Vivian Arend's Blog, page 63

Writers World- Keep going

The mind is a strange thing. As a writer who plots only lightly (very very lightly) it always comes as a lovely surprise when I reach the point of knowing WHY.

When the reasons for the characters actions suddenly becomes clear to me, and I get to finally breath a sigh of relief that yes, there is a story to be told.

Writer’s advice today? For me, one of the most important things to remember is to KEEP WRITING. If I stop and fuss and worry, I never get to that magical point of finding out why. Once I know, going back and tweaking is easy. If I’m not writing though, nothing happens.

On my wall I have in nice big letters: Just Tell The Story.

Your mileage may vary, but for me, that’s my focus. All the way to the end. 

Thea and Viv’s Big Adventure winners!

It’s been an amazing trip. I’m sad to see us come to the end of it, and yet that meant it was FINALLY release day for WOLF LINE. Happy and sad, all at the same time.

I had the most wonderful time putting this tour together with Thea. It was fun to get to know her better—special memories, and things she’s looking forward to in the future. I hope you’ll all be looking out with me for her upcoming releases of HUNTING SEASON, September 18 novella from Samhain and LORD’S FALL, the next full novel in The Elder Races, from Berkley, November 6.

And now…

BIG ADVENTURE PRIZES!

Names were pulled from all the entries at all the blogs, shuffled through random.org and the winners are:

 GRAND PRIZE:? Winner’s choice of a Kindle or Nook

Dorothy H (Posted at Thea’s blog on day 1)

SECOND PRIZES:? Two winners will receive a Relaxing Getaway Swag Pack: Homemade soap by Thea, hand-woven back scrubber imported from Ecuador by Viv, Thea and Viv’s first books in print, DRAGON BOUND and UNDER THE NORTHERN LIGHTS, and various other treats.

Laurie (Tampa Bay) (posted at Red Hot Reds)

Elaing8 (posted at Wicked Lil Pixie)

Also- the winner at my blog of the daily prize (choice of one of Thea or Viv’s backlist Samhain ebooks from either the Elder Races or Granite Lake Wolves series):

Artemis

 

Contact either Thea or myself and we’ll make sure you get those prizes.

 

Everyone else, I’d like to thank you so much for making this a memorable trip to release day. It’s always wonderful to celebrate with friends. Arwhooooooooooooooooooooo!

More Wolfies! WOLF LINE is finally here

Welcome back.

 

Wolf Line

Granite Lake Wolves, Book 5

Into the best-laid plans a little chaos must fall…

Jared’s not sure how his quiet morning coffee near the harbour ended with him on a cruise ship impersonating one of his pack mates. Well, it might have something to do with a woman, but who can blame him? The female of the species was made to love, and he’s more than willing to share his considerable skills in that area. Especially since he figures the chances of meeting his own one-and-only are slim.

Keri Smith is positive the last-minute recruit sneaking aboard the Arctic Wolf Cruise Lines tour is her mate. Ix-nay on confirming that, though, at least for the next ten days. She’s promised her best friend to be overall troubleshooter for the shifter-only cruise. Getting tangled up in mating lust would reduce her skills to nil. Avoidance of the sexy wolf for the duration of the cruise, followed by jumping his bones, seems the logical solution.

But when libidos are on the line, “logic” and “wolves” don’t go together. Throw in suspicions of wrongdoing, and these two virtual strangers will need a lot more than luck to find their way through to forever.

Warning: Really? You need to be warned about the hot nookie and sarcasm? Yeah, it’s in here. Also colourful cat shifters, lupine royalty, and wild adventures in cabins like you’ve never seen before.

Digital: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

New Cover- Rocky Mountain Angel

If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook, you might have already seen this, but for good measure, I present the newest and shiniest of the Six Pack covers. I love Angela Waters with the heat of the sun. Didn’t she do an amazing job?

Rocky Mountain Angel

Six Pack Ranch, Book 4

Coming November 20, 2012

Sometimes even Angels must learn to fly…

Allison Parker needs a convincing excuse to come home to Rocky Mountain House. A hopelessly romantic reason that won’t let her mother suspect the truth—that Allison has discovered Mom is keeping a terrible secret from the family.

Gabe Coleman is struggling with two of the roughest parts of ranching: dealing with his bull-headed mule of a father, and making enough to pay the bills. When his old friend Allison offers to help him develop his ideas for organic ranching—in trade for pretending to be her fiancé—it sounds like the perfect set-up.

Yet the deception leads them in an unexpected direction, where their shared daily hells are erased by nights of heavenly distraction. It’s not supposed to be real, but once the gates are opened, there’s no denying they’ve found in each other a little bit of Paradise.

