Laura Roberts's Blog, page 54

Stargazing: An excerpt + #giveaway from Bernadette Marie

Bethany Waterbury left Hollywood and the shadow of her mother’s death to give herself a fresh start. Her main intention—to connect with the family she’d never really had the chance to know.

Author Kent Black is enjoying his chart topping success and living freely wherever his travels take him. But when he meets the illustrious Bethany Waterbury his wanderlust subsides and the thought of a steady future begins to take over.

Kent believes in happily ever after, but the burden of Bethany’s past might be too much for him to embrace —unless true love is more powerful than a Hollywood tragedy.

An excerpt from Stargazing

Coffee houses once were a source of inspiration. They had a vibe and a feel to them. Now, Kent thought, they were more like bars.

The same people walked in and out of the door every day. They ordered the same addictive concoction and either carried it out or sat for hours and chatted with others.

He missed the days where he could pull up to a table and no one bothered him for hours. Since he was traveling it was one of his only options. Sure, he could hold up in his hotel room, but that wasn’t very inspirational either. Even though he’d rather be alone, he needed to surround himself with people for inspiration—he just wished they weren’t so noisy.

The door opened again. It had become habit to look up and study the person. This one had him sitting up, removing his fingers from the keyboard of his laptop, and following her with his eyes.

Long red curls bounced over her shoulders, which were bare in a sundress with yellow flowers. She was lean and toned and absolutely radiant. She walked to the end of the line and Kent turned in his chair to follow her with his gaze.

Smiling at the boy behind the counter, Kent noted that the young man flushed at her simple gesture. That said something.

She continued on to pay for her drink. He heard the woman ringing up her order offer a pastry to which the redhead waved off with her hand and a laugh. Obviously she’d avoid that, he knew just by looking at her. Her drink was probably low fat blah too.

When she turned the beauty of her hit Kent right in the chest. He’d never seen such a beautiful specimen.

Buy Links

Amazon / iTunes / Kobo

About the Author

Bestselling Author Bernadette Marie is known for building families readers want to be part of. Her series The Keller Family has graced bestseller charts since its release in 2011, along with her other series and single title books. The married mother of five sons promises Happily Ever After always… and says she can write it, because she lives it.

When not writing, Bernadette Marie is shuffling her sons to their many events—mostly hockey—and enjoying the beautiful views of the Colorado Rocky Mountains from her front step. She is also an accomplished martial artist with a second degree black belt in Tang Soo Do.

A chronic entrepreneur, Bernadette Marie opened her own publishing house in 2011, 5 Prince Publishing, so that she could publish the books she liked to write and help make the dreams of other aspiring authors come true too.

Bernadette Marie is also the CEO of Illumination Author Events.

Connect with Bernadette on Facebook, Twitter, 5 Prince Books, and her website, BernadetteMarie.com.

Giveaway

The author will award a $25 Amazon gift card to a randomly drawn winner. To enter, please use the Rafflecopter widget below. Be sure to follow the rest of the tour and comment. The more you comment, the better your chances of winning! All tour stops can be found here.

a Rafflecopter

giveaway

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Meet me at the zine fest

This weekend (Saturday, October 3rd, to be exact) is the third annual San Diego Zine Fest.

Guess who’s going to be there?

If you said “tons of awesome zinemakers,” I’ll accept that answer.

If you said “Laura Roberts,” you win a prize – but you’ll have to come to the zine fest to get it, of course.

I’ll be representing both Black Heart Magazine and Buttontapper Press at the event, and I’ll have copies of the following print editions for sale:

Best of Black Heart 2014
Haiku For Lovers
Ninjas of the 512
San Diego from A to Z
The Vixen Files

Stop by my table and grab a FREE copy of an exclusive “Best of the Net” zine made especially for the event – while supplies last.

The Zine Fest starts at noon at Bread & Salt Art Gallery (1955 Julian Ave.) and runs through 6 PM. I look forward to meeting you there!

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Diary of a Single Wedding Planner: An excerpt + #giveaway

Wedding planner Tyler Warren left heartbreak behind when she ran away from her small Southern hometown and started a new life in a big city. Years later, she wants to believe in the fairy-tale endings her job promotes, but the clients she meets day after day seem to be more “Crazily Ever After” than “Happily Ever After.”

Meanwhile, her own attempts at romance play out as bizarre comedies rather than love stories, and she’s starting to think Prince Charming either fell off his horse or got eaten by a dragon. When unresolved issues from Tyler’s past complicate things even further, she discovers she may yet have some things to figure out before she can find her own happy ending.

