Aline Hunter's Blog, page 5

Oddball Blog Entry: Guilty Pleasures

When I write I have to have background noise. Usually it's music but sometimes I'll throw in a DVD to get the job done. This morning I chose Showgirls. My husband gave me an odd look when he saw my selection and said, "Showgirls? Really?" What followed was a friendly debate on a movie that I enjoy but he thinks is horrible. It's kind of funny because I know a lot of people dislike Showgirls, but I consider myself a fan. I can't really say why. It's kind of like The Rocky Horror Picture Show. I love that flick so much I own both the film and the soundtrack.

This got me to thinking about guilty pleasures. You know -- the movies, music and books that most people think is garbage yet we make a connection with. As a smut reader and author, I'm not ashamed to admit I enjoy reading erotic romance. However, I know many people who would rather tote around a copy of Pride and Prejudice when they travel so the people around them don't know they're enjoying a book about a couple engaging in explicit sexual acts.

This brings me to my question: How many of you have guilty pleasures? What are they if you don't mind me asking? Is there a movie or book that you love that you just can't bring yourself to talk about because you know the reaction you receive won't be a positive one? An oddball blog entry, I know, but I'm curious. Enlighten me!

Again, I hope all of you are enjoying your holiday!

Off With Their Heads

Hello awesome people! Let me preface by stating this isn't a topic I wanted to discuss. In fact, I've straddled the fence on whether or not to say something for months. However, due to recent events I feel it's necessary to take a stand and address the situation.

*Takes a deep breath*

Okay, ready? Here we go.

Recently I've been getting a lot of rude, disrespectful and disgusting emails. At first I did what I always do: I responded with a brief "thank you for your time," and let it go. My hope was that eventually the haters would go away or find something better to do with their time. Sadly, this isn't the case. Not many know this but I had to change my phone number, get a post office box and contact the police due to a situation with a stalker. Downright scary when you have children in your home and a weirdo calling your house. Trust me, you don't want to know how it feels. It's gotten so bad that I've turned to colleagues for advice. The majority of them say the same thing -- stop using social networks -- which is disheartening. After all, I love chatting with all of you. I try to make myself available to every single fan who emails me and always make a point to respond. No longer doing so would make me sad.

So I'm writing this blog entry here and now to say that, while I will respond to emails, I will delete those sent from anonymous (throw away) email addresses or those that serve no purpose but to insult, degrade or delve into my personal life. Granted, those who do this probably don't visit my blog, but in the event they do there you go. This isn't to say people can't email me if they have questions about future works or want to point something out. Rather I'm letting everyone know that I'm a person -- a mother and wife -- not a simple name, and I will no longer tolerate this behavior from strangers. My characters are fictitious, as are my stories. They do not represent who I am as a person. They are figments of my imagination, nothing more.

I'm going to put away my soapbox now and wish you all a fantastic holiday. I hope you're enjoying time with your friends and family. As always, I can't thank you enough for your support. It means the world to me. It's a shame some people try to ruin a good thing.

Merry Christmas Wishes and Updates

Wowza!! So hard to believe Christmas is here. My kiddos are super happy. We managed to give them an awesome Christmas this year, and I can't thank you enough for making that happen. Due to your support of my work, we were able to do things for them we couldn't last year. So THANK YOU!!

Today I'll be running ragged going from one home to the next. I'm looking forward to spending time with my family. Some of them drive into town once per year and it's the only chance I get to see them. For that reason I adore Christmas. There's nothing like family.

I did want to let you know that next week I'll be gung-ho working. I'm over halfway done with The Ripple Effect and Enemy Mine. I'll wrap those up soon. Until then I do have a few books you can check out if you haven't done so (and are interested), including Make Me Shiver which is now on Kindle! Check out the blurbs and links below. All purchase sites are listed on the webpage, so it's as simple as clicking a button to venture over to the retailers.

Again, Happy Holidays. I'm sending you all tons of hugs and love.



A special excerpt is on the website for Make Me Shiver now. It's rated R, so keep that in mind. You can read the excerpt by clicking HERE . As a side note, the book is 53k words, so it's not a short story. It is a novel.



If you haven't read Omega Mine, now's your chance. It's pretty steamy and not for youngsters. A blurb is also on the website and you can read it by clicking HERE . This book is a novel plus, complete at around 86k words.



This is a short story that will have a full length follow up -- Twisted In Knots. I really enjoyed Zeke and Diane and can't wait to revisit them. You can read a blurb on my website HERE. Keep in mind the story is a Quickie and complete at around 9k words.

On a side, I have received a release date for Crimson Sunrise. It will be available on May 18, 2012. I apologize for the delay but hope the book is worth the wait. Thank you again for your patience. My hope is to return to the series and write the last book sometime next year. And for those who asked, I will be returning to The Desires of the Otherworld series soon. I've also contracted someone to put Eternity and a Day in print, so you should be hearing more about that soon.

Again, Merry Christmas. 2011 was a great year but I'm hoping 2012 is even better. I'm sending you tons of virtual hugs and cookies. Have a wonderful day with your friends and loved ones. I'll be back with another update soon.

All My Best!

Jaime

Make Me Shiver is Here

Make Me Shiver is finally here! I'm so excited and hope you enjoy the story. It was my first attempt at contemporary (prior to No Strings) so it's different but sexy. :) The book will be available at Amazon.com within 24-48 hours. I'll update this blog with the link when I receive it.

Make Me Shiver at Ellora's Cave

Make Me Shiver at Amazon (Link Coming Soon)

Make Me Shiver Celebration

It's hard to believe Make Me Shiver releases on Wednesday! In celebration I'm giving away a $10 Ellora's Cave Gift Card. Want to enter? It's not difficult.

