Lisa Sanchez's Blog, page 26
April 27, 2011
Obsessed goes on tour next week!
Happy Wednesday, peeps!
Song of the day- Angel by Akon
Woot! In case you didn't know, I wrote an erotic suspense titled, Obsessed. Woot! It features a shmexy, tatted and oh-so-angsty hero, and a down-to-earth heroine who has been through hell and back.
And guess what? They're going on tour! Yeah, baby! May 2nd marks the beginning of a ten stop, virtual tour with Goddess Fish Promotions.
As I gear up for the tour, I thought it would be fun to share with you some of my favorite passages, and music that either inspired or remind me of the characters.
I'm going to start with a bit of music today. The song, Angel by Akon always reminds me of Nick. The first time he sees Halley he's stunned by her beauty. Yep, he experiences a case of "lust at first sight." They're kicking it in a bar, and though they never actually meet in this first scene, he knows instinctively that she's different from the rest of the women flitting through the place.
The following is the only "live" video I could find on Youtube. It's Akon's performance at the Victoria Secret Fashion Show :)
Song of the day- Angel by Akon
Woot! In case you didn't know, I wrote an erotic suspense titled, Obsessed. Woot! It features a shmexy, tatted and oh-so-angsty hero, and a down-to-earth heroine who has been through hell and back.
And guess what? They're going on tour! Yeah, baby! May 2nd marks the beginning of a ten stop, virtual tour with Goddess Fish Promotions.
As I gear up for the tour, I thought it would be fun to share with you some of my favorite passages, and music that either inspired or remind me of the characters.
I'm going to start with a bit of music today. The song, Angel by Akon always reminds me of Nick. The first time he sees Halley he's stunned by her beauty. Yep, he experiences a case of "lust at first sight." They're kicking it in a bar, and though they never actually meet in this first scene, he knows instinctively that she's different from the rest of the women flitting through the place.
The following is the only "live" video I could find on Youtube. It's Akon's performance at the Victoria Secret Fashion Show :)
April 26, 2011
Writerly advice-Know your limits
Happy Tuesday, peeps!
Song of the day- Blackbird Glee Cast version
For today's post, I'm going to pass on a little writerly advice. And while I'm by no means an expert in the field (Ha! Far from it!) I recently learned a hard lesson regarding setting limits.
I'm fairly certain I've shared with you all before the fact that I write in bursts. I can sit down and pound out 20k in a week, and then not write anything for a month. My muse is happy working this way. But, for some unknown reason, every so often I get a bug up my ass and decide I need to be one of those authors who write every day.
I pushed myself with my last book, setting a goal of 1k a day for myself. Um...yeah...that didn't work out so well for me. When I pushed too hard, my muse took a vacation. When I eased up and took a few breaks, she roared back to life. Tired of the frustration, I took a hiatus half way through the manuscript and when I came back, the words literally flew onto the page. It was great! Why had I ever thought to stray from my successful formula?
The answer: self imposed pressure.
Yep. I'm not sure about other authors, but now that I have a couple of books out, I feel an enormous pressure to push forward and write, write, write. If I'm not working on something, I feel guilty. This, of course, is my own doing. No one is breathing down my neck, pushing me to shell out another manuscript in record time. I'm doing it to myself. As you can see from the picture below, I wasn't a happy camper.
This brings me to my hard lesson. I finished book three in my Hanaford Park series a short time ago and have been working on edits with my crit partners and awesome beta. I am, admittedly, burned out. Taylor's book took a lot out of me, and my well is dry, so to speak. And while I should have checked out, eased back and taken a break from writing to replenish my muse, I stubbornly pressed forward.
My poor crit partner. Bless her sweet, sweet soul. I sent her a short story I'd written a good while ago for a critique. Of course, before I sent it to her, I read through the thing, spent a couple days tweaking and editing and then sent it on its merry way.
Being the wonderful person that she is, my crit partner read through the piece with a fine toothed comb, and marked the hell out of the thing when really, she should have sent it packing back to me with a warning sign that said "Caution! Reading will cause severe eye pain and possible seizures!" Yep, it was a hot mess.
How had this happened? how could I have sent her something that wasn't ready? The answer is simple: I knew what my limits were and ignored them. I knew I was burned out, and I pushed forward anyway. The result was a story that packed a lot of potential, but was executed poorly.
In love with the idea for this particular tale, I took the next few days off from writing. I decorated eggs, went shopping, watched TV and lazed around my house. My girls were happy, my house looks a hell of a lot cleaner, and my muse? Yeah, she's totally back today. I sat down this morning, opened up my Word doc and tore through the story with reckless abandon. The words came fast and furious, and the plot holes I didn't see before became a thing of the past.
My advice is simple: know your limits. If you're burned out and tired. Take a break! Don't worry about what those other authors are doing. Worry about yourself. Make sure every word you put on the page is your best work, and if you feel yourself slipping, pull back, regroup and start again when you're feeling better. As you can see in my pic below, life becomes less stressful, and a whole lot happier :)
Have a great day!!!
Song of the day- Blackbird Glee Cast version
For today's post, I'm going to pass on a little writerly advice. And while I'm by no means an expert in the field (Ha! Far from it!) I recently learned a hard lesson regarding setting limits.
I'm fairly certain I've shared with you all before the fact that I write in bursts. I can sit down and pound out 20k in a week, and then not write anything for a month. My muse is happy working this way. But, for some unknown reason, every so often I get a bug up my ass and decide I need to be one of those authors who write every day.
