Q. Kelly's Blog, page 11

Announcing "Strange Bedfellows" Book 2 and Excerpt!

If you're a Facebook friend of mine, you probably know that I'm releasing Book 2 in the Strange Bedfellows series soon (I am aiming for by the end of this month at the latest). I haven't spread this news far and wide, however--not until now. To say I'm excited is an understatement. This Book 2 is titled "Three's a Crowd,"and it is a prequel and sequel in one. It isn't a formulaic Book 2, so to speak, but I think it works really well.

Please mosey over to Women and Words for a
Q & A on Book 2. And trust me when I say it IS a prequel and sequel, even though the blurb may not make it seem so.

Blurb and excerpt below!

Blurb: Carol Thomas is shocked when her fiance comes home late one night with an announcement: he’s gotten back in touch with a college buddy named Ennis Evans, and she's up for a threesome. Carol shoves aside her misgivings and tentatively agrees. She considers herself a prude in many ways and wants to break through her shell. As she gets to know Ennis and experiences an immediate, undeniable attraction, Carol keeps putting off the menage a trois. She begins to wonder if she's gay and falling in love with Ennis. Then the night of the threesome arrives and changes Carol for life. But Carol still has much to learn. She finds out the hard way that Washington is a city known for intrigue and double dealings. Many things aren't what they seem on the surface, and just what is Ennis's connection with Washington's most infamous call girl, Elena Marie Elise?

Excerpt from Chapter Six of "Three's a Crowd" (warning: excerpt may not be suitable for reading at work--and is subject to final editing)

