Kianna Alexander's Blog, page 18

Guest Blog: Cora Blu

Today's guest in Hot MAMA Land is: Cora Blu! Welcome!



Thank you for hosting me today. My name is Cora Blu and I write Contemporary Interracial Romance and Parafantasy Romance. An underwater series. Today I wanted to share how I find my characters voice. The actual sound of their voice. The way I hear a character is vital to how I see them. This adds to their mannerisms, habits, everything. Walking down the street or through a mall, many of us see a person and form a voice for them in our minds. As soon as they begin to speak and a different voice comes out they’re not as attractive or interesting as they were a minute ago. Worst the voice is warmer, graveled, sexier or deeper than you thought it would be. Now you’re standing there staring at a perfect stranger. Lips drying up because now they’re … interesting , attractive, hot. Blind—they’re staring at you now because your mouth is hanging open and your purse strap is hanging off your elbow. One eyebrow jacked up. (You know you’ve been there)That’s how I approach my characters. Listening to the radio is a good way to find pitch in a voice. Not just a deep voice for a brooding hero, but a tone hiding pain. A kind male voice you feel on your skin when the person speaks to you. It lays across you like a spent lover warm and moist with a faint pulse. Not weak, but caring and inviting. Now that voice has to fit the face in my mind. A short statured man, with a boy next door face and a stocky build that could push a F-150 down the street without breaking a sweat, give him that voice and he becomes your best friends brother that you never liked until he pulled the b-b-grill across the back yard at her parents pool party. Now all you need to hear is one syllable in that voice and your disposition changes. You start looking around the room, standing on tiptoe trying to see if you see him. All because the voice is a prologue to the personality. Pair him with the wrong voiced heroine, and the story never works. Place him with a fast talker who speaks faster than she thinks and watch them balance one another out. Once I can hear their voices I can hear them in any room with any person I place them with, because not only do they have a personality, but so does their voice.In my Underwater series, Brothers of Element Series, my heroine, Drew, a human, meets her security, Her’lion, a bull shark shifter, for the first time after meeting her hero Dagger, a tiger shark shifter and King of the Atlantic out on her pier.She couldn’t believe what he was saying. It was more incredible than the idea of living beneath the sea, predators and prey living together in clans. This was straight out of a sci-fi novel. He noticed her confusion.“Come meet my head of security, a bull shark, mated to my life assistant, Carina, a dolphin.”“I can’t concentrate. There’re too many questions to ask.”She watched the men as they approached the pier, introducing themselves and to her surprise, kissing her palm, one by one. Dagger knelt behind her on the pier as a man came closer. His skin was darker than a nightmare; his eyes, a soft purple, almost lavender shade, were serious with pride.”“Queen Drew, this is your personal security, Her’lion. Her’lion, this is your Queen, Drew Hamilton.”“My Queen, it is an honor to serve you.” Dagger’s voice was deep, but this man’s voice led you down a dark alley, to an unmarked door with no handle requiring a password and a handshake for admission—yet somehow she knew him. “Her’lion, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” She threaded her fingers together, uncertain of protocol. “Have we met before?”“I watch from the breakwaters, patrolling with the killer whale you refer to as Bandit.”“Oh—” she said shyly. She’d danced for him that morning to save Jim, so she assumed at the time; now she was embarrassed. “Do not be concerned, my Queen, you believed me to be a threat this morning. You are very brave.”~~~Thank you for sharing time with me. If you have any questions please ask. I would love to give one commenter a copy, in their preferred format, of one of my ebooks, their choice. If it’s from the Brothers of Element Series I’ll add “Desmond” to it. http://corablu.com/blog/ https://www.facebook.com/corabluromanticwaves http://pinterest.com/corablu5/ Books available @Amazon, B&N, Allromance, KoboSincerely, Cora Blu

You know what really makes a romance novelist mad?

Imagine spending months, even years, with the perfect man. He's a little moody, but he has a big heart -- among other big things -- and when you need him, he's right there. Then you have to say goodbye to him and share him with the rest of the world. Yep, your hero is on the shelves and you're left to deal with the men in the real world.