This delightful first book in the Tales Behind the Veils series chronicles Tyler’s wacky misadventures, both personal and professional. Whether she’s getting insane requests from brides or outlandish requests on dates, you’re sure to be charmed and entertained by the Diary of a Single Wedding Planner.

An excerpt from Diary of a Single Wedding Planner

I laughed at Mel and cringed at the memory she referred to. I was probably sixteen at the time, and my mother’s best friend had insisted I go out with her nephew. Doris described Sammy as a “long, tall, good-lookin’ drink of water.” She would drawl out long and tall into pretty much two-syllable words and then rush through good-lookin’ drink of water like she was running out of oxygen.

He was tall alright, but evidently Doris and I have vastly differing opinions on what constitutes good-lookin’. Of course, it didn’t help that he showed up barefoot to take me out to dinner. I opened the door in my brand-new dress to greet a scrawny giant of a boy wearing a rebel-flag tank top, a pair of cut-off denim shorts, and no shoes.

He smiled down at me, revealing a large gap of two to three teeth missing on the bottom and a couple of top teeth ready to jump ship at any moment.

I decided right then and there I’d need to see someone up close and in person before I ever let anyone set me up on a date.

Buy Links

Amazon

About the Author

Violet Howe enjoys writing romance with humor. She lives in Florida with her husband, who is her knight in shining armor, and their two handsome sons. They share their home with three adorable but spoiled dogs. When she’s not writing, Violet is usually watching movies, reading, or planning her next travel adventure. You can follow Violet’s ramblings on her blog, The Goddess Howe.

You can also connect with Violet on Facebook, Twitter, or her website, VioletHowe.com.

Giveaway

Violet will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B&N gift card to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour. To enter, use the widget below — and don’t forget to follow the rest of the tour and comment. The more you comment, the better your chances of winning! All tour stops can be found here.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Death by Romance: An excerpt + #giveaway from Anne Kennison

The murder of Gordon Taylor, prominent businessman and philanthropist, has Detective Ryan Hamlin stumped. No viable suspects, no decent leads. When a chance conversation breaks the case wide open, Detective Hamlin suddenly has a long list of unlikely suspects who, with a “perfectly legal” multimillion dollar investment to protect, must make sure that none of them is convicted or everything will be lost. That’s when the deception and finger-pointing begin. The detective is certain he’s headed down the path that will lead to the killer, but is he?

An excerpt from Death by Romance

The Grim Reaper is a capricious son-of-a-bitch who’ll let an undeserving miscreant go with nothing more than a renewed faith in God, then throw a surprise party for a guy like Gordon Taylor. A decent guy who was about to go from merely to hugely rich. With good business sense, ambition, and a few lucky breaks, Gordon had parlayed a small inheritance from his grandfather into Taylor Industries, a multimillion dollar conglomerate with fingers in everything from manufacturing to banking, and he was at the endgame for the IPO. He had worked hard and it was all about to pay off.

None of it mattered. Gordon Taylor would die within the hour.

Gordon’s work day had ended. He was lounging in his leather executive chair, feet crossed and propped up on the desk, hands behind his head, strong fingers intertwined. He was enjoying a moment of solitude after another grueling day dealing with overly cautious attorneys more interested in racking up legal fees by creating obstacles than finding solutions, and greedy investment bankers wanting more than their fair share of Gordon’s empire. He’d spent the day wrapping up details for the IPO which, when done, would tack three beautiful zeroes on the end of his already substantial net worth.The thought didn’t leave him as elated as he had thought it would, and he wondered if trading control for dollars was worth it. He already had more money than he and his wife Jessica could spend in three lavish lifetimes and, when all was said and done, it wasn’t about the money. It never had been.

Buy Links

Just 99¢ for a limited time at

Amazon / Barnes & Noble

About the Author

Anne Kennison’s unique plot twist comes from a fertile imagination honed by 20-plus years as a trusts and estates attorney. Now retired from the practice of law, Anne lives in Richmond, Virginia, with her husband Dale and two Ragdoll cats Grady and Elliott. When she’s not writing the sequel to Death by Romance, Anne loves to travel, dabble in photography, and spend time with her two adorable granddaughters.

Connect with Anne on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or her website, AnneKennison.com.

Giveaway

Anne will be awarding a $20 Amazon or B&N gift card to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour. To enter, use the widget below — and don’t forget to follow the rest of the tour and comment. The more you comment, the better your chances of winning! All tour stops can be found here.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Trashy Tropes: What “sexy” billionaires don’t want YOU to know about income inequality

There’s a good reason I’m not a fan of the “sexy billionaire” trope that’s all too common in erotica.

