Eden Baylee's Blog, page 100
February 14, 2013
Read about YA Fantasy and Romance Author @Raine_Thomas
I’ve wanted to have Raine on my blog for sometime now. Her newly released book, Elder came out end of December 2012, and I know she’s been busy promoting it. Raine is an accomplished writer of numerous books and a terrific example of a successful indie author and publisher.
Her platform is professional, and her writing—pristine.
Please welcome award-winning author, Raine Thomas as she shares more about Elder and herself.
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Read a blurb about Elder
Clara Kate is one of the eight beings needed to activate the Elder Scroll, an ancient artifact causing tragedy and darkness on the Estilorian plane. She knows that her focus needs to be on finding the final piece and stopping the evil Mercesti, but Ini-herit isn’t making it easy.
He’s working closely with Clara Kate on the quest to stop their enemies…too close for her comfort. His presence serves as a constant reminder of the love they shared on the human plane, a love that he no longer remembers at all.
Her life and the lives of those she loves are at risk, and she knows she has to put aside her personal problems. So far on their journey, she’s endured heartbreak, terror, pain and loss. She’s even been brought to the brink of death.
She thinks things can’t get any worse.
She’s wrong.
Buy Links:
Available in paperback at CreateSpace!
Ebook:
Barnes & Noble | Smashwords | Amazon Kindle
For a list of all Raine’s books and their buy links, go to her website
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Inside Raine’s Mind
Raine, tell us your perfect idea of happiness. Some days, it’s the first cup of coffee of the day when the house is finally quiet. Other days, it’s being with those I love and indulging in things I shouldn’t eat or drink, playing games and ignoring obligations.
What turns you on creatively? The thing that most gets my creativity clicking is a change in setting. Going for a walk or serving as a passenger in a car on a road trip invariably frees my mind and starts the ideas flowing.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse? “Seriously” and “You know” have to be the ones I use the most, with “Awesome” coming in a close third. When I want to edit myself as I say them, I know they’re overused.
[eden] Every time I say “awesome,” (which is rare) I feel like a teenage girl snapping gum in the schoolyard.
What quality do you most admire in a man? A great sense of humor. Life isn’t always rosy, so being with someone who can find the humor in any situation is a big blessing!
And in a woman? Sincerity.
What is your greatest regret? Not coming home from college for Easter the year my grandfather passed away. I’ll always wish I had made the trip and could have seen him one last time.
[eden] *Big hugs*
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? Why mess with perfection? (Har, har). I want to live a healthier lifestyle. Getting motivated to exercise and making smarter food choices have always been challenges for me, but I’m working on it!
What is your greatest fear? My first instinct is to say losing someone close to me, like my husband or daughter. But I’ve never come across a cockroach that didn’t make me scream and flail about like a demented person, so this one’s a toss-up.
[eden] Death or a cockroach? Raine, you crack me up!
Which living person do you most admire? There are so many people that I admire for so many different reasons. For this interview, I’ll stick to the writing world and say J.K. Rowling. No other author has so much pull and say in what is done related to her books. I tip my hat to her.
What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? I’d find it fascinating to be a detective. I don’t know if I have the gumption for it, so I’ll probably have to settle for experiencing that career through my current protagonist, Parish.
If you could choose what to come back as, what would it be? I’m kinda digging the whole human thing. Assuming I had access to books, pizza and friendship, I’d do it again.
What do you consider your greatest achievement? So far, it’s becoming a bestselling author. Now that I’m a publisher, too, I hope it will soon be making another author’s dream come true!
What is the trait you most deplore in others? Being two-faced. Honesty is so important to me. Nothing turns me off more than finding out someone is talking differently about me than they do to me.
What is your greatest extravagance? This is kind of tough, as I live a pretty practical life. Hmm. Okay, I’ll go with the custom pendant that my hubby just commissioned for me as a birthday present. It’s the logo for our publishing company. He’s spending way more on it than I ever would!