Yes, those men who don't hold doors and give you side eye when you -- in your five inch heels with your hands full -- don't hold the door for them.

Yeah, those men who holler, "Hey baby!" and get mad when you keep walking without looking back.

Umm, those quarterbacks and other "ballers" who think calling a female sports reporter sweetheart or gorgeous in press conferences and on TV is just fine.

I keep a journal and I usually keep it closed tightly. But I have to share this. Over the summer, I attended the first Charlotte Book Fair and was asked, why do I write romance?
The standard answer is it's fun and a great chance to write about love. Granted, that's true but real deal is real men make me sad.

For instance, once upon a time, I was in love with a man I ended up killing in Cautious Heart . He's Damien King, in case you wanted to know.
Well, much like Damien, the man behind the character was a lying cheater and add childish jerk to the list. So, why should I care that you have happy holiday wishes for me?

You -- the same person who tried to sleep with someone I considered a friend?
You -- the person who ruined my Christmases for three years in a row?
You -- the inspiration for a male character who died such a violent death I had to edit myself?

So, I write romance because I can forget people like "Damien King" are real.
I write romance because it gives me hope. I write romance because some real men just make me mad! I know y'all could do better if you tried.
I write romance because at the end of the story, I get a happy ending too. :)

No Black Friday For Me- Tee Hee...

So this is just my crazy chime in post in honor of Black Friday. I'm not a shopper, I shop but it's not a religion for me the way it is for some folks. With that said, I am SOOOOOO glad that my child is getting to the age where he only has small list of one or two must have items. I remember the days of shopping and making sure he had lots of little things to open to make the holiday a bit more special for him. Those were such fun days and the memories are so sweet but only having to be on the look out for that one electronic gadget that he's GOT to have this year is mighty sweet.

Guest Blog: Deatri King Bey

It's Sunday, and that means a guest is stopping by Hot MAMA Land. Today we welcome Deatri King Bey!



The Big Reveal
When do you reveal your past in your current relationship? First, second third date perhaps? Or do you let them get to know you, then you lower the boom! How does that work? I’m serious. If you did something in your past that you’re not the proudest of, would you tell and when? Have you told your significant other everything about your past? How do you decide what to tell?
Does your past really matter if you’ve left it in the past or does it depend on what IT is? I love this show called Drop Dead Diva. In one of the episodes, a husband found out that his wife had murdered someone years before they’d married. Since they’d been together their lives had been perfect. What would you do if you found out the person you love has a checkered past?
What would you be willing to do for the well-being of your family? Would you lie, cheat, steal, murder? Did you have the gut reaction of saying no, no, no, no to all four? Are there circumstances you can imagine where you’d step onto that slippery slope?
That’s where the heroine in my latest romance novel, Stolen Heart, finds herself. She’s done things in her past for the survival of her family. She wants to believe she’s doing the right thing, but is she? When you fall in love, do you reveal all of your past and if so, when? Even if you’ve given up that life? Would you tell the one you love that you used to steal candy as a child? What if your past comes back to haunt you? Here’s a little about Stolen Heart: Desperate times call for desperate measures!In the midst of a desperate time, Taylor Paige reverts to a life of crime; however, the tables have turned and it’s Taylor who ends up missing a most valuable possession. She falls in love with her target, and he steals her heart.As CEO of a multi-billion dollar company, Mike Hughes appears to be at the top of the world. In reality, he longs for something he has never had, a loving family. When Taylor Paige drops into his life he thinks his prayers have been answered, but then he discovers her extra-curricular activities and sets out to save the woman he loves from herself. The problem—she doesn’t believe she needs saving.Purchase in the following formats: Kindle ,  Nook  or Print I’d love to discuss the dilemma Taylor finds herself in and what you would have done. I hope to hear from you after you finish reading Stolen Heart.Visit me online at http://www.DeatriKingBey.com

