Elise Hepner's Blog, page 18
May 9, 2012
Erotic Romance Madness Hop, Giveaway, and Megan Hart's "Collide"
Hi everyone, I've joined in on The Romance Reviews Erotic Romance Blog Hop to rant and rave about my one of my favorite all time erotic romance books. I'm also giving away any 2 books from my back list at the winner's request from May 10th-14th. I'll you've got to do is comment to win!It's no secret that I read like I may never pick up a book again. Which is why I tend to devour a particular author that I like and go on a kick where I'll read nothing but that author until I'm sick of them. This happened to me with Megan Hart's novel Collide from the now defunct
Blurb: A childhood accident left Emmaline vulnerable to disturbing fugue states that last only minutes, but feel like an eternity. The blackouts are unsettling but manageable until she meets Johnny Dellasandro.
The reclusive painter gained notoriety in the '70s for his debauched lifestyle and raunchy art films. His naked body has achieved cult status, especially in Emm's mind—she's obsessed with the man, who's grown even sexier with age. Today Johnny shuns the spotlight and Emm in particular until she falls into a fugue on his doorstep.
In that moment she's transported back thirty years, crashing a party at Johnny's place in his wild-man heyday— the night is a blur of flesh and heat that lingers on her skin long after she's woken to the present.
It happens again and again, each time-slip another mind-blowing orgy, and soon Emm can't stop, though every episode leaves her weaker and weaker. She's frightened by what's happening to her, but she's even more terrified of losing this portal to the Johnny she wants so badly. The one who wants her, too, and takes her—every chance he gets.
This was the very first time I'd read a time travel romance and ADORED EVERY SINGLE SECOND. Time travel is not my thing--unless you count my obsession with the movie Kate and Leopold --but that has Hugh Jackman in it so I'm allowed a pass. Unless it's Hugh Jackman, I can't get on board. But, before you stop reading because you're like me and this concept doesn't float your boat know this--Collide is a time travel that's wrapped up in a contemporary shell and pulled off flawlessly. The heroine has a condition where she goes into fugue state because of an accident that resulted in a brain injury:
Fugue: a period during which a person suffers from loss of memory, often begins a new life, and, upon recovery, remembers nothing of the amnesic phase.
Not only is this a completely plausible reason for her to go back in time through her mind and meet the hero when he was younger--but it's like time travel light without the sci-fi. And the hero, hunky older neighbor Johnny is one of the sexiest men I've ever read on paper. In my top 5 hero's of all time right next to Rhett Butler. Not only is he sexy in a naughty, cocky, older man professor kind of way, but I even love him in the past too! He has such pure depth and epic awesomeness that both halves rock my world. Though it's the same man in two different stages of his life they are both topple me over with a feather wonderful. I don't think I've ever been so infatuated with a hero or a plot in my life.
I literally read the whole book from front to back in 24 hours and tried not to go to the bathroom at risk of a kidney infection so I didn't have to put it down! The connection between the main characters as Emm learns about Johnny through her fugue's kept me riveted--and I cried more than once for this believable, wonderful couple. In this book you got to the soul of every character and every person was a 3D individual breathing on paper. Which can't always be said when I've read many a plot device holder character.
Hart manages to make this book plausible while weaving a lot of threads and while juggling an intense, passionate, soul-searching love through two different time periods. She writes with grace, humor, beauty, and so much sizzle I had fantasies arising from scenes in this book for weeks! This book spoke to me in every way a special story can--I only hope it captivates you as much as it did to me. Despite the passage of time this is one I'll be going back to again and again.
What is your favorite book with secondary characters that come to life? Throw your answer in the comments section May 10th to midnight the 14th to win 2 copies of books from my back list--winner's choice!
Please click on the button below to go to your next stop on the Hop!
Emma Hillman Talks Shifter Sparks
I've got Emma Hillman stopping over from her blog with a full tank of writing gas and lots of books under her belt to prove it. She's talking about her new book in her erotic romance shifter series with Resplendence Publishing. Welcome, Emma and thanks for stopping by!
Thanks a lot to Elise for having me on her blog today!
I'm celebrating the release of the third book in my lion shifter Grassroots series, Live It Up; a book that I love but took a while to complete. And I'm entirely to blame for this!
You see, I'd decided it would be good if the book was different to the two previous ones in the series (Rough It Up and Suck It Up). Lo and behold, I started the book on a bad note. Really, if my heroine Sunny could have talked back, she'd have been cursing me out. And that's really not her. She's usually a glass-full kind of girl... Well, except when I make her meet with a crazy shifter in the middle of nowhere and she ends up hurt.
