C.B. Archer's Blog, page 14
August 7, 2015
Huge Author Sale!
There is going to be a huge dog days of summer sale this August 21, 22, and 23!
Some books will be free, others for 99 cents!
30 Authors have signed up, so there is sure to be something you like. (Like Elfrotica for example).
July 27, 2015
Author Interview: Jenycka Wolfe
Today we have my second author interview. This time there is a slight twist on the interview, as it is an interview of another naughty author! Making the questions 100% more naughty!
Jenycka Wolfe is the author of The Wildlanders Series, which I will admit are pretty sexy, even if they include girl bits! :D
CB: What was the naughty spark for you? What made you decide to start writing sexy novels?
I always knew I wanted to write. I used to tell my sisters stories at night before we went to sleep. I acted out plays with my Barbie dolls. I scrawled out angst-ridden teenage poetry during high school math class (barely passed). I went to school for literature and then creative writing. Since university ended, I’ve done a lot of different stuff, trying to make a living, and in my spare time I experimented with different genres, waiting for what would click and move things forward. Then I realized that I was ignoring the most basic advice of all: write what you read. Yeah, I have two degrees, but the fact is, I like reading about sex. Who doesn’t? So I started to write about it. And it clicked. Ava’s story (Wildlander’s Woman) fell together incredibly quickly.
CB: What is the hardest part of the writing process for you?
I want to move too quickly sometimes. I wrote Wildlander’s Womanin less than three months. I regret that now, and I wish I’d have taken longer and worked out more details of the world-building ahead of time. I get so absorbed in the story I want to pound it out without thinking too much about details. I’m forcing myself to take a LOT more time with the next one in the Wildlands series, Arcadian’s Balm. I’m not giving a release date until I’m in the very final edits.
CB: How about the easiest? What part of writing do you just take like a pro?
Writing the sex. Just kidding. Well, maybe that is the easiest. Sex is fun to write. Day-to-day interactions between the characters are fun to write. I usually write a lot more scenes than end up in the finished novel.
CB: What feelings do you have deep down upon seeing your project published?
The first one was a lot of fear. Am I really doing this? I grew up in a very conservative part of the country, a very conservative family, and I’m doing something that would shock the hell out of most of the people who know me (hence the pseudonym… yeah, my mom didn’t name me Jenycka). But I was proud, too. I’m doing what I love to do. Taking a step into the world I’ve always wanted to be a part of. And we’ll see where it takes me.
CB: Tell us a little about Ava. What makes her unique?
Ava’s the woman who doesn’t quite belong in the world she grew up in. She’s too big, not pretty enough, too opinionated, and doesn’t feel or think the right things. So when she has a chance encounter with the Wildlander warrior Blaise, who is the polar opposite of the conservative, by-the-book, prim-and-proper types in her world, she’s incredibly drawn to him. He represents her longing for something that she doesn’t really understand. It’s freedom from the constraints of her society. But her society is all she knows, so it hurts like hell when she’s banished. The fact that she gets to go to Blaise is certainly a balm to her wounds, though her happiness is short-lived when she realizes exactly how different the Wildlands are from her own Arcadian society. Blaise won’t be her only husband. She’ll have four. And, as we can understand, she doesn’t always react well. She gets angry. She gets frustrated. She gets frightened. She turns to substance abuse to try and deal with her emotional turmoil. She makes some really stupid decisions. But in the end, she comes to embrace this new life, and she realizes that she really does belong here. In Arcadian’s Balm, we’ll see a lot more of Ava, and we’ll find out that she has an incredibly important role to play in the future of the Wildlands.
CB: So I understand that there is not only girls kissing boys in your novels, but also boys kissing boys. Care to explain yourself? (In detail if possible.)