Wicked thoughts about the chess pieces surround me. My set is an old-fashioned, expensive one. The pieces are big. I wonder what it’d be like to put the king—no, the queen—inside Ennis. The queen is smooth, but the crown might hurt. So, I’ll put the queen in backward.Goodness. Stop.“Looking forward to Saturday?” Ennis asks as we finish playing.“Mmm-hmm.” This track could be dangerous, so I shift topics slightly. “Ennis? What was it like, ah…losing your virginity? Was it with the circus girl? What was her name? Have you had sex with a man?”“Full of questions, aren’t you.”“Bursting.”“Tell me about your first time,” Ennis prods. “Was it good?”“No,” I admit. And boy, it was not. “He was an idiot boyfriend of mine in college. I…well, I come from a very strict Catholic family. I basically grew up thinking sex was bad. So, I was a virgin until I was twenty. That first time was bad. Really bad.” I chuckle at the memory; at least now I can laugh about it. “He didn’t know where to insert his junk, and the sad thing is that I wasn’t sure, either. We spent too much time figuring out the exact locations of holes.”“Nothing wrong with waiting until twenty. Sex is overrated.”The irony of Ennis’s statement hits me full force, and I snort. “Sex is overrated? You’re saying this? The free spirit who has had five threesomes? Who won’t settle down with someone?”She frowns. “Hey, hey. When did I say I wouldn’t settle down?”“You didn’t. I guess I…I don’t know. It’s a gut feeling.”“Ah.” Ennis picks up the black queen and stares at it.“Hey.” I take her free hand. “I’m sorry. That was rude.”“You’re forgiven,” she mutters.“Did you want to settle down with Christine? That’s her name, right? Your most recent ex?”Ennis swallows. “Let’s not talk about this.”I nod, but unease intensifies inside me. The fact is I barely know Ennis. Don’t even know where she lives except that it’s somewhere near Union Station. She isn’t in the phone book—I looked. Reminder: Google her. Did I really think I could trust her a hundred percent? What if she’s in love with Patrick? No. No. She definitely is not.Ennis rises. “I better go. It’s getting late.”“You’re okay?”“I’m fine.” She smiles and seems more her usual self.I don’t want her to leave. “What if I can’t please you?” I blunder. “I’ve never—and what if I’m bad?”Ennis says nothing. Just searches my face.Me bumbling again: “What’s that look for?”“Oh, Carol.” She takes my hand, the non-engagement one. A wry grin. “I just…no. No.”“What? What?”She sighs, keeps my hand in hers. Her usually pale cheeks are pink. She’s cute when she blushes—and to know I am the cause of the blush—I dunno. I like her more and more.“Well.” She only halfway meets my gaze. “That was a very sweet thing to say. Really sweet. You’re sweet.”“It’s sweet that I’m worried about pleasing you? Why wouldn’t I be?”She shrugs and lets go of my hand. Walks a few steps off and examines a book on the coffee table. Some murder mystery.“Do you…” More clumsiness on my part. “I’m an amateur with women. I don’t know much about…” Shut up. Shut up.“Carol,” Ennis says gently, “don’t worry about pleasing me Saturday. Focus on pleasing Patrick.”“I’m in the threesome too. It’s going to happen.”“Looks like it.”“I’d like to get all I can out of it, and that means making sure you have fun, too.”“I appreciate that,” Ennis says. “But remember it’s just sex.”“I know. I won’t get possessive and clingy with you. I won’t fall for you. That’s what you’re worried about, isn’t it?”“Everyone will have fun,” she replies tersely—and completely off point.I need to regroup, so I wander into the kitchen and rinse dishes. According to Ennis, I am sweet. I said a very sweet thing. So why do I feel as if I’ve committed a grievous error? No wall separates the living room from the kitchen, so I continue watching Ennis as I rinse. That murder mystery book apparently fascinates her to no end. She’s thinking furiously, isn’t she—wondering what she got herself into? With this clumsy, worrywart Carol?Ennis looks up, meets my eyes. Smiles. She’s so beautiful… My heart skips a beat, and then two. Ennis places the book down and ambles over to me. Behind me.“Hey,” she says.“Hey.” Ennis is a different person now. No tension; she is all confidence.“What do you like?” she asks. “In bed? Anything you want to explore with me?”Thud. Thud. Thud. That’s my heart. Anything I’d like to explore? Sure…a lot. Everything. Ennis reaches around me for my dishtowel and dries the dish in my hands. Her breasts press into my back. We are close, very close. Like we share the same body.“Put the dish down. It’s dry,” she says.I obediently lay down the dish, and Ennis intertwines our fingers. She rests our hands on my stomach. “Where’s your ring?” she wants to know.My gaze shifts to the countertop where the engagement ring rests. “I took it off. I always do for dishes and showers. Stuff like that.”“Hmm. So. Answer me. What do you like in bed? Anything you want to try?”Her breasts still press into my back. Her lips are practically on my neck. I can’t think. I really can’t, not with her doing this to me, not with my pulse spinning out of control, not with my pussy all warm and tingly. And insistent. More insistent than it has been in a long time. Maybe ever.“Problem?” she asks playfully. Baiting me.I close my eyes. Take a deep breath.Ennis whispers, “Do you masturbate?”I open my eyes and drop my gaze to the kitchen sink. I can’t believe how my body is reacting to her touch—to her. “No,” I say—admit? Confess? “Not really.”“Not really?”A semblance of coherent thought finds me amid my hormones run amok. “I told you my parents are strict Catholics. Bad things happen to boys and girls who touch themselves.”An amused laugh. “That explains why you turned out so good.”“Ha. Ha.”“Mmm.” Ennis nuzzles my neck—as if it’s the most natural thing in the world. As if we’re already lovers, as if we are already expert on the crooks and crevices of each other’s bodies. “Masturbation’s good, you know, Carol.”CarolCarolCarol“I know,” I admit. “I’ve done it a few times. My first time was when—” I stop, embarrassed. Ennis will find me pitiful.“Tell me,” she urges.“I was twenty-one. It was my first orgasm.”“And it was good?”“Oh yes. So I kept doing it for a while. I felt guilty, of course, but why not keep doing it? Then I met Patrick and stopped when we got serious. It felt like I was cheating.”An Ennis-chuckle. “I’m sure he does it himself.”“I know he does.”“So you ought to have your own fun too.”“Yes.”More neck kisses from Ennis. Her right hand leaves mine. Sneaks into my jeans. I unbutton them. Good God. I unbutton my jeans—to give her hand more room. She kisses my neck yet again; her lips are impossibly soft, impossibly smooth. She knows what she is doing, she definitely does.Her fingers reach inside me. “You’re wet,” she groans. “Fucking wet.”I am powerless to stop her; I am under the spell of this seducer. “Am I a challenge to you?” I ask. “Another notch on your belt?”She finds my clit, and I press against her finger. I arch my back.“Yes,” she says. “But you like that, don’t you?”I do. I do. Who wouldn’t? To be under the attentions of this roughish, rakish, complicated woman?She withdraws her hand. “That’s enough for now.”“Hey!” I howl. I face her accusingly. She is licking her wet fingers.She winks. “Preview.”“That’s mean. You’re mean.”
END OF EXCERPT