That's when I ended up cursing myself out too. Because this was supposed to be an erotic romance. It's not easy having sex scenes when the heroine is covered with blood, people! Hmm, although I guess if you write vampire romances, maybe that works? Moving on...
So here I am, with my heroine rescued by the valiant, if fur-covered, hero...and nothing can happen. Or can it? I think that's where I'm supposed to tell you you're going to have to read it to find out, but I'm not that mean.
So back to my, slow, very slow, writing. Here I am, trying to imagine what could happen next when I come up with something even worse. Because I really do like making my life more complicated, I ended up with two characters completely opposite to each other.
Take one human female. A carefree vegetarian human female. Think about that for a minute. Then imagine the man I picked for her. The Enforcer, the deadliest shifter in his Pride.
So what happens when you pair them up, you ask? Sparks! And some very funny conversations. Oh, and some hot sex too, of course. It is an erotic romance after all ;)
Blurb:Andy’s been after an insane shifter for days, but when he rescues Sunny, the human female Mary had decided would make a good snack, he finds himself entangled with someone completely opposite to him. He's his Pride Enforcer. She's human. He lives for his job. She lives in the moment. Nothing good can come out of this. So what if his lion yearns for her?What Andy and the rest of the Pride don't understand is that Sunny might not be a shifter but that doesn't mean she's weak. She knows what she wants and she's going to get him...whatever it takes.Excerpt:
It took Sunny five miles to realize she’d seriously messed up this time. Her fingers clenching on the wheel, she ignored the woman sitting beside her and her increasingly crazy talk, praying inwardly that a town would soon appear in the distance.Sunny had been driving with no specific goal in mind, happy with the world, the sun shining, the air dry. She had enough money for gas, meatless tacos for lunch and a motel room for that night. She’d been in a great mood, so when she’d noticed the car parked haphazardly on the side of the road and the woman bent over beside it, she’d automatically stopped to offer her help.Big mistake.The woman, Mary she’d said her name was, had looked normal. Sure, her clothes were a little dirty, her hair matted with sweat. But hey, Sunny would have been in a state too if her car had died on her. Hmm, all right, not really. She’d probably have declared she needed to walk anyway to burn off all those highway tacos she’d been eating. Anyhow, that wasn’t the issue at hand.No, the problem was that Mary was clearly unstable.A hissing sound echoed inside the car. Sunny looked to her right, and her eyes widened. “What the hell?” she gasped.Mary’s eyes had turned a weird color. It was almost as if her face had changed somehow too, as if her bones were too big for her skin.“Are you okay?” Sunny heard herself ask.The woman stared back at her. She didn’t respond. She didn’t even try to appear…normal. The car hit gravel, and Sunny swerved it back onto the road, breathing heavily when she realized she’d been so caught up with Mary’s weird trance-like state she’d nearly gotten them into an accident.“Stop the car.”I will not look at her. I will not…“Don’t worry,” Sunny said, her forced joyous tone making her ears ache. “I’m sure the town isn’t far.”“Stop the car.”“Really, we’ll be fine. I’m sure there’ll be a garage open and you can—”“I said, stop the car!” Fingers grabbed Sunny’s right hand and tugged so hard she could feel her skin break. She bit back a sob, fighting to keep control of the car, but nails started digging into her, the scent of blood soon permeating the small enclosed space.“What are you doing?” she yelled.One look at her neighbor and she knew she faced certain death if she stopped the car and let Mary get to her.Sunny had no idea what the creature was, but she wasn’t human. She couldn’t be. Her features were grotesque, but that wasn’t the worst of it. No, the sharp teeth were.“Mmm, blood,” Mary said, her voice sounding garbled. An enormous tongue slid out to lick her stretched lips, as if she was already imagining eating Sunny.Sunny knew she only had a few vital seconds. She stared through the windshield and spotted a few straggly trees. One turn of the wheel was all it took for the car to change course. Hoping her seatbelt and airbag would work, she closed her eyes and prayed.If it didn’t work, at least, she’d get to see her parents again. That was the last thought she had before the car smashed headfirst into a tree.