I pushed myself with my last book, setting a goal of 1k a day for myself. Um...yeah...that didn't work out so well for me. When I pushed too hard, my muse took a vacation. When I eased up and took a few breaks, she roared back to life. Tired of the frustration, I took a hiatus half way through the manuscript and when I came back, the words literally flew onto the page. It was great! Why had I ever thought to stray from my successful formula?
The answer: self imposed pressure.
Yep. I'm not sure about other authors, but now that I have a couple of books out, I feel an enormous pressure to push forward and write, write, write. If I'm not working on something, I feel guilty. This, of course, is my own doing. No one is breathing down my neck, pushing me to shell out another manuscript in record time. I'm doing it to myself. As you can see from the picture below, I wasn't a happy camper.
This brings me to my hard lesson. I finished book three in my Hanaford Park series a short time ago and have been working on edits with my crit partners and awesome beta. I am, admittedly, burned out. Taylor's book took a lot out of me, and my well is dry, so to speak. And while I should have checked out, eased back and taken a break from writing to replenish my muse, I stubbornly pressed forward.
My poor crit partner. Bless her sweet, sweet soul. I sent her a short story I'd written a good while ago for a critique. Of course, before I sent it to her, I read through the thing, spent a couple days tweaking and editing and then sent it on its merry way.
Being the wonderful person that she is, my crit partner read through the piece with a fine toothed comb, and marked the hell out of the thing when really, she should have sent it packing back to me with a warning sign that said "Caution! Reading will cause severe eye pain and possible seizures!" Yep, it was a hot mess.
How had this happened? how could I have sent her something that wasn't ready? The answer is simple: I knew what my limits were and ignored them. I knew I was burned out, and I pushed forward anyway. The result was a story that packed a lot of potential, but was executed poorly.
In love with the idea for this particular tale, I took the next few days off from writing. I decorated eggs, went shopping, watched TV and lazed around my house. My girls were happy, my house looks a hell of a lot cleaner, and my muse? Yeah, she's totally back today. I sat down this morning, opened up my Word doc and tore through the story with reckless abandon. The words came fast and furious, and the plot holes I didn't see before became a thing of the past.
My advice is simple: know your limits. If you're burned out and tired. Take a break! Don't worry about what those other authors are doing. Worry about yourself. Make sure every word you put on the page is your best work, and if you feel yourself slipping, pull back, regroup and start again when you're feeling better. As you can see in my pic below, life becomes less stressful, and a whole lot happier :)
Have a great day!!!
April 25, 2011
Meet an Author Monday & Creating a compelling heroine
Happy Monday, peeps!
Song of the day- Angel by Akon (This song always reminds me of Nick the first time he sees Halley in my latest work, Obsessed)
So, I struggled for a bit this morning, trying to decide what to blog about. I'm a bit tired from the holiday weekend, and feeling a tad burned out from life in general. My oldest daughter, who doesn't usually emerge from her cave until noon, shocked the hell out of me with her early appearance in my kitchen. Hungry for my mother's Jello salad, she descended upon my refrigerator like a half-sarved beast. I earned a frown after reminding her to save some of the Jello for the rest of us, and was treated to an eye-roll when she sat down next to me.
"I don't know what to blog about today," I said with a sigh.
With a shrug, she shoveled a large bite of food into her mouth, and after chewing said "Write about Jello."
Humph! Write about Jello. Some help she was. But then it hit me. I'm always blogging and talking about Alpha males and heroes, but I never talk about our favorite female leads. This is mostly, of course, because I'm all about the hot hero in any story, but still...I think it's time the heroines in our favorite stories get their due.
So how do we create heroines with layered personalities who are compelling, funny and make us want to root for them? How do we, as writers, make sure our leading ladies don't end up bland and common like Jello? (Sorry, mom, your Jello is fabu. I promise!)
Gone are the days of weak, damsel in distress heroines who wait for their hunky man to not only whisk them to safety, but sweep them off their feet as well. These days, our leading ladies need to kick ass and take names to get any respect. Our girls are not only strong, they're strong willed. They know what they want and often times have a mission/purpose. These iron women are fun to write, but how do we keep them fresh? How do we keep these tough girls from becoming one dimensional like their weaker counterparts? We all want a strong heroine who can tame her hero's beast, true, but if she's all badass all the time, well...IMO, she's not any better than her whimpering cousin, Mary Damsel Inwaiting.
So what's the solution to crafting a well rounded heroine? Think of her as an onion (this always reminds me of Shrek and his "Ogres have layers speech.) Shrek was right though. People have layers to their personalities, and it's the gradual peeling away of those layers throughout the book that makes us want to turn the page. Much like an onion, our kick-ass leading lady has a tough, crunchy exterior she uses to protect herself and those around her. But when you strip away that outer layer, you quickly discover a vulnerability, a softer, hidden interior that, as you keep peeling morphs into something completely different from what you originally started with.
Give your gal a flaw, whether it be physical or emotional. Give her a dark past, something that haunts her, something she needs to overcome. Give her room to grow along with her leading man, let her stumble, and heck, maybe even let her fall. Because it's that bumpy journey we crave as readers. We want a thrilling roller-coaster ride full of will they or won't they, and oh please, please, just let them get together!
What do you think? What makes a compelling female lead for you?
On to the hop!
Authors! Have a book out? Are you under contract for publication? Make sure you join in the hop. This is a great way to network your blog and let readers know who you are!
