Lolita Lopez's Blog, page 12
June 1, 2011
Put Down That Book!
Or something like that.
Honestly, can we just, like, stop with the shaming women stuff already? (And why, oh, why, is it always other women who choose to shame romance or erotica readin' women?) They're books. They're fiction. Let it go. Live and let live, yo.
May 29, 2011
Security Risk By Paige Tyler
A fellow Romance Diva, Paige Tyler, has a new book out today! Happy Reading!
Blurb:
Why read a magazine while waiting for your plane to board, when you can have a kinky quickie with a gorgeous officer of the law instead?
Magazine columnist Lake Cooper is shocked when the hot cop working with airport security announces he has to search her bag. Suddenly, the fantasy she had a few minutes earlier of the gorgeous Officer Shane Nelson "arresting" her isn't quite so exciting. When he takes her into a private room to open her suitcase, she's embarrassed to discover she accidentally tried to board the plane with the bag of sex toys she's supposed to review instead of her carry-on.
Shane pulls one sex toy after another out of the bag, asking Lake what makes each one worthy of a high mark on her rating scale. As the conversation heats up, it's obvious the sexy stud with the handcuffs is coming onto her.
More than a little attracted to him, she suggests they set up a date when she gets back so he can help her test out the newest batch of vibrators for review. She surprised when he instead proposes they try them out right then and there. She eagerly agrees and soon they're trying out not only the vibrator, but a leather paddle and his police-issued handcuffs, too!
It's available at ARe, where they're having a 50% off sale, by the way!
http://www.allromanc…550120-144.html
It'll also be available on Kindle and Nook, too!
All Romance eBooks Memorial Day Sale!
May 22, 2011
Promoting Your Book: The Sleaze Edition
The best advice I've ever gotten on the subject: Write another book! No, really. Do it. I'm telling you, backlist is the way to grow your audience and your income. I've also had good luck with placing books at different publishers. It allows me to have a full release schedule and reach readers who may not shop at, say, Ellora's Cave or Liquid Silver. Amazon and Nook have changed some of that, of course, but by and large, erotic romance readers tend to be publisher loyal.
Anywho.
In the last few days, it came to my attention that some loser author has decided to use the names of bestselling and more well known erotica and erotic romance authors to flog his books. How's he do that, you ask? Like this. He basically puts the title of his book followed by "In the tradition of (Insert Mega Author Here" hoping to attract readers through keyword spamming. It's like SEO (search engine optimization) only, you know, grosser.
I've read Cherise Sinclair and I can guarantee you this line from his book:
"I like f**king old broads. Grabbing them by their flapjack titties and just banging away"
…is in no way "in the tradition of" her writing style. Cherise Sinclair and Melissa Schroeder (two of the authors used by this jackwagon) write beautifully crafted tales that are engaging and entertaining. I own every single one of Cherise Sinclair's books in digital AND print. Master of the Mountain still gives me butterflies when I read it and I've probably devoured it eleven times by now.
So, please, self-publishers of the world, don't do this. It's sleazy and sneaky and will piss off readers. Find a less shameful way to promote your books. Take a little pride in your work, yo.
May 21, 2011
2 New Portia Da Costa Books!
POWER OF THREEA Walk on the Wild Side Publication
It's no fun being dumped almost at the altar, but newly not engaged Laurie decides to make the best of things and enjoy her honeymoon at an exotic Caribbean resort all on her own. The plan is to lie in the sun, read a book, do a bit of birdwatching and exploring… anything to take her mind off her rat of an ex fiance and the bimbo he got pregnant.
But it's not easy to forget about love and sex when everyone around her at the resort is getting in on. Pretty soon, she's using her binoculars to spy on creatures a bit higher up the evolutionary scale – the hot threesome in one of the adjacent cabanas, and the gorgeously hunky gay couple who are also staying just across the courtyard.
These delicious men especially fire her senses and make her forget her romantic woes, and when she realises that they're watching her while she's watching them, what else is a girl to do but accept the invitation of a lifetime, and become part of a threesome herself?
