Hailey Edwards's Blog, page 87

Call for Submissions: Witches and/or Demons

Call for Submissions: Witches and/or Demons !

Have a naughty witch or demon that can't behave? Perhaps the two entities find themselves attracted to one another that cause chaos and/or problems in their worlds?

Whatever your Witch and/or Demon is up to, we'd love to read more about them!

As always we ask that the stories end with a HEA (Happily Ever After) or HFN (Happy For Now) but the key piece being plot-driven, a strong paranormal world built and a hot, sexy romance.

All stories will be published as single titles.

Ø Submissions are open to all authors currently published with Liquid Silver books and those wishing to be published with Liquid Silver Books.

Ø All works can be new material. Previously published works or works currently part of a series will not be considered.

Ø All submissions must be exclusive to Liquid Silver Books; if we decline your submission; you are free to submit elsewhere.

Submission requirements:

ü Full manuscript in Arial, 12pt saved as RTF.

ü Length: 20k – 80K

ü Genre: Paranormal Romances featuring Witches and/or Demons specifically

Heat Level:

Ø Open to all our current heat levels – Sterling, Liquid and Molten. Please refer to our submission guidelines for further information.

Ø Deadline: May 1, 2011

To submit, please send manuscript via email to submissions@liquidsilverbooks.com with CALL FOR SUBMISSION: WITCHES/DEMONS in the subject line.

Include your author bio on the first page of your manuscript, attach the MS and a one page snapshot synopsis with your email.

We look forward to reading your submissions!

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me directly – tracey@liquidsilverbooks.com

*permission to forward*

Samhain Publishing Now Hiring Editors

I saw this floating around Twitter tonight. If you're an editor, and you want a great pub to work  for, this is your chance.

Samhain Publishing is looking to hire a few great editors! Interested? Send a query letter to heather AT samhainpublishing.com. Pass it on!

Straight from @HeatherOsborn

What are you waiting for? Apply now!

Six Sentence Sunday

Why not? I'm already here and blogging after all. Regularly scheduled posts will begin again this time next week. (Don't quote me on that.)

Here are six more sentences from Evermine. I will say, I had to bow down to the little voice in my head last week. I scrapped everything I had written, replotted, and have started the book from scratch.

It's one of those odd things where once I got all my ducks in a row, the first chapter wrote itself–and well.

Home smelt odd, welcoming in a way the place lacked since my sister moved out with her mate. Instead of old wood and winter, it smelt of warm oven and sugar cookies, her favorite. Wrinkling my nose, I sniffed the air, followed the sultry current from the front door to the rear of the house and the galley-style kitchen. Touching the stovetop, heat ebbed through the cracked ceramic and thawed my fingers from the outside chill. I frowned. Only two of us knew how to light the stove.

Christmas

I got lazy over the holidays and didn't blog much of anything. Even Six Sunday shut down, which usually keeps me an honest blogger.

I was thinking yesterday that New Year's is around the corner, but it's pretty much just another day at my house. We're much bigger on Christmas, and it signals the end of the year (for me), which is why I believe I turn to mush around this time. My Christmas cards are full of "I love yous" and "thanks for being in my lifes" that sort of thing.

Sometimes, you would be amazed by how one small act of kindness affects another person. They view it differently, possibly because they needed it, while you might not even remember, possibly because it was such a simple thing for you to do.

I spoke with another author once, who told me it meant so much to her when this more established author read an excerpt of hers and said, "You should get this published." It was a revelation to the newbie writer, and validation as well, because someone who knows what they're about said she was good enough and should submit her work.

That's all well and good. That's how the new writer remembers the exchange.

Fast forward a few months, and a conversation about mentors and people who have impacted your writing/career pops up. The new author chimes in about this life-changing exchange. A day or so later, the experienced author chimes in about who influenced her and the like. Then she sees the post by the new author, and she is more than a little surprised. She gave a few minutes of her time, said the first things that came to mind, so no big deal for her. Yet, to see how her comments resulted in the new writer submitting, made her take a step back and think about the power of words.

I'm going off on another tangent, but the point is this–use your words and use them well and kindly. No matter what the reason or the season, it's always welcomed to hear how much someone loves you or what they think of you. If you want to use Christmas or wait for New Year's, it's all good. Just put in that little bit of extra effort to make sure those around you know how much they mean to you.

