Inara Scott's Blog, page 7

Seven Days of Winning

I have a need. A need to celebrate! I've been absolutely nuts for the past month, and expect to be nuts for another two months, so I haven't been able to be as chatty and present on Facebook and Twitter as I usually am. BUT I have a new book coming out (in SEVEN DAYS!!! SEVEN!!) and I want to share it with as many people as I can. So that's why I'm going to launch my SEVEN DAYS OF WINNING. Seven days of winning my book, that is.

She made all the rules…

After juggling the demands of her career and the stress of caring for her ailing mother, high-powered corporate attorney Tori Anderson doesn't have time for relationships—but that doesn't mean she doesn't want to feel like a woman. When Brit Bencher, NYC's most eligible bachelor, offers a no-strings attached fling, it sounds like exactly what she needs. But what will she do when her Brit decides he won't take "one night stand" for an answer?

…until he started breaking them.

Brit Bencher will do anything to take care of his family, even seduce Tori Anderson in the hopes of getting her to reveal confidential information about one of her clients. But for the first time in his life, he finds he's falling for a woman. When Tori uncovers his lies, will he lose his chance with her forever?

If that doesn't convince you that you want to read it, how about this review?

Inara Scott's Rules of Negotiation is everything I love in a book–smart, snappy dialogue, a hero to die for and heroine to root for. Wicked, sexy and fun, with lots of heat and plenty of heart. This is one deal you'll want to negotiate ASAP!

–Susan Sey, award-winning author of Money Honey (Berkley).

Sound like fun? Here comes the SEVEN DAYS OF WINNING part. I'm giving away one copy of RULES a day between now and February 14th. The rules are simple: head on over to my Facebook fan page (www.facebook.com/inarawrites). "Like" my page and leave me a comment letting me know that you'd like to read RULES. I'll contact one winner each morning from the comments the night before. You can only win once, but comment as often as you like!

A quick vlog: a little bit of magic

Hi friends! Yesterday, I was out for a walk in a nearby wetland with my buddy Rosco. As I walked, I plotted my next book (I think contemporary romance, set in Portland). The sun was shining, and there some amazing birds calling, and I was suddenly overwhelmed by how lucky I was to be in that place, living a full, magical life. So I took a little video, and thought I would share it with you all.

So here it is! I hope you find a little bit of magic this weekend, too.

Novel or Novella?

By now, everyone knows the growth of e-readers is propelling big changes in the way readers read, and authors write.

One change I see is the growth of the novella as a viable alternative to the traditional, full-length novel. In the past, novellas were hard to market and package. Publishers had to put several together into one book in order to make them commercial, and that meant that readers had less choice when it came to authors and story lines. You couldn't just pick out your favorite author or series. You had to take them all. Which could be fabulous, but also limiting.

With e-books, everything changed. Publishers can now develop and market novellas tied to established series, or as stand-alone works. Novellas are short and intense; they can deliver happily ever after, but must do so without the complete world-building, subplots, and description of a full length novel. They are typically priced well below a novel, and can be easily consumed on a phone or e-reader, while waiting for the bus or working out at the gym.

So my question is: have you read a novella recently? Do you enjoy them? What drives you to buy a novella rather than a novel?

Instant Stress Relief

I'm running in a million different directions right now — I'm teaching my first law school class at Lewis and Clark, working part-time in the utility biz, doing outreach for the Honoring Our Rivers student anthology (19 days left for entries!), finishing up copyedits for Rules of Negotiation, and planning my promotion schedule for the March launch of The Talents and the April (long-awaited!) launch of The Marked. Needless to say, I'm a teenie-weenie bit overextended. So, of course, I reached out to social media. I asked my Facebook friends for suggestions for quick stress relief activities, and I got GREAT responses

Now, I know I'm not the only one who occasionally takes on a bit too much, so thought I should pass these along. If you have other ideas, please let me know! My goal is to get through this all without my brain exploding, and I figure I can use all the help I can get.

From Jess (a yoga instructor!), I got a great suggestion for breath work: ‎"4-7-8 breath is my fave. Inhale for the count of 4, hold for 7, and exhale through the mouth for 8. Stay relaxed when you hold for 7, and imagine releasing stress when you exhale."

Dear friend (and bride to be) Sarah suggests: "Cat in the lap."