* * * *“Stupid, stupid human.”Guess my plan didn’t work, Sunny thought as she woke up and heard Mary’s growl.She guessed they were somewhere in the open because she felt rocks digging into her back and butt. Her head throbbed. Her arms throbbed. Her whole body felt as if she’d fallen down a cliff.You crashed the car into a tree. What did you expect?True.She blinked, but sweat and blood had glued her eyelids to her face. She tried to move her right arm to rub at them, but something stopped her. She was tied up.That’s when panic really set in.She was in the middle of nowhere with a freak. She couldn’t see anything. She couldn’t move. And all this because she’d wanted to help a fellow woman! Damn her stupid principles. Was she really going to get killed because she’d been too nice?“Your blood tastes so good.” A raspy tongue licked her neck.Sunny shuddered, trying not to wince as the touch reopened wounds she hadn’t even felt before. Pain hit. Blood trickled down her shoulder. A low growl rang out and the tongue lapped it all up.“What are you?”Mary cackled. “You don’t wanna know, li’l human.”This is a nightmare, and I’m going to wake up any second now. That’ll teach me to watch horror movies before going to bed.But the nightmare didn’t stop, and as the creature played with her, digging into the cuts Sunny had gotten during the crash for more of her blood. Sunny knew she wouldn’t last long.She already felt herself starting to fade, dizziness threatening at the edge of her mind. It was a good thing she couldn’t watch after all, she decided after a long moment.She could just lie there with her eyes closed and imagine herself somewhere else. She could go back to her childhood commune where everyone had been happy, where her parents had been so content with their lives that their love had been her only force.She’d endured ridicule from the town kids because even at such a young age she’d known the truth. It was better to be different than to be unhappy.And even now, as she felt life slowly trickle from her, one drop of blood at a time, Sunny smiled. She might have only been on this planet for twenty-five years, but she’d been happy, and that was all that mattered.She was so lost in thought, so ready for the end to come, that she didn’t notice at first that the creature had stopped. It was only when Sunny heard the menacing growl from her left that she jerked back to the present. Pain hit, making her gasp and writhe on the ground.“What are you doing, Mary? Didn’t you cause enough trouble as it is? You had to hurt a human too?”Sunny froze. Who the hell is that?The husky male voice still echoed around them when Mary hissed back, “You killed my sister!”“Not me personally, you know that. Your sister was crazy, Mary. She was going to rape my brother’s mate.”“You killed her! And now I have nothing left.”“So you kidnapped another woman? Is that what it is?”“She’s mine. You can’t touch her,” Mary added just before claws dug into Sunny’s calf.Sunny tried to move away from the painful touch, but she wasn’t strong enough. I’ve lost too much blood, she thought in a corner of her mind.“I don’t want to kill you too, Mary, but I don’t think you’re giving me much choice.”The creature laughed. “You may be the Enforcer, but you’re not that strong. I’m not like my sister. I’m not weak.”Silence met her words.Then a roar rang out, and something, someone crashed into her legs. Sunny flailed at the feel of…fur? Yes, it was fur brushing her bare skin. What the hell are these people?She tried to cling to consciousness as they fought each other right beside her. She didn’t even know who she wanted to win, mostly because she was pretty sure she’d be dead by the end of it anyway.The man hadn’t sounded much nicer than Mary. At least, he didn’t spend the past hour lapping at your blood. Yes, there was that.She fainted again.
BUY LINK
April 29, 2012
A Guest From Sexy Outer Space
Today I've got my lovely Ellora's Cave fellow author Stormie Kent guest posting on my blog! I've opened up my little haven to infinity and beyond for her to discuss her sexy, sci-fi books. At the bottom of the post we've asked for some of your feedback in the comments and one lucky commenter will win a copy of Enslaved in Desire!
Hi, Elise! Thanks for having me here today to take over your place. (Insert hand rubbing and fiendish laugh.)When I wrote my eBook, Enslaved in Desire, I actually sat down to write another novel for a theme submission about pirates. (Space pirates to be exact.) Fortunately or unfortunately, I couldn’t complete that project in time for the submission deadline. Venn and Camryn wanted their story told. Their story was something entirely different than the romances I had written and submitted before. Enslaved in Desirebegins with the alien invasion of Earth and incorporates space travel, fight scenes, sex slaves, hot sex and true love. Yes, I said true love. What is more “true” than settling differences of species, race, space and ideology just so you can be with the person who is your ONE? (As in one and only.) Here is Enslaved in Desire’s blurb followed by an excerpt to give you an idea of the types of *cough* tension filled moments that prompted Camryn and Venn to settle their differences and take the leap into love.