I'm sure there are some people (read editor) who will think my burst of "I love you-itis" is bizarre, but it's no more strange than the rest of me. (Yes, I realize that's not a ringing endorsement.) This is when I feel the need to thank people, to close out my year on a note of gratitude, and that's how I do.

So, people I have much love and mushiness for this year (in no particular order): Cait, Melanie, Jennifer, Dee Carney, Annie, Vic, Victoria, Joanne, Andreea, Jodi, Ella, Riley, Cheryle, Lana, Debbie, Cathy, Lis, Sasha and Jess.

Then, of course, my family is a rather large lump. I appreciate and love them all. Even my daughter, who is playing in snow without me as I type this blog.

The Squidgy Kindle

If you've been in earshot of me the past few weeks, you've heard me talk about Shadowfae by Erica Hayes. Several of you picked up your Kindles to journey along with me into the Shadowfae world. I'm ever so grateful. Y'all know how I appreciate the company.

Dawn was the first to pick up her Kindle, and she breezed right through Shadowfae. She also beat me through Shadowglass. So while I was reading earlier, through the first few twinges of Ice's squidgy ownership, I thought…that is such a familiar feeling. Then it hit me. Picture Best Buy, the first shipment of Kindle3 readers, and wanting that lovely graphite thing so bad your fingers curl as you walk past the display. That delicious sort of desperation is similar to Ice's initial reaction to the squidgy.

After chatting with Dawn, we agreed that Kindles do have squidgy tendencies. She even whipped up a blog post for me about her addiction.

Everyone has something that, while not necessary to our survival, makes us feel all warm and fuzzy. While reading Shadowglass by Erica Hayes, I was reminded of this in a peculiar way: enter the squidgy. What is a squidgy you ask? Well, a squidgy is shiny, seductive, addicting and borders on insanity. It talks to you and brings out your deepest desires. It leads you down a deep, dark path and whispers in your ear at every fork in the road. It says take me with you and I will be your friend always.  The squidgy is everything that leads you where you never thought you wanted to go.

So, I have come to the conclusion that my Kindle IS my squidgy.  How can a Kindle possibly be anything like what was described above? Well, besides the fact that Shadowglass resides inside its darkened walls, it is one of the most seductive and addictive things I have ever owned.

It goes everywhere I go. I take it out often to caress it and run my fingers over each button. I browse through all of my ebooks thinking mmmm…what should I devour next?

I learn about wicked, naughty things from the depth of its knowledge. I yearn for more and more enlightenment. It makes me purchase any knowledge it does not already house inside its encasement. I seek its comfort when I need to feel those dark enticing tinkles of excitement. I have an extreme desire to buy pretty things and dress it up to show off its alluring nature. It needs everything to showcase its enlightenment by the glow if artificial or natural illumination. I covet it and refuse to share its bountiful attentiveness. It houses beautiful and enticing melodies that I alone can hear.

My Kindle is the ultimate squidgy ever made.

Favorite Seasonal Song

This time of year, you can't get behind the wheel of your car or step into a store without hearing Christmas music. While I'm a fan of seasonal sounds, there's one song I'm always in the mood to hear this time of year. Baby, It's Cold Outside has got to be my favorite cold weather/winter song. There are dozens of variations, but I think my favorite is the Rod Stewart and Dolly Parton duet.

No offense to Dean Martin, who comes in #2 with his duet with Martina McBride.

Six Sentence Sunday

I'm slowly making progress in post NaNo revisions. I have around 30K cleaned up–so about half the book. Not too shabby.

I reached behind my head, grabbed a mixture of shirt collar and skin, then dropped to one knee as I flipped the male over my shoulder. Dishes rattled in the cabinet and footsteps thundered from all directions as more onlookers rushed to the scene.

After I stood, leaving my challenger to moan and curl on the floor, the others scattered with scrunched expressions as if they were leaves blown by a foul wind.

Harper shook his head and covered his mouth with his hand.

"He started it," I said.

"I'm sure he did."

For more Six Sunday fun, check out the official website, right here.

SHOW A ZOMBIE SOME LOVE!

SHOW A ZOMBIE SOME LOVE!

Thanks so much for letting me guest blog today!

Readers often ask me how I come up with ideas for my books, so I thought I'd give you a little behind-the-scenes peek at how I came up with my new release, a paranormal erotic romance from Ellora's Cave called DEAD SEXY.