But what if her luscious faux honeymoon menage is only the beginning of better and hotter things to come?
17000 words/approx 43 pages
Author's note: this is an original work, never before published.
More information and excerpt at:
http://www.portiadacosta.com/powerof3.html
Available from Smashwords, All Romance eBooks, Amazon Kindle US and Amazon Kindle UK
FORBIDDEN TREASURES
A Walk on the Wild Side publicationWhen Alice Porter finds a chest full of vintage curiosa at an antique market, she little realizes how her discovery of the forgotten treasures of an Edwardian disciplinarian will change her life. The sexy hoard includes a punishment ledger and a well used rattan cane, and the bygone items intrigue her husband Julian too. Sharing and experimenting with the writings and the wicked implement, the lovers begin a voyage of forbidden sensuality that shocks and thrills them both, revealing dark secrets from Julian's past and bringing the two of them closer together than they've ever been before.
9,800 words = approx 22 pages
Author's note: this is an original work, never before published.
More information and excerpt at:
http://www.portidacosta.com/forbiddentreasures.html
Available from Smashwords, Amazon Kindle US, Amazon Kindle UK and All Romance eBooks
Oh my goodness! One of my fave authors, Portia Da Costa h...
Oh my goodness! One of my fave authors, Portia Da Costa has two new books out this week. Can not wait to get my hands on these lovely new yummies!
POWER OF THREE
A Walk on the Wild Side Publication
It's no fun being dumped almost at the altar, but newly not engaged Laurie decides to make the best of things and enjoy her honeymoon at an exotic Caribbean resort all on her own. The plan is to lie in the sun, read a book, do a bit of birdwatching and exploring… anything to take her mind off her rat of an ex fiance and the bimbo he got pregnant.
But it's not easy to forget about love and sex when everyone around her at the resort is getting in on. Pretty soon, she's using her binoculars to spy on creatures a bit higher up the evolutionary scale – the hot threesome in one of the adjacent cabanas, and the gorgeously hunky gay couple who are also staying just across the courtyard.
These delicious men especially fire her senses and make her forget her romantic woes, and when she realises that they're watching her while she's watching them, what else is a girl to do but accept the invitation of a lifetime, and become part of a threesome herself?
But what if her luscious faux honeymoon menage is only the beginning of better and hotter things to come?
17000 words/approx 43 pages
Author's note: this is an original work, never before published.
More information and excerpt at:
http://www.portiadacosta.com/powerof3.html
Available from Smashwords, All Romance eBooks, Amazon Kindle US and Amazon Kindle UK
FORBIDDEN TREASURES
A Walk on the Wild Side publication
When Alice Porter finds a chest full of vintage curiosa at an antique market, she little realizes how her discovery of the forgotten treasures of an Edwardian disciplinarian will change her life. The sexy hoard includes a punishment ledger and a well used rattan cane, and the bygone items intrigue her husband Julian too. Sharing and experimenting with the writings and the wicked implement, the lovers begin a voyage of forbidden sensuality that shocks and thrills them both, revealing dark secrets from Julian's past and bringing the two of them closer together than they've ever been before.
9,800 words = approx 22 pages
Author's note: this is an original work, never before published.
More information and excerpt at:
http://www.portidacosta.com/forbiddentreasures.html
Available from Smashwords, Amazon Kindle US, Amazon Kindle UK and All Romance eBooks
May 13, 2011
Self-Publishing Glitch
Thankfully this was a quick fix! I simply reformatted my prc, epub, lit and pdf files and uploaded the new ones to All Romance eBooks, Amazon and Nook. Easy peasy, lemon squeezie!
Seriously, if you run into a problem with a book you've self-published, don't fret. You're not the first or the last. I promise! Just fix it, reformat and upload. Clearly, I've learned to check and recheck my books before AND after they've been uploaded to the various distributor sites. You just never know, right?
May 11, 2011
Pound Of Flesh
Pound of Flesh started as a short story written specifically for a BDSM themed anthology. Somewhere along the way, the story that was supposed to be 4,000 words blossomed into 11,000 words. I kept thinking, surely, this is the end, right? But it wasn't. When the story was finished, I decided this was the perfect piece for my foray into self-publishing.