BLURB:Camryn is taken captive after Earth is invaded by hostile aliens. She is sold as an exotic, an expensive sex slave. Camryn is willing to do anything to survive and escape captivity. That includes convincing her master that she enjoys his touch. Then she is purchased by the sexy warrior Venn. Now she must convince herself that she can resist a male whose every caress ignites a passion she has never known.Venn is an empathic and hyper-sensitive tribal lord from planet Ordan. He has never owned a slave, yet he cannot resist the beautiful Earth woman. She teases his heightened senses and pushes past the control he has over his emotions. Venn struggles to own Camryn’s body with scorching sex and a firm hand. And when his possession of her body is complete, he’ll try to claim her soul.
EXCERPTThe following excerpt is for those readers who are 18 and over only.Copyright © Stormie Kent, 2011All Rights Reserved, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.
He crowded her back and she watched in the mirror. He was dressed for meetings in a black dress coat, crisp white shirt and fitted black pants. The contrast of her nude body pressed against his fully clothed form made her press back against him to feel the pleasure of the smooth material against her hot skin. “I didn’t tell you to move, sweet.” He stepped back. She groaned. Her eyes clashed with his in the mirror. “What’s with the restraint?” she asked. “I know you like it when I hold you down, but I wanted to use my hands today. And you did say it would take chains to keep you in one place,” he replied. She remained as still as possible and he watched her for a while before moving behind her once more. She wanted to think she would resist him, but she couldn’t. When he got like this, he wasn’t going to be put off and she liked how he handled her too much. She liked that he took all the passion and barbarian in himself and locked it down, only for it to emerge again once he’d made her mindless. She knew it was there, just sitting under the surface of his skin. She could see it in the way his smile didn’t match the fire in his eyes. He gathered her hair in one hand and wrapped it once around his hand. He pulled her head gently to the side. She curled her toes into the carpet so she wouldn’t move. His other hand came up, but only one finger trailed her throat from her hairline to her shoulder. His mouth followed and his cool hair swung forward and trailed over her arm and breast. He did the same thing over and over again to the back of her neck and then transferred her hair to his other hand and worked the same magic on the other side of her neck. He tugged harder on her hair and the pleasure shot straight to her cunt. He stepped beside her and leaned forward, raining kisses on her chin and neck. Then he turned her loose completely. She whimpered. “Keep your eyes on your face and body in the mirror,” he said, lacing his voice with command. She stared into his eyes in the mirror. Then she lowered her gaze to her own face. Her eyes were slumberous. Her bottom lip was swollen where she’d bitten it in concentration and she was flushed. “Beautiful,” he said. ***** BUY LINK Oh, boy. When I wrote about these two they became my obsession. What about you? What is your obsession? Do you write, sew, cook, run or some other activity that often makes you forget your purpose and good intentions? Leave a comment. I would love to hear from you.
Stormiehttp://www.stormiekent.comhttp://stormiekent.wordpress.comhttp://twitter.com/StormieKenthttp://www.facebook.com/stormie.kent
Hi, Elise! Thanks for having me here today to take over your place. (Insert hand rubbing and fiendish laugh.)When I wrote my eBook, Enslaved in Desire, I actually sat down to write another novel for a theme submission about pirates. (Space pirates to be exact.) Fortunately or unfortunately, I couldn’t complete that project in time for the submission deadline. Venn and Camryn wanted their story told. Their story was something entirely different than the romances I had written and submitted before. Enslaved in Desirebegins with the alien invasion of Earth and incorporates space travel, fight scenes, sex slaves, hot sex and true love. Yes, I said true love. What is more “true” than settling differences of species, race, space and ideology just so you can be with the person who is your ONE? (As in one and only.) Here is Enslaved in Desire’s blurb followed by an excerpt to give you an idea of the types of *cough* tension filled moments that prompted Camryn and Venn to settle their differences and take the leap into love.
BLURB:Camryn is taken captive after Earth is invaded by hostile aliens. She is sold as an exotic, an expensive sex slave. Camryn is willing to do anything to survive and escape captivity. That includes convincing her master that she enjoys his touch. Then she is purchased by the sexy warrior Venn. Now she must convince herself that she can resist a male whose every caress ignites a passion she has never known.Venn is an empathic and hyper-sensitive tribal lord from planet Ordan. He has never owned a slave, yet he cannot resist the beautiful Earth woman. She teases his heightened senses and pushes past the control he has over his emotions. Venn struggles to own Camryn’s body with scorching sex and a firm hand. And when his possession of her body is complete, he’ll try to claim her soul.