Here's how it works:
READERS:
Follow as many authors as you like. Just follow the Linky list and hop from author to author. The idea is to find as many "new to you" authors as you can, and hopefully some great new reading material as well. Leave a comment as you hop from blog to blog! We'd love to chat with you!
AUTHORS:
Follow the Meet an author Monday host (Cali Cheer Mom) along with any of the wonderfully talented authors on the list.You will need to enter your name and blog url into the Linky tool.Grab our super cute button and place it in a post. (THIS IS IMPORTANT!) If you don't create a post for the hop, your readers won't have a place to comment, and the hop will stop with you. So create a post, paste in the Linky code and start hopping!The purpose of the hop is to meet "new to you" authors and discover great new reads. Follow as many authors as you can. Leave a comment and introduce yourself!If you'd like to share the Linky list in a post on your blog ( Please do!) just follow the link and grab the code.
Song of the day- Angel by Akon (This song always reminds me of Nick the first time he sees Halley in my latest work, Obsessed)
So, I struggled for a bit this morning, trying to decide what to blog about. I'm a bit tired from the holiday weekend, and feeling a tad burned out from life in general. My oldest daughter, who doesn't usually emerge from her cave until noon, shocked the hell out of me with her early appearance in my kitchen. Hungry for my mother's Jello salad, she descended upon my refrigerator like a half-sarved beast. I earned a frown after reminding her to save some of the Jello for the rest of us, and was treated to an eye-roll when she sat down next to me.
"I don't know what to blog about today," I said with a sigh.
With a shrug, she shoveled a large bite of food into her mouth, and after chewing said "Write about Jello."
Humph! Write about Jello. Some help she was. But then it hit me. I'm always blogging and talking about Alpha males and heroes, but I never talk about our favorite female leads. This is mostly, of course, because I'm all about the hot hero in any story, but still...I think it's time the heroines in our favorite stories get their due.
So how do we create heroines with layered personalities who are compelling, funny and make us want to root for them? How do we, as writers, make sure our leading ladies don't end up bland and common like Jello? (Sorry, mom, your Jello is fabu. I promise!)
Gone are the days of weak, damsel in distress heroines who wait for their hunky man to not only whisk them to safety, but sweep them off their feet as well. These days, our leading ladies need to kick ass and take names to get any respect. Our girls are not only strong, they're strong willed. They know what they want and often times have a mission/purpose. These iron women are fun to write, but how do we keep them fresh? How do we keep these tough girls from becoming one dimensional like their weaker counterparts? We all want a strong heroine who can tame her hero's beast, true, but if she's all badass all the time, well...IMO, she's not any better than her whimpering cousin, Mary Damsel Inwaiting.
So what's the solution to crafting a well rounded heroine? Think of her as an onion (this always reminds me of Shrek and his "Ogres have layers speech.) Shrek was right though. People have layers to their personalities, and it's the gradual peeling away of those layers throughout the book that makes us want to turn the page. Much like an onion, our kick-ass leading lady has a tough, crunchy exterior she uses to protect herself and those around her. But when you strip away that outer layer, you quickly discover a vulnerability, a softer, hidden interior that, as you keep peeling morphs into something completely different from what you originally started with.
Give your gal a flaw, whether it be physical or emotional. Give her a dark past, something that haunts her, something she needs to overcome. Give her room to grow along with her leading man, let her stumble, and heck, maybe even let her fall. Because it's that bumpy journey we crave as readers. We want a thrilling roller-coaster ride full of will they or won't they, and oh please, please, just let them get together!
What do you think? What makes a compelling female lead for you?
On to the hop!
Authors! Have a book out? Are you under contract for publication? Make sure you join in the hop. This is a great way to network your blog and let readers know who you are!
Here's how it works:
READERS:
Follow as many authors as you like. Just follow the Linky list and hop from author to author. The idea is to find as many "new to you" authors as you can, and hopefully some great new reading material as well. Leave a comment as you hop from blog to blog! We'd love to chat with you!
AUTHORS:
Follow the Meet an author Monday host (Cali Cheer Mom) along with any of the wonderfully talented authors on the list.You will need to enter your name and blog url into the Linky tool.Grab our super cute button and place it in a post. (THIS IS IMPORTANT!) If you don't create a post for the hop, your readers won't have a place to comment, and the hop will stop with you. So create a post, paste in the Linky code and start hopping!The purpose of the hop is to meet "new to you" authors and discover great new reads. Follow as many authors as you can. Leave a comment and introduce yourself!If you'd like to share the Linky list in a post on your blog ( Please do!) just follow the link and grab the code.
April 22, 2011
Obsessed receives its first reviews!
Yay!!!
Obsessed received a 4.5 star rating from Sensual Reads! Check out the website here!
I'm also very proud of the 4.75 star rating Obsessed received from Night Owl Reviews. They made it a Top Pick. Woot!!
If you're looking for a shmexy weekend read with a tall, dark and tatted hero, then Obsessed should be right up your alley! Not to mention, it's Earth Day. Save some paper and load up that e-reader of yours.
Have a great weekend!
Obsessed received a 4.5 star rating from Sensual Reads! Check out the website here!
I'm also very proud of the 4.75 star rating Obsessed received from Night Owl Reviews. They made it a Top Pick. Woot!!
If you're looking for a shmexy weekend read with a tall, dark and tatted hero, then Obsessed should be right up your alley! Not to mention, it's Earth Day. Save some paper and load up that e-reader of yours.
Have a great weekend!
Glee- Sharing the love
Happy Friday, peeps!