Not only do I gag at the thought of female characters being little more than pawns in a rich man’s clutches, but I simply don’t find outrageous wealth to be sexy.

But my biggest problem with the sexy billionaires stories is that they’re simply a damaging myth. Far from being a turn-on, these billionaires are quite literally people have been ruining America for the past 20+ years, shifting the wealth from the middle class to their very own pockets. Their reverse Robin Hood routine is egotistical, deranged, and certainly not the type of power struggle I like to read about when I want to get frisky in the bedroom.

They are, in short, part of what I term “Trashy Tropes” – bad erotica clichés that have got to go.

Need I say more?

I’ll let Presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders tell you the rest of the story about these bad-boy billionaires. Maybe then you’ll really… #FeelTheBern!

Take it away, Bernie:

https://t.co/EMZUee0gDq

— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) September 14, 2015

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Hellkat: An excerpt + #giveaway from Robyn Roze

Kat James likes her men in suits, not cowboy boots. Is it time for a different kind of man?

Saddle up for a story filled with passion, mystery, unrequited love, and family drama. Can Tucker Williams prove he’s the best man for Kat? Or will an old-flame win her back?

It won’t matter, if Kat doesn’t survive her family’s dangerous secret.

An excerpt from Hellkat

“Do you like the opera, Tucker?” His mouth dropped open, but he didn’t speak. Oh, he wanted to, she could tell. Kat chewed at the inside of her cheek, did her best to hold back the grin wanting to break across her face. “Ever been to the Met?” He shook his head, slowly. “What a shame. We need to fix that as soon as possible.” She teased him with a wink.

“You don’t have any problem renting a tux, right?”

He cleared his throat. “Not at all.”

Kat’s eyes narrowed. “Just to be clear: black jeans and a sport coat aren’t considered a tux here.” He bit down on his lip to stop the grin so clearly wanting to spread. “Take care of that while I’m at work, would you? I have a friend who can get us great seats—tonight even. I’m sure of it. Doesn’t that sound like fun?” A killer smile lit up her face.

Tucker nodded once. The playfulness in his eyes and tight set of his lips broadcasted he understood this to be a test, and that he wasn’t about to give up any points.

Her body hummed with exhilaration.

She checked the time on her smartphone. “I have to get back to the office now. I’ll call you with the details.” She smacked her lips together in an air kiss. Her giggle could not be stopped.

Kat sashayed away, confident that not only was he watching her ass but also wondering if the opera would be the worst of his punishments.

Buy Link

On sale for 99¢ at Amazon through September 15

About the Author

Robyn Roze lives amongst the cornfields of the Midwest and telecommutes as an accountant. Writing was a childhood dream of Robyn’s. She won creative writing awards as a girl and teachers encouraged her to pursue a writing career. But pragmatism won out, and she boxed the dream away on the maybe-someday shelf.

Maybe-someday came for Robyn in 2013 when she published the Keeper Series, a new adult romantic suspense story. Then she shifted gears and decided to pen a novel with a much more mature cast—Chain of Title was born, her bestselling title. Readers have been loud in their demand for a sequel, and Robyn is currently working on the next chapter of Shayna and Sean’s love story. And her latest book, HellKat, released in June 2015. All of Robyn’s stories contain one key element that her readers love: a strong, independent heroine.

When she’s not spending time with her fictional families, she loves to spend time with her real one: her high school sweetheart, their two moody teenagers, and a pampered rescue mutt.

Connect with Robyn on Amazon, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and her website, RobynRoze.com.

Giveaway

Robyn will award one randomly drawn commenter via Rafflecopter a $10 Amazon/B&N gift card. To enter, use the widget below — and don’t forget to follow the rest of the stops and comment. The more you comment, the better your chances of winning! All tour stops can be found here.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Thoughts on this year’s #3daynovel and how to improve next year

After I hit my 30,000 words last night, I stopped working on Prime Time for the weekend. Not because it was finished, but because I knew I was at an impasse.

This year, though I met my 30,000-word goal for my 3-day novel, I don’t really feel like I “won” the contest.

Part of that is because I didn’t officially enter (i.e. pay the contest organizers $50 for a shot at the grand prize) because I’m pre-selling copies at Inkshares, and part of that is because I’m not actually done writing this book yet.

You see, when I wrote my 3-day novel back in 2011, I had a much more tightly plotted outline. That helped a lot. But I also had a much smaller cast of characters.

Prime Time currently has 12 characters (6 participants in the reality show, 3 experts, 2 producers and a studio exec). It’s an ensemble piece, as they say in show biz, because there’s no one “main character,” yet every character has an important role to play.