EXCERPTThe following excerpt is for those readers who are 18 and over only.Copyright © Stormie Kent, 2011All Rights Reserved, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.
He crowded her back and she watched in the mirror. He was dressed for meetings in a black dress coat, crisp white shirt and fitted black pants. The contrast of her nude body pressed against his fully clothed form made her press back against him to feel the pleasure of the smooth material against her hot skin. “I didn’t tell you to move, sweet.” He stepped back. She groaned. Her eyes clashed with his in the mirror. “What’s with the restraint?” she asked. “I know you like it when I hold you down, but I wanted to use my hands today. And you did say it would take chains to keep you in one place,” he replied. She remained as still as possible and he watched her for a while before moving behind her once more. She wanted to think she would resist him, but she couldn’t. When he got like this, he wasn’t going to be put off and she liked how he handled her too much. She liked that he took all the passion and barbarian in himself and locked it down, only for it to emerge again once he’d made her mindless. She knew it was there, just sitting under the surface of his skin. She could see it in the way his smile didn’t match the fire in his eyes. He gathered her hair in one hand and wrapped it once around his hand. He pulled her head gently to the side. She curled her toes into the carpet so she wouldn’t move. His other hand came up, but only one finger trailed her throat from her hairline to her shoulder. His mouth followed and his cool hair swung forward and trailed over her arm and breast. He did the same thing over and over again to the back of her neck and then transferred her hair to his other hand and worked the same magic on the other side of her neck. He tugged harder on her hair and the pleasure shot straight to her cunt. He stepped beside her and leaned forward, raining kisses on her chin and neck. Then he turned her loose completely. She whimpered. “Keep your eyes on your face and body in the mirror,” he said, lacing his voice with command. She stared into his eyes in the mirror. Then she lowered her gaze to her own face. Her eyes were slumberous. Her bottom lip was swollen where she’d bitten it in concentration and she was flushed. “Beautiful,” he said. ***** BUY LINK Oh, boy. When I wrote about these two they became my obsession. What about you? What is your obsession? Do you write, sew, cook, run or some other activity that often makes you forget your purpose and good intentions? Leave a comment. I would love to hear from you.
Stormiehttp://www.stormiekent.comhttp://stormiekent.wordpress.comhttp://twitter.com/StormieKenthttp://www.facebook.com/stormie.kent
April 28, 2012
My First Love Affair with YA
One of the first books that really connected with me as a Teen and made me want to be a writer was the
Weetzie Bat Books
by Francesca Lia Block. I've devoured everything she wrote before that and after--she is on my keeper shelf forever. Her language and her oddball, unique, awesome characters spoke to me. And they still speak to me even though I'm no longer 13. They are my comfort books and I whip them out whenever I don't know what to do with my life or I need a good mental hug.
The way Block spins words inspires me and makes me want to write at that second. Though I've never been to California, with every one of her books I'm transferred to an amazing Wonderland there. With a deep, beating heart in the ground connecting me to these fictional beings. I even read her more erotic work, Nymph, once I got older and loved that as well. She nourished my love of reading and became somewhat of a muse, so she'll always be keeper shelf for me. If you haven't read her I encourage to pick something up.
The way Block spins words inspires me and makes me want to write at that second. Though I've never been to California, with every one of her books I'm transferred to an amazing Wonderland there. With a deep, beating heart in the ground connecting me to these fictional beings. I even read her more erotic work, Nymph, once I got older and loved that as well. She nourished my love of reading and became somewhat of a muse, so she'll always be keeper shelf for me. If you haven't read her I encourage to pick something up.
April 26, 2012
Baking
I've finally found something that relaxes me and makes my head completely shut off. This is a very hard thing to do--to the point where my friend was starting to encourage me to get anti-anxiety medication. Luckily, I found baking and now I'll just get a little plumper instead of stressing out so much. I'll take it. When all I hear all day is a bunch of voices begging for me to write, it's good to be able to spread my creativity across the board. Plus, I'm sure my little hobby will make DH thrilled.
Some things I plan on making as soon as I can get the supplies:
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Pineapple Bliss Cupcakes (via Sommer Marsden via Skinnytaste)
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I know Tiramisu isn't technically baking but it's my favorite dessert of all time. I'd almost rather eat it than cake and I love cake. This recipe by Chef Mommy looks so good and easy!
Do you have any recipes to share with me? As a newb I'd love all the help and extra yummies for my kitchen! I'm starting a recipe card holder soon and any extra easy recipes will help :) Maybe I'll even sweeten the pot by giving away a book from my back list to one lucky commenter?