So, I've been feeling a bit burned out the past few days. It's no surprise what with the traveling I did at the beginning of the month, and the writing schedule I've been trying to keep. When life starts feeling like it's a bit too much, I check out from reality, and usually that involves marathon viewings of my favorite TV shows.
I spent a good portion of my day yesterday enjoying some of my favorite Glee episodes. If you're not watching this show, you are truly missing out. It's funny, and goofy, and sad at times and it never fails to put a smile on my face.
I'm a huge fan of musicals and I'm so impressed with the level of talent these actors have. I of course, have my favorites: Puck, Kurt, Mercedes and Rachel (yes, she's annoying but she's got an amazing voice!)
A Gleek to the core, I've got my phone loaded with my favorite songs, and the following is at the top of the list right now. Enjoy!
LOVE this next one. Love, love, love it!
Watch Glee? Have a favorite character? Leave a comment and share :)
So, I've been feeling a bit burned out the past few days. It's no surprise what with the traveling I did at the beginning of the month, and the writing schedule I've been trying to keep. When life starts feeling like it's a bit too much, I check out from reality, and usually that involves marathon viewings of my favorite TV shows.
I spent a good portion of my day yesterday enjoying some of my favorite Glee episodes. If you're not watching this show, you are truly missing out. It's funny, and goofy, and sad at times and it never fails to put a smile on my face.
I'm a huge fan of musicals and I'm so impressed with the level of talent these actors have. I of course, have my favorites: Puck, Kurt, Mercedes and Rachel (yes, she's annoying but she's got an amazing voice!)
A Gleek to the core, I've got my phone loaded with my favorite songs, and the following is at the top of the list right now. Enjoy!
LOVE this next one. Love, love, love it!
Watch Glee? Have a favorite character? Leave a comment and share :)
April 20, 2011
Why do women love romance novels?
Happy Wednesday, peeps!
I'm taking a detour from my usual Woohoo Wednesday post to talk about romance novels, and why we love to read/write them.
I can't tell you the amount of support and encouragement I've received once someone, friend or otherwise has learned I've written a novel. I get a lot of "Oh! How wonderful! I've always wanted to write a book. Good for you for going for it." These small affirmations are wonderful and I appreciate them greatly. Unfortunately, I've experienced a few different reactions as well that I find thoroughly disheartening. "You wrote a book? Awesome? What kind? Romance huh...hmmm..."
Honestly, I'd really like to know why there isn't more respect for my favorite genre? According to RWA- the genre generated 1.36 billion in sales in 2009. With the current market and rise in ebooks, sales are off the charts.
I snooped around this morning and did a web search looking for reasons (both valid and ridiculous) as to why men (and some women) believe women read romance. I also polled some of my friends on FB, asking them their reasons for reading this particular genre.
Let's start off with some common misconceptions about romance novels themselves/why women read them:
Women like to read romance because they are porn in print (my hubby, who knows I both read and write romance likes to tease me with this one.)Not smart enough or too lazy to read any other type of fictionThe sex in the books is the only sex the woman is coming in contact with ie. she's desperateRomance novels create unrealistic expectations in the women who read them, and the men in their lives will never live up to those expectations, therefore the books are harmful/destructive to their relationshipsHere are some of the answers I received when I polled my FB friends about why they enjoy romance:Kristen, from My Bookish Fairytale said: "Ohh it's all of those steamy scenes for sure. Everyone say that they have a great sex life that is wild and romantic but in reality it's probably not true. That is what the Romance genre is for. All of those unrealistic amazing events that you wish were true." Kaitlyn from Nocturnal Readings replied: "In the beginning of a relationship there is always that infatuation stage where you think the other person is absolutely perfect and you're head over heels in love. You lose some of that as your relationship shifts from that infatuation stage into real love. I love romance because it's nice to relive those moments of total adoration for a person, or in this case a fictional character lol. I also agree with Kristen. If anyone is more likely to think sex is unenjoyable, it's women. There are so many loving husbands and partners out there who when it comes to the bedroom are inattentive and concerned only with themselves. Women need some steamy lovin' too!"Fellow author, Killian McRae answered with: "When I was a little girl, I dreamed of being wanted, so I read stories where children found a place they were destined to be. When I was a teen, I dreamed of being special and gifted, so I read stories where the hero saved the world. As a woman, I dream of being loved and treasured, and so I read stories where the heroine is the object of affection and adoration."As for me, I read romance as a means of escape. My day is full of boring household chores, teenage drama and everything in between. I want to be swept away, I want to remember that delicious squirrelly feeling I had when my husband and I were first dating. All those feelings, all those emotions I crave are still inside me, they're just squashed beneath the bevy of responsibilities I have. Breaking from the rigors of daily life to enjoy a well written romance helps me decompress from my day-to-day stressors, allowing those squashed/dormant emotions and feelings to rise to the surface.
And seriously...who doesn't enjoy reading about someone's happily ever after? People love a good success story, they love to see someone rise above whatever hardship they're experiencing and succeed. Isn't that what a good romance is all about? A couple who can't be together for any number of reasons (money, family, disability, you name it) struggling to overcome the obstacle keeping them apart, and in the end, finding happiness together. I'm all for that kind of success story.
And yeah, if there's some good shmexin in it, all the better!
I'd love to hear your thoughts. Leave a comment and we'll chat!
I'm taking a detour from my usual Woohoo Wednesday post to talk about romance novels, and why we love to read/write them.