As I was writing the book, I realized that the whole reason my first 3-day novel worked so well was precisely because I was following a script – an action/adventure quest script, which has a very clear goal and Hero’s Journey to take you through the twists and turns. Though quests stories are not always easy to write, they are a pretty basic formula, and work great for novels you need to write in a short period of time.

Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your view) Prime Time is not a quest book, and therefore doesn’t follow the same formula. I’m sure there is a script for an ensemble piece, but I haven’t actually looked that up and figured out where my characters fit into the formula.

Actually, writing the previous sentence, I just Googled “plotting an ensemble piece” and found this excellent breakdown by Linda Cowgill, as well as this apt description on TV Tropes, which notes that ensemble pieces work best as episodes – which is essentially the whole premise of Prime Time, since it’s based on the concept of reality TV.

Obviously, writing a bunch of episodes is going to take a lot more time than writing a single plot arc, focusing on one main character!

I’m not sure why this didn’t ring any alarm bells while I was planning my outline, but I think I just figured I would be able to write a few scenes with each character straight from start to finish, and then cut them up like a film editor rearranging things “in post,” as they say.

WRONG!

Number one, I’m not a film editor. And number two, each of these characters has their own story arc, which means each character’s story is essentially it’s own mini-novel.

Viewed from that perspective, I would need at least three 3-day weekends to write about my three main couples (combining each twosome’s two individual story arcs into a single “couples” arc, times three), with the experts, producers and studio exec as supporting roles.

Whoops!

So, since I essentially ended up sacrificing my need to develop three separate storylines to my need to hit a 30K word count this weekend, I’m still not done with the first draft of this novel, and that is a little frustrating.

But we all learn from our mistakes, hopefully, and next year if I decide to take on another 3-day novel, I will definitely go back to the tried-and-true Hero’s Quest method. I’m sure my ninjas from Austin could use a little action…

Anyway, it wasn’t a total bust, since I did get many good scenes down on paper, and I’ve got quite a steamy situation with two of my reality TV stars that requires more attention.

I also learned the following things:

When in need of a quick wake-up/pick-me-up, try swishing minty mouthwash for 30 seconds as directed on the label. You never read the label before, did you? It’s that 30 second span of swishing that really does the trick, although the mintiness is always a nice byproduct. Especially if you’ve been drinking too much coffee.
I can bust out a hell of a lot of sex scenes under pressure. Trying to bust out comedic scenes under pressure, however, is not really my forte. Once an erotica writer, always an erotica writer, I suppose.
Despite the fact that I am not intending to include most of those sex scenes, I do think they provide some interesting insights into my characters, and once I cut the intimate details and pull the old Hollywood “fade to black” trick, I think I’ve actually got some smooth moves happening here.
I hate weddings, as mentioned in my previous post. Attending weddings in person is kind of fun if you’re a guest (cake! champagne! seeing friends and family! terrible dance moves while drunk!). Trying to “plan” weddings in a book is definitely NOT fun. Deciding the center my book around a big reveal that takes place at a wedding (or, more accurately, THREE weddings)? Kind of a dumb move on my part.
Despite the fact that I hate writing wedding scenes, I do enjoy watching them in other people’s movies, but the caveat is that I usually prefer super weird wedding scenes, not super traditional ones. The Princess Bride’s wedding scene is so excellent because it perverts the traditional wedding, both with the Impressive Clergyman’s speech and with Prince Humperdink’s exhortations to “skip to the end!” that actually nullify the entire legal bond, which is the actual point of a wedding.
Twue wuv doesn’t exist on reality shows.
Or does it?

If you’re curious to follow along as I continue writing this draft throughout the next few weeks and months, please follow me on Inkshares, and if you’re really excited to see how the whole thing turns out, pre-order a copy!

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Day 3 of the #3daynovel: I hate weddings

So, it’s day 3 of the 3 Day Novel weekend, and I’m not sure why, but I’m stuck right now at 16,806 words. Slightly past my projected halfway point of 30,000 words. I’ve introduced all my characters, and it’s time for them to get married, and… I can’t write these damn scenes.

I hate weddings. So does this bride.

I’ve got some suspicions about the root of the problem. Let me see if I can write them out.

See, I never really planned out my wedding as a kid. I was never the type to sit around picking out potential wedding gowns or drawing up elaborate plans for a day that might never come. I wasn’t into all the hubbub, the hoopla, the frothy dresses that cost as much as a car. And the older I got, the more it seemed to me that weddings were just a really huge waste of money to throw a party for two people who should, really, be saving money in order to make their dreams come true. I mean, doesn’t it make more sense to spend thousands of dollars on a house instead of a single day’s worth of partying?