Joining the Ranks of Kindle Owners

I just gave in and ordered a Kindle (the $69 kind). My Nook Simple Touch has been having crazy issues (for example, it won't read library books anymore, and my computers usually don't recognize it). I'm tired of dealing with it. The Nook Color is still doing fine (reads library books, computers recognize it and such), but I got the Nook Simple Touch in the first place because I wasn't crazy about the back light that comes with the Nook Color (I'm an eink reader gal!).

Here's to hoping for a prosperous relationship with the new Kindle. One thing I won't miss for sure: downloading an Amazon book, trying to convert it in Calibre and getting the "DRM locked" message. That accounted for most of my ebook returns. Won't be a problem anymore! It'll be nice to not have to go through Calibre also.

I will also enjoy having the Kindle for proofing and formatting check purposes. You know, since I'm an author and all. ;-) The Kindle is where the majority of the e-reader audience is, and I've always been curious about differences between what I see on my Kindle computer app and my Kindle phone app compared with an actual Kindle.

Why did I say "gave in"? Well, because I was hoping the Nook Simple Touch would recover miraculously and save me the cost of a new Kindle, power adapter and Kindle cover. Alas, it was not to be, but I really did need a Kindle anyway for formatting/proofing purposes.

The Joys (cough, cough) of Having a Young Cat

Okay then! It's been about a month since my wife and I adopted a cat a smidge above a year old. Her tail hooks when she walks (see picture at right), so we named her Hooker. We're evil and funny like that. We get to say stuff like: "Hooker's in the toilet!" or "Hooker! Stop that," which is fun. It hasn't gotten old yet, and knowing my wife and me, it won't. Ever. ;-) No matter how much Hooker tries to get back at us for naming her Hooker. Because, ya know, she's a wild critter, that one. After years with older cats (and a middle-aged dog), my wife and I had forgotten what having young 'uns in the house is like.

A bit of background first: our fourteen-year-old cat, Dopey, died in October from kidney failure. Surviving her were Chester (dog, eight years old) and Flirt (cat, now fourteen also). Dopey and Flirt had long since passed into the cat realm of glorious naps all day and not caring much about toys, although Dopey did chase after a laser beam for a bit a few months before she died.

Enter Hooker and the joys of having a young cat. The boundless, amazing energy! The places she gets to and reaches! (The kitchen sink! In the toilet! Whole body under dresser drawers!) It's awesome watching her and her joys of exploration, even if some of these "exploration" moments entail poo. Yep, Hooker does something Flirt and Dopey never did. She'll knock poo out of the litter boxes and play with it, knock it under furniture out of her reach. Good thing my wife is hearing. If it were just me, I would probably not realize. We're using the water gun on Hooker for that and trying to empty the litter boxes multiple times a day, and hopefully that'll help. Extended laser beam sessions certainly aren't enough to tire Hooker out.

So, my wife and I have the best of both worlds. We have Flirt, a cat who'll let us pet her anytime, and the rambunctious Hooker who isn't much of a pet-ee/lap cat yet. (Jury's still out on if we're going to get a "play pal"--third cat-- for Hooker. Chester may be enough for now.) I still think about Dopey every day, and that probably won't change for a while. One of my grandmothers said that people these days are much more attached to their pets than people in olden days were. I think she's right.
 
Here's a picture of Hooker being mischievous in Chester's crate, and here's another picture of Hooker and Chester, fast friends.   