[eden] I’m sure you deserve it. This sounds like an amazing and thoughtful gift.
What is one thing you want to do before you die? Visit Europe, especially Florence, Italy. I took an Art History class during my bachelor’s degree program and fell in love with that city.
Who is your favorite writer/musician/film director? My favorite writers are Edgar Allan Poe and Nora Roberts, my favorite band is Green Day, and I’ll say my favorite film director is Steven Spielberg, though there are many I admire.
What are some of your favorite curse words? Since I have a six-year-old, I’ve learned to censor myself. Most of my curses come out, “Son of a biscuit,” “Cheese n’ crackers,” or “Nut buckets!” Lame, I know.
[eden] I love these, especially “cheese n’ crackers!”
Finally, what is your motto? In the words of Henry David Thoreau, “How vain it is to sit down to write when you have not stood up to live.” In the words of Raine Thomas, “Stand up, folks. Just stand up.”
[eden] Well said, Raine, well said.
Readers, I invite you to say “hi” to Raine and follow this lovely woman. Check out her social media sites and connect to her.
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Twitter @Raine_Thomas | Facebook | Goodreads
Pinterest | Linkedin | Website | Blog
Raine Thomas is the award-winning author of a series of YA fantasy/romance novels about the Estilorian plane, including the Daughters of Saraqael trilogy and the Firstborn trilogy. She is a proud member of Romance Writers of America and is a contributing blogger to The Writer’s Voice. When she isn’t planning weddings, writing or glued to social networking sites, she can usually be found on one of Florida’s beautiful beaches with her husband and daughter or crossing the border to visit with her Canadian friends and relatives.
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Filed under: Author & Artist Interviews
February 11, 2013
Erotic Writing ~ What it Means to Me
I’m currently writing a full-length novel. The yet-to-be-named psychological thriller is a mix of John Fowles/Charles Bukowski/Haruki Murakami with just a dash of Pauline Réage. Erotic elements will pepper the book, but it’s a departure from erotica.
For classification purposes, I’ve always referred to myself as an erotica author, though some people have said I don’t quite fit the definition of the genre.
To illustrate this, I’ve excerpted several reviews of my book, Spring into Summer: (Full reviews on Amazon)
“… This was not simply erotica – this was fine literary writing with sexy erotic scenes that were an essential part of the story, not just added for the thrill of it … whether you like good literature, good erotica or heck, even good sex. It has all of those qualities.” ~ L. Smith
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“To call this erotica is, in my opinion, an insult to Eden Baylee’s immense talent. These are not one-dimensional stories about sex. These are stories about love, loss, passion, and self-discovery … Yes, there are erotic sex scenes. But beyond that are stories that struck me deep and will stick with me for a very long time …” ~ Book Addict
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“… While Baylee’s writing is absolutely everything that erotica should be hot, intense, passionate … Baylee’s tales are so much more than simply good erotica. They are stunning slices of humanity laid bare at their most vulnerable moments and shared with her readers …” ~ Tracy Riva
The reviewers highlight two important points:
They draw attention to areas of my writing critical to me—strong character-driven stories and emotional impact. “… slices of humanity laid bare at their most vulnerable moments…” as Tracy Riva writes is exactly what I aim for.
All three reviewers do me the great honor of considering my work as more than just erotic. Book Addict goes so far as to say “To call this erotica is, in my opinion, an insult to Eden Baylee’s immense talent.”
That erotica, as a whole, is plagued by minimal character development and negligible plot is, of course, a generalization. Bad writing exists in every genre. The difference is: erotica has something other genres don’t have—sex, sometimes lots of it, and that scares people.
I recently wrote a guest blog for author, Patti Larsen called “Intolerant Attitudes About Erotica” and was overwhelmed by the response. The truth is—even as adults, sex continues to be taboo. We can discuss sex academically, joke about it, or judge others for their indiscretions. Yet, to have an honest discussion about what arouses us sexually is—for most people—too personal. It opens up that vulnerable part of us, which many share with only one significant other—if that. Erotica can expose us (if only to ourselves) to be less straight-laced than we’ve led others to believe—or the exact opposite. Not all of us can reconcile what it means to be aroused by reading BDSM, kink, or fetish fiction. What does it say about us? Are we (god forbid) abnormal?