Time is of the Essence

People think since I’m a full-time writer I have all the time in the world. You’d be amazed. Between appointments, kids, a mother, a husband, and two spoiled dogs, I have to scramble to find time to write.
I’ve read numerous books on time management. In fact, as soon as I got married, I decided I was going to change my schedule and get up with him in the morning and start my day. That way by the time he came home in the evening I would have put in eight hours and be ready to spend the evening together. Well, that shit wasn’t working for me. A writer’s mind just doesn’t work that way. The mind has a mind of its own. Seriously, I can’t just sit down at my desk and say, “Okay, let’s write.” It does what it wants when it wants, and at the weirdest times. Most times I’m writing in line at the grocery store, I’m writing while driving the car. Hell, I’m even writing my next sex scene while I’m making love (which has generated some delicious reading material). One thing I can never seem to do is turn the creative machine on and off at will.
It’s the nature of the beast. Writers need to be inspired to write and sometimes that inspiration doesn’t come between 8-5. My husband doesn’t always seem to understand why he has to be second. So every few days, around five, I’ll turn off the computer long enough to make him dinner, ask him about his day, give him some hugs and kisses, and discover creative ways to put him to sleep (hee-hee). All that just so I can get back to my characters. To me it’s like a soap opera. I want to know what’s going to happen! I hate having to stop and start every time I’m interrupted. For once I want to finish my scene.
Yeah right.
The chances of me finishing a complete book without one interruption… that ain’t happening, but it is an interesting thought.
Hmmm. I wonder if the day will ever come that when the world around us has becomes so overwhelming we can simply pick up the remote control and hit PAUSE.
Just long enough for me to get my book finished.

Hee-Hee.

 

And I thank you!

My post last month was a little heavy, talking about my fears. Hey, what can I say? It was October. Halloween. It all goes hand-in-hand. With that said, the next logical choice, since we're now into November and Thanksgiving is just around the corner, is to talk about what I'm thankful for as an author.

First and foremost, I'm so, so, so thankful for my readers. I love you all, and I mean as more than just a play cousin. ;) I love when readers write to me about my work, even if it's not so positive. I read every e-mail, messages,Tweets, and posts. I respond to everything I can. It always surprises me that I even have readers. I look at you all like you're celebrities. I think, "Oh my, there's a reader over there. Don't look! Don't look! Ooh, she's coming close to me! Squee! Should I talk to her? No, she'll think I'm a dork." Despite what I write, believe it or not, I am painfully shy. So if you ever come to an in-person event for me, please come up to talk to me.

Second, I'm thankful that I do still have story ideas. Once I get the nugget, the germ of the idea for a story, I run with it. Sometimes the inspiration comes in dreams. Sometimes I get ideas from news stories. This will disappoint my friends and co-workers, I rarely get story ideas from them, well, except for the BDSM group I hang out with, but that's a different story. Now, I will get character looks and names from my friends. :)

I'm thankful that I have an incredible support system at home. I know I practically ignore my poor man when I get into my woman's lair and write with my laptop on my lap in bed. He never complains. He'll just pop his head into the room, give me a kiss and let me do my thing. If I didn't have his love and support, as well as the support from my family and my writer friends like Yvette Hines, Aliyah Burke, Denise Jeffries, Di Topaz and Andrea Jackson.

I'm so thankful to find publishers who aren't afraid to publish my work. Hell, I'm thankful to have publisher to accept my work! Writers get the big rejection letters all the time. So I'm thankful when one finds my work good enough to publish.

Have I thanked you readers? You all are too important not to thank more than once. Thank you for digging my craziness.

Stay sexy,

BridgeT
www.BridgetMidway.com

Autumn Madness

Hey, Y'all,
I'm totally late on my post. Why? It's election day! The madness is nearly over. No more of those tasteless television ads blasting the personal character of this person or that person. No more annoying calls asking you who you're voting for. I don't know about you, but I'm feeling a bit of relief at the prospect of having the election be over!

