Sakura Skye's Blog, page 4

The Chrolli Factor

As a ghostwriter, I am often not emotionally invested in the projects that I take on. I don’t care about the history of wicker baskets. I am not giddy about YA mermaid fantasy drama. And bi-racial, bi-sexual, heteronormative angst does NOTHING for me. But there are a few exceptions and one of them is a very popular “first-time gay” novella that I was asked to write.

At the time, I was coming off of a “Verboten Liebe” binge on YouTube and was completely smitten with the storyline of Christian Mann and Oliver Sabel. For those of you who don’t know, here is a quick run down.

Christian is a boxer, and aspiring athletics student, an ex-con (he took the rap for his dad) and a ladies man. Oliver is openly bi-sexual (though, he quickly drops that line and comes out as gay) and in the food service and entertainment industry. The beginning of their romance is rocky to say the least. Christian has a girlfriend, Oliver is enamored though he doesn’t want to be. After months of fighting, they decide to call a truce because too many people they both love are caught in the crossfire, and they begin to see each other differently. Of course, Christian starts to fall for the charismatic, blue-eyed, black haired Lothario and the rest is history.

What you love about this couple is their chemistry. After they make the decision to be together, they get comfortable with their new status real quick. They hit some massive bumps in the road (it is a soap opera after all) but hold on to each other. Their “gayness” isn’t the issue. They are affectionate and funny. They are the couple you want to be a part of regardless of gender. Pretty soon the hit TV show was making waves all over the world, and both actors (best friends in real life) became the subject of massive “ships”. Think Kaisoo in German.  That is why it took so many years for the TV couple to finally call it quits. The fans were not having it.

So when asked to write a “first-time gay” novella my first thought was of  Christian and Oliver, dubbed Chrolli by their legions of international fans. I wanted to write a story about two people who, once they figured out they were more than just friends, just got on with the business of loving each other. No agonizing about whether or not they are gay or straight. No hiding their relationship for months and years, leading to unnecessary drama as you try to maintain your reputation as a straight guy.

I wrote two college-aged characters, who were best friends and became lovers. One is blonde; the other had dark hair. One is a jock and the other an artist. The sex is hot, and the woes they face are mostly caused by external forces rather than post-pubescent angst. And you know what? It worked!

All of a sudden my characters had fans. They had die-hard fans. I was shocked. I know that some people think that since I am the ghostwriter for the series I may feel cheated or slighted in some way. Not at all. I have been well compensated for my efforts, and I can still watch the rankings climb and read the reviews for my work. Also, the “author” listed is a fictional person, so it’s not like somebody else is pretending to be a writer and using my work. That would piss me off. Rather, it is a business arrangement where the publisher takes all the risk and I get to sit pretty and write what I like.

As a ghostwriter, I am discovering that my style is not to write beautiful and touching love stories, full of introspection and metaphor. I like page turners. I like it when things blow up, or somebody gets knocked out in a bar fight. And in the midst of all of the chaos, a story about real love and what it takes to keep that love alive emerges. My m/m characters aren’t flouncy or snarky. They may be “pretty”, but they are anything but feminine. They are men who love like men, openly and with great courage and often at great cost to themselves.

I owe that sense of genuine masculine romance to Chrolli. What couples, real or imagined, or imagined real (Da Yu and Baba?), have influenced your life?

Great Advise For Writer Types

Source: Guest Post: Rachel Smith – Four Simple Ways To Get Your Book Noticed

Another Awesome Podcast For Awesome Writer Types

I love Joanna Penn as a public personality ( I don’t know her personally, she might be a pill in real life). I have learned so much from her about the basics of being a professional writer, or “author-preneur”.  For all of the writers and aspiring writers out there, I highly suggest you subscribe to her podcasts as part of your effort to continue your literary/business education.

How an Imaginary Japanese Boy Changed My Life Forever

Recently, I was asked how I first started writing gay fiction. Besides my own Black Creek Pack series, I have ghostwritten almost a dozen m/m  romance novellas over the last year. Most of them have done well enough for the “authors” to ask me to do repeat work for them.

However, how does a relatively conservative girl, like myself, end up spinning tales of sexy men bumping uglies for a living?

It all began with an ill-fated click on YouTube.  I was bored and doing what most of us do when we don’t have anything specific to occupy our time. I was phubbing. I like watching movies/shows from all over the world and so when in the “recommended” list I saw a Japanese title I clicked. The title was innocuous (and in Japanese with the promise of English subtitles) and the thumbnail seemed bright and happy. There were a lot of views and a huge number of likes. What’s not to like?

That movie, the one that changed my life, was Takumi Kun.

Takumi-Kun is a live action movie series that sprung from a Japanese manga of the same name. It centers around a student at a private, elite, boys boarding school deep in the mountains of Japan. Takumi is a middle-class student with a “human contact phobia” that stems from early childhood trauma. He meets and is pursued by Saki Giichi, or just Gii, who is an American-born heir to a massive global conglomerate.