My answer is a resounding “no.” I’ve never been a fan of what the majority considers “normal.” The spectrum of normalcy is wide, and conventional man-made standards are often moving targets. Ultimately, where sex is concerned, there is little I consider abnormal between consenting adults. One person’s deviant behavior will surely be another person’s normal—I’d bet my life on it.
Case in point, Goodreads classifies its “Best Erotic Classics” as stories that are famous explorations of human sexuality. Readers compiled this tasteful erotica list, and included Lawrence, Nabokov, Nin, and Réage, but I also saw an unfamiliar name—Seymour J. Cohen, author of The Holy Letter: A Study in Jewish Sexual Morality.
A philosophical and religious treatise about the morality of sex?
Is this erotic?
Not in my book.
I don’t profess to have a higher moral standard than anyone reading this post right now. In my stories, I won’t tell you how to have sex or whom to have it with. I won’t judge what turns you on. If you’re aroused by reading my books, that’s wonderful, but first and foremost, be entertained by a good story.
Reading fiction should arouse you. After all, I’m aiming my words directly at your largest sex organ—the one between your ears.
Filed under: Revelations & Humor
February 10, 2013
White Winter Hymnal by Fleet Foxes
HIS and HER Gifts for Valentine’s Day – My guest blog for @CuttingRoomMRB
The wonderful Casey Ryan, whom I interviewed last October invited me to write a guest blog. I’ve been on his podcast twice and think the world of him, so I could not turn him down!
It’s a funny post about the upcoming holiday of love, so hop over and enjoy!
Read: HIS and HER Gifts for Valentine’s Day
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Connect with Casey
Twitter @cuttingroommrb | The Cutting Room Floor Podcast | Blog
Casey Ryan is the creator and host of the Cutting Room Floor talk-radio podcast and blog. For the past 4 years, the Cutting Room Floor has sought to highlight the works of independent entertainers of all types. A self proclaimed pop-culture addict, Casey is always trying to read up on the latest entertainment news stories. His film education consists of a lifetime of watching and studying movies. He holds a BA in Industrial Relations and Economics as well as a diploma in Sciences. For the past 10 years he has enjoyed a prolific career in corporate sales – often using his skills to help his guests market their work on air.
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Filed under: Eden's Guest Blogs
February 5, 2013
Intolerant Attitudes about Erotica ~ My guest blog for @PattiLarsen
I had a slight meltdown a short while ago. During that time, I channeled my frustrations into a blog post for the prolific and award-winning YA author, Patti Larsen.
Patti’s been a strong supporter of my writing from early on, and although our genres are polar opposites of each other, we’ve become close friends. I know I’ve benefitted greatly from her expertise as an author, marketer, and social networker, but above all, she’s just a great woman to know.
Hop over to her site and read Intolerant Attitudes about Erotica.
eden
Connect to Patti
Website | Twitter @PattiLarsen | Facebook | Amazon
Filed under: Eden's Guest Blogs
February 4, 2013
Part 1 of The Candlestick Killer for THE STORY CIRCLE via @camerongarriepy
The lovely author, Cameron Garriepy invited me to write for The Story Circle on her blog.
It’s a segment where one writer starts a short story, then passes it along to another author—a relay race of writers, if you will.
For the month of February, there will be four episodes by four different writers, each chosen by the person before them. The episodes post on consecutive Mondays and will conclude Feb. 25th.
I’m kicking it off, and I’m excited to read how different authors will move a story along.
Enjoy the start of: The Candlestick Killer.
eden
Connect to Cameron
Blog | Facebook | Amazon | Twitter @CameronGarriepy
Filed under: Eden's Guest Blogs
February 3, 2013
MISTAKEN DOUBLE IDENTITY ~ A story written and read for @RBwood’s Word Count Podcast
You can also hear me read this story on: Episode #27 of R.B. Wood’s “The Word Count” podcast.