So when I finally got popped the question by my husband, who is also quite anti-wedding, one of my first thoughts was not “OMG, this is so exciting!” but “OMG, how can I make this as stress-free as possible?!”

The thought of having to organize my own wedding seemed horrible, really. The thought of spending a ridiculous sum of money on any part of it, just because we said the words “I do” seemed egregious. And still does! So all of these stupid celebrity weddings and over-the-top Bridezillas with “Say Yes to the Dress” and whatever the hell just strike me as annoying, not cute or fun.

And having to write a bunch of scenes in which my characters meet at such a horrendous event is also making me want to lie down and take a nap. YAWN.

I guess this is why I don’t write romance novels, eh? To me, weddings are seriously unromantic. Standing up in front of a huge crowd of people and declaring your love for someone? Nerve wracking. Not fun, sexy, cute or anything I typically associate with romance.

If anything, I identify most with Kevin Hart’s character in The Wedding Ringer. I would much rather swoop in, give an awesome speech that shows what a great friend someone else is, grab some champagne and a piece of the cake, and swoop out to engaged in an activity that’s much more fun.

Dressing up in a white dress? Not my deal.

Trying to lose 10 pounds to squeeze myself into someone else’s idea of pretty? Fuck that shit.

Writing wedding scenes where people are declaring love after meeting for the first time? Kind of a bummer.

But I’m still trying to make it fun. I’ve been racking my brain for all the kookiest wedding-related ideas I can think of. I recently saw pictures of a dove that swooped into a chocolate fountain and got himself thoroughly covered in chocolate goo, for instance, and that made me laugh. I definitely need to work that in, somewhere. And the wedding scene in So I Married an Axe Murderer is probably one of my faves, closely followed by Buttercup’s fake marriage to Prince Humperdink in The Princess Bride, so I’m scouring those scenes for elements I can steal, modify or otherwise work into my own wedding scenes (there are three of them, ugh!) in order to make the whole thing more palatable.

Note to self: Next time you get the bright idea for a novel, try not to center it around an event quite as loathsome as a wedding!

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The #3DayNovel Contest: Day 1, Hour 1

My outline is done. My Scrivener file is set up. I’ve refilled the ink in all my fountain pens, and readied an army of ballpoints, Sharpies and highlighters for brainstorming in the notebook I’ve dedicated to Prime Time notes.

My husband and I have restocked the refrigerator with food.

My desk is (relatively) clean.

My whiteboard is ready with some inspirational quotes:

My iPad is charged up.

The cats have plenty of food in the pantry.

A friend sent me a link to Rainy Café for ambient white noise — a new productivity tool in my arsenal.

I’ve got my iTunes playlist full of lyric-free music queued up. (Musicians include Hildur Gudnadottir, Hauschka, Chet Baker, Zoe Keating, Amon Tobin, Ryuichi Sakamoto & Alva Noto, Tsegue-maryam Guebrou, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, plus a little Ludwig Van and Mr. Mozart himself to round things out. If you’ve like to listen to some of the tunes I use, click here for my YouTube playlist. Also, Venice Classic Radio is always good in a pinch for uninterrupted classical tunes.)

I’ve got fellow writers to cheer me on, inspire me, and kick my ass – and for whom I can do the same. Shout outs to:

Diane Lee
DL Zwissler
Rachel Wood
Vance Rowe

I’m ready for three days of writing. The 3 Day Novel Contest begins. Let’s do this!

P.S. If you’re also noveling this weekend, keep in touch @originaloflaura on Twitter! And don’t forget to grab a 99¢ copy of my book, Confessions of a 3-Day Novelist: How to Write an Entire Book in Just 72 Hours, for whenever you’re in need of a pep talk. Happy noveling!

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Start your 3 Day Novel off right by reading this book

Writing a novel for the 3 Day Novel Contest this weekend?

You’re gonna need this:

My book, Confessions of a 3-Day Novelist, will be on sale for only 99¢ from September 5 — 7.

Coincidentally, these are the dates of this year’s 3 Day Novel Contest.

Learn how to:

Outline your book for success,
Fight the doubt demons, and
Get your book DONE in only 3 days

All by reading THIS BOOK in about an hour!

A solid investment, and now even cheaper than its usual $2.99 price tag, just for you, you wild and crazy 3-Day Novelists!

Grab it here, now.

And use coupon code FA26W at the checkout to get your sale price.

This special sale price will be available through September 10th, just in case you’re too busy noveling to snatch it up this weekend.

Happy noveling!

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