On another note, there is even more madness on the horizon. It's November, and you know what that means- the holidays will soon be upon us. Veteran's Day will quickly morph into Thanksgiving, then Kwanzaa, Hannukah, and Christmas won't be far behind. Some folks will pretty much live in the mall for the next several weeks. As for me, I always give out home made baked goods as gifts, so I'm gearing up for three solid days of being trapped in the kitchen, covered in flour. Heaven help me. :) It's a crazy time of year, and you might find yourself feeling a bit like this....

Also, for writers, November is National Novel Writing Month, a month when we, (however foolishly) try to write 50,000 words. Yes, we try to do this in one month. Emphasis on try. This is my first attempt at NaNo, as it's affectionately called, and so far I've logged in close to 3,000 words. A far cry from the goal, but I'm pleased with myself. I'm working on the long awaited final book in my PHOENIX Files series, Midnight's Serenade. (This is under my Alexandra Kane pen name.) Look for updates on my progress in the coming weeks, and a cover reveal in late January/early February.

So, I'll close with a question. How do your survive the Autumn Madness that sets in this time every year? Leave your comments below, because maybe we can help each other get through it.

Until Next Time,
Kianna

The Future Is Bright- My Chance to Talk with Rising Stars

A rare and wonderful thing happened to me last month. I had the chance to speak with two very distinct and distinguished groups. Despite their differences, each group shared a common label. They were all students. Distinctly different in that both groups were at opposite ends of the education spectrum: Middle School and College.

So what made them distinguished? Well I could say you had to be there because what incredible experiences they were... so let me tell you just a bit about the events- just a bit because it'd be quite difficult to fully relay the true excitement and awesomeness of my time with these groups.

At the beginning of the month, I had the chance to speak with my son's 6th grade class- we're talking over 100 sixth graders folks!! This was the largest and youngest group I've spoken to thus far and I was quite on edge about things before we got started. I hoped they wouldn't bee too too bored seeing as how I hadn't written anything that could be labeled as appropriate reading material for a middle school audience. You can't imagine my surprise when it was time to talk to this energetic crowd and have them appear literally riveted on every word. My talk centered around the basics of what it takes to be a writer and the process of a book going from concept to creation. I bought copies of my manuscripts, outlines, cover-flats  promotional posters, etc.

And the questions! The questions these folks had-phenomenal! They were so thought provoking. The kids wanted to know about my inspiration, what kinds of books I like, how I handled people who didn't believe in me, how much money I make :-). Seriously, the interest was equal on both sides- girls and boys. As the mother of a son, it was very refreshing to see so many boys interested in the book biz and to see their faces light up in recognition when I talked about my favorite reads and they saw me hold up my copies of Harry Potter and A Series of Unfortunate Events. The success of this visit thoroughly set the tone for an amazing week. It was an experience that I'll always treasure.

Two weeks later, I was blessed with another experience to treasure when I visited the College of Charleston to speak with my cousins's Black Women Writers class. Her professor; who also reads my books, was so welcoming. Before the class, she took time to tell me a bit about what the class was discussing. As we chatted, I was inwardly praying that this group would be as receptive as my middle-schoolers. After all, this conversation promised to be a lot more involved and a lot longer.

Again, I was blown away. It was such a multi-faceted conversation. With this group of young women (and one young man) we spoke on a broad range of subjects. We talked at length about the 'stigma' often associated with the romance genre. One issue that I had the chance to speak with the professor about before the class began, was the distinctions between literary and genre fiction. Why is it that when literary fiction- in which the black woman is heroine- doesn't leave us that HEA ending, it is more widely accepted and taken more seriously than in romantic fiction where the HEA is standard? There are those who say a happily ever after ending isn't real. Why not? It was exhilarating to speak with students on this subject.

During lunch, we discussed the fact that black couples struggle with many of the same issues as white couples; not spending enough time together, husband working too much, husband not wanting wife to work, etc... It's not all about finances and how is the light bill gonna get paid this month. Yes, we do live well, go on vacations, are educated, enjoy the theater. Yet there are those subtleties that distinguish us from other cultures. The conversation segued, merging between literature, state of the world, racism, the college experience, movies, music and of course romance.