So here we get to the good stuff, huh? I wanted to portray a world where sexual binaries aren’t set in stone. Sexuality is a fluid thing (Kinsey scale), and even though our own society is coming to embrace this at least a little more, we still have a long ways to go. And we always have to label it. You’re ‘straight’. Or ‘gay’. Or ‘bisexual’. Or ‘pansexual’. Have I missed any? I wanted to show a world where people (consenting adults) love one another, and it doesn’t necessarily have to be labelled. It’s not a free-for-all. Since this is a world where not enough female babies are born, there is a strict system of family groups (Clans) of usually 2-5 people (usually one female, the rest males), and once you’ve joined one, that’s it. You keep your naughty activities to those folks only. So it’s smart to join a Clan where you love the people in it. But gender is not important when it comes to sex within the Clan. And I’ve read menage stories before where a bunch of dudes are all doing the same woman, sometimes at the same time, and they’re all ok with their balls pretty much touching but somehow they’re not at all attracted to each other? Yeah, no. Let’s just be honest here.
CB: What made you decide to write about a woman’s journey through a sea of man muscles?
Um… I’m female and I like man muscles. Fantasy fulfillment. I chose those four particular characters as Ava’s four mates because each of them represents something to her that she needs. Blaise is her leader, and he leads/pushes her into the places she needed, but was afraid, to go. Jodah makes her feel safe, and he’s the first one to make her really believe she’s loved. Daven brings laughter and levity to her life. He teaches her to relax and just enjoy. And Killian brings gentleness and compassion. Through the novel, and through the subsequent novels, we do and will see what they bring to one another as well. These aren’t just stories about one woman and her hunky men. There’s also strong elements of those hunky men with one another, because, well, YUMMY!
CB: Is there a message you would like to convey with this story?
I have a pretty strong anti-capitalist bent going in there. But that’s not really the message I’m concerned about. I want readers to understand that there’s a greater good in their lives beyond themselves, and fight for that. Like, there’s a point where Ava realizes that Blaise won’t give up everything for her, because he loves his people and his community and he has a duty to them as well. And that’s the moment that she finds her place and knows she’s home.
CB: Seriously, there are boys kissing in this, so can you tell us who is the best kisser?
Yes, there are boys kissing. And fucking, because I know that’s what you’re looking for. I don’t know who the best kisser is. Daven was probably the biggest slut back in the day, if that helps. I make a point of showing individual relationships within the Clans themselves. For instance, in Ava’s Clan, the two youngest members, Daven and Killian, were lovers for years before they joined the Clan. Even after Ava, they have a bond between the two of them that nobody else can touch. In Arcadian’s Balm, I delve even further into the relationships between male members of the Clan. There will be more sex just between guys, because it’s awesome and hot. Guys are lucky… they have more stuff to play with. So there’s more variety in writing gay sex. And the lucky bastards always get off. In Arcadian’s Balm, Ava’s sister Lorien shows up in the Wildlands, and she joins a Clan that is newly formed. Tomis and Gevaril were lovers once, until Gevaril’s selfishness drove them apart. Now circumstances have forced them to Clan, and they have to sort out their differences for the sake of Lorien, as well as their other mate, Cale. So the focus of Arcadian’s Balm is as much on the relationship between Tomis and Gevaril as it is on that of Lorien with the men. Tomis is bitterly angry. Gevaril is very contrite, but getting damned sick of Tomis’s recriminations, and knows that there’s still enough love there for them to get past things and be really happy if Tomis would just accept his apologies and work to move on. Lorien, devastated by her own losses, is desperate for everyone to get along so they can try to heal together. Cale sees a chance for Gevaril and Tomis to become better men, if they can learn from their mistakes, but knows that they’re both incredibly stubborn. So there’s a lot of hurt there, and a lot of complicated relationship dynamics at play. Add in a few terrifying Dark creatures, a journey through the mountains, and some seriously hot sex in the woods, and we have ourselves a pretty good time.
CB: What advice would you give aspiring authors? (It can be advice about kissing boys if you wish.)
