Laura Roberts's Blog, page 64

Chemical Attraction: An excerpt + #giveaway from Christina Thompson

FBI Agent Joe Roberts wants that instant chemistry like his sisters, Eva and Taylor, have with their husbands. After years of searching, he’s ready to give up on that romantic notion. Then, he meets Madeline. The problem is she’s his contact on this dangerous case.

Dr. Madeline Pierce works in nanotechnology research. When she discovers a criminal network within her medical facility, she’s partnered with Joe. Throughout the investigation into the production and distribution of illegal drugs, Joe and Madeline struggle to stay professional despite their intense attraction to each other. She wants to trust his sweet words but wonders if she’s just a fling.

Police Chief Matt Connor adores his wife, Eva, and works hard to keep his family and rural town safe. When farm animals become violent and meth labs become abundant, his calm demeanor is tested. Eva Connor, a petite spitfire, has an opinion on everything and you know it whether you want to or not. However, her confidence is shaken when she’s used as leverage against Matt’s inquiries. With this case now personal for Matt and Joe, they will do whatever’s necessary to protect the women they love. As the ensemble hunts for this new bio-weapon, the dangers intensify putting their lives at greater risk.

These intertwining relationships must transform into stronger bonds if they want to win against this horrific threat. Love should trump evil, but will their love for each other survive these tests without severe repercussions?

An excerpt from Chemical Attraction

“Depending on how long this has been going on, we’re talking about millions if not billions of dollars.” Joe stood and paced at the foot of his bed in the Blue Room at the B & B. “Well, the proof would be with materials management, right?”

Leaning against his headboard, Madeline nodded. “They would have the master supply list and shipping manifests. Getting those would be a start. The supply list would show the bulk chemicals ordered and the manifest would show the delivery of those actual items.”

“What’s their security like?” he asked, impressed by her knowledge and instincts.

She reached for her iced tea with her left hand and used her right to wipe the condensed wetness off the tabletop. She took a mouthful, swallowed, and sighed. “They have cameras all over the place. The front desk has four screens that they flip through to any area, but security has a room with monitors for every camera.”

He continued to walk the six steps from one side of the room to the other. “They have cameras in materials management?”

“That department has three. If it weren’t for the cameras, I’d walk down there and make copies of the lists. They hang on a clipboard out in the open. There’s even a copier in an alcove next to it,” she said, crunching her ice.

“Where are the cameras placed?” he asked, clenching his jaw at her distractions.

She grinned. “One picks up the clipboard and the hallway. There’s one at the gated door, overlooking the supply room, and the other is directly across from the copier. I have no idea how to get to it by myself.”

He looked at everything in the room, but Madeline stretched out on his bed. He struggled against temptation. “A lot of people work in that area?”

“Four guys are in and out of the department throughout the day except for lunch. Between noon and one, they eat in the cafeteria and leer at women.”

He moved the blue lace curtain to the side and looked at the empty street. In the window’s reflection, he watched Madeline position herself across the bed onto her abdomen. She bent her knees, putting her feet in the air. He turned back around as she propped her head on her hands. He kicked his shoe across the room and watched it thump into the door. Frustrated, he plopped into the chair, folded his arms, and stared at her.

“Why are you doing that?” he finally asked.

She smiled. “Are you mad at me? Your body language says you are.”

“You want fun, huh?” She squealed as he leapt across the bed toward her. When she tried to roll away, he pinned her beneath him. As he hovered over her, he gently moved a strand of her hair away from her face. “I told you. You are too damn tempting.”

Lowering his head, he kissed her. The bolt of lightning shot through him again and, God, he liked it. She squeezed his biceps, making him instantly hard. Her kisses seared his lips. He was definitely playing with fire. As he slowly lowered his body, they heard pounding on the ceiling.

“I better go,” Madeline whispered as she tried to catch her breath.

Suddenly aware of his position, he scrambled to get up. “God, I’m sorry. I’ll walk you home.”

Damn, how could he be so irresponsible? He had worked with many women over the years and had always kept it strictly professional. Now, he was compromising not only his mission and career but her life as well.

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About the Author

Christina Thompson enjoys writing about the physical science, the emotional workings of our mind and heart, and the spiritual energy that taps into our passions. Her degree in biology from Nazareth College in Kalamazoo gave her a love of science and a background into the physical realm of the body. Her diploma in Traditional Chinese acupuncture from Midwest College of Oriental Medicine taught her that the mind and spirit affect the body in powerful ways.

Connect with Christina on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, her publisher’s website, or her personal website, ChristinaKThompson.com.