Visit my Facebook author page...

https://www.facebook.com/pages/JA-Saare-Aline-Hunter/205937709416811

...and leave a comment. That's it! I will only accept entries in the comments for the contest on my Facebook, so make sure to head over there. It's so much easier to keep track of things in one place. I'll announce the winner on December 21st and email the lucky duck with their winnings!

As always, thanks for your support. I couldn't do this without you!

Make Me Shiver Release Date!

Make Me Shiver has a release date: December 21st! So you'll be able to read the book before the end of 2011. Huzzah!

Here's the official blurb:

When Lacey loses control of her vehicle and finds herself trapped by ice and snow, she knows there’s only one person to call for help. Unfortunately, Michael may cause more turmoil than relief. She’s lusted for the gorgeous Dom ever since she first laid eyes on him. Trouble is, he doesn’t do vanilla and she’s not a submissive…or is she?

Michael’s hungered for Lacey for months, so when he notices her fleeting glimpses and blush-stained cheeks as he rescues her from an altercation with a guardrail, he decides it’s time to push the sultry beauty’s boundaries…only to discover Lacey’s not as reserved as she thinks.

Physical attraction blossoms into something neither anticipates, taking Michael and Lacey beyond kink, dominance and submission. Their newfound connection is strong until a flame from Michael’s past returns, shatters the fragile trust he and Lacey have only just developed and threatens to destroy something neither wants to surrender.

If you'd like to read an excerpt click the cover art to redirect. I hope you enjoy the book. It was interesting to write something other than paranormal or urban fantasy. :) As for me, I'm back to work. There's tons of writing to be done. Thank God the weekend is almost here!

What to Expect in 2012

Wowza. I have received over a dozen emails in the last few days asking virtually the same question:

When is *insert book title here* coming out?

Let me state that I always answer my email, so that isn't the issue. Rather I realize some people might visit my website and see what's "coming soon" but have no idea when coming soon is. For that reason I'm going to let you in on what you can expect this year, barring any interference.

The Ripple Effect: I'm working on this. It's revised but has to be finished. As soon as it's done it will go to my editor and I'll get a solid release date. If I get off my ass it should be summer or early fall. This series is the most difficult for me to write, so it takes longer to complete the manuscripts.

Enemy Mine: Another book I'm currently writing. To answer the primary question -- this is Mary and Emory's book. The next, Vampire Mine, is Trey and Sadie. So fear not, you'll get your fix. Enemy Mine should release in the spring.

Then we have contracted books that will release in 2012 but haven't been started: Vampire Mine, Make Me Surrender, and Twisted In Knots. These books are on my calendar to be written. They are contracted and will be turned in next year. I'm hoping to release at least one book everything 2-3 months. As for Edge of Darkness (Rhiannon's Law, Book Four) -- it's not contracted so I'm not sure of the time frame. It all depends on sales.

So there you go, a rough estimate of my releases next year. I'm going to be extremely busy but hopefully the payoff will be worth it. I will be taking a break to attend two conventions this year: Romanticon and Lori Foster's. I'll be sure to share more info as the dates get closer.

Back to work for me! Happy Hump Day!

No Strings Contest

For those interested, I'm giving away an ebook copy of No Strings on my Facebook Fan Page. If you'd like to enter swing by the page and leave a comment:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/JA-Saare-Aline-Hunter/205937709416811

18+ adults only. The story isn't for minors. Information on the book can be found here:


http://www.jasaare.com/AlineHunter/NoStrings.html

Holy Contracts Batman!!

The picture above pretty much summarizes how I feel. A couple of days ago I received a congratulatory email from the Editor-In-Chief at Ellora's Cave for hitting the romance best sellers list on Kindle (Omega Mine made it to #86). Due to this, my schedule went from "maybe" to "slammed."

I almost fell out of my chair.

New contracts mean I'll be absent for the next few months. I've worked on my calendar and the times are tight. I've got five books planned next year (yes, this includes Edge of Darkness -- The Ripple Effect should be completed this month or the beginning of January). That's a LOT of words. Too many to think about. So I'm going to take it one book at a time and cross my fingers.

Thank you so much for the continued support, word of mouth about my books, emails to keep me going, and for simply being so damn awesome. I'll be on Twitter and Facebook here and there (you can find me if you hit the Twitter and Facebook buttons on the right of the blog), but otherwise I'll be slow to respond to emails and the like. Please bear with me as I bust my arse and try to create books that will -- hopefully -- entertain you.

Until next time, happy holidays! I hope Santa brings you tons of presents.

Update and Turkey Day Well Wishes

It's so hard to believe Thanksgiving is here. It seems (literally) like yesterday I was bemoaning a brand new 2011. Now it's almost 2012.

Jeezus.

Anyhow, I wanted to stop by and wish you all a happy holiday full of food, fun, and laughs. I enjoy this time of year very much, even if I complain about it. After tomorrow a local station will start playing nothing but Christmas music, and I'll gleefully drive the family nutso by listening to it ALL DAY, EVERYDAY, until Christmas has come and gone.

Who says there is no joy in torture? *grin*

On the work front...I'm sad to say I've not had much progress on Enemy Mine. I'd started on the project only to be sidelined with things for my children. This time of year is very hectic and I didn't anticipate just how busy I'd be. Fortunately I have this weekend and the last week in November to attempt to get to the 50k mark. If I can do this I should complete the story in December. As for The Ripple Effect -- I've been editing and revising. Once that's done I can write the rest and wrap up the book. My goal is to complete the MS by the end of Dec/Jan.

Now, because I love you, I wanted to share an image I discovered on Facebook. Hopefully it will give you the same giggle it did me. I'll return soon with another update and perhaps a contest.