From Marianne, my lake buddy: "our dentist has a huge fish tank in the lobby, aside from the irony of going to the dentist's to relax, watching fish is always nice!" (Thanks for reminding me that I'm way behind on my teeth cleaning, BTW!)

YA Bad-Ass Jen Violi (2012 Oregon Book Award Nominee!) suggests: "Put on your favorite dance music (or just play it in your head) and shake it all out–whole body, top to bottom."

Susan Gee Heino, fabulous Regency author (on whom I have a huge crush, but don't tell her I said that) has great advice: "Schedule a couple naps. Sometimes just knowing that you have time and permission to shut down for a bit makes the stressful times easier to take."

I got lots more great suggestions, including dog-walking (yes!), drinking (of course), comfort food & sweets (which, of course, I was already doing), and yoga. I loved them all!

I hope these are useful — please share in the comments if you have other ideas for me, or the rest of the world. I think we can all use it!

(and now I'm going to walk the dog while drinking something sweet, breathing deeply, and thinking about fish.)

The winner is…

CANDACE!!!

Candace, email me (inara.scott at gmail dot com) with your address so I can send off your prize!

Thanks everyone who stopped by and commented, I really appreciate the good wishes and can't wait to share the book.

Using that law degree

Many of you probably know that I practiced law for ten years before quitting in June of 2010 to spend more time writing. I worked in private practice for five years, and then went in house to work for a utility company. Basically, I did the corporate law/publicly traded company/management thing for a decade, and during that time, I had to fight like hell to strike some sort of balance and create a life that wasn't just about work.

Throughout all those years, my husband was my anchor and my sanity. Whenever I would start to get overwhelmed, he'd bring me back to earth. When I took myself too seriously, he made me laugh. When I worked long days, he picked up the slack. At every turn, he inspired me with his utter dedication to our kids. Really, he saved me from becoming a workaholic, and I often wondered: what would I have become if I hadn't met him? What if I didn't have a husband and kids to ground me and give me a reason to come home?

Answer: I would have been a very lonely person. A lonely person in desperate need of a happy ending.

And thus, a story is born.

In 2009, I started writing my what if. I took one smart, ambitious lawyer who was much more confident about her ability to write a brief than land a man, and buried her in her job. Then I went about finding her a mate. Someone to save her from herself.

His name, I'm happy to say, was Brit. And he was rich, gorgeous, and more than up to the job.

(In case you're wondering, my husband is also handsome and brilliant…but perhaps not quite as rich as Brit. LOL.)

In late 2011, I sold that story, which I called Rules of Negotiation, to Entangled Publishing.

Oh yeah, this is the SQUEE part!!! I've got a new book coming out!! SQUEE!!!

I've been keeping this (sort of) under cover for months, but it's time to come clean. In February (um, that's like a month away) I'll be one of the authors launching Entangled's new Indulgence line. Indulgence, overseen by Editorial Director Lori Wilde, is a line of short, sexy romances with modern heroines, alpha heros, and lots of happily ever after (my favorite!). You can read more about Indulgence here.

This is a sit-down-and-read-in-one-gulp kind of book, a romantic fantasy about a woman who finds true love despite all her best efforts to hide from it. I couldn't have been happier than to sell it to Entangled, and I can't wait to share it with all of you! (Actually, just those of you over 18–this is an adult book, after all. )

Now, a new book deal deserves a giveaway, so in honor of Rules of Negotiation, I'd like to give away a copy of my October 2011 Entangled title, Radiant Desire. It's a hard copy, too. Yum.

Be sure to leave me a comment, and please check back to see if you've won!

HUGS and HAPPY DANCES!

Astonishingly Cool New Cover

I know, authors aren't supposed to use flimsy adjectives like "astonishing" or "fabulous" or "wonderful." They also probably shouldn't say, "holy crap that is so flippin' cool!" But whoever came up with that rule obviously hasn't seen this MIND-BOGGLINGLY AMAZINGLY FULL-OF-AWESOME cover for the German release of the series formerly known as Delcroix Academy! (which will henceforth be known as TSFKADA):

Notice, I did not say that this was the cover for The Candidates. Or The Talents. Because in Germany, Dancia will be attending Night Academy. I know. More coolness abounds.

So, now Dancia's first book has had 3 covers. And can I tell you a story? Here, lean closer and I'll whisper in your ear:

I think I like this one best.

Whew! So glad to get that off my chest. I mean, come on! Look at the model–she's incredible! And the school looks creepy, and there's a whole atmosphere thing going on and then you see the hidden texture in the background.