The prompt for this podcast is “Mistaken identity at the pub…”
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Kim initially cast a wide net by chatting with nearly a dozen men who responded to her ad. After just two weeks, the field had narrowed to one. His name was Richard. He offered to send his picture early in the relationship. She preferred not to see it, said it wouldn’t change her mind about him.
After weeks of phone chat and texting, she thought he finally understood. “Looks are unimportant to me,” Kim said. “I like you. Let’s not complicate it with physical appearances until we are ready to meet.”
They connected on every level of likes and dislikes, but more importantly, they shared the same family values. He wanted to have children, maybe two or three. He had no clue what she looked like either, yet his willingness to continue their relationship revealed an important character trait in her eyes—he wasn’t fickle.
“I’d be a good provider,” Richard said in one of his emails. “You wouldn’t need to work, unless of course, you wanted to. I guess I’m old-fashioned that way.”
“I like that you’re old-fashioned,” Kim wrote back. “That’s how it was with my parents, and they were happily married for over fifty years.”
Conversation flowed smoothly between them, an effortless union. Following a three-month courtship, they finally agreed to meet at a pub downtown. Kim had dreamt about walking in to the bar, scanning the crowd and seeing a man in a dark suit, a red rose on his lapel to identify him. He’d spot her too, smile, and know she was the one. She’d saunter over and look into his blue, green, or brown eyes. He’d hold her face in his hands and say, “I’ve waited for you all my life, Kim.”
Yes, that was how she envisioned it would happen, but it never did.
On the eve before they were to meet, Kim received an email from Richard, devoid of a subject line. Had he changed his mind? She opened the email in a panic only to stare at a headshot of a male model’s face—large, brown eyes, an aquiline nose, curvaceous lips, all framed by a strong jaw line and flawless skin. Beneath the photograph were two lines:
“Taken last year in San Diego. I can’t wait to see you, Richard.”
I can’t wait to see you. I can’t wait to see you … The line echoed in Kim’s mind. She had thought Richard was different than other men, that looks were not all that important to him. Obviously, she was mistaken.
She shuffled to the bathroom, her heart heavier with each step. The mirror on the medicine cabinet reflected a thirty-year-old woman whose face was perfectly proportioned. “Women would die to have such beautiful eyes as yours,” her mother had said to her all her life.
Kim grabbed a bottle and several large cotton balls from a nearby shelf. She unscrewed the cap and pressed the absorbent fibers to the opening, soaking the cotton balls in clear liquid. She stared at her perfect blue eyes and swabbed her right cheek, wiping away a layer of foundation and blush. She did the same for the other cheek, aware that tears now blurred her vision as she uncovered the hemangioma. No matter how much make-up she applied, she could not conceal the reddish-purple birthmark that blanketed the left side of her face.
Following a good cry, Kim returned to her computer and fired off a note to Richard.
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Richard had hoped that by sending his picture to Kim, she’d be even more excited to meet him. His handsome face had always attracted women.
After receiving Kim’s terse rejection, he realized he’d made a big mistake, though he couldn’t understand why she never wanted to hear from him again. He turned off his computer and sat for a moment with his head in his hands. Muscle fatigue plagued his weary body. He pushed himself to his feet and reached for his cane. A bout of polio as a child had left him with an atrophied right leg. As he hobbled to the bedroom, a heavy sigh escaped his lips. He wondered if he’d ever find a woman who would love him, in spite of his imperfection.
If you enjoyed this story and would like to read a collection of erotic flash fiction and poetry, pick up my ebook Hot Flash, which includes two non-erotic stories too.
Click on the cover and LOOK INSIDE to read a sample.
Available at Amazon:
US | UK | Canada | Germany | France | Japan | Italy | Spain
No Kindle? No Worries.