Jealousy

I think jealousy has something to do (to what exent, I don't know) about some (some, not all) authors' and publishers' attitudes toward some indies. And it absolutely goes the other way around too; some (some, not all) indies' sneering at publishers/authors with publishers is rooted in jealousy that the certain author wasn't accepted at the publisher.
I saw something like the above on a comment somewhere (the comments section of J.A. Konrath's blog, perhaps), and it resounded greatly.
First, let's face it--lots of people get jealous easily. And here you have indie authors striking success without having to go through the arduous gate-keeping process. For example, it's hard for an author who experienced years and hundreds (if not thousands) of rejections to swallow--and even if after all these rejections, the author landed a contract that gives him meager earnings and is next to impossible to get out of. In other words, being with a publisher isn't what he expected, either.
And then here you have one type of indie author (there are other types, of course). Author slaps together a somewhat shoddy book (lousy cover, grammar errors, book wasn't beta read well, etc.). And this book skyrockets in sales and beats out the published author's book in example #1. Oh yeah, I can see where sneering comes from.
Some indie authors who have been through a lot of rejections are gonna be jealous of authors with publishers. Heck, there are probably indie authors who resent having to do their covers, editing and formatting (or contracting these jobs out), and envy authors with publishers who can sit back and have to do none of these tasks (with the exception of editing). That's just how it is--and some authors locked into inflexible publishing contracts are gonna be jealous of indie authors' freedom and their ability to get books out much more quickly.
Now that indie publishing isn't as new, it is much less likely for an indie author to slap together a shoddy book and become successful. I hope that lessens some of the "jealousy walls." One of my hopes with indie publishing/indie authors was that since it gave authors a viable choice (rather than publishers), it would force publishers to offer better, fairer contracts. That has happened a little but needs to happen more, IMO. Some publishers have adapted more noticeably though (more open to novellas, short stories even as ebook only, etc., more sleek publishing schedules, sales on publishers' own websites).
So, anyway, jealousy can also lead to good competition, and good competition should end up making both sides better. Publishers offering better contracts, less bloat, slicker schedules, more variety as to book length and formats, and indies stepping up their game as regards quality. Publishers can't get away with some of the stuff they did in the past because authors will go indie. Indie authors can't get away with certain things either because that heyday is easing toward being over.
In case any of you are wondering, here's my full publishing experience (it's a combination of both sides, I guess):
Shopped my first novel around to publishers in the early 2000s. Rejections galore. Shopped around my second novel. Got accepted at Cavalier Press. Then CP went out of business before my novel even entered editing. PD Publishing offered to take over CP's authors. I declined to be part of this deal because I thought it was a bad business decision (taking on these authors/manuscripts sight unseen and so many at once, too). More shopping around to publishers, one more rejection, then one acceptance at Regal Crest. "The Odd Couple" was published at Regal Crest, and to kind of help promote it, I wrote a short story or two for Bedazzled Ink's e-zine, Khamarial Ink (I have never been able to spell that name right). The stories, one of which was "The Old Woman," got accepted. I didn't really write for another two or three years. Then came fits and starts with "Waiting." Then "Strange Bedfellows" with a bit of overlap with "Waiting." Time to shop around "Waiting" and "Strange Bedfellows." (During this time, I obtained rights back to "The Odd Couple" and ended ties with RCE.) Rejections for a variety of reasons, but what they all had in common was the stories were well written. Then finally a contract offer.
This offer allowed me to have 30 percent net on ebooks. Too low, especially since it was net, not gross. I wanted 50 percent net. Nope. Publisher wouldn't give it to me, and several authors told me that 50 percent net IS fair. About this time, indie publishing was really taking off, and a few other things about this publisher bothered me. So I decided to try indie. If it didn't work out, I could always submit again to publishers. My indie books took off, yay! The book one publisher said was not marketable was my #1 seller until my most recent work, "Love's Spell," achieved better sales. I really love the freedom and the flexibility and I knew that unless terms were really generous, I wouldn't be returning to a publisher. That's still where I stand. Indie turned out to work really well for me, and I (yes, the teeny tiny jealous part of me) enjoys seeing my books beat out other books in contests by the publishers who rejected my books. Doesn't mean I hate these publishers. Far from it. There IS room for both, and while I think that right now, the ideal future for authors is in the indie world (because right now, the publisher experience generally still skews toward author disadvantage), I hope that the competition, so to speak, keeps both groups on their toes.