Rules for home. Rules for work. Rules for play. Max thrives on the order and certainty his rules provide. Violet, on the other hand, delights in breaking his rules.
But this time she's gone too far. Violet's been a very bad girl and now Max wants his pound of flesh.
Warning: This short story contains deliciously naughty scenes of spanking, bondage, anal play and other practices some readers might deem offensive.
Pick up your copy at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, All Romance eBooks or Smashwords.
May 10, 2011
Deciding To Self Publish
For me, the decision to take a plunge into the waters of self-publishing wasn't a quick one. I hemmed and hawed about it for months. I'm very happy with my epublishing career. I have a growing audience of readers who often send me such amazing emails. My sales are solid (and sometimes super crazy fabulous) and I really enjoy my relationships with most of my editors. There have been hiccups here and there. Missing checks and 1099s that never arrive–smallish stuff like that. I've been lucky to avoid the major epublishing meltdowns and feel very comfortable with the way my digital career is going.
That said, even epublishing has its boundaries. There are certain story lines that will never sell without major revisions. There are places you just can't go. Sometimes, those are the places I really, really want to visit. Naughty places. Dark places. Deliciously dirty places.
Self-publishing gives me the option of writing whatever I want without worrying about how to squish it into the marketing box. I can write about fetishes and kink and domestic discipline. Or I can write straight up vanilla monogamous love stories a la Harlequin/Mills & Boon. The possibilities are endless.
Having been a part of online romance communities like Romance Divas for years, I'm dialed into a great network of editors and cover artists. I'm able to ask questions and learn what works and what doesn't. I didn't go into this blind and hoping to get rich quick. (Ha!)
So my overall plan is simple: diversify. I'll continue to publish with my epublishers and maybe even try again for New York (commercial) publishing. I'll self-publish three or four or five long short stories (10-20K) and novellas. I'll sell more short stories for anthology calls. Heck, I might even do a little nonfic freelancing on the side.
It's a brave new world out there–and I'm wading in!
December 10, 2010
Sequels and Such
I've had some mail from readers asking about sequels to Midnight Craving, Refuge and Bad, Bad Things. They're coming. I promise. Just not as quickly as I'd hoped. Some personal life stuff took priority over writing for most this year and late last year.
You see, I had a baby. A really cute one at that. I mean, super cute. Blue eyes, reddish brown hair, big ole smile…and a totally broken heart. Nyx was born with Tetralogy of Fallot and an atrial septal defect. Technically that's Pentalogy of Fallot but she was diagnosed with the ToF first and the PoF six months later so we'll go with ToF.
Anywho.
She had a very profound case. Like bad. Like blue baby bad. So she had her first emergency heart surgery at 15 days old. Her second open heart repair was done at 6 months old. In between those surgeries, we (my husband and I) basically shuttled back and forth between Houston (where Texas Children's Hospital is), Austin (where her pediatric cardiologist practices) and our home in College Station. We lived under isolation orders and did whatever we could to keep our daughter from crying for longer than 60 seconds lest she Tet and pass out.
As you can imagine that left very little time for writing. What time I did have went to freelance projects of the guaranteed payment variety. High deductible health insurance nd crazy ass out of pocket maximums will do that to you. Synagis injections at $5667.66 a dose really add up fast. Plus there were the costs of travel and living at Texas Children's Hospital for 4 weeks.
Then there was the cost of replacing a vehicle, hiring plumbers and other contractors to fix a series of gas leaks, the washing machine that died, my messed up toe that required a pricey little procedure and so on and so forth. When it rains it pours and all that.
But things here are finally returning to normal. Nyx has healed beautifully and is a typical 15-month-old. As she grows more independent, my blocks of writing time increase. I'm so excited to finish the follow-ups to Midnight Craving, Refuge and Bad, Bad Things. It's been so great to trade emails with fans of the stories. They very much help keep the writing muse fueled.
I hope to have them all written, edited and out the virtual door by early spring. I'll keep you posted on my progress!