Giveaway

The author is giving one lucky reader a $20 Amazon gift card!

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Blogging from A to Z Challenge theme reveal 2015 (hint: it’s sexy!)

Today’s the day! I’m joining the Blogging from A to Z Challenge for my fourth year in a row, and today is the day of the Great Challenge Theme Reveal.

So, what will my posts be about this year?

I’ll give you a hint…

Photo by Flickr user Howie Muzika

Need another?

“Surfer strip show” photo by Flickr user Nathan Rupert

How about this one?

Have you figured it out?

That’s right, it’s…

SEXY SAN DIEGO!

Yep, I’ve decided to blog about everything sexciting about America’s Finest City — my current hometown — throughout the month of April.

If you’ve never been to San Diego, you’ll get a chance to learn all about the city’s sauciest highlights. And if you’ve lived here your entire life, feel free to spice up my comments section with some of your salacious stories.

As with my 2013 themed posts on Montreal, which became my book Montreal from A to Z, I plan to turn these blog posts into a book after the challenge is finished. But this time I’ll be including lots more super special book-only material to keep you guessing.

Come along for the ride, and let’s start exploring Sexy San Diego from A to Z, starting April 1st.

P.S. If you’re interested in San Diego’s not-so-naughty side, you can also follow my general San Diego posts over at Laura Roberts Books. Yep, I’m going for broke with not one but TWO A to Z Challenges this year! I’ve separated them out so that my NSFW blog posts will stay here on my erotica page, while my (relatively) clean posts about the city’s tourist attractions and other work-safe reading will be over there. Got it? Cool. Stay classy, San Diego!

 

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The Elusive Lord Everheart: An interview with Vivienne Lorret

Gabriel Ludlow, Viscount Everhart will never marry, and thus is sure to win the bachelor’s wager against his friends. Assuming, of course, that his deepest secret—a certain letter containing a marriage proposal made in a moment of passion—doesn’t surface. After all, without Calliope Croft to tempt him, there’s no danger in losing. Or in falling in love.

Calliope wants revenge. Five years ago, an anonymous love letter stole her heart and ultimately broke it. Now, Casanova has struck again, and Calliope vows to unmask the scoundrel, stopping him from breaking any more hearts. Yet, time and again, Gabriel distracts her from her task, until she can no longer deny that something about him calls to her…

Gabriel was a fool to deny the depth of his feelings for Calliope, but the threat that kept him from her five years ago remains. Now, he must choose between two paths: break her heart all over again or finally succumb to loving her… at the risk of losing everything.

An excerpt from The Elusive Lord Everhart

Sweat dripped from Gabriel’s brow as he neared the top of the circular staircase. If he’d have known that hopping on one foot up stairs took such skill, he would have added it to his regimen ages ago. Apparently, neither broadswords nor boxing had anything on hopping. He suddenly had a new respect for his younger half-sister, Raena, and her tendency to hop and skip from one room to the next—as long as she wasn’t caught by her mother.

“Only months away from town and you’ve already gone soft, I see,” a familiar voice called up from the open doorway of the map room. But it wasn’t Montwood or Danvers.

In bewildered disbelief, Gabriel ducked his head to peer down behind him. “Croft?”

“The one and the same,” Griffin Croft answered. “When we were last at Gentleman Jackson’s saloon, you knocked me on my arse. I thought I’d return the favor with an unexpected visit.”

“You have succeeded.” Gabriel turned to make his way back down, one step at a time. Croft and he were more sparring partners than friends. In fact, this was their first social call of any sort. One did not typically make friends with the man who’d blackmailed you and threatened to end your life, after all.

Normally, Gabriel wasn’t of a superstitious nature. Yet, after the drunken wager he’d made last night—along with his thoughts concerning Croft’s sister—he was beginning to wonder if he ought to be.

Then again, there was a perfectly obvious reason for the visit. “I imagine you’ve come to see how your cousin fares.”

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An interview with Vivienne Lorret

How long have you been writing historical romance, and what
 inspired you to get into this genre?

I wrote my first full-length historical romance twelve years ago. For me, historical romance was a first love. When I was a teenager, novels from Jude Devereaux, Judith McNaught, and Johanna Lindsey opened a new world to me, shaping my lifelong fanaticism of this genre.

What gave you the idea for your latest book?

I’d already written part of Calliope’s story in her brother’s book, Finding Miss McFarland. So, her backstory had been spinning around in my mind. I knew Calliope enjoyed reading romances, but had given up on finding her own love after suffering heartbreak during her first Season. I also knew that Everhart had something to do with it.