I can't tell you the amount of support and encouragement I've received once someone, friend or otherwise has learned I've written a novel. I get a lot of "Oh! How wonderful! I've always wanted to write a book. Good for you for going for it." These small affirmations are wonderful and I appreciate them greatly. Unfortunately, I've experienced a few different reactions as well that I find thoroughly disheartening. "You wrote a book? Awesome? What kind? Romance huh...hmmm..."
Honestly, I'd really like to know why there isn't more respect for my favorite genre? According to RWA- the genre generated 1.36 billion in sales in 2009. With the current market and rise in ebooks, sales are off the charts.
I snooped around this morning and did a web search looking for reasons (both valid and ridiculous) as to why men (and some women) believe women read romance. I also polled some of my friends on FB, asking them their reasons for reading this particular genre.
Let's start off with some common misconceptions about romance novels themselves/why women read them:
Women like to read romance because they are porn in print (my hubby, who knows I both read and write romance likes to tease me with this one.)Not smart enough or too lazy to read any other type of fictionThe sex in the books is the only sex the woman is coming in contact with ie. she's desperateRomance novels create unrealistic expectations in the women who read them, and the men in their lives will never live up to those expectations, therefore the books are harmful/destructive to their relationshipsHere are some of the answers I received when I polled my FB friends about why they enjoy romance:Kristen, from My Bookish Fairytale said: "Ohh it's all of those steamy scenes for sure. Everyone say that they have a great sex life that is wild and romantic but in reality it's probably not true. That is what the Romance genre is for. All of those unrealistic amazing events that you wish were true." Kaitlyn from Nocturnal Readings replied: "In the beginning of a relationship there is always that infatuation stage where you think the other person is absolutely perfect and you're head over heels in love. You lose some of that as your relationship shifts from that infatuation stage into real love. I love romance because it's nice to relive those moments of total adoration for a person, or in this case a fictional character lol. I also agree with Kristen. If anyone is more likely to think sex is unenjoyable, it's women. There are so many loving husbands and partners out there who when it comes to the bedroom are inattentive and concerned only with themselves. Women need some steamy lovin' too!"Fellow author, Killian McRae answered with: "When I was a little girl, I dreamed of being wanted, so I read stories where children found a place they were destined to be. When I was a teen, I dreamed of being special and gifted, so I read stories where the hero saved the world. As a woman, I dream of being loved and treasured, and so I read stories where the heroine is the object of affection and adoration."As for me, I read romance as a means of escape. My day is full of boring household chores, teenage drama and everything in between. I want to be swept away, I want to remember that delicious squirrelly feeling I had when my husband and I were first dating. All those feelings, all those emotions I crave are still inside me, they're just squashed beneath the bevy of responsibilities I have. Breaking from the rigors of daily life to enjoy a well written romance helps me decompress from my day-to-day stressors, allowing those squashed/dormant emotions and feelings to rise to the surface.
And seriously...who doesn't enjoy reading about someone's happily ever after? People love a good success story, they love to see someone rise above whatever hardship they're experiencing and succeed. Isn't that what a good romance is all about? A couple who can't be together for any number of reasons (money, family, disability, you name it) struggling to overcome the obstacle keeping them apart, and in the end, finding happiness together. I'm all for that kind of success story.
And yeah, if there's some good shmexin in it, all the better!
I'd love to hear your thoughts. Leave a comment and we'll chat!
April 18, 2011
Meet an Author Monday
Authors! Have a book out? Are you under contract for publication? Make sure you join in the hop. This is a great way to network your blog and let readers know who you are!
Here's how it works:
READERS:
Follow as many authors as you like. Just follow the Linky list and hop from author to author. The idea is to find as many "new to you" authors as you can, and hopefully some great new reading material as well. Leave a comment as you hop from blog to blog! We'd love to chat with you!
AUTHORS:
Follow the Meet an author Monday host (Cali Cheer Mom) along with any of the wonderfully talented authors on the list.You will need to enter your name and blog url into the Linky tool.Grab our super cute button and place it in a post. (THIS IS IMPORTANT!) If you don't create a post for the hop, your readers won't have a place to comment, and the hop will stop with you. So create a post, paste in the Linky code and start hopping!The purpose of the hop is to meet "new to you" authors and discover great new reads. Follow as many authors as you can. Leave a comment and introduce yourself!If you'd like to share the Linky list in a post on your blog ( Please do!) just follow the link and grab the code.
Here's how it works:
READERS:
Follow as many authors as you like. Just follow the Linky list and hop from author to author. The idea is to find as many "new to you" authors as you can, and hopefully some great new reading material as well. Leave a comment as you hop from blog to blog! We'd love to chat with you!
AUTHORS:
Follow the Meet an author Monday host (Cali Cheer Mom) along with any of the wonderfully talented authors on the list.You will need to enter your name and blog url into the Linky tool.Grab our super cute button and place it in a post. (THIS IS IMPORTANT!) If you don't create a post for the hop, your readers won't have a place to comment, and the hop will stop with you. So create a post, paste in the Linky code and start hopping!The purpose of the hop is to meet "new to you" authors and discover great new reads. Follow as many authors as you can. Leave a comment and introduce yourself!If you'd like to share the Linky list in a post on your blog ( Please do!) just follow the link and grab the code.
April 14, 2011
Day three at RT
Happy Thursday, peeps!
Hope you're all having a wonderful week. I'm still playing catch up from my time away from home. I hope to have my life and everything in it squared away and back to normal by next week. We'll see if that actually happens, lol!