Before I say anything else though, isn't that cover too hot for words?!  When the art department sent it to me, I probably gazed at it for a good ten minutes in mouth-drooling appreciation before I could email them back telling the artist it not only rocked, but totally fit the book.  The hero is "Dead Sexy," after all!

Okay, back to the story and how I came up with it.  First, to set the stage, I need to share a little something with you about myself.  Well, about my hubby and me, actually.  We love zombie movies, from the George Romero gems to Shaun of the Dead and everything in between, including "Walking Dead," the new series on AMC.  You just can't go wrong with  a movie full of walking dead people, can you?  Well, if you've ever seen a zombie movie (or even you haven't), then you know the creatures aren't the heroes of the film.  I mean, how can they be, right?  They're all dead and decayed and downright unattractive, not to mention pretty damn scary.  Which was why you can imagine my surprise when my hubby suggested I write an erotic romance about a zombie hero.  I was like, you're kidding, right?  What woman in her right mind would fall in love with a dead guy?  No way could that possibly work, or so I thought.

Turns out, my hubby wasn't kidding.  In fact, he started working up ideas for the story.

"The hero didn't have to be a zombie all the time," he told me. "Think outside the box – take a little literary license!"

Okay, I thought. I suppose I could be open minded.

My hubby told me that in his out-of-the-box world, the hunky hero got cursed by an evil Voodoo priestess and only turns into a zombie sometimes.

"I'm listening," I said.

"And when he does go zombie, he doesn't have to be like the kind in the movies," my hubby added.  "Well, he has to look like one, you know all dead and stuff, but he doesn't have to be a mindless creature or attack humans or eat anything gross."

So, brains are completely out, thanks goodness!

"Think Jensen Ackles or Jared Padelecki, with a really, really, really dark tan - (yes, my hubby knows I've got a thing for the Supernatural hunks!) - well, maybe more gray and black than tan, but you get the idea."

I thought about that for a minute.  "So, the hero's dead, but he's still sexy, is that what you're saying?"

"Exactly," he said, giving me a grin as my eyes lit up with understanding.

By that point, my hubby had pretty much sold me on the idea.  Of course, I knew if I ran with it, I was going to have to sell it to a publisher, and I knew that could be tough since the hero is a zombie. But I ran with it anyway and ended up with a full-length novel.  And it came out pretty damn good, if I do say so myself!  I still had to find a publisher for it, though.

About this same time, It just so happens that several of my other books were in the process of being picked up by Ellora's Cave and I thought what the heck?  Why not pitch it to my editor there and see what she thinks?  So I did, and she told me to send it to her.  She was interested to see how I handled the whole zombie-thing.  Well, long story, short, she liked it.  A lot!  My zombie romance with it's dead-sexy hero had a home!  I was thrilled and my hubby walked around for a week with a smug, "I-told-you-so" look on his face.

I've been getting the word out there about DEAD SEXY ever since I signed the contract for it and I'm thrilled with the interest from readers who can't wait to get their hands on it!  I can't wait for them to read it, too!

Now that I've revealed the story behind the story, I thought I'd share the blurb and an excerpt just to whet your appetite for more!

Blurb:

Romance author Simone Kent thinks she might just have found the most perfect guy in all of New York City - in bed and out. But Drake Parrish is about as far from perfect as any man can get. Eight years ago, he was cursed by an evil Voodoo priestess to live part of his life as a zombie. Since then, he has lived like a recluse on New York's Upper East Side, afraid to go out for fear he'll suddenly turn into one of the walking dead.

The sex if the hottest either of them has ever experienced and Simone discovers just how naughty she can be with Drake, while he finds himself feeling things for her that he hasn't felt in a very long time. When the Voodoo priestess learns of their relationship, however, she comes after him again. She is determined to make sure he won't have a future with Simone, even if that means killing both him and the woman he loves.

Excerpt:

As she led him up the steps to the second floor, Drake found himself wondering if she would ask him in. And wondering what he'd say if she did. When they came to a stop outside the door to her apartment, Simone turned to give him a smile.

"I had a great time tonight."

"Me, too."

She caught her bottom lip between her perfect white teeth and chewed on it thoughtfully as if unsure what she wanted to say next. It was probably an unconscious gesture, something she did whenever she was thinking, but to him, it was sexy as hell and all he could think about was kissing her.