There is a Kindle App for just about any electronic device (Click here to get one).
Filed under: Short Stories & Poetry
February 2, 2013
Canadian Authors Beware – Amazon Kindle Launches in Canada
Good e-Reader posted a summary of my article below on their site.
You can read it at: Canadian Author Warns Against Amazon.ca.
My thanks to Mercy Pilkington for a terrific overview!
Good e-Reader is the largest digital publishing, eBook and e-Reader News Website in the world. The company currently employs eight full-time staff writers and video producers that travel all over North America, Europe and Asia to bring readers the essential industry news.
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Full article below:
Canadian Authors Beware – Amazon Kindle Launches in Canada
I’m an indie author and I live in Canada. This is not some strange admission; it’s a statement of fact. If you’re a Canadian author publishing via Amazon.com, this post is for you.
Since coming on the independent publishing scene in 2010, I’ve dealt primarily with Amazon.com as my ebook distributor. All my books are available on Amazon.com and its sister companies in the UK, France, and other countries where the Amazon Kindle (ebook) store is available. The majority of my buyers come from the US and the UK, so I was a happy camper. That was until Amazon set up shop with Amazon.ca as its new Kindle store in Canada.
You may wonder why this would not be a good thing for me, being that I am Canadian. I imagine Amazon Canada had some reservations as well. The launch of its Kindle store glided in so quietly I had no clue it even happened. They should’ve named it “Operation Stealth.” I only became aware it was up when I continued getting a message each time I touched my KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) or Amazon.com account. Like the sound of an annoying cruise ship director blowing her whistle, a pop-up would appear on my screen announcing:
GREAT NEWS! You can now shop for digital content at Amazon.ca in Canadian dollars. Learn about transferring your account to Amazon.ca.
At the time, I was in the midst of publishing several books on KDP. The last thing I wanted was to change a process midstream. Soon thereafter, I noticed variances in the price of my books. Was the timing simply a coincidence with the launch of Amazon.ca? I think not.
Warning: The next few paragraphs contain complicated (sic) mathematical algorithms.
I published all my books through Amazon.com. When I listed my book at $4.99, I would see it at that price. Now I was seeing a discrepancy of a few cents on each of my books. $3.99 books were showing $4.04, and $4.99 books were showing $5.04 or $5.06. Considering the Canadian dollar was worth more than the US dollar at the time, I found this peculiar to say the least. I’d always purchased ebooks from Amazon.com with the understanding I was buying in USD, and I’d pay the applicable exchange rate at the time of purchase. I thought perhaps the variance I now saw took that into account, so I decided to test it out.
I bought a copy of one of my books I’d priced for $4.99, which now mysteriously showed $5.04 on Amazon.com. When the item appeared on my credit card statement, I was actually charged $5.16 Canadian. Seriously, what kind of hair-brained NEW math is this?
I went back and forth with KDP Help to figure out what was going on. They swore up and down my books on Amazon.com were at the prices I had set, but because I was in Canada, I was seeing them differently. They suggested I transfer to Amazon.ca, where the prices were closer (but not exactly) what I wanted. My $4.99 books were selling for $5.00, and my $2.99 books for going for $2.94. I absolutely despise the whole “nickel and dime” aspect of pricing, but I despise the lack of professional conduct more. I had a major headache after going around in circles with KDP Help for a few days. In the end, I settled for not getting a satisfactory answer – how pathetic is that?
So…as an author, I now simply refuse to transfer to Amazon.ca until they get their act together. The main problems for me are:
Pricing ~ If I’m setting my book to sell for $4.99, I don’t want to see it for anything other than $4.99 – not one penny more and not one penny less.
“Look Inside!” is unavailable ~ This allows sampling of the first few pages of the book, an important step in helping a reader decide whether or not to buy.
Author Central.ca is unavailable ~ This provides a personal author page. Without it, typing in the author’s name will simply bring you to a page with their books, but no author bio.
Product Description is incomplete ~ Fields such as Editorial Reviews, Q and