Today I'm going to finish up my series of posts regarding my experience at RT. Woohoo!
Friday morning started with a mixer hosted by Kensington. Pastries and mimosas were served (yeah, baby!) and raffle tickets were handed out at the door. Anyone who knows me well knows I'm not very lucky. I don't usually win things. In fact, my bad luck tends to spread to others and most people avoid sitting next to me in Vegas (boo!) For this reason, it came as a huge shock when I won a gift basket full of books. Booyah, baby!!
After depositing my newly acquired books in my room, I joined Robin for the first session of the morning: Peeling Away The Layers Of Romantic Suspense. This panel consisted of: Gennita Low, Cherry Adair, Catherine Coulter and Caridad Piniero.
This particular session was the most informative of the week for me, and I came away with a good deal of notes. A few key points I took away were:Start off with a cliffhanger chapterYou can have a sex scene during your action chapters. Just keep the shmexin short and staccato. The pacing of the sex should match the action. Full on "love scenes" won't match the pacing.Make sure that your pacing gives the readers and characters a moment to breathe/plateauAction shouldn't overwhelm the romance, but should compliment the emotional arcIf you can say something, rather than think it, say it. There shouldn't be a lot of introspection.Watch your use of tagsThe faster the pace, the more white space on the pageGet into the scene late and get out earlyI came away from this session thoroughly impressed with Cherry Adair. She was personable and funny and had a wealth of information she was happy to share with everyone. In fact, it was because her personality was so fun, that I sought her out at the giant book faire on Saturday to purchase a book for her to sign.
The next session I attended was E-book: From Digital To Print. The panelists were: Lauren Dane, Megan Hart and Beth Williamson. I also found this particular session very informative. As an e-published author, I often wonder if the grass is greener on the other side (Big Six). These gals are published in both print and e-format and did a great job of sharing the ins and outs of both.
The last part of my day was probably the most nerve wracking of the week because it forced me to really step out of my comfort zone and talk to people. I'm of course talking about the Indie Book Expo. Robin, Killian and I all had tables with swag, books and various signage to pimp our latest works. The room was crowded, there were a ton of people and it was a fabulous time. I was lucky enough to sit next to Jayne Rylon, a multi-published author with Ellora's Cave and Samhain. She was sweet as pie and I can't wait to read some of her work!
The girls and I finished out our week at RT at the Vampire Ball. The entertainment was not so great, but the company at our table more than made up for it. I even got to take a pic with a werewolf. Woohoo!
Hope you're all having a wonderful week. I'm still playing catch up from my time away from home. I hope to have my life and everything in it squared away and back to normal by next week. We'll see if that actually happens, lol!
Today I'm going to finish up my series of posts regarding my experience at RT. Woohoo!
Friday morning started with a mixer hosted by Kensington. Pastries and mimosas were served (yeah, baby!) and raffle tickets were handed out at the door. Anyone who knows me well knows I'm not very lucky. I don't usually win things. In fact, my bad luck tends to spread to others and most people avoid sitting next to me in Vegas (boo!) For this reason, it came as a huge shock when I won a gift basket full of books. Booyah, baby!!
After depositing my newly acquired books in my room, I joined Robin for the first session of the morning: Peeling Away The Layers Of Romantic Suspense. This panel consisted of: Gennita Low, Cherry Adair, Catherine Coulter and Caridad Piniero.
This particular session was the most informative of the week for me, and I came away with a good deal of notes. A few key points I took away were:Start off with a cliffhanger chapterYou can have a sex scene during your action chapters. Just keep the shmexin short and staccato. The pacing of the sex should match the action. Full on "love scenes" won't match the pacing.Make sure that your pacing gives the readers and characters a moment to breathe/plateauAction shouldn't overwhelm the romance, but should compliment the emotional arcIf you can say something, rather than think it, say it. There shouldn't be a lot of introspection.Watch your use of tagsThe faster the pace, the more white space on the pageGet into the scene late and get out earlyI came away from this session thoroughly impressed with Cherry Adair. She was personable and funny and had a wealth of information she was happy to share with everyone. In fact, it was because her personality was so fun, that I sought her out at the giant book faire on Saturday to purchase a book for her to sign.
The next session I attended was E-book: From Digital To Print. The panelists were: Lauren Dane, Megan Hart and Beth Williamson. I also found this particular session very informative. As an e-published author, I often wonder if the grass is greener on the other side (Big Six). These gals are published in both print and e-format and did a great job of sharing the ins and outs of both.
The last part of my day was probably the most nerve wracking of the week because it forced me to really step out of my comfort zone and talk to people. I'm of course talking about the Indie Book Expo. Robin, Killian and I all had tables with swag, books and various signage to pimp our latest works. The room was crowded, there were a ton of people and it was a fabulous time. I was lucky enough to sit next to Jayne Rylon, a multi-published author with Ellora's Cave and Samhain. She was sweet as pie and I can't wait to read some of her work!
The girls and I finished out our week at RT at the Vampire Ball. The entertainment was not so great, but the company at our table more than made up for it. I even got to take a pic with a werewolf. Woohoo!
April 12, 2011
Day two at RT 2011 (Pic heavy!)
Happy Tuesday, peeps!
Hope you all had a fabulous Monday. I'm gonna go ahead and jump right in with more of my experience at RT 2011. Here we go!
Getting up early on Thursday morning was a PITA! Having stayed up past midnight the night before (which is waaaay past this ol' ladies bedtime) I dragged a bit. Still, despite the tiredness I felt, I managed to attend the Mystery Chix and Private Dix morning mixer. Coffee and pastries were served, books were raffled and a host of amazing authors spoke. Good times!