Then, like magic, the wheels began to turn until the idea of the Casanova letters was born and the gears of the story clicked into place.

Who are some of your favorite romance writers or other literary inspirations?

There are so many amazing authors in the world that it would be impossible to list them all. My auto-buys are Eloisa James, Tessa Dare, Julia Quinn, Lisa Kleypas, Sarah Maclean, Kristan Higgins, Jill Shalvis, Rachel Gibson, Candis Terry, Ellie Macdonald, Cody Gary… just to name a few. Also, I love Jane Austen’s work, in addition to Ray Bradbury and Ernest Hemingway, among others.

Describe your typical writing routine. Where do you usually write? How many words/pages per day? Do you keep set hours? What does your workspace look like?

My office space is located in our three-season room. Unfortunately, since our Midwest winter was so harsh this year, I’ve relocated to our dining room and haven’t quite left yet. I don’t know how I’ll ever go back to a regular-sized desk.

My day starts with a smile and a fist bump from Pinky (my laptop), and an enormous mug of tea. Then I’ll write until I can’t write anymore and my frontal lobe starts to throb. I usually work a good eight hours a day, and this includes the social media stops, scheduling posts, and research. In deadline mode, I’ll work from sunup to sundown, growling at my family if they venture too near, or ask for dinner, or laundry. If they bring me a Starbucks Chai Latte, however, they are allowed to speak.

Do you have any favorite foods or beverages that help keep your creativity flowing?

I don’t think this would surprise anyone, but on occasion, I drink tea. I also have a killer cinnamon scone recipe on my Facebook page.

Do you have any writing superstitions or rituals when starting (or ending) a new book?

It may sound strange, but I always trim my fingernails short before I start a book. And when I finish and I can’t quite settle down from the writing high, I crochet a travel mug cozy. I know what you’re thinking… and yes, I should probably stop partying so hard.

What do you think makes for a sizzling romance?

Chemistry + anticipation = sizzle

The hero and heroine want each other, but there is something keeping them apart. It sounds fairly standard, but it always works.

What’s the most unusual or interesting question you’ve ever been asked by a fan? And what was your response?

I’ve been asked if I write from my own experiences. Since I write Regency romance, the question usually makes me smile and feel somewhat like a time traveler. Not only that, but if I look that old, I really need to start coloring the gray out of my hair.

If you were in charge of adapting a scorching summer romance for the big screen, what book would you like to see made into a movie, and who would you pick to star as the male and female leads?

Since I have a book coming out this summer, The Maddening Lord Montwood, I would choose that one. Colin Farrell would make the perfect Lucan Montwood: the charming rake with the dark past. With a pair of brass-rimmed spectacles, Sophia Bush would make an amazing Frances Thorne: buttoned-up and disapproving, but with secrets of her own.

What romantic advice would you give ladies who are seeking to snag their own Elusive Lord?

Be yourself. Never bite your tongue. Believe that you deserve a happily ever after of your own. Oh, and if you can find a matchmaking dog, that always helps.

About the Author

USA Today bestselling author Vivienne Lorret loves romance novels, her pink laptop, her husband, and her two sons (not necessarily in that order… but there are days). Transforming copious amounts of tea into words, she is proud to be an Avon Impulse author of works including: Tempting Mr. Weatherstone, The Wallflower Wedding Series, and the Rakes of Fallow Hall series.

Connect with Vivienne on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads and her website, vivlorret.net.

Giveaway

Avon is giving away a digital bundle, including Winning Miss Wakefield, Daring Miss Danvers, and Finding Miss MacFarland. Enter to win using the Rafflecopter widget below, and don’t forget to follow the rest of the tour here.

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1. How long have you been writing historical romance, and what inspired you to get into this genre?

2. What gave you the idea for your latest book?

3. Who are some of your favorite romance writers or other literary inspirations?

4. Describe your typical writing routine. Where do you usually write? How many words/pages per day? Do you keep set hours? What does your workspace look like? (If you’d like to share a picture of your space too, that would be awesome.)

5. Do you have any favorite foods or beverages that help keep your creativity flowing?

6. Do you have any writing superstitions or rituals when starting (or ending) a new book?

7. What do you think makes for a sizzling romance?

8. What’s the most unusual or interesting question you’ve ever been asked by a fan? And what was your response?

9. If you were in charge of adapting a scorching summer romance for the big screen, what book would you like to see made into a movie, and who would you pick to star as the male and female leads? (And why?)

10. What romantic advice would you give ladies who are seeking to snag their own Elusive Lord?

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Looking for a challenge? Submit your short fiction to this contest!

There are lots of short story contests out there, but not all of them offer you a chance to win publication and $200 cash!