To break free of the past and face the future, though, will take more than temporary pleasures. It’ll take putting their hearts on the line.

Warning: Tortured hero with a guardian-angel complex, grief-stricken heroine willing to sacrifice everything for family. Break out the tissues, this trip to the ranch is a heartbreaker on the way to the HEA.

New Print Release!

Today marks the 7th print book for me–with most of my books being digital first, sometimes these releases slip past with little fanfare, but there are still a lot of print only readers, so I wanted to share.

This anthology is a nice introduction to some of my more action-style books. The anthology contains two category length stories-one menage and one not menage. (Trust me…it works)

Also–it’s on sale at Samhain for 30% off this week only.

Freestyle

Xtreme Adventures,

Print Anthology

In extreme conditions, keep your friends close. Real close…

Falling…

Along with her two best friends, Dara’s left no local wilderness unexplored, no ski slope unchallenged. Yet lately she wonders why they’ve never seen her as more than a buddy with breasts.

Both Kane and Jack are ready to settle down, preferably with Dara. Except neither man is willing to bring their easygoing trio to an end.

Dara is torn. Choose between them? No way. Drastic measures are called for, a plan for their annual holiday getaway that will clarify her feelings once and for all—or lose everything in a sexual storm of whiteout proportions.

Rising…

Ready to conquer her fears after a horrific climbing accident, Melanie takes the first, terrifying step—to tackle the wall at the local climbing center.

Derrick, watching her retune rusty skills, would like to partner with her—on and off the ropes. Now to convince her the scars on her body are no match for the heat rising between them.

Then another man arrives on the scene with a proposal that will bring her out of her sensual shell and onto a precarious sexual ledge. Where trust is crucial…and too easily shattered.

Warning: This book may cause heart-pounding, body-shaking adrenaline attacks—and that’s before they leave the climbing gym. Contains blindfolds, bondage, spanking, healthy doses of exhibitionism and voyeurism, and unauthorized use of ski safety harnesses.

Read an Excerpt

Excerpt of Falling, Freestyle: First Chapter

Excerpt of Rising, Freestyle: First Chapter

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BUY IT NOW

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Booksamillion |Powells

Sunday Sunshine

There’s only going to be a bit of sun, and then the forecast calls for 5 straight days of rain. I guess it’s good I’m tucked away in the cave getting lots of things done.

I’m hiding out to finish my three main projects- writing High Risk, edits on Rocky Mountain Angel and galleys on Rocky Mountain Desire. They take different braincells-writing, editing and proofing, so I’m flipping between them as I need a break. Fingers crossed I get it all done with time to spare.

Make sure you join Thea Harrison and I this week as the tour continues. Her book is out on Tuesday-I’ve put it as a treat I get to read when I finish one of my tasks!

Thea & Viv’s Big Adventure Day ONE

The full list where we’ll be can be found between today and June 12 is here, but we have to start somewhere, and that’s Here and Now.

Welcome to Thea and Viv’s Big Adventure, where over ten+ days we’re going to take you on a journey. You’ll learn a little more about us and our stories–the next in Thea’s Elder Gods and my little wolfies.

The theme for today is Gates/Doors. In other words, taking a chance and starting something new. I searched my computer files for a while trying to find the first thing I wrote back in 2007 when I joined my friend Bonne for the Nanowrimo challenge. See, she wanted support for the month, and I wanted the guaranteed coffee shop breaks sans children every Sunday–it was a wonderful sounding event that led to so much more. I had never written fiction before, although I’ve always been a story-teller.

For your entertainment: unedited and raw (trust me–raw!)

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Chapter One: The Secrets of Tarneth

The tight feeling at the back of his throat had started to fade to familiarity. His unease at being alone and in new territory was beginning to fade only because the distance they had left to travel was decreasing. While Lukos had talked him into asking permission for the extra time before their posting started Bec would be happier when they actually got where they were going.

They had set a route that led through the Forest of Lavena northward and then looped in a semi circle back south to their destination of Lemare. They had over a week’s time to travel a distance that could be covered in three days of hard walking, so there would be plenty of opportunities to look around and explore.

Bec glanced sideways at his friend as they paced side by side. They were a contrast in so many ways. Bec was at least two hand spans taller than Lukos, yet both of them were considered tall for their race. With his light brown clothing and his light colouring he blended into the very trees around them, as was very natural for a wood elf. Lukos didn’t exactly stomp, but at fourteen he was coming into his adult growth as a human. His curly dark hair and his swarthy skin contrasted sharply with his bright blue eyes. He was prone to some moodiness and often dressed in dark colours as if in imitation of the palace Muse.