Oh man.

But enough about me — what do YOU think about my new cover?!

Winner Revealed!

Hey friends — I realize this wasn't entirely fair, because you haven't read the book, but I really appreciated all the comments and votes for my little cover contest. I think the cute couple votes had it — but to be perfectly fair, I think my (hypothetical) book has a young, urban feel that works better with a Julie James sort of model.

Sooo…I loved Kira's comment about the empowered woman on the couple, and my (hypothetical) heroine is definitely kick-butt, which means…

KIRA DECKER, YOU ARE THE WINNER!

Please email me (inara.scott at gmail dot com) with your address so I can mail you a copy of Radiant Desire! Here's to strong women and the men who love them.

BTW, I will send all your awesome comments to the cover gods. I'm sure there will be more cute couple covers in the future!

What do you think? Surrender to the abs?

Well friends, I still can't make a formal announcement, but let's just say, for hypothetical sake, that I will be coming out with a new contemporary romance. Let's also say, hypothetically, that the heroine is a lawyer, the hero is a CEO, and it's sexy, funny, and of course ends with a happily ever after.

Hypothetically.

Now, if this scenario were true, I would have to give my publisher ideas for the cover of this imaginary book. And while I knew for a fact that my faerie Handmaids needed to feature a woman on the cover, I am not so sure about this book.

I'm pretty sure a half-naked man isn't appropriate. But a clinch of some kind? Cute guy, maybe in a suit?

Hmmm. As I see it, I've got three main options. First, there's the adorable single girl on the cover. Then there's the adorable COUPLE on the cover.

And finally, there's the smoking clinch cover, a la the other woman who writes about female lawyers, the incredible Julie James:

I must say that this story (should it exist) does not take place in a small town, and will never be described as "cozy." But is it fun, contemporary, and there's definitely a smoking hot guy involved.

So the question for you, dear readers, is which cover style do you like best? Cute girl, cute couple, or hot couple?

Leave me a comment, and I will pick one lucky voter to win a copy of Radiant Desire!!

Why Revisions Are Hard

I'm knee-deep in revisions on a project I haven't even told you about yet, but I will soon. Promise. Anyway, I just spent 10 minutes (okay, maybe small exaggeration, but at least five minutes) on two short paragraphs. And I am reminded why revisions can take so bloody long.

Here's the section I'm working on. Set up: Tori is a lawyer, talking to her assistant. Tori is desperate to make partner before her mother, who has Alzheimer's, is too far along to know that Tori has succeeded. As a result, she has little time for socializing — or men. In this scene, her assistant is urging her to have a fling with a sexy guy she met the weekend before, who just sent her a dozen roses.

 

"Betsy!" Tori slapped her hands against the files stacked up on her desk. "I don't have time for a one-night stand. I assume, since you make my calendar, you've looked at it? Do you see a lot of free nights in there?"

"That is your choice, not a requirement," Betsy retorted. "At least give Brit a call. You've got to thank him for the flowers, don't you?"

"I'll send him an email."

 

This was okay, but I wanted Betsy to push Tori a bit more, and reference Tori's recent success with a client. So I made a little change, and that change set off a domino run of problems. See if you can tell why I wasn't happy. The words in red are new:

 

"That is your choice, not a requirement," Betsy retorted."You just closed a huge deal. You could take a night off."

Tori narrowed her gaze, not backing down an inch.

Betsy sighed. "Right. You're like talking to a brick wall. At least give Brit a call. You've got to thank him for the flowers, don't you?"

 

Did you catch the problem? Now I've got "talking to a brick wall" rhyming with "give Brit a call."

I tried various ways of revising the sentences, and finally come up with:

 

"You're like talking to a brick wall. At least call him. You've got to thank him for the flowers, don't you?"

 

I like the way wall and call are separated by structure, but of course, I've created a new echo-y problem:

 

"At least call him. You've got to thank him for the flowers…

 

I tear out a few piece of hair, pet the dog, and drink more coffee. Then I play around with this for another few minutes and end up with:

 

Betsy sighed. "Right. You're like talking to a brick wall. At least call him. You've got to say thank you for the flowers, don't you?"

 

Great. Problem solved. Tomorrow, I will probably delete this whole section and render all this work meaningless. But at least it gave me something to blog about.

 

HA! The life of an author…