I’ll be one of the judges in the inaugural eBook Me Up Short Story Contest, and if you’re looking for cash and prestige, this is a contest worth entering.

Here’s a little more info on what the competition is all about, and how you could win!

The eBook Me Up competition is open to short stories of any genre (excluding erotica), up to 3,000 words.

First place takes home $200 (US) in cash, and their story will be featured in the eBMU contest anthology as well as on the eBMU website. Second place receives $100 and publication, and the third place story will also be published in the anthology and featured on the website.

Submissions are open worldwide (except for the SEC-restricted countries of Syria, Iran or North Korea — for obvious reasons).

Official contest deadline is May 31, 2015, and the Early Bird submission deadline is March 28th. Early Bird submissions cost $5, whereas submissions sent after the Early Bird deadline cost $10.

Cassie Newell is the founder and owner of eBook Me Up, the company sponsoring the contest. She is an active blogger and the author of several short stories, under the pen name Mira Monroe. Cassie has a Master’s degree in Organizational Management and has worked in the pharmaceutical industry for close to 20 years. She describes her goal for the contest as an attempt to find “a complete short story that creates a strong emotion in the reader, whether that be laughter, grief, love, horror or anger.” Her favorite genres include romance, mystery, paranormal, sci-fi and fantasy, and you will often find her rooting for the antagonist of a story. At her heart Cassie is a reader and enjoys a good escape from the everyday.

To learn more about the rest of the judges (including me!), click here.

Got questions? Check out the eBMU website at ebookmeup.com or contact Cassie at Cassie@eBookMeUp.com.

The contest is also listed on Duotrope, so feel free to report your submissions there.

What are you waiting for? Submit your story and take a shot at winning $200 today!

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Reconciled for Easter: An excerpt + #giveaway

 

Abigail has been separated from her husband for almost two years. After a marriage that brought her only insecurity, she seeks a life now of peace and independence with their six-year–

old daughter. Thomas wants to put their marriage back together, because he liked the wife he used to have, but she never wants to be that person again.

She might need his help with their daughter and start to enjoy his company again, but she just can’t trust him with her heart. Even when she discovers that her heart still wants him for a husband.

An excerpt from Reconciled for Easter

She was leaning back against the counter, and Thomas was standing far too close to her. Once again invading her personal space. And this time she easily recognized his tone as snide. “What the heck is your problem?”

Thomas had one hand on the counter beside her, bracing himself as he stood just a few inches away from her. She would have scooted over, but that would have been a surrender.

His green eyes were intent on her face, and she saw his nostrils flare just a little. “You smell like him.”

Abigail gasped, mostly from shock and outrage but also with the faintest trace of arousal at the intimacy of the words. “What?”

“I said,” he gritted out, edging even closer until the fabric of his shirt brushed against her arm and one of her breasts, “you smell like him.”

“Well, what do you expect?” she demanded, her anger blazing quickly. No one could rile her up like Thomas could. “I spent the evening with the man.”

Something grew even tenser in his expression. “Did you?”

She knew him well enough to understand the resonance in his words. “Damn you, Thomas,” she said in a harsh whisper, making sure her voice didn’t carry past the kitchen. She’d never used such language before they’d gotten separated. “You have no right to act this way.”

Clearly Thomas too was conscious of not waking Mia, since his murmur was thick, rough, and soft. “I’d like to remind you of the fact that you’re still my wife.”

“And what makes you think I need any sort of reminder of that?”

His lips tightened into white. “I saw him walk you to the door.”

She sucked in an indignant breath and clenched her fists at her sides. Thomas was still far too close. She could feel the heat radiating off his body, sense the leashed tension in his stance, hear the fast, uneven breaths he was taking. “So someone isn’t allowed to be polite to me now, because I’m still your wife?”

Thomas made a guttural sound and braced his other hand on the counter, imprisoning her in between his arms. He leaned forward, pushing her back, and he rasped against her ear. “That man wasn’t just being polite. You know it as well as I do.”

She was so angry now she could hardly think straight, and it was worse to know that he was right. She’d been foolish in not recognizing what Jim was thinking long before now.

But worst of all was a familiar feeling building beneath her belly. She knew how to recognize it. Knew it was triggered by the proximity of Thomas’s lean, hard body, his familiar scent flooding her senses, his piercing eyes and thick voice.

Her body was primed for sex with him, even as she wanted to scratch lines down his slightly flushed face.