It turns out that Gii and Takumi have history, but Takumi doesn’t remember it. And Gii, while unapologetic about his love for Takumi, is patiently persistent as the two boys are assigned to share a dorm room. The movie is discrete in its handling of the intimate side of things but is no less squeal-worthy with all of the longing looks and gag-tabular lines. In the end, the boy got his man and cured Takumi’s phobia. It is an HEA we can all cheer for. The entire 5 part series is excellent, despite changing the leads and the director, and well worth watching if you like that sort of thing.

Until that point, I had no idea there was a market for gay-themed literature outside of hardcore erotica and fetish magazines. I had no idea that gay romances had a global audience (I mean it’s freaking Japan), and I certainly had no idea that most of the consumers of m/m romance themed books, movies and mangas are WOMEN!

So I stumbled into this bass ackwards. I was fascinated intellectually at first. I was not a “fan” per se, but I was genuinely intrigued by the phenomena that is, in fact, global. Why would a straight woman want to spend her time lusting after two men in love? Why would anybody “ship” these couples?

Before long, I was bitten by the bug and began finding myself getting a little red in the face at the thought of some of my favorite actors or singers sharing a steamy embrace. My issues with the entire world of yaoi/BL aside (that is a different post altogether), I started out like most people do, with fan fiction. And now here I am. All grown up with imaginary gay men of my own creation that I can share with the world.

Any gay erotica/romance authors out there? How did you end up in this genre?

 

You Don’t Trust Me: Black Creek Pack Book Two

Exerpt from Discovered:

When Ryder finally pulled up, Leon knew things had not gone the way he had hoped. Could this day get any worse?

“How did it go?”

“Not how I would have predicted, but apparently it was EXACTLY what you anticipated,” Ryder snapped.

“You mind telling me what that means?”

“You don’t trust me, do you?”

“I trust you. I don’t trust Aidan,” Leon  explained.

“And so you became my Alpha? You made me a fucking traitor without even asking me, without consulting with me. They could have killed me for that!”

Ryder stormed into the house and up the stairs. Rage surged through his veins and he was hard pressed to maintain his human form. His wolf wanted to destroy something and attack the one who had betrayed him. Instead, he pulled his suitcase from the closet and began rummaging through the drawers hastily.

“Are you going to listen to my side or what?”

“Fuck you and your side, Leo. You had no right!”

“I have EVERY RIGHT,” Leon growled, making the air snap with his power. Ryder stood still. His instinct to soothe his angry Alpha and his love for the man he shared his life with tempered his need to chastise Leon and punish him for his betrayal.

“Are you going to command me to stay?”

“No, I am going to ask you to listen,” Leon said softly, reining in his temper.

Ryder took a deep breath and sat on the trunk at the foot of the bed.

“You didn’t have to agree. You could have said no, but I didn’t think you would. I knew you would say yes. I took advantage of the moment. I am sorry. But I am not sorry for becoming your Alpha,” Leon said.

Ryder scoffed. What did he expect? Alphas never apologise.

“In this whole pack, the only one I know who can’t be forced to betray me, is you. He can’t make you betray me. You have to decide to do that yourself,” Leon pointed out.

“Why would I ever betray you?” Ryder questioned defensively.

“Because you are Aidan Reems’ son. To me, he is a corrupt Alpha, but to you, he will always be your father. He will use that against you, and me,” Leon calmly explained.

“So you don’t trust me,” Ryder exclaimed.

“No, I trust you to be Ryder Reems. I trust him to be Aidan Reems. Let me ask you something? How did you even realise what I had done? What did he try to force you to do?”

Ryder ground his molars in reply. No matter how angry he was with Leon, he wouldn’t be his father’s message boy. If he wanted to declare war on Leon, he would have to do it himself.

“That’s what I thought. That is why I did it. You are his son. You will try to honor your blood tie. He is a weak and aging Alpha. He will try to use any advantage he can get, including the love of his son,” Leon concluded.

“So you made me a traitor. You betrayed me, Leo,” Ryder insisted.

“I am sorry,” Leon admitted.

“So am I,” Ryder said, getting up from his seat.

Leon stood and watched as Ryder resumed packing his bag.

“I love you Leon, but I won’t be a pawn in this game. If you needed insurance against my father you should have asked me first. You should have consulted with me. He wants me on his side and you want me on yours. Both of you are counting on your position as my Alpha to keep me loyal and neither of you bothered to just ask. Just say ‘Ryder, I need you’. I am the fucking Pack Master, I deserve some fucking respect too,” Ryder explained as he prowled around the room, gathering clothing and toiletries as he went.

“I am sorry,” Leon muttered.

“I don’t want you to be sorry. I want you to trust me to have your back!”

Leon bristled at the tone of Ryder’s voice but choked down his need for dominance to hear him out.

“Not once have you ever trusted me to protect you. Not when we were kids and not now. You let me take care of all of the day to day things that you can hire anybody to do, but the things that really matter? The things that might cost you, me, us? You don’t even bother to share until AFTER they are done,” Ryder said sadly.