Watching the two was like looking at a slight tree and its shadow swaying down the trail.

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Oh, the things I did wrong in that story! But I learned some incredible lessons that have carried on to this day. I learned there’s a joy in writing–that the pleasure I get seems to grow the farther into the world I go. I learned that I can learn–the first chapters of this book are readable but clumsy. The middle chapters were better, and by the time I wrote “The End” I’d picked up a lot of skill.

I learned that sometimes I have to just keep going, and that’ll I’ll understand why something happens down the road.

I learned that someone could actually want to read my work, as my daughter stood over my shoulder and demanded each day that I complete at least one more chapter for her to read. Yes, this was a Young Adult fantasy novel. And I can tell you that no deadline since has ever scared me more than the thought of disappointing her.

What I sometimes think is the most marvelous part of the entire adventure is that it just happened. I’ve worked hard, but I also just walked forward not knowing what the result would be. We do that on adventures–take a chance, book a flight. Pick up a book or make a friend. Taking a new path is always a little frightening, but it’s always exciting.

I hope you enjoy the coming adventure with Thea and I. Once you leave a comment here, move on over to Thea’s to see what she’s been starting lately.

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THEA AND VIV’S BIG ADVENTURE is brought to you by Thea Harrison and Vivian Arend, New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors with a love for both travel and writing. They have joined together for the nefarious purpose of celebrating their next Samhain Publishing ebooks.

Thea’s DEVIL’S GATE releases June 5. The novella returns readers to the world of The Elder Races. Available at: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

WOLF LINE, #5 in Viv’s bestselling Granite Lake Wolves, is available June 12. Available at: Amazon | Barne’s & Noble

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Comment for your chance to win:

Information re: Grand Prize can be found at Thea or Viv’s

DAILY PRIZE: One commenter here at this blog will win their choice of one of Thea or Viv’s backlist Samhain ebooks from either the Elder Races or Granite Lake Wolves series. If you’ve got them all, you can gift this to a friend!

Question for today:

What’s something you’d like to try to learn? Or something you’ve started to learn recently?

Thea and Viv’s Big Adventure Blog Tour

May 30-June 12, come join the fun as Thea Harrison and I share information about our upcoming Samhian releases- Thea’s DEVILS GATE (4.6 novella in the Elder Races series) and WOLF LINE (#5 novella in the Granite Lake Wolves)

BIG ADVENTURE PRIZES!

GRAND PRIZE:

Winner’s choice of a Kindle or Nook

SECOND PRIZES:

Two winners will receive a Relaxing Getaway Swag Pack: Homemade soap by Thea, hand-woven back scrubber imported from Ecuador by Viv, Thea and Viv’s first books in print, DRAGON BOUND and UNDER THE NORTHERN LIGHTS, and various other treats.

Winners for these drawn from comments at all the tour stops and announced HERE at my blog and at Thea’s on JUNE 13.

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DAILY PRIZES: One commenter at each blog will win their choice of one of Thea or my backlist Samhain ebooks from either the Elder Races or Granite Lake Wolves series. If the winner has them all, the prize can be gifted to a friend!

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BIG ADVENTURE TOUR!

May 30th- Thea’s Blog and Mine

May 31th- Book Binge & Red Hot Reads

June 1-Smexy Books

June 4- Delighted Reader

June 5- RR@H Novel Thoughts

June 6- Nocturne Reads

June 7- The Book Pushers

June 8- Feeling Fictional & Hanging With Bells

June 11- Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews &  Dark Faerie Tales

June 12- Wicked Lil Pixie Reviews & All Things Urban Fantasy

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THEA AND VIV’S BIG ADVENTURE is brought to you by Thea Harrison and Vivian Arend, New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors with a love for both travel and writing. They have joined together for the nefarious purpose of celebrating their next Samhain Publishing ebooks.

Thea’s DEVIL’S GATE releases June 5. The novella returns readers to the world of The Elder Races. Available at: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Samhain Publishing

WOLF LINE, #5 in Viv’s bestselling Granite Lake Wolves, is available June 12. Available at: Amazon | Barne’s & Noble | Samhain Publishing

Mid-month Update

Yes, I know I’m late. Well, not late, really. I haven’t done an update in a while, but I thought you might like to know what I’m working on.

Waiting for:

•  Cover for High Risk, the first of the Berkley projects. I’m nervously excited to see this one since it’s the first at a new publisher and it’ll be my first cover designed for print/mass market size.