Buy Links

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About the Author

Noelle handwrote her first romance novel in a spiral-bound notebook when she was twelve, and she hasn’t stopped writing since. She has lived in eight different states and currently resides in Virginia, where she teaches English, reads any book she can get her hands on, and offers tribute to a very spoiled cocker spaniel. She loves travel, art, history, and ice cream. After spending far too many years of her life in graduate school, she has decided to reorient her priorities and focus on writing contemporary romances.

You can connect with Noelle on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, and her website, noelle-adams.com.

Giveaway

Noelle will be giving away a $25 Amazon/B&N gift card via Rafflecopter. Don’t forget to follow the rest of the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning! All tour dates can be found here.

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Songs that have shaped my love life: Postal Service, Brand New Colony

The Postal Service is another one of my favorite bands that no longer exists. If you’ve heard of them before, you probably already know that The Postal Service is one of those “side project” bands, formed by Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie and Jimmy Tamborello, aka Dntel.

It’s also one of the bands my husband and I connected over. We both really like the song “Brand New Colony,” although the whole Give Up album is pretty much flawless.

I mean, how can you not love a guy who wants to whisk you away from everything that’s cynical and lame about the world, to a place where passion knows no bounds?

To literally start a Brand New Colony of just You and Me? Now that’s love!

Or obsession, if you read my Sarah McLachlan post…

But let’s assume the former, shall we? Yes, let’s!

Oddly enough, “Brand New Colony” opens with some Super Mario samples that neither my husband and I care for, but there’s just something about the lyrics of this song that overcome our distaste for the accompanying audio. Maybe it’s the repetition of the words “Everything will change.”

As the old joke goes, “Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine.”

I think part of the allure about The Postal Service is the fact that the band really and truly developed their songs by sending clips back and forth via the U.S. Postal Service, and by leaving messages on each other’s answering machines (you know, those things that took messages for you before voicemail?). It’s all very anachronistic — in this modern world of digital music clips on Soundcloud and YouTube videos — thinking about having to burn a clip to a CD or a flash drive, stick it in an actual envelope and mail it off to someone in another state, wait for them to receive it, listen to it, and then mail you back a clip of their own.

Collaboration is all so much easier now. And yet it remains just as difficult, doesn’t it? Trying to get people to work together, even when there is no physical barrier to doing the work, can be a lot like herding cats. And I guess that could be part of the reason why this band fell apart. Some say it was personality clashes, others say it was getting sued by the USPS for using their name, and still others just don’t care one way or another. I’ve got no real speculations about the behind the scenes stuff; I figure some bands only have one album in them, and some prefer the drama (ahem, Fleetwood Mac) while others value their own sanity.

So how does any of this reflect my love life?

Well, way back in the year 2007 when I was looking for love online, I posted a description of all the things I wanted from a potential partner that I called “Wanted: A Lover.” It detailed a lot of the stuff that I thought I wanted or needed from a man, and included many ridiculous things like “must have a Salvador Dalí mustache.” I also included some lyrics from different songs I liked, some of which were by The Postal Service.

I got a lot of notes from dudes who thought my inclusion of these lyrics meant that we were Meant To Be, even though they probably couldn’t have told me what those lyrics even meant.

Google some lyrics. It’s not hard. You just cut and paste, and the name of the band pops right up. How does Googling song lyrics equate to relationship potential?

I asked some of these dudes exactly that, suggesting they were just poseurs. They got huffy and pissed off. I liked not having to waste my time on them.

Basically, I separated the wheat from the chaff using The Postal Service as my boy bait. The ones that got it didn’t have to mention the lyrics, or ask if I was a fan. The ones that didn’t got pissy when I wouldn’t acknowledge their “intelligence.”

And my husband? He just messaged me to say he thought we’d have a lot of fun together, and we should go grab a coffee soon.

After perusing his online dating profile, I figured him for a bit of a narcissist and the type of guy who was only interested in hooking up. (He had some very artsy pictures of his good-looking self on his profile, and I made some negative assumptions.) I didn’t think much would come of it, despite his hilarious profile — which featured this picture of tigers in a hot tub, and which (he later informed me) girls were constantly confused about, asking “So, you own tigers?”

Um, no, lady. I like tigers, I like hot tubs, and I like chillin’, don’t you?!

Anyway, I stood him up on our first date in order to go out with another dude that I thought was attractive, but who apparently didn’t think much of me simply because I was late for our coffee date. (To be fair, I had had a blind guy thrust upon me by an irritated bus driver as I set out toward the metro for my date, and I had to help this random citizen make it downtown, even though I’d never guided a blind person in my life, and did a pretty terrible job of it.) Not even a goodnight kiss from Mr. Freeze!