 

Read Desired: Black Creek Pack Book One for FREE at Amazon, iBooks, Nook and Kobo. My gift to you, simply read, rate and review! Stay tuned for opportunities to get an advanced reader copy of Discovered in 2016! Thank you for your support.

 

Making Monstress: An Exclusive Conversation with Marjorie Liu

Sheez A. Writer:

Did I buy it? Yes I did!

Do I recommend that you buy it?

Yes I do!

Is it worth it?

Totally!

Originally posted on thenerdsofcolor:

I spent this past weekend at New York Comic-Con. When I wasn’t manning the Epic Proportions booth, I was able to sneak away and meet with writer Marjorie Liu. She makes her long-awaited return to comics with Image Comics’ Monstress, reuniting her with X-23 artist Sana Takeda.

In the first part of this exclusive, wide-ranging interview, Marjorie and I discuss the origins of the book, her childhood obsession with the apocalypse, the influence of pre-World War II China, and what it was like reuniting with artist Sana Takeda.

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What’s Done in the Dark: An Erotic Paranormal Anthology by A.C Greenlee

Sheez A. Writer:

I am a fan of AC Greenlee’s work and a fan of anthologies, so when you put the two together you get Uber-Fandom. Enjoy!

Originally posted on Mary Sage Nguyen's Blog:

What’s Done in the Dark: An Erotic Paranormal Anthology
A.C Greenlee

Genre: Paranormal romance, fantasy, and erotica

Expected Date of Publication: October, 12, 2015

ASIN: B015RTA9Q8

Publisher: Lillium Publishing House LLC

Word Count: 50,000

Pages: 200

Book Blurb:
The supernatural men of your wildest fantasies and darkest nightmares are taking sex and romance to an entirely new level. Featuring eight previously unreleased paranormal erotic tales, What’s Done in the Dark is a diverse anthology that puts a new spin on your favorite supernatural bad boys and the feisty women who love them. Each lust filled chapter shifts through several genres, from urban to high fantasy and beyond, each with a paranormal twist. With Shapeshifting bears, enigmatic dragons and the Devil himself, even the simplest fairy tales take on a whole new meaning in this anthology. Engage your very own harem of rough, alpha male heroes, beautiful, seductive heroines and unfurling…

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Going Wide: Talking About Not Using Kindle Unlimited

I have been vacillating wildly about whether or not to use KDP Select to publish my next releases or to “go wide” and make my work as widely available as I can. To be sure, there are pros and cons in each case, the pros mainly having to do with money and the cons mainly about control/stability.

I have decided, in the end, to do both. After reviewing my previous work, I realised that most of my “big sales” happened in the first 90 days on KDP Select. After that, the change was negligible, meaning I didn’t sell fewer books.

This could be due to the low price point, the added marketing, or just plain old dumb luck. I am not sure. So to test my theory I am going to make 2016 the year of the great experiment. I will release my books on KDP and then, after the 90 day period, re-release them on all of my other platforms.

More on that later.

In the meantime, watch this awesome podcast by the guys at Sterling and Stone.

How to Write 10,000 Words in a Day

Sheez A. Writer:

My daily goal isn’t nearly this ambitious, but I advocate all of the tips presented her regardless of your goal. Hope you are all doing well this NaNoWriMo (the writer’s Hanukkah). Perhaps a 10K day will help you catch up if you’ve fallen behind

Originally posted on The Sprint Shack:

We word sprinters like to push ourselves. The pressure of a time limit makes us more productive and we thrive on the challenge. And what greater challenge is there for a sprinter than writing more words in a day than we believed possible?

For those of you looking to really test yourselves, the 10k Day Challenge might be just the thing. If you’re interested in giving it a go yourself, here are my six steps to writing 10,000 words in one day.

(Before I start, I will add a small note: although the focus of this post is on writing 10,000 words in a single day, the steps listed can apply to any word count goal you set yourself, whether that’s 1000 words, 10,000 or more.)

Step 1: Break down your target into manageable chunks.

10,000 words is a BIG number. To some, it seems impossible. It’s not. It’s all…

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New program dates

Originally posted on Melanie Toye - Engaging, Creative, Storyteller:

New program dates for my mentoring starters program for want-to-be *paid* freelance writers.

For more information on the program click here: https://melanietoye.wordpress.com/1194-2/

Program dates:

16th November 2015 – 11th  December 2015. – Enrolments are now closed.

23rd November 2015 – 18th December 2015 – Enrolments are now open.

4th January 2016 – 29th January 2016 – Enrolments are now open.

18th January 2016 – 12th February 2016 – Enrolments are now open.

Course length 4 weeks.

^To ensure enrolment, please complete the ‘How to Enrol section’ at least four days before the program start date.

How to enrol

To enrol in Melanie Toye’s mentoring starter’s program, simply pay the fee via paypal to: melanie.toye@gmail.com at least four days before the program start date. In addition to, please copy and paste the below questions and answer them via email and send to: melanie.toye@gmail.com.

Instead of wondering if you are heading in the right direction with your freelance writing, discover…

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