•  Cover for Rocky Mountain Angel. Hmmm, wonder what goodness Angela Waters will bring us this time?

Working on:

•  Edits for Rocky Mountain Angel. Oh Gabe…

• Galleys for Rocky Mountain Desire. The first three Six Pack books will all be out in print by Feb of 2013!

Writing:

Writing High Risk . This is going to be the longest book I’ve written to date. I’ve hit 65K and I’m still going. My novella heart quivers. (I’ll be finishing up the 6th book in the Granite Lake series next and it’s going to go past in a flash! lol)

I’m also thinking about the next Six Pack Ranch book–starting to figure out a few things ahead of time. I’m not so much as plotting as trying to convince the guys to let me know what’s been happening so I can write it down.

Other:

Thea and Viv’s Big Adventure starts NEXT WEEK! 10+ days of cool todbits from Thea Harrison and me as we celebrate Devils’ Gate and Wolf Line. I had such a good time working on this with Thea, she’s a darling.

Also? We bought 10 acres of land, so in my spare time I’m working with my hubby to design the new house we’re building this summer/fall/until we’re done. So it looks as if our gypsy travel energies will be focused on setting up a home base this year. Yes, I’m still going to travel after this, but having a place to store everything while we’re on the road is going to be nice–I was getting tired of putting things into storage all the time.

Questions? Cheers? Groans? Let me know!

Writer’s World

I just realized that I’m approaching an anniversary– the 4 year mark of submitting my first story to a publisher. May 30th is when I sent off WOLF SIGNS to an anthology call at Samhain. I’ve learned a lot over the years—you might call it high-intensity training at times. And while I can only speak for myself, here’s a couple things that have made a difference as I’ve traveled the past four years in publishing.

1. Write. Write. Write some more. 

I mentioned this in passing last Friday. Maybe if I say it again it will sink in how much this is the ONE thing I think needs to happen. Not only does your craft get better, but you have far more potential of getting to the point of making a living when you have more books in publication. Whatever your thing is, if it’s taking sessions at conferences, reading books on the craft of writing, at some point you need to juggle your brain and make it come out of your fingers. Taking another session won’t make you a better writer if you’re not actually writing.

Me? I don’t like books or sessions. When I’m looking for things to improve I ask people I trust who have intimate knowledge of my books and my process. My editor Anne Scott at Samhain has taught me a ton about how to get the story down bigger and better. My friend Ann Aguirre teaches me about productivity just by her work ethic. Bree of Moira Rogers reminds me to stay focused and to put things in perspective (Yes, I do really have a file on my computer labeled “Bree lectures Viv”.

Oh, and writing? Means from the beginning alllllll the way to the The End. Not only can you not sell a story if you don’t finish it, the actual (for most authors I’ve talked to) toughest part of many books is getting past the 2/3 SUCKDOM point. Ie starting can be tough to get the right place, or a breeze. The middle can feel like endless loops of nothing-ness, or can be SO EXCITING it passes in a blur. The end can all fall into place, or you can sweat your way through every word.

Rare is the book that has all three of the -good- versions of easy/hard. Finish the damn book. Then finish the next one.

Plot bunnies that attack are awesome. I jot down a few ideas and then put them aside to breed while I finish the current WIP.

2. The timewasters. Pick yours carefully.

Okay, I lied. Two things need to be emphasized. We all have things we like to do that distract us. Twitter. Facebook, checking rankings on books, Pinterest, IM. Yahoo groups. Tumblr. Email. Reading blogs. Keeping track of what’s going on in the world around us and staying in contact w friends is awesome. But the more of those things you do, the less you’re writing (see #1).

For every new distraction I pick up, I try to drop an old one, just to keep life in balance. And that doesn’t refer to simply online things. We’ve just bought some land and will be building a house. Along with the travel I’ve still got planned and the contracted books. Guess what? Something’s got to give, and if I don’t want it to be my sanity or my marriage, priorities will be adjusted, again, over the next while.

Never apologize for doing what’s right for you / your family / your career. Outside people looking in don’t know all the details. They don’t know what’s happened overnight in your world. I imagine you, like me, have a pretty good idea if XYZ  fits with Life, The Universe and Everything you’re dealing with (that goes on behind the scenes).

I’m not living my life by committee. Neither are you. Be kind to everyone, including yourself.

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Writing is supposed to be enjoyable. That’s MY priority. Doesn’t mean it’s always easy, but I demand it be fun. If I have to feed myself gummy bears every 200 words to reach my goal, I WILL find ways to enjoy even the tough moments. Because the shiny moments are so damn shiny, I can’t get enough of them.