Some things I plan on making as soon as I can get the supplies:
[image error]
Pineapple Bliss Cupcakes (via Sommer Marsden via Skinnytaste)
[image error]
I know Tiramisu isn't technically baking but it's my favorite dessert of all time. I'd almost rather eat it than cake and I love cake. This recipe by Chef Mommy looks so good and easy!
Do you have any recipes to share with me? As a newb I'd love all the help and extra yummies for my kitchen! I'm starting a recipe card holder soon and any extra easy recipes will help :) Maybe I'll even sweeten the pot by giving away a book from my back list to one lucky commenter?
April 24, 2012
My Gravitation Into Traditional Romance Reading Part One
I've never been a traditional romance reader because for the most part when I started reading the genre of romance I wanted to be slapped in the face with hot and bothered and oh so wicked. Erotic Romance was my ticket to party town. Which means I'm just now jumping on the non-erotic bandwagon to explore my options. As any good pupil would, I'm starting with the supposed "greats" which include two Nora Robert's anthologies I picked up on a whim and hope they are somewhat in order. They're both family saga and epic reprints because I wanted a feel for her original work since I've heard from a few parties that her new work isn't as good. Here are my selections: Captivated and Entranced, The Calhouns.
Of course, I want to start JD Robb's books like mad, but when I went to look for them in the bookstore there weren't any beginning copies from any of the series. And most often I'd rather get a physical book for that kind of purchase because knowing the author is so popular often means the physical version will be cheaper than e-book. Don't ask me how that works, I don't know. So that's one purchase that will have to wait. Not like I have a to-be-read pile as big as Mount Olympus or anything. *whistles*
I'm going to start with old school Nora and see where that takes me. Will probably be doing a follow up post about my findings--how living in a hyper erotic world takes a backseat when it comes to grounding love and romance. I know I'm intrigued. And I know a lot of long term Roberts fans can set me straight. Hell, if I fall head over heels like most readers, I'm going to need more recommendations stat because wading through that epic back list and picking a new book is going to be hell on my eyes.
Would you be so kind as to throw some rec's in the comments section my way? I've got a feeling this could be good...or it could be bunnies. Anyone who gets that reference wins a book from my back list. AND...Go!
Of course, I want to start JD Robb's books like mad, but when I went to look for them in the bookstore there weren't any beginning copies from any of the series. And most often I'd rather get a physical book for that kind of purchase because knowing the author is so popular often means the physical version will be cheaper than e-book. Don't ask me how that works, I don't know. So that's one purchase that will have to wait. Not like I have a to-be-read pile as big as Mount Olympus or anything. *whistles*
I'm going to start with old school Nora and see where that takes me. Will probably be doing a follow up post about my findings--how living in a hyper erotic world takes a backseat when it comes to grounding love and romance. I know I'm intrigued. And I know a lot of long term Roberts fans can set me straight. Hell, if I fall head over heels like most readers, I'm going to need more recommendations stat because wading through that epic back list and picking a new book is going to be hell on my eyes.
Would you be so kind as to throw some rec's in the comments section my way? I've got a feeling this could be good...or it could be bunnies. Anyone who gets that reference wins a book from my back list. AND...Go!
April 7, 2012
Dabbling
Lately I've lived in dabble land with a little bit here, a little bit there. By now parts of me are scattered everywhere in every genre, I'm sure. I'm trying my best to revive two series that got lost in the flash drive crash of idiotic doom right now. Both of them are coming along nicely. I've been glued to my contemporary WIP like it's sucking out my soul because this heroine is much funnier than I'm used to writing. She's refreshing and ballsy. I like it. A nice change from my normal epic tough girl sarcasm with a kind heart kick. This heroine has a quip for everything.
With reviewing news (yay!) I got a good review for Not So Pure from Laura at Two Lips Reviews:
"This was a good read that had a different twist on a fairytale."
As well as from The Pen & Muse Blog Reviews who had this to say about Not So Pure:
"Not so pure as the driven snow… this is White, the heroine of "Not So Pure". And to take on seven men, she'd have to be. But she also has a naivete to her that I appreciated. This was a very unique take on a very old story and lots of fun to read. Definitely worth the time. A scintillating take on my favorite fairy tale."