Immediately after the mixer, Robin and I attended a session titled "Five Times A Night, Really? Getting Honest About Sex Scenes." Aside from a few interesting factoids (the average time the pencil remains inside the sharpener is about 7-10 minutes) I didn't gain a ton of information. The panel was funny, though, and I enjoyed the seminar.
True Lies was filmed at our hotel. Remember the elevator scene?
After a short break to recoup, we (Robin, Killian and I) headed over to the Fabulous Forties mixer. At first I thought the panel might relate to works regarding the 40's time period. Nope! This party was for fabulous women in their forties, woohoo! We all received a bag of books and played a trivia game with authors Lauren Dane, Sylvia Day, Megan Hart, Ann Aguirre and HelenKay Dimon. Here's a pic of Lauren Dane. She's super animated and cute, so it was hard to snap a pic where she wasn't moving.
I'm a fan girl as well as an author, so my next stop was at the Reader's Entertainment Hollywood Mixer. There were a large group of amazing authors present including one of my favorites, Kerrelyn Sparks. Cherry Adair was also present (I'm so impressed with her) but I'll get to her story tomorrow :) Everyone in attendance received a raffle ticket, and guess what? Yours truly won a bag of books and a T-shirt! Woot! Along with my prize I was asked to give an Oscar type award to my favorite author in the room. My award, of course, went to Kerrelyn Sparks. She gave me a big hug! Yay!!
Continuing on my quest for free books, I attended the RT Book Reviews awards ceremony. All of the biggies were in attendance, and it was great to see so many brilliant authors get recognized for their hard work.
The green bag was from the awards ceremony. I stuffed it with some of the other books I received and won. Crazy! Check out the loot I took out of the Goodie Room the first day-
Starving from lugging around a billion books, Robin and I headed over to the Samhain Steampunk Tea. This was a great event. Authors and readers alike dressed up in ornate costumes, and the food was delish. Shortly after filling our tummies, we headed upstairs to get ready for the Venetian Masquerade Ball. Check out some of the costumes!
Here I am with my Snookified hair :)
That's all for today! Stop by tomorrow for a continued look at my experience at RT. Take care!
Hope you all had a fabulous Monday. I'm gonna go ahead and jump right in with more of my experience at RT 2011. Here we go!
Getting up early on Thursday morning was a PITA! Having stayed up past midnight the night before (which is waaaay past this ol' ladies bedtime) I dragged a bit. Still, despite the tiredness I felt, I managed to attend the Mystery Chix and Private Dix morning mixer. Coffee and pastries were served, books were raffled and a host of amazing authors spoke. Good times!
Immediately after the mixer, Robin and I attended a session titled "Five Times A Night, Really? Getting Honest About Sex Scenes." Aside from a few interesting factoids (the average time the pencil remains inside the sharpener is about 7-10 minutes) I didn't gain a ton of information. The panel was funny, though, and I enjoyed the seminar.
True Lies was filmed at our hotel. Remember the elevator scene?After a short break to recoup, we (Robin, Killian and I) headed over to the Fabulous Forties mixer. At first I thought the panel might relate to works regarding the 40's time period. Nope! This party was for fabulous women in their forties, woohoo! We all received a bag of books and played a trivia game with authors Lauren Dane, Sylvia Day, Megan Hart, Ann Aguirre and HelenKay Dimon. Here's a pic of Lauren Dane. She's super animated and cute, so it was hard to snap a pic where she wasn't moving.
I'm a fan girl as well as an author, so my next stop was at the Reader's Entertainment Hollywood Mixer. There were a large group of amazing authors present including one of my favorites, Kerrelyn Sparks. Cherry Adair was also present (I'm so impressed with her) but I'll get to her story tomorrow :) Everyone in attendance received a raffle ticket, and guess what? Yours truly won a bag of books and a T-shirt! Woot! Along with my prize I was asked to give an Oscar type award to my favorite author in the room. My award, of course, went to Kerrelyn Sparks. She gave me a big hug! Yay!!
Continuing on my quest for free books, I attended the RT Book Reviews awards ceremony. All of the biggies were in attendance, and it was great to see so many brilliant authors get recognized for their hard work.
The green bag was from the awards ceremony. I stuffed it with some of the other books I received and won. Crazy! Check out the loot I took out of the Goodie Room the first day-
Starving from lugging around a billion books, Robin and I headed over to the Samhain Steampunk Tea. This was a great event. Authors and readers alike dressed up in ornate costumes, and the food was delish. Shortly after filling our tummies, we headed upstairs to get ready for the Venetian Masquerade Ball. Check out some of the costumes!
Here I am with my Snookified hair :)
That's all for today! Stop by tomorrow for a continued look at my experience at RT. Take care!
April 11, 2011
Meet an author Monday, and a peek into my first experience at RT!
Happy Monday, peeps!
Before I jump into my weekly blog hop post, I thought I'd give you some insight into my experience at RT. I know I posted a couple of quickie blogs from my mobile app while I was away, but now that I'm home, I'd love to share with you in more detail. I'm thinking I'll do a daily breakdown of the event. We'll see how it goes, lol.