Have a Terrible New Year!

If you're tired of the incessant "Have a great, joyful New Year" chirping, then this post is for you! Have a terrible, moldy, mossy fungus-filled New Year. May you trip lots (and I don't mean trips to London or Paris). May your pets delightfully puke all over and hide pee and poo surprises. May you read boring, sleep-inducing books. May your hair constantly have a "windblown" look.

Oh! But have a good day. :D

** This post is, of course, tongue in cheek.

I'd love to hear from y'all on how you plan to have the mostest terriblest 2013!

The Good and Bad of 2012

I'm not so good at coming up with ideas for blog posts, so I tend to kind of crib off others' ideas/themes. (If you want story ideas, though, I'm your gal! That's where my idea brainpower goes.) So, anyway, someone in an authors Facebook group asked what good and bad surprises 2012 brought. I thought listing some of mine here would be cool.

Here goes! (I'll mix personal and professional.)

Bad surprises first! Because, you know, I want the bad news first. ;-)
1. The writer's block that plagued me from April to August and which I still kind of struggle with.
2. The death of Dopey, my cat. She was doing great, and then my wife and I started to notice her energy was way down, that kind of stuff. We took her to the vet, and Dopey was dying of kidney failure. So sudden. Saying goodbye to her was difficult. We buried her in the back yard and made a grave marker (painted it, put her name on it).
3. Continued health problems for Chester, our dog. Chester is one happy, energetic loveable dog, but dang if he doesn't need a zillion pricey meds (and one back surgery) to keep him that way. Just a few days ago, my wife and I found out about yet another issue. All this started when Chester was only five and a half years old. He's seven now.

Good surprises!
1. The astronomical sales of my novella "Love's Spell." Sales easily (more than twice) surpassed sales for my previous #1 seller, "Waiting." This also pleased me because it shows that novellas are just as popular as novels. (My short stories, in general, haven't sold quite as well as my novels/novellas). I was also glad to see my other novella, "The Girl Prince and Her Princess," sell pretty well.
2. Not exactly a surprise since I had a few months from 2011 under my belt to inform me on my viability, but I made it through all of 2012 as an indie author able to support myself just fine on that income. (No depending on anyone, no borrowing, etc. When I say support myself, that's what I mean. Gotta emphasize this because some people say: "Oh, but you have your wife to help, or you have savings, etc." So, by support myself, I mean I didn't need help from anyone and didn't need to dip into my savings. I was even able to add to my savings.)
3. My wife and I were very happy to be reunited with our child (now eighteen years old), and we had our first Christmas as parents.
4. Two of my books, "Waiting" and "Third," won Rainbow Awards. Yeah, winning awards feels good! Better than candy in a stocking!

Whew! "Bones," Booth and Acceptance

This blog post is basically so I can get something off my chest about the TV show "Bones." A few years ago, I started watching it and had to stop at the end of season one. Why? Simply put, because Booth is an insecure, arrogant a$$ who expects the world to conform to what he calls "normal" while he is, of course, PERFECT. He treats people, especially Bones and her fellow scientists, terribly. Several years passed, and I decided to give "Bones" another try. Booth was his ol' self, but I tried the best I could (which entailed a lot of yelling at the TV) to ignore him and to focus on the good aspects of the show (the bodies! the special effects! Bones as a character!).

Last night, my wife and I started Season 7 on Netflix streaming, and Booth hasn't changed a lot. A little, yeah, but he still disdainfully labels Bones (the mother of his child to be!) as not normal. (Key word: disdainfully. To him, not being normal is bad.) He does appreciate her gifts but views her "negatives" more as the "cost" of having her gifts rather than just seeing her as a person. He is still constantly trying to change her. I really don't understand why he's so popular, but whatever.

The message here: Don't try to change people. Accept them for who they are. True change comes from within. So either you change yourself to become more accepting or (if the other person truly needs to change) he or she has to recognize it. You can't browbeat change. In fact, browbeating probably makes people more resistant.

Don't hate. Don't be insecure. Get rid of that narrow worldview. Love yourself so you can love others. That's what leads to true change, both in yourself and in others.