Easter is tomorrow and I'm thinking about whipping up cupcakes for the family gathering every year with the in-laws. The idea is percolating. Since I all ready made cheeseburger soup which turned out to be of deliciousness I don't know if I'll be up for baking, but it's a nice thought. Can you tell DH is very much the cooker in the family? Though I tend to do soups very well. My potato soup is also really good.
On the creating front...I'm kind of a mess. A good mess, but a mess. Working on too many projects in too many different stages to satisfy my need to get things done. I thought I'd broken out of the huge back log cycle, but, boy, was I lying. Hopefully, this will mean I have a lot out this summer and this coming Fall. That's me, always pushing, pushing, pushing and striving until I think I might fall over dead. Basically, that's why the blog has been a little dead lately. In a never-ending game of catch-up.
Stress has ultimately led me to work out more though, so yay! Now going to play Sims 3 for a considerable amount of time with my cup of peppermint tea. Tonight is all for Thor of the BDB. I'm trying to take this book in sips because I don't want it to be over!
With reviewing news (yay!) I got a good review for Not So Pure from Laura at Two Lips Reviews:
"This was a good read that had a different twist on a fairytale."
As well as from The Pen & Muse Blog Reviews who had this to say about Not So Pure:
"Not so pure as the driven snow… this is White, the heroine of "Not So Pure". And to take on seven men, she'd have to be. But she also has a naivete to her that I appreciated. This was a very unique take on a very old story and lots of fun to read. Definitely worth the time. A scintillating take on my favorite fairy tale."
Easter is tomorrow and I'm thinking about whipping up cupcakes for the family gathering every year with the in-laws. The idea is percolating. Since I all ready made cheeseburger soup which turned out to be of deliciousness I don't know if I'll be up for baking, but it's a nice thought. Can you tell DH is very much the cooker in the family? Though I tend to do soups very well. My potato soup is also really good.
On the creating front...I'm kind of a mess. A good mess, but a mess. Working on too many projects in too many different stages to satisfy my need to get things done. I thought I'd broken out of the huge back log cycle, but, boy, was I lying. Hopefully, this will mean I have a lot out this summer and this coming Fall. That's me, always pushing, pushing, pushing and striving until I think I might fall over dead. Basically, that's why the blog has been a little dead lately. In a never-ending game of catch-up.
Stress has ultimately led me to work out more though, so yay! Now going to play Sims 3 for a considerable amount of time with my cup of peppermint tea. Tonight is all for Thor of the BDB. I'm trying to take this book in sips because I don't want it to be over!
March 26, 2012
Crazy Submitting Fiend
Wow, so I've had a busy last couple of weeks. I've submitted Furious Lust to my editor at EC (wish me luck), subbed three shorts, and a novella. The odds of them all getting accepted are pretty exciting but I won't know for a while and I'm trying to stay aloof on the off chance that none of them work out.
Ever the optimist.
Right this minute I'm editing another novella for my EC editor and writing a manuscript that got lost in The Great Flashdrive Debacle of 2011. It's hard to rewrite MS's that were so far along but I'm doing my best to stay true to the original while writing bigger and better. Hopefully, you'll be seeing a lot of me in 2012.
On a more random note, a good friend of mine sent me Celestial Season's Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride Herbal Tea in the mail--my whole week has been made. That stuff is like indulging in the holidays all year round with no calories. It's fantabulous. Highly recommended. Five stars and two thumbs up. Doesn't even need sugar or milk, which is awesome, because lately I take my tea with neither trying to cut calories. Because I'm awesome like that, I know.
I'm also plowing through my TBR pile right now. Finally getting burnt out on the Stephanie Plum kick I've been on for five books straight and turning to Larissa Ione's second book in the incubus series, Desire Unchained, which I'm liking much more than the first book in that series. I'm a little late to a lot of these series mostly because I like to stick to my pool of tried and true authors before anything else new. Lucky for new authors, my tried and true team have ended a couple of series and I'm free for new reads.
But I still have an awesome backlog of cozy mysteries, 80's bodice rippers, Megan Hart, and Joey W Hill's back-list to devour. Seems like lately there isn't one thing in my life that isn't planned down to the second--including what I read and when. Haven't decided if that's a good thing or not--but yay for productivity!
Ever the optimist.
Right this minute I'm editing another novella for my EC editor and writing a manuscript that got lost in The Great Flashdrive Debacle of 2011. It's hard to rewrite MS's that were so far along but I'm doing my best to stay true to the original while writing bigger and better. Hopefully, you'll be seeing a lot of me in 2012.