So when I say it was an Amazing Experience  it truly was. I feel so honored to have had these opportunities. This October was one of the most hectic months I've had in a very long time. These two events made the challenges of the past month seem so insignificant.

The older generations (I include myself in that group) are understandably concerned about the future. We wonder whether the younger generations are serious, are they ready to take up the banner for change and to fight for it. Are they even aware of the need for change? From what I saw this past month, they are very aware of it. They are definitely thinking about the world and their place in it. I can say with utter confidence that the future is bright.

Readers loved him. . .I didn't

When I write, I expect everyone to like the characters I love and hate the ones I don’t. It doesn’t always work that way.  When I wrote The Business of Love , I thought I’d created the most annoying younger sibling ever in Cleveland Alexander (More Than He Can Handle). 

He was rude, arrogant and so unsupportive of his brother’s relationship with Jill.  Quite frankly, he was acting the same way I did when my brother and sister got married. But hey, I was a teenager losing my buddies – I had an excuse. 
Cleveland, on the other hand, had an attitude problem. But he had something else too. Fans. 
I got so many emails from readers asking “when is Cleveland’s story coming out?” My initial thought was never-- ever! I just couldn’t see myself dedicating months and months to being alone with this man.  What kind of woman would want to deal with him? That’s when you have to be creative. I decided that Cleveland’s woman had to feel the same way I did about him – at least at first. As I got to know Cleveland, I realized that he wasn’t that bad. And he actually became one of my favorite heroes. 
See, I didn’t know Cleveland when we first met. And as much as I don’t like to admit it, Cleveland and I are a lot alike. Pig-headed. Fiercely protective of our older siblings – as if we know so much more than they do – and dedicated to that one special person we love. It looks as if the readers were right. Cleveland deserved his story and I’m glad I got a chance to tell it.    Coming in May, 2013: Forces of Nature

Crystal Hughes is mad as hell…No one is going to tear down the farmland that’s been in her family since the turn of the century—certainly not multimillion dollar Welco Industries. And until Welco's president meets with her, Crystal will wage a fiery one woman protest to prove it! But when he finally appears, Douglas Wellington III is far from the elderly curmudgeon she expected...Tall, lean, and fabulous, Douglas is in for a surprise of his own. Crystal's cafe au lait beauty takes his breath away. Still, if she had any sense, she'd realize his project will save the impoverished community. With battle lines drawn, Crystal issues Douglas a challenge: spend one week on the land he wants to destroy. He agrees, if only to be alone with her. But when nature takes over amid North Carolina’s lush countryside, these two warriors just may discover what happens to even the best laid plans...

A Sweet Addiction

As a writer, one thing I have noticed about my readers is that no matter how many books I release, their favorites are always the series. I get emails all the time about the Beaumonts, and requests for me to finish the Campbell series, and then there are the Sexy Simmons brothers. Readers become so addicted with authors' series that I had to poll the question, what is it about them you love so much? And the majority had the same response.

They’re sexy.
Hmmm. I can’t disagree with that. Most of the men are tall and have generously been dipped in dark chocolate. And then there is Reggie a crowd favorite, who I haven’t the guts yet to try and resurrect in a sequel. Reinventing that man requires time. LOL!
Readers also like revisiting and catching up with the families. According to them, book series are like watching the soap operas. You begin to connect with the characters and start to feel like part of the family.
I’ll be honest, I have a reader that I email every time I need help with one of my characters to verify information before I even try and write a sequel. I know, that sounds pretty sad that I can’t keep track, but it’s readers like her that give me the 411 on my characters. I get confused, but she (bless her heart) has created a catalog of all her favorite characters down to the size of their… Well, you get the idea.
I’ll let you in on a secret. Writing sequels are hard work because they require authors to revisit their characters again. I have to review my notecards and make sure I keep my facts straight, not to mention, I must ensure the hero I have created has the same voice, style, etc. Whoo-weee! It’s hard work but worth every second just to hear the excitement, and read the comments.
Well, it’s back to my holiday novella. I’m creating another chance for readers to revisit with their favorite family just in time for Christmas. The Beaumonts.
Until Next time,