*** Edited to add *** Booth's behavior would not bother me nearly as much if the show (perhaps through a character or two) recognized it as such: boorish. But, no, his behavior is acceptable, and so is the behavior of one or two other characters.

Knowing When You Have a Good Editor (and What Bad Editors Do)

I get asked from time to time how I know an editor is good. This question came up again in one of my Yahoo groups, and I figured I would share my answer here:

This is a toughie to answer because knowing if you have a good editor requires a certain level of "meta" awareness, and the route there is different for (probably) everyone. It's not as simple as following a checklist and saying: "My editor and I did A, B, C and D. Therefore, I have a good editor."

However, you do have to temporarily set aside your ego and insecurities, especially if your book is your first. That's when your ego is probably at its biggest. Your book is da bomb, and now here is this editor basically sh*tting all over it. Try not to see him/her as the enemy but instead as someone working with you. I know that editing helped my first book improve greatly, and the beating my ego took was worth the tradeoff.

Partners/friends/family members -- don't trust them. Not even if they're the #1 editing team in the nation. They want to maintain a good relationship with you. There are exceptions, of course, such as if your partner's never hesitated about being blunt with you because you'd otherwise be embarrassed (these are good partners to have!). Otherwise, they may say your work is da bomb and further make your editor look like an enemy idiot. A few years' time will hopefully allow you the distance and perspective to put the editing experience vs. your family's "woo woo woo!" cheers in their proper places.

Basically, for beginner writers (especially if they've never read writing books, taken writing classes, etc.), they may never know for sure if they had a good editor. A few years' time should do the trick, though. More and more (and then more) training on writing and self editing should help push a writer to the "meta" self awareness necessary to know if an editor is any good. There are many, many routes to attaining this.

I see a lot of fiction with crazy errors, and I'm not even talking about the story editing aspect, per se. I'm talking about proofreading errors (a line editor usually does proofreading). And these authors don't realize how error-riddled their books are. So, this also says to me you need a strong grasp of grammar if you want to know if you've had/have a good editor.

Feel free to ask your prospective editors (either freelance or at a publisher) about their experience and editing philosophy. Keep in mind that an author does not necessarily make a good editor. If your editor replies with something like: "I've been an author ten years and have edited books the past five years," that isn't enough of a "qualifications" statement. You may want to specifically ask about editing training this person has had, etc. "Quality" editors should never be put off when you ask about their qualifications. They know they're good, and they understand the necessity of asking. I often find it's people who are insecure or who have something to hide who are put off by questions of qualifications. (You see it on TV shows all the time; surgeons performing their first solo surgery often squirm when patients ask how many they've done, and sometimes the surgeons try to find a way around the question. Squirming and evading--great way to inspire confidence, right? ;-) )

How to know you have a bad editor:
- Editor won't do her work in track changes
- Editor says: "Great book! Didn't really make changes."
- Editor says: "I made all the changes myself," therefore denying you many learning opportunities.
- Editor introduces errors into the manuscript (for example, changes "five-year-old boy" to "five-year old boy" and changes "The dog licked its paw" to "The dog licked it's paw.")

** An editor who never says a good thing about your book may not necessarily be a bad editor. It depends. But if this bothers you, you may want to find a better editing match personality-wise.

Glasses Technology at the Movies -- Plus "Third" and "Waiting" Win Rainbow Awards

Yesterday, I went to the movie "Argo" and tried "glasses" technology that gives "captions" to the movies (the glasses have wifi that links to something on the screen, and I see projected words on the glasses/screen--no one else sees them). Before, I was limited to going to open-captioned movies, but the glasses get rid of that. I didn't have high expectations going in. I envisioned the glasses not working, and then a clueless movie employee having to ask another clueless employee how to do this, and the movie would be half over before we could get the glasses to work.

Yay! It went quite well, actually. The glasses/new kind of captioning appearances took a few minutes to get used to, and I do generally prefer the layout/look of open captioning and of closed captioning (although white open-captioned letters on light-colored backgrounds are too frustratingly common. The new letters with the glasses are green, getting rid of this problem). So, yeah, I'm thrilled now that I can go to any movie, anytime, and am not limited to a certain movie and certain times every week.