Write what you like to read. Write the book you want to read. If something turns you on, it’s likely that there’s someone else who also likes it. Also, don’t be afraid of new directions. I never expected to develop a gay fan base. But I have. And I love it! So yeah, I’m tooling my work a bit to appeal more to those who enjoy reading about boys kissing one another. And yeah, I know that it’s not just boys who like to read about boys kissing. Girls like to read that too. I love to read about boys kissing. And watch boys kissing. (Oh, if only there were a place where I could find pictures of boys kissing….) And write about boys kissing. And kiss boys myself.
Thanks for reading and a special thanks to Jenycka. You can read all about her fantastic novels or contact her here. – Be sure and check out her site (just in general) and in a few days to read my naughty interview answers!
http://jenyckawolfe.blogspot.com
https://www.tumblr.com/blog/jenyckawolfe
https://twitter.com/jenyckawolfe
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8437120.Jenycka_Wolfe
July 22, 2015
Win a copy of Breakers of the Code
My Goodreads giveaway is underway! Be sure to enter to win a copy of Breakers of the Code, because you will not only win a copy, but also the fabled Mystery Prize!
https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/147090-breakers-of-the-code
July 16, 2015
#WorldForums – Our new forum is live!
I have just set up the new Annals of Gentalia WorldForums where you can discuss everything you could ever want to discuss about Annals of Gentalia with other Annals of Gentalia fans!
… I had no idea at all about how to do that on a blog, so I set it up on Goodreads instead. They already have a great forum feature set up. If you are not on Goodreads yet, now is the perfect time – come learn, with a motivator of #elfbutt!
https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/168198-annals-of-gentalia—official-fan-group
July 13, 2015
Book Released!
Breakers of the Code has been released on all outlets! Anders and his friends can now be in your hot little hands.
You can find both versions on Amazon. There is a print, if you are feeling mighty fancy, and a ebook version if you are feeling a whole different kind of fancy! It is even in Kindle Direct, so read away!
Look inside still hasn’t enabled, but I’m fine with that for now.
Paperback from CreateSpacer: https://www.createspace.com/5464973
Paperback from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0994773706
Ebook: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B011JD95O8
July 10, 2015
The Final Countdown
First of all, a great big thank you to everyone that has been waiting Breakers of the Code. The response has been so wonderful, and it makes me feel squishier inside than a Pink Slime!
I have finished all of the book edits and am preparing the final product for publishing tonight. CreateSpace will need to approve it, which can take a few days. I expect to see the print copy up for sale in a few days.
Tonight I will delve into the wonder that is ebooks. Hopefully the pdf to epub converter will work without a problem, if not I have a textbook epub maker I can use. Expect to see a digital version in a few days as well! (I sure hope!)
What a great day! Thanks to everyone!
-CB
July 2, 2015
Magic
This week in my writer’s group the word was Magic. We had about ten minutes to write on the topic of Magic!
Magic
The White Ogre grasped its fluttering heart and fell slowly into the flames on the ground. The black pitch smell was strong in the air, still rich from the Fire Lance, and was only slightly masked by the sweet stench of burning ogre hair.
A Calm wind breezed through the mountain canyon and the ashes from the ogre drifted away slowly, forever lost. Victory was finally obtained, the battle was over.
“No!” A shrill voice broke through the serene moment. “You can’t have defeated my ogre!”
“Oh, but I have,” a calm voice answered.
“You broke the rules.”
“Tsk, tsk, Martin. I did not. Read the description of the spell.”
Martin read loudly, brow furrowed. “instantly kill one white mana monster. No save?! That is total shit Thomas. Total Shit.”
“Sorry Martin, that’s the rule. Now pay up! i want the that last cupcake.”
Martin relented, reluctantly and threw the angel food buttercream delight in Thomas’ face. “I hate playing Magic with you. All my cards suck!”
If you only had ten minutes to write about magic, what would you have written?