On a more random note, a good friend of mine sent me Celestial Season's Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride Herbal Tea in the mail--my whole week has been made. That stuff is like indulging in the holidays all year round with no calories. It's fantabulous. Highly recommended. Five stars and two thumbs up. Doesn't even need sugar or milk, which is awesome, because lately I take my tea with neither trying to cut calories. Because I'm awesome like that, I know.
I'm also plowing through my TBR pile right now. Finally getting burnt out on the Stephanie Plum kick I've been on for five books straight and turning to Larissa Ione's second book in the incubus series, Desire Unchained, which I'm liking much more than the first book in that series. I'm a little late to a lot of these series mostly because I like to stick to my pool of tried and true authors before anything else new. Lucky for new authors, my tried and true team have ended a couple of series and I'm free for new reads.
But I still have an awesome backlog of cozy mysteries, 80's bodice rippers, Megan Hart, and Joey W Hill's back-list to devour. Seems like lately there isn't one thing in my life that isn't planned down to the second--including what I read and when. Haven't decided if that's a good thing or not--but yay for productivity!
March 18, 2012
A Little Update Here, A Little Update There
Lately my brain is more scrambled than eggs--and more mushy! But I've somehow stumbled into doing my projects in stages and I'm finding that with my creative process and my thinking process working on six different projects at once really, really doesn't work. It's kind of epic.
Though I did a lot in the end of 2011, a lot of the work was edits ready to be transferred into a hard document on Word. Which means I had 6 or 7 projects lined up and ready to go by January. Somehow, I also managed to start writing three completely different projects these last couple months while still having at least four others open and ready to edit/ half-written.
Needless to say my life is a little complicated. But, wait! There's good news! So far this year I've managed to:
Send out 2 shortsI've completed a novel, two novellas, and a short that need to have one edit and one final read-throughI've written 11,173 words on new projectsI've written 44,229 words total including edits and old projects (Not a huge word count in the past three months by any means but my main focus has been on editing everything from 2011 to get it out into the world)And I've still yet to conquer the old half written projects from last year.Yeah, I'm not doing any of this again. Once everything from 2011 is in the works and done, done, done--I'm only working on one project at a time like in the good ol' days. The three work in progresses I've started this year will have to wait patiently on the back burner until I can get to it, otherwise I'll never catch up! Luckily, a majority of the stuff I'm submitting is all going to the same publisher. Hellllloooo, back list!
Though I did a lot in the end of 2011, a lot of the work was edits ready to be transferred into a hard document on Word. Which means I had 6 or 7 projects lined up and ready to go by January. Somehow, I also managed to start writing three completely different projects these last couple months while still having at least four others open and ready to edit/ half-written.
Needless to say my life is a little complicated. But, wait! There's good news! So far this year I've managed to:
Send out 2 shortsI've completed a novel, two novellas, and a short that need to have one edit and one final read-throughI've written 11,173 words on new projectsI've written 44,229 words total including edits and old projects (Not a huge word count in the past three months by any means but my main focus has been on editing everything from 2011 to get it out into the world)And I've still yet to conquer the old half written projects from last year.Yeah, I'm not doing any of this again. Once everything from 2011 is in the works and done, done, done--I'm only working on one project at a time like in the good ol' days. The three work in progresses I've started this year will have to wait patiently on the back burner until I can get to it, otherwise I'll never catch up! Luckily, a majority of the stuff I'm submitting is all going to the same publisher. Hellllloooo, back list!
March 9, 2012
To Short Or Not To Short?
The question I'm dealing with today is whether or not short-short's make sense for a career as a tool and as a product that people want to buy. From my experience I think short pieces from 2-6k words are invaluable as a way to introduce to people to your work. Their also great promotional tools on other websites and in print anthologies. Personally, I like them because they offer me a change of pace from my other longer works. But they also get me into print which is something that I wouldn't normally have access to because in this stage of my career I'm more focused on e-publishers than traditional NY.
So the benefits of a change of pace and cross promotion in several mediums work well for me. Though I know other people find the short range cheap and not worth their time as writing a full novel. There's an odd art to picking the perfect word knowing that you only have so many to work with--at least, that's what I think. What do you think? Do shorts benefit the readers? Are they helpful introductions or wastes of time?
So the benefits of a change of pace and cross promotion in several mediums work well for me. Though I know other people find the short range cheap and not worth their time as writing a full novel. There's an odd art to picking the perfect word knowing that you only have so many to work with--at least, that's what I think. What do you think? Do shorts benefit the readers? Are they helpful introductions or wastes of time?