Surely, one kiss couldn't hurt. He desperately wanted to. He hadn't kissed a woman in so long. It would be nice to see if he still remembered how.

Before he could stop himself, Drake tilted Simone's face up to his and pressed his mouth to hers.

She tasted just as sweet and delicious as he thought she would. Her lips were soft and pliant under his as she kissed him back, her tongue eagerly seeking his out.

Drake groaned and slid his and into her hair, deepening the kiss. Simone sighed into his mouth, running her hands up the front of his shirt to grasp his shoulders. The feel of her touch was like a tonic to his deprived soul and he let out another groan, deeper this time.

He ran his free hand up her side and around to her breast, cupping it through the soft material of her dress. He couldn't stop himself and apparently, Simone didn't want him to. She moaned and arched against him. He could feel the heat of her pussy through their clothes as she pressed up against his hard cock. Damn, she felt good.

Drake drew her bottom lip into his mouth and gently suckled on it before slowly kissing his way along the delicate curve of her jaw. Simone clutched his shoulders and tilted her head back. He eagerly trailed a path of hot kisses down her neck, then back up, his mouth finding hers again. Simone looped her arms around his neck, pulling him in even closer as their tongues met.

Down the hall, a door slammed, reminding him where they were.

Drake dragged his mouth away from hers, his breathing ragged as he tried to regain control. He had to get it together because he was about five seconds away from doing something really stupid. Like taking her to bed. "I should go."

Her lips curved into a sexy, flirtatious smile. "Or you could stay."

God, how he wanted to. But as much as he'd love to spend the rest of the night exploring every inch of her body, he couldn't take the chance he might go zombie on her right in the middle of sex. Talk about coitus interruptus, And it had already been almost four days since he last turned, which meant he was already pushing his luck.

"You don't know how much I want to," he groaned. "But I can't."

Simone looked up at him with those big, blue eyes. "Why not?"

"Because I…" He hesitated, trying to come up with something that would sound believable. "I have a column due in the morning and I haven't even started on it yet." She knew all about deadlines, so she would understand that. Besides, he did have a column to write, it just wasn't due until next week. "Rain check?"

She looked disappointed, but she smiled anyway. "Absolutely. How does coming over for dinner tomorrow night sound?"

It would be crazy to agree when he could be so close to having an episode, but he couldn't say no. Not when she asked in that soft, sultry voice. "Sounds great."

"Good. Be here at seven."

"Seven it is."

She pulled him down for another long, slow kiss on the mouth. "Don't be late."

His mouth twitched. "I won't." He bent his head to kiss her again, then groaned. "If I don't go now, I'll be here all night."

Simone laughed. "Would that be such a bad thing?"

"Not to me, but my editor at Money Issues might not be too understanding when he doesn't find my column sitting in his inbox tomorrow."

She sighed. "Deadlines can be a real pain in the butt sometimes. Okay, go home and write your column. I'll cuddle up with a bowl of ice cream instead."

He chuckled. "Sounds better than taking a cold shower, which is what I'm going to be doing when I get home." He closed his mouth over hers once more. "See you tomorrow night, beautiful."

Resisting the urge to pull her into his arms again, Drake turned and walked down the hallway toward the stairwell. At the top of the steps, he glanced over his shoulder to see Simone standing where he'd left her, a sexy curve to her lips.

It took every ounce of strength he possessed not to go back and pin her against the door for one more long, lingering kiss. God, what he wouldn't give to spend the night with her. Man, it was going to take more than a cold shower to get her out of his head.

Hope you enjoyed the excerpt and that you can't wait to read more! You can get DEAD SEXY from Ellora's Cave at http://www.jasminejade.com/ps-8917-50...

You can also check out the trailer here!

If you decide to pick up DEAD SEXY, let me know how you like it!

*hugs*

Paige

A Real Eye-Opener

Where to begin with Shadowfae? A friend of mine, Debbie, found this book and decided I must have it. She even got it signed for me. I don't give paper books preference over say…the hundred or so books on my Kindle…but this was signed. Call me crazy, (you wouldn't be the first) but if an author knows a book is intended for me–even during the two seconds it takes them to sign their name and mine–I can't help but view it as a promise that I will read the book.

