Elise VanCise's Blog, page 22

OneWord /60 Seconds: Wall

His back was up against the wall, literally and figuratively. The rain damp brick soaked through his shirt as he pressed against the rain damp brick to peek around the corner. Two men skidded around the corner beyond headed in his direction unconcealed weapons in their hands.

 The alley where he stood was a dead end. He let out a slow breath and checked the clip in his gun. Empty. He leaned against the wall, his lungs burned from the run, his heart pounding in his ears, as, the footfalls...

A treadmill, a hair cut and Paris ROW80 week 3

Sometimes life is like running on a treadmill. You find a nice steady pace around 4 on the dial. You can keep up with, tasks come along and you jog right through them. Then someone walks by your machine and cranks the dial up to 10. Life gets busy, crazy and that jog turns out to a full out run.
Still doable but… there’s always that shoelace that comes undone and trips you up. Sometimes you can regain balance and run through the craziness, other times…. Well other times you just fly off the b...

Author Stromie Kent talks about the novel setting for Battling Rapture

Today we're welcoming Stormie Kent Author of Battling Rapture to the ludis. Kick back and have a read as Stormie talks about her latest novel's setting. Be sure to leave a comment  for a chance to win a $20 Amazon Gift Card! 

Publisher: Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.Book Length: NovelGenre: Futuristic Erotic RomanceRelease Date: January 18, 2013Ellora’s CaveAmazonWebsiteTwitterFacebookBlog
Thanks for having me on Gladiator’s Pen today. When I was writing Battling Rapture, there were s...

The 7 Line Challenge and a vampire's kiss

Writers are asked to post 7 lines from either the 7th linedown on either the 7th or 77th page of their book or work in progress. I dare you to say that 7 times fast :) The following passage comes from my paranormal thriller HALF.
Valeska appeared to glide along the floor. Her movements were almost ethereal as she approached a man with long dark hair like hers. He wore black jeans and a white shirt that looked like something a pirate might wear. A gold cross-dangled from a hoop in the man’s ear...

OneWord 60 Seconds: Sound

The room was quiet but for the sound of water dripping from the corner. It was dark and damp, smelled like dirt, a basement maybe. She twisted and pulled at the ropes on her wrists. A sound from the corner made her pause. Scratch.. scratch...the rustle of paper or maybe cloth then a large rat ran across her feet. She gasped and wiggled her feet as much as the ropes would let her. There wasn't much time left, she worked harder and managed to loosen the knots just enough. Her hands trembled and...

Short term goals are the yellow brick road to success

Last week I set two simple goals to accomplish this Round of Words session. To write every day and write at least one article a week. *does a happy dance * I met those goals and have been feeling a bit more spring in my step because of it.
Goals are important motivational tools for most facets of our lives. We have weight goals, employment goals, life goals, and so on…  All those are long term goals, our Emerald City.
We want to get to the Emerald City, achieve success in our goal and th...

Gladiator's Pen chats with publishing icon Bella Andre about writing habits and success

Publishing icon Bella Andre, New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of the contemporary romance series, The Sullivan joins us in the ludis today. Bella will tell us about her writing habits and success. Then read on to learn how you can win huge prizes as part of this blog tour, including special romantic swag baskets for each book, an iPad Mini, Kindle Fire, Nook Color, and Kobo eReader, and Amazon and iTunes gift cards! So refill your cuppa and let's get starte...

A Lady Never Cheats on the Something New Something Naughty Blog Hop

Gladiator’s Pen is part of the Something New Something Naughty Blog Hop running from January 10ththru 13.th, sponsored by Jennifer Wright and Lisabet Sarai. They're giving away great 3 great prizes! One lucky winner will receive the grand prize of a $60 gift certificate to EdenFantasys, and 2 $25 gift certificates for the book site of the readers choice. (Amazon, B&B, All Romance E-book or Total-E-Bound) 

Enjoy the short story below and as an added bonus two lucky commenters...

Accepting the ROW80 Challenge

First you may be asking what is this thing? ROW80 stands for A Round of Words in 80 Days, it challenges writers to set goals and write. Unlike some other writing challenges that demand you put aside the rest of your life to take on your writing project, ROW80 knows, well that life happens.
With ROW80 the year is broken up into 4 rounds, each lasting 80 days. The participant sets a goal for those 80 days and checks in on their blog  on Wednesday and/or Sunday to post about their progress...

Alpha Heroes & Happily Ever Afters: The Perfect Combo guest post by NY Times best-selling author Bella Andre

Gladiator's Pen welcomes,New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Bella Andre. Bella has taken the indie market by storm The Sullivans, her contemporary romance series. Plus you can win huge prizes as part of this blog tour sponsored by Novel Publcity, including special romantic swag baskets for each book, an iPad Mini, Kindle Fire, Nook Color, and Kobo eReader, and Amazon and iTunes gift cards!
Alpha Heroes & Happily Ever Afters: The Perfect ComboA guest post by Bella Andre ...