June 18, 2015
Author Interview: Hayden D. Linder
In a shocking turn of events I have decided to start doing Author Interviews! I put out a call to arms for anyone who was brave enough to post an author interview on my blog.
A simple ten questions to help spread the word of another wonderful author.
My first ever author interview is for Hayden Linder, author of The Hand of Death. While Hayden does not write in the Elfrotica Genre, (because I am the only one thus far that actually does) let’s give him a big hand for being brave enough to be here anyways! :) For appearing on my blog he has received a special gift! Fan Art! My original description of this book from Hayden was ‘Wizards & Ninjas’, so naturally I needed to draw the ‘Wizard Ninja’ whom I imagine is in this book at some point!
I have read the first few chapters so far and I quite like where it is going so far! This would be a book I would read if my time wasn’t currently taken up by sexy elf boys!
First some Book info.
The Hand of Death – by Hayden D. Linder
In the mythical land of Giapan, most young boys dream of becoming brave samurai or great masters of magic, the Onmyoji, who can heal as well as engulf cities in flame with but a gesture. But not Shotoku Hiro. Hiro only wanted to see the city outside the walls of the castle. To see what went on somewhere, anywhere other than the samurai district of Shiro Goemon. And once he worked up the courage to actually do that… no one could have guessed where it would take him.
The Hand of Death is a Fantasy novel set in a land not unlike feudal Japan. The story follows a young boy’s journey as the only son of a distinguished samurai who is pushed onto the path of Ninjutsu. A path that, in the golden land of Giapan, can lead to some very frightening places. And Giapan is nothing if not frightening.
Sounds good right?
Now, onward to some questions!
CB: What was the spark for you? What made you start to write?
Hayden: You know, I don’t think I’d call it a “spark.” It was so slow to manifest that “shambling sloth sleepwalking towards the fire” is probably a better description. I have always been a daydreamer. It’s how I decompress from the work day or any other stressful situation. At some point I realized I had been daydreaming about the same stuff for months and had bumbled across enough dialogue, settings, and action scenes that I could probably make a book out of them.
CB: What is the hardest part of the writing process for you?
Hayden: “Writing” is the hardest part of writing.:)
CB: How about the easiest? What part of being a writer do you excel at?
Hayden: Dreaming it up. That part is cake. But I excel at continuity. Part of being a dreamer is that I like to play the same scenes over and over again in my head. It’s part of why I am NOT a fast reader. If I come across a particularly good part of a book I have to go back and read it two or three times. I do the same thing with the scenes in my stories and one of the nice bonuses from this is that I pick up on storyline errors I missed earlier.
CB: What feelings do you have upon seeing your project published?
Hayden: Mostly a desire to rest. There was the feeling of accomplishment but only because I knew I had put in the work to make it a legitimate piece of literature.
CB: Tell us a little about your main character. What makes them unique?
Hayden: The main character, Hiro, is very dangerous though he is not as deep as the rest of the cast. He is just the window through which you view his world. And “The Cast” of the story is quite large. The setting is dark and so many of the cast have a dark sense of humor.
CB: I understand that there are both Wizards and Ninjas in The Hand of Death, but what I think everyone wants to know is this: Are there any Ninja Wizards in this novel, or alternately Wizard Ninjas?
Hayden: No. Sorry. It is a feudal setting and the lords of the great Houses decide who gets what for training. They would never allow a child with the ability to do magic, risk their lives in the Ninja school.
CB: What made you decide to write about feudal Japan?
Hayden: It was actually just the dreams that I had stuck in my head at the time. I grew up on ninja flicks back in the 80’s and so, me running around as the scary SUPERNINJA has always been one of my favorite daydreams. Nothing says “stress relief” like chocking your boss to death with a gusari chain.
CB: Is there a message you would like to convey with this story?
Hayden: Yes. Stand for something more than yourself.
CB: What authors do you feel inspire/inspired you to write?