After the movie ended, I found out that one of my books won a Rainbow Award. Whee! Later that night, a second book won (and a third, "All in the Family," got a sort of honorable mention). Anyway, here are the judges' comments for "Third" and Waiting." For a complete list of award winners, go here: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/tag/rainbow%20awards%202012

Judge's comment on "Third": As a person who loves history this novel certainly satisfies that love, with its accurate, detailed settings. To go from the past to the present as often as the author does and do it so fluidly was fantastic to read. The plot pulls the reader along nicely. Part of the reason this book is hard to put down was the characters were so well written and showed growth throughout the length of the novel.






Judge's comment on "Waiting": Wow, this one really took me by surprise. The concept seemed as if it might be a bit strained, and the pacing was definitely slow, but this was a beautiful read that really made me care about the characters. Very easy to relate to . . . and to get lost in.


Yesterday was a good day! :)

The Next Big Thing - A Blog Hop Post

As part of "The Next Big Thing Blog Hop," I was tagged by Kathleen Wheeler in a post last week.  The purpose of this hop is to expose you to writers and their work that perhaps you haven't heard of, whether a new release or a work in progress (WIP).  This is week 21. 

According to the rules of the hop, I will answer questions (the same ones for every blog hopper) about either my newest release or my WIP, and then at the bottom of the post I've listed authors who will do the same thing in their blogs next Wednesday.

OK then! Fasten your seat belts and let's go! I have two sets of questions and answers (yep, I fudged on the rules). Set one discusses "Love's Spell," which was published earlier this month. Set two discusses "Strange Bedfellows Too," which is in progress.


*****

What is the working title of your book? Novella, actually. :-)  "Love's Spell" was published last week, so this is a final title, so to speak, not a working title. This novella has 24,000 words.

Where did the idea come from for the book? I'm not sure what sparked the idea. Truth be told, I think of at least one story idea most days. The majority of these ideas go no further, but this one did. I was in the middle of a huge bout of writer's block, and I was so thankful when "Love's Spell" began to come together beautifully. It's the first story idea since  my writer's block that has. I must have started writing and discarded ten to twenty ideas before that. It's not a waste, though. I expect some of these discarded ideas to come back for short stories, if nothing else.

What genre does your book fall under? Lesbian romance.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition? Heh! No comment -- usually don't like questions like this. ;-) 

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?  Ava Van Dorn accidentally places a love spell on the wrong person -- or does she?

What is the longer synopsis of your book? Ava Van Dorn doesn’t believe in magic, but she believes in possibilities. So, she figures trying a love spell her grandmother left her won’t hurt. Worst case: her life will stay the same. Best case: her fellow second-grade teacher James Friedlander will fall in love with her, and they’ll live happily ever after.

Except…oops!

Ava accidentally places the spell on her principal, Libby Lubbock. Libby is wrestling with her own issues in the love department, namely the fact that she’s deciding whether to give her ex a second chance after the ex cheated. Libby is beginning to think she’s the type who is better off single.

The spell can be undone, but it requires Ava and Libby getting to know each other better. Lots better. Libby agrees to the undo because no way does she want to fall in love with Ava if she can help it. However, perhaps the last paragraph in a letter Ava's grandmother wrote is right: “Why all these crazy steps? My great-great grandmother, the witch, strongly believed that things happen for a reason. This time with the ‘wrong person’ will help determine if the wrong person might be the right person, after all.”

Can Libby and Ava cast a love spell that has nothing to do with abracadabra magic and everything to do with the magic of true love?

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency? I am indie all the way, baby! This link explains.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? Hmm. I am not sure. One and a half months to two months, maybe. I don't really pay attention to start and end dates.

Who or what inspired you to write this book? I don't quite remember, but one thing I CAN say is that in the original concept, Ava and Libby had no "history" together; they were simply teacher and principal. Once you get a bit into "Love's Spell," you'll find out that they knew each other a long time ago. I felt that they weren't really clicking as much as they should, so I inserted that bit of character layering.