Even so, it took me a while to get around to it. (Yes, yes, okay, Wicked Kin consumed the past six months of my life. Moving on…) I'm not sure what I expected. Maybe a sexy little read with a touch of magic? Or perhaps I went into the book with the wrong expectations–thinking Fae=familiar. Whatever I thought, I was wrong in an unexpected and marvelous way.

I have spoken to so many people about this book since I sat it down, and I still have difficulty expressing my opinion. It breaks down to this–reading this book was an experience.

The author's voice sank hooks in me. There is so much description, the reader becomes drunk on it. The world is vivid, yet gritty. The content is highly-sexed, but with strong emotional overtones. It made me shiver and sigh. Reading this book was like reading color straight off the page. Shadowfae almost has a taste I will remember because of the amazing detail spent on each character and their actions. Even the ending was somewhat of a surprise. Once in a while it's nice to see a book full of magic tell us that sometimes in life, there is no magical fix for your current situation. Often, your happiness is the direct result of making the most of what you already have.

If you want a unique read best described as a palate cleanser, I suggest you give Shadowfae a try. I've moved on to Shadowglass, and can't wait to see what's next for this new-to-me author.

In a city infested with psychotic fairies and run by sadistic vampire mafiosi, life as a soul-sucking succubus rarely involves lacy lingerie, hot guys or great sex.



Enslaved by a demon lord, Jade must spend her nights seducing vampire gangsters and shapeshifting thugs. After two hundred years as a succubus, she burns for freedom and longs to escape her brutal life as a trophy girl for hell's minions.



Then, she meets Rajah, an incubus who touches her heart and intoxicates her senses. Rajah shares the same bleak fate as she, and yearns just as desperately for freedom. But the only way for Jade to break her bonds is to betray Rajah—and doom the only man she's ever loved to a lifetime in hell.

You can read the first chapter here, purchase a paperback copy here, Kindle copy here, and for more information on this author, visit her website or blog.

End of Days Submission Call-Samhain Publishing

***

End of Days Anthology Call

2012: End of Days Anthology Call

The current Great Cycle, as the Mayas call it, is set to end on the winter solstice of 2012: December 21, 2012. Many people believe on that date the world will change and never be the same. Some predict terrible events resulting in the destruction of our world and some predict that it won't necessarily end, but that humanity will enter a new era and massive changes in social consciousness may occur. Some even predict that humans and humanity may evolve spontaneously to a higher plane.

Samhain Publishing invites you to step into the future when Earth as we know it no longer exists. But the End of Days doesn't mean an end to hope and heroes and, most importantly, love and happiness. Will the world end with a bang or will humanity be changed for the better? Only you can decide.

Samhain Publishing is seeking submissions for their November 2011 End of Days themed anthology. Stories can be of any genre or heat level, and submissions are open to M/F, M/M, or multiples thereof, but all submissions must feature either an apocalyptic or post-apocalyptic theme (or both) as integral to the story. Submissions should be 20,000 to 30,000 words in length. All stories must end with a happy ever after for the hero and heroine. Yes, a HEA in an apocalyptic story – don't you just love the contrast?

Submissions are open to all authors previously published with Samhain as well as authors aspiring to publish with Samhain. Submissions must be new material; previously published material will not be considered. Additionally, manuscripts previously submitted, whether individually or for past anthologies, will not be considered either. Please be aware that manuscripts submitted to this anthology cannot be resubmitted at a later date unless by invitation from an editor. However, submissions with merit for possible publication at Samhain are and will be passed to interested Samhain editors even if not chosen for the End of Days anthology.

Chosen manuscripts will be published as separate ebooks under their individual titles in November 2011 but will be combined as one print title for Fall 2012 print release.

To submit a manuscript for consideration please include the full manuscript (of 20,000 to 30,000 words) with a comprehensive 2-3 page synopsis in addition to a letter of introduction/query letter which details the genre, heat level and story length. Full manuscripts are required.

As well, when you send your manuscript, please be sure to use the naming convention Title_EndofDays_MS and Title_EndofDays_Synopsis. This will ensure that your submission doesn't get missed in the many submissions we receive, and makes it easy for me to find in my ebook reader.

Submissions are open until March 1, 2011 and final decision will be made by April 15, 2011.

Submissions and questions can be directed to Bethany Morgan ateditor@samhainpublishing.com. Please put End of Days Anthology in the subject line.