Wednesday was the first full day at the RT Booklovers Convention for me and convention roomies, friends and fellow authors, Killian McRae and Robin DeJarnett. After a quick breakfast of Costco muffins we hot-footed it to a 9:30 session for RT Convention Virgins. We were joined by a room full of RT newbies just like us, and entertained by the wonderful and very talented Sahara Kelly and Amanda McIntyre. It was there we learned we wouldn't be beaten or bloodied if we wanted to attend a different seminar from the one we'd originally signed up for, and that we should make sure to drink plenty of water.
I took a giant leap in session two from RT Virgin to I'll Have What She's Having: Teaching Harry How To Do Sally. This was a panel on erotica led by Sharon Page, Lauren Dane, Kate Pearce and Kayla Perrin. Some points I took away from this particular panel were to keep things real and current, and to not mistake quantity for quality. Shmexy times should be essential to the character's and story's growth, and should move the plot forward. If the sex scenes don't meet those requirements, there's no need for them.
I didn't glean much from the following marketing session I attended, though there was a rather amusing disagreement between the gal speaking and an audience member. The moderator commented she didn't believe book bloggers made a difference in sales for authors. I, of course, do not agree with this, and was happy to see I wasn't the only one. A spunky gal seated in the row behind me had some words for our well meaning speaker, and I have to say, I rather enjoyed the show.
Toward the end of the day, Robin and Killian joined me as I stopped by the spotlight on my newest publisher, Loose Id. I got to meet Treva Harte for the first time. Woot!
Our day ended with a Bollywood party hosted by Ellora's Cave. The ballroom was decorated beautifully, and we enjoyed a wonderful show consisting of some very talented, half-naked Bollywood dancers. Yay!
On to the hop!
Authors! Have a book out? Are you under contract for publication? Make sure you join in the hop. This is a great way to network your blog and let readers know who you are!
Here's how it works:
READERS:
Follow as many authors as you like. Just follow the Linky list and hop from author to author. The idea is to find as many "new to you" authors as you can, and hopefully some great new reading material as well. Leave a comment as you hop from blog to blog! We'd love to chat with you!
AUTHORS:
Follow the Meet an author Monday host (Cali Cheer Mom) along with any of the wonderfully talented authors on the list.You will need to enter your name and blog url into the Linky tool.Grab our super cute button and place it in a post. (THIS IS IMPORTANT!) If you don't create a post for the hop, your readers won't have a place to comment, and the hop will stop with you. So create a post, paste in the Linky code and start hopping!The purpose of the hop is to meet "new to you" authors and discover great new reads. Follow as many authors as you can. Leave a comment and introduce yourself!If you'd like to share the Linky list in a post on your blog ( Please do!) just follow the link and grab the code.
Before I jump into my weekly blog hop post, I thought I'd give you some insight into my experience at RT. I know I posted a couple of quickie blogs from my mobile app while I was away, but now that I'm home, I'd love to share with you in more detail. I'm thinking I'll do a daily breakdown of the event. We'll see how it goes, lol.
Wednesday was the first full day at the RT Booklovers Convention for me and convention roomies, friends and fellow authors, Killian McRae and Robin DeJarnett. After a quick breakfast of Costco muffins we hot-footed it to a 9:30 session for RT Convention Virgins. We were joined by a room full of RT newbies just like us, and entertained by the wonderful and very talented Sahara Kelly and Amanda McIntyre. It was there we learned we wouldn't be beaten or bloodied if we wanted to attend a different seminar from the one we'd originally signed up for, and that we should make sure to drink plenty of water.
I took a giant leap in session two from RT Virgin to I'll Have What She's Having: Teaching Harry How To Do Sally. This was a panel on erotica led by Sharon Page, Lauren Dane, Kate Pearce and Kayla Perrin. Some points I took away from this particular panel were to keep things real and current, and to not mistake quantity for quality. Shmexy times should be essential to the character's and story's growth, and should move the plot forward. If the sex scenes don't meet those requirements, there's no need for them.
I didn't glean much from the following marketing session I attended, though there was a rather amusing disagreement between the gal speaking and an audience member. The moderator commented she didn't believe book bloggers made a difference in sales for authors. I, of course, do not agree with this, and was happy to see I wasn't the only one. A spunky gal seated in the row behind me had some words for our well meaning speaker, and I have to say, I rather enjoyed the show.
Toward the end of the day, Robin and Killian joined me as I stopped by the spotlight on my newest publisher, Loose Id. I got to meet Treva Harte for the first time. Woot!
Our day ended with a Bollywood party hosted by Ellora's Cave. The ballroom was decorated beautifully, and we enjoyed a wonderful show consisting of some very talented, half-naked Bollywood dancers. Yay!
On to the hop!
Authors! Have a book out? Are you under contract for publication? Make sure you join in the hop. This is a great way to network your blog and let readers know who you are!
Here's how it works:
READERS:
Follow as many authors as you like. Just follow the Linky list and hop from author to author. The idea is to find as many "new to you" authors as you can, and hopefully some great new reading material as well. Leave a comment as you hop from blog to blog! We'd love to chat with you!
AUTHORS:
Follow the Meet an author Monday host (Cali Cheer Mom) along with any of the wonderfully talented authors on the list.You will need to enter your name and blog url into the Linky tool.Grab our super cute button and place it in a post. (THIS IS IMPORTANT!) If you don't create a post for the hop, your readers won't have a place to comment, and the hop will stop with you. So create a post, paste in the Linky code and start hopping!The purpose of the hop is to meet "new to you" authors and discover great new reads. Follow as many authors as you can. Leave a comment and introduce yourself!If you'd like to share the Linky list in a post on your blog ( Please do!) just follow the link and grab the code.
