS.

Built like a god with golden hair and an irresistible allure, Achilles made her feel passion the way no mortal man had before. Beck could no more deny her craving for him than she could the hated bloodlust in her veins. But when her vaccine fell into the wrong hands, Beck has a difficult choice to make—one that challenged everything she'd always believed…..

Dark and dangerous, the Sons of Midnight are a temptation that few can resist!

Cover for Techno Crazed!

Normally, I use Mondays for writing topics, but... today, I have the cover art for Techno Crazed! Yay! It is so awesome, and I'm super pleased with it.

I was talking with one of my critique partners the other night, and there's just something so special about actually seeing the cover art (at least a cover you enjoy). It helps solidify the fact that yes, you're an author. Here's something to be proud of and show others.

Okay, okay... I'll get on with the reveal now. Ta-da! *grins*

Weekly Wrap Up

I hope everyone has had a fantastic week! Who else is very much looking forward to the weekend? I know I am.

This week, I've been winding into promotional mode since my book release is two weeks away, so that's exciting. Today marks the official beginning of my blog tour blitz. I've ordered promo items for RWA Nationals at the end of the month. It seems to be coming so quickly! Where in the world did May go?

Also, if you missed it yesterday, here's the list of my blog tour locations and information on my newsletter. In fact, I'm at Savvy Authors today! Please stop by and say hello. =)

Interesting Links:

Creative Writing Exercises: Jump Start Your Imagination with What You See! Shooting Fish in a Barrel with Addictive Romance Novels7 Simple Ways to Get More Comments on Your BlogBeginnings by Lucienne DiverHow has your week been? Have any interesting links to share?