Hayden: That’s always a tough question. There are so many. I very fond of Dostoyevsky. His character depth blows everyone else away. In “The Brothers Karamazov” he would have people do things that would make you say, “No one would do that!” and then a few pages later you would learn more about them and say, “Oh. Yeah. I guess I can see that.”
CB: What advice would you give aspiring authors?
Hayden: Be sure you write for yourself. Then any success you have is just gravy.
That is all the questions I have, I was a little upset to find out there where no hybrid Ninja/Wizards but I am still holding onto the dream of there being a super boss Ninja Wizard antagonist in this novel. (Spoilers after all)
You can find Hayden’s book over at his website:
https://bookseriesthehandofdeath.wordpress.com/
Hayden is holding a contest right now to go with his Blog Tour that might let you win The Hand of Death! Be sure to check it out!
Or at the Amazon Page listed below.
Also be sure to check out my answers to Hayden’s questions on his website in a few days! I will post the link when it is up!
Hayden D. Linder and children.
From left to right; Vivian, Hayden, Felix, Lee and my eldest, Chuy.
May 24, 2015
Forrests
This week for Flash Fiction we decided that the word was Forrests. Well, they decided to write abut Forests, I wrote about Forrests. We had all week to write it, which allowed me time to research, but otherwise we only were allowed 15 minutes to write.
Forrests
“Oh god, not this again.” Mars Sr. said with a heavy voice, “Why does he always do this?”
Whitaker agreed with a knowing nod. He knew that there would be no stopping it now, and it irked him to no end. He couldn’t help himself and shot a disguised grimace over to Mars Sr.. Whitaker had hoped that Mars Sr. hadn’t noticed, but when the candy mogul took a telling last inhale on his Popeye cigarette before snuffing it out, Whitaker got ready for the inevitable.
“So,” Mars Sr. said after a long exuberant puff, “You are going to blame me for this aren’t you?”
Whitaker snapped back at full force, “And why wouldn’t I? You were the one who introduced him to it in the first place! This is all your fault! We all blame you!”
Mars Sr. looked around the room and met the eyes of everyone. Mims looked on stern, O’Connor couldn’t return the stare but it was there, Breyfogle took a long sip of his kool-aid through an evil glare, but then Mars Sr. saw the face of Mars Jr.. Even his own son was selling him out on this.
Mars Sr. slumped his shoulders in defeat. They were right, this was his fault.
“My momma always said life is like a box of-”
Gump was interrupted by every member of the Forrests Only Clubhouse with a hearty round of “Shut up already!”
If you only had 15 minutes to write about Forests (or Forrests) what would you write about?
May 14, 2015
Fan Art For Those That Have None – Part 2
I am going to keep drawing Fan Art, for people that have no fan art! I will just update the same post for a week or so, then zing! New post. So check back on the old posts for more Author Love!
Here is Hestia ‘Rose Grubb’ from The Revenge of Rose Grubb by Rachael Eyre
FBI agent Miriam Goldblum of the Golden Fleece Society finds a mysterious artifact. From In the Hands of the Unknown, by AE Hellstrom.
Cnan, as she walks through the fire to become part of her tribe. Also, she has a dramatic scarf, not sure if she had one before, but walking through fire demands drama, and nothing is as dramatic as a scarf. This is from Broken Sky by CB Matson. (Yes a fellow CB! Amazing!)
LX the alien who shares Anders’ Hairstyle #, meets Mellie for the first time.From the Legacy Series by GG Atcheson. Spoiler Alert (From the book blurb) I am pretty sure Mellie is a vampire.
I have decided that book video promos are excellent resources for this. Here is Amanda out clubbing on vacation while she is being eyed up by… that sexy guy there with the abs who is on the cover, from True’s Love by TL Clark.
Here is Nathan from the Incubus Saga by Amanda Meuwissen as he… uh… as he… Sorry. What is going on? There is just so much to like with this one that I completely lost my train of thought. Oh right. Here he is with the Incubus and I think he…
…
I forget cause Abs!!!