What else about your book might pique reader interest?  This book is about two ordinary, everyday women who have to deal with the fact that magic might indeed be real. Ava's and Libby's reactions are probably how I would react. In Ava's case, I'd be curious to try the spell, and as for the undo, like both Ava and Libby, I would prefer "better safe than sorry." Does magic really exist? You be the judge.


*****

What is the working title of your book? "Strange Bedfellows Too"

Where did the idea come from for the book? It's a sequel, so I must give proper credit to "Strange Bedfellows." I tossed around quite a few ideas (and then more) for the sequel, and here I am! I changed the main romantic pairing (Victoria and ???) at least three times, but this newest variation is here to stick, I believe. :)

What genre does your book fall under?  Lesbian romance/lesbian drama-fiction (like the first book, it isn't ALL romance).

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition? OK, I know what I said in my "Love's Spell" answer, but now I'm gonna totally contradict myself! Heh. "Strange Bedfellows" (the first one) may be the only work of mine where I've visualized actors/actresses. Can't say I've done that so far for the sequel, but here's part of my answer for an interview published earlier this year: (link to full interview is http://affinityebooks.com/index.php?main_page=page&id=140&chapter=2).

NANCY: If one of your books were to become a movie, which one would you want it to be?

KELLY: That's a toughie. Maybe Strange Bedfellows because I can see who would play the roles. Strange Bedfellows might play to a wider audience (some straights) as well. But, girl, this question is like asking which of your three children you prefer.

NANCY: I would agree with SB.

NANCY: Who would play the roles?

KELLY: I'm a bit embarrassed to say.

NANCY: You embarrassed? HA!

KELLY: Fiiiineee.... Joely Richardson for Frances. Though seeing Chynna Phillips on "Dancing with the Stars" makes me want her for Frances, too.

KELLY: Elena is a tougher one. Several candidates for her, including Amy Adams and Emily Deschanel. A few others I forget right now. They'd probably cast someone without red hair, so really, sky is the limit there.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book? At this time, I'm not comfortable giving out a lot of details because the plot may change. However, see below.

What is the longer synopsis of your book? Okay then! :) "Strange Bedfellows Too" takes place four years after the end of the first book. Victoria is eighteen and away at college. Frances and Elena are married, but their pasts continue to haunt them. I wouldn't quite say Victoria's past haunts her too, although in a way, it does. Rather, in Victoria's case, her past kind of continues to be her present. The main plot will be Victoria in love and finding her way in the world, although Frances and Elena will have their fair share of point-of-view chapters. Most everyone from the first book will return, and there will be great new characters as well.

Here's the blurb of the FIRST book: Frances Dourne is apparently a shining example for ex-gays. She  runs Gay is a Choice, a national ex-gays group. What people do not know is that she is deeply unhappy. She is ready to come out of the closet and be true to herself. She seeks help and feedback--and okay, maybe a sexual treat or two--from a high-class call girl.

Elena, the call girl, wants to escape from the realities of her past, and her job allows her to do so. She never gets attached to her clients, but her new client surprises her. Can Elena and Frances learn to trust each other enough to find the love they seek in each other's arms?

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency? I am indie all the way, baby! This link explains.


How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? It's still in progress, so I can't say.

Who or what inspired you to write this book? I can't choose what to write; the stories that need to be told choose me. It just happened that the cast members of "Strange Bedfellows" were ready for the continuation of their lives.

What else about your book might pique reader interest? Here's a snippet of the opening I have so far. It's from Victoria's point of view:

Guess what? I struck the jackpot on my first seduction attempt. Never mind that I was eighteen years old, nervous as hell and supposed to screw up.

Shit!

Pauline Moss said yes. In a necessary, vague, roundabout way, of course. Didn’t take much. Some chatter about her car-themed tie, and she opened up. In the process, she illustrated the validity of my research. People have always been lonely. Often, they don’t want to go home. I sure didn’t. What waited for me: an upside-down dorm room and probably Markie in bed with yet another greasy guy.


*****

Next Wednesday check out these authors' blogs to find out about their Next Big Thing.

Jae
J.E. Knowles

If you're a fellow writer and would like to participate in this Blog Hop, please reach out to Jae or J.E.  The more the merrier :)