The next day, my husband messaged me to ask if he’d missed me or shown up at the wrong time or what. I fibbed and told him I had been too pissed off about one of the wheels being stolen off my bicycle that day (something that had really happened earlier in the week, though not that day), and had just gone home.

He asked if we could reschedule.

I said yes.

We met up for coffee, and the rest is history. We did, in fact, form our very own Brand New Colony when we got married on June 7, 2008. Finally, a pop song that matches up with reality.

So if you like tigers in hot tubs, a perfectly made latté, and The Postal Service, well… get thee to an online dating site and make some magic happen!

Now it’s your turn

What pop songs make you think about love? How have pop songs influenced your relationships? Tell me a story, and you could be featured in the first volume of Everything I Need to Know About Love I Learned From Pop Songs. Click the link for details on how to submit.

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Afterlife or Bust: An excerpt + #giveaway from June Mayes

Lizzie is making the best of her life, er afterlife. She’s working hard being a doctor to all things supernatural and for the most part has managed to behave. With her daytime watcher in tow and a very enticing Master Vampire turning up the heat of their romance, things couldn’t be better.

Of course things could get worse and do. Being killed again was not part of Lizzie’s agenda and having to navigate the politics of all things that go bump in the night is just icing on the afterlife cake. But Lizzie has plans. She’s going to make her death worth living and she is going to drag everyone else along kicking and screaming.

An excerpt from Afterlife or Bust

“Nice scrubs,” Frank said, sounding relaxed for the first time all day, er night. I had to give him credit, he wasn’t laughing.

“Apparently, these were the only scrubs they could rustle up on short notice,” I muttered, determined not to give any one of the cretins I worked with the satisfaction of losing my temper. I pulled my very recently washed blonde hair into a braid and tossed it back over my shoulder in agitation.

“They’re cute,” Frank said with a big grin. Behind him, Furball was snickering. While the boys may not get along at the best of times, for some reason, when it came to me being the brunt of a cruel joke, they seemed to find camaraderie. I, on the other hand, was not amused.

“They have bunnies all over them,” I pointed out unimpressed, “which I imagine goes down well in a ward with patients under the age of twelve. This, however, is not the pediatric ward.” I tossed a glare toward Elvis and Abbie. Both were engrossed in their paperwork. I was so not buying it. I leaned up against the counter and crossed my arms to sulk.

Frank kept smiling, and I swear he was leaning closer for a kiss. Oh boy. Suddenly he stopped. Squinting, he moved in. Let me clarify, he leaned away from my mouth and closer to examine my top. Talk about disappointed.

“It looks like someone’s drawn on it,” he murmured. He fingered one of the drawings.

I huffed a sigh and picked up my files again, moving toward my next patient. Frank followed. There was no way he was going to let this one drop.

“Do the bunnies have fangs?” he asked incredulously.

Buy Links

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About the Author

June Mayes is a Cape Cod born and bred writer who lived in London for 10 years before returning home. She’s a hopeless romantic with a passion for writing all sorts of genre. Her days are spent juggling family life, walking the dog, writing and reading books, more books and even more books!

You can find her on Amazon and Goodreads.

Giveaway

June is giving away a $10 Amazon or B&N gift card to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour. Don’t forget to follow the rest of the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning! All tour dates can be found here.

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Songs that have shaped my love life: Poe, Hey Pretty

When I first started writing these “Songs That Have Shaped My Love Life” posts, I had a pretty long list of artists in mind that start with the letter P.

Thus far, I’ve only mentioned the worst of these, Pearl Jam.

At this point I’d like to direct your attention to one of my favorite female musicians who, sadly, is no longer performing: Poe.

Poe’s second album, Haunted, came out in The Year 2000 (and yes, back in the day, we half-jokingly wrote it like that, feeling like everything was suddenly super futuristic) — five whole years after her first release, Hello. Fans of the former immediately snatched up the latter, and were surprised to discover it was a concept album, dedicated to her father and posing as the musical accompaniment to her brother’s book, House of Leaves.

If you’ve read House of Leaves, you either loved it or hated it. And if you loved it, you’d better own Haunted.

I read House of Leaves more because of my interest in Haunted, which I suppose is a bit backwards for a writer, but is definitely the correct order given the type of musician that Poe is. This was The Year 2000, remember, and female musicians were all over the scene. There was Shirley Manson growling in front of Garbage, Alanis Morrissette was being all “ironic,” Sheryl Crow was kicking out the jams on K-Rock, and Britney Spears was not yet considered crazy. Sinéad O’Conner declared she was a lesbian, Letters to Cleo broke up, Madonna had a second child with Guy Ritchie… weird shit was happening, like some cosmic shakeup happened when the calendars clicked over to a new century.

Poe’s music is most frequently categorized as trip hop, although it seems most musicians placed in this category loathe the term. (Other examples include Portishead, Massive Attack and Björk — also some of my favorite experimental electronic musicians.) Described on its Wikipedia page as having “an electronic drum kit, downtempo female vocals and a sequential bass pattern,” this kind of music still appeals to me.

Haunted is still a great album, although it’s one of those that I can barely listen to, due to the emotional baggage that it carries for me.

The Year 2000 was momentous for me, as well as the rest of the world. For me, The Year 2000 is pre-9/11 New York, where I was attending Fordham University in pursuit of a Philosophy degree. I was a budding atheist on a Catholic college campus, a feisty feminist in search of a fuck, a young woman who felt mostly misunderstood — whether by lovers or others — and battling obsessions with boys that were no good for me.

Haunted perfectly encapsulates those feelings of love and hate, of obsession and rage.

The song that really struck me then (and now) as representative of my love life was “Hey Pretty.”

Interestingly, this song also suffers from multiple personalities. As Wikipedia notes:

The song ‘Hey Pretty’ was released as a promo single, but Poe’s vocals had been replaced with a chapter reading from her brother, as alternative radio of 2001 was not very willing to play female artists. […] The music video for the song was deemed too racy for MTV (it showed Poe writhing around in mud in nothing but a bra.)

You can find the “alt” version on YouTube, if you so desire. I don’t care for it, myself. There’s something vaguely incestuous about it, what with Poe suggestively wriggling half-naked in the mud while her brother reads a dirty story from his book. Sure, there’s always going to be sex for its own sake, totally animal, but this is like an amateur’s retelling of J.G. Ballard’s Crash with Poe herself cast as the car-loving nymphomaniac purely for shock value.

To me, “Hey Pretty” is more than just a song about a girl who wants sex. She also wants to be seen.

With lyrics that are suggestive (though not as bluntly sexual as “Not A Virgin”), including a repeated phrase “do you get the gist of the song now?” quizzing the listener on its meaning, the line that still hits home is: “You’ve got to follow me, boy, I’m trying to show you where I’m at.”

Isn’t that really what our relationships are all about? We try to connect with others in an effort to be understood, seen, mapped. Where are you? I’m right here. Why can’t you see me? Why can’t you love me the same way that I love you?

My relationships in The Year 2000 were not, looking back, as grandiose as I imagined them to be. But because I was young and in lust, searching for myself as much as someone else, I ascribed meaning to those relationships that did not match up with their reality.

I wrote a short story called “Of Cocks and Existentialism” around that time. It’s probably the most apt summation of that era of my life.

For now, when I listen to Poe’s Haunted, I wonder whatever became of the musician herself. Apparently her record label dumped her shortly after the Depeche Mode tour she opened for in 2001 (which, incidentally, I attended at Jones Beach with one of my Mr. Wrongs), and she was in court for a decade after that trying to get the rights to her own music back. I can’t even imagine that kind of horror; it’s something I hope I never have to face, and part of the reason I wanted to be an independent author to begin with.

Wherever she is, I hope Poe is still making music, even if it’s not for public consumption. In the meantime, you can hear her vocals on Conjure One’s “Center of the Sun”:

Now it’s your turn

What pop songs make you think about love? How have pop songs influenced your relationships? Tell me a story, and you could be featured in the first volume of Everything I Need to Know About Love I Learned From Pop Songs. Click the link for details on how to submit.

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Wherein I reveal all of the secrets of my writing process

Someone in one of the writers’ groups I belong to recently asked what we use to write our books, in terms of software. Although it seemed like a pretty straightforward question at first (don’t most writers use Word?), when I got to thinking about my own answer to the question, I realized that my writing process is actually quite complex.

I thought you might be curious, so I decided to share my process. This is how I go from the kernel of an idea to a finished book.

Getting Started: Scribbling Ideas

When I first get an idea for a new book, it usually happens:

In the middle of the night;
After a workout, when I’m sitting in the car waiting for my husband to finish up; or
Any time I’m stuck somewhere with no pen or paper!

Therefore, I have taken to keeping a notebook on my person at all times. And one that glows in the dark by my bed, so I can find it when inspiration strikes at 3 a.m. It looks like this:

Aside from the fact that I usually get ideas in totally random places, I also like to start off writing things by hand. I’ve heard that taking notes by hand hardwires the info into your brain better, and when I’m writing a story, I definitely want to anchor those ideas into my head.

I am also picky about my pens. I’ve recently taken a shine to these 0.38 mm gel pens that look like pencils from Typo. (They’re 5 for $5, so I stocked up on them. My favorite are the purple ones.)

So after I’ve scribbled down some kind of insane notes about what I want to write about, I like to do a rough outline by hand as well.

Like I said, this helps anchor the ideas in my brain. Plus I can doodle on the page if I get the notion.

Outlining is Important

As I mention in my book, Confessions of a 3-Day Novelist, the outline is the key to my success. I don’t write a typical academic outline, because I’m not writing academic crap. I’m writing a novel, so I’ll make lists of characters, ideas for settings, and any assorted items or images that I want to work into the book somehow.

I start writing down actions, too, which will eventually get turned into a start-to-finish outline of the whole book.

Fire Up the Word Processor

Once I’ve got my rough outline scribbled on paper, then I fire up my word processor and transfer the pen-on-paper outline to a Word document. I also type up my lists, and save those into other documents, which I will sometimes print out and hang up near my computer (particularly if I’ve got a ton of characters to keep track of).

Now, this is the kind of weird part of my process.

TextEdit: My Dark Master

When I get down to the actual business of writing my book, I typically open up TextEdit. Why? Because I hate how long it takes for Word to open up on my computer. Sometimes it’s so freaking slow that I actually lose my train of thought and what I wanted to type up before the damn thing even opens.

Also, it’s crashy as hell. And that is super annoying.

So, no, I don’t really write in Word. I use it for lots of finished products and projects, because .docs are a standard of the industry, but when I’m actually in the midst of the writing process, I will just use TextEdit. It’s faster, the files are smaller, and it doesn’t annoy me with all the bells and whistles of Word.

Scrivener: Wrangling Words Into Chapters

Once I come to the end of a scene or chapter in TextEdit, I will open up Scrivener. This is where I keep things organized for the final manuscript. I will cut and paste my scene or chapter into the Scrivener project for this book, and then add a one-liner explaining what the scene is about on the notecard display.

I find the notecards (or “corkboard” as they call it) to be Scrivener’s most useful tool, because I love being able to shuffle my scenes around quickly. You just physically move the card wherever you want it and blammo, all of the text in that chapter moves too. How brilliant is that?

No more cutting and pasting things in Word. No more wondering where on earth that scene is, exactly. You just move a card.

This also works great if you don’t like to write scenes chronologically. I like to skip around, particularly if I am hitting a wall with one scene, so Scrivener makes this much, much, MUCH easier.

Flying High With Daedalus

In addition to writing in TextEdit, I sometimes prefer to write on my iPad. In that case, I will open up an app called Daedalus, which has all the basics I need: word count, new pages for new scenes, and the ability to quickly and easily export to email or Dropbox.

I’ll write whatever I need to write in Daedalus, and then email myself a copy to cut and paste into the Scrivener file. Daedalus is only 99¢, and worth much more.

All You Really Need

That sounds like I have a ton of writing programs on my computer, but really I just use the basics in the ways that best suit my needs. I’ve got TextEdit, Word and Scrivener on my desktop and laptop machines, and Daedalus on my iPad. They’re all fairly inexpensive products, but if you’re planning on writing books, I would say Scrivener is the most indispensible in terms of plotting, writing and rewriting, and keeping track of very large products. It’s currently only $45 for Mac, $40 for Windows, or even less if you’re a student, and well worth the price. I don’t use it every day, but it is definitely a program that has made my life easier, so I recommend it to others – and no, I don’t get any affiliate kickbacks for saying that.

What writing programs or apps do you use when writing your books, and how have they shaped your writing process?

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Happy Erotic World Book Day! #EWBD

Though I am a bit late to the party, I just discovered today is Erotic World Book Day and wanted to help you celebrate.

So…

If you’re interested in reading some of my dirty stories for free, just click here (no downloads required).

If you’d like to hear me talk about erotica with fellow author Danielle Zwissler, click here

And if you’d like to check out some of my erotic Quickies for just 99¢ each, here’s the complete list for the series, in order:

Victoria’s Secret
The Care and Maintenance of Bonsai
Double Trouble
The Man With the Golden Cock
Santa, Baby
Where to Get Laid in Montreal
The Top 5 Reasons You Can’t Get Laid in Montreal
The Unbelievably True Story of the World’s Worst Sex
Sexing the Ninja

If you’re looking for lots of fun giveaways, be sure to check out the Facebook party, and don’t forget to grab a copy of An Intimate Education — the charity anthology for Erotic World Book Day.

Happy Erotic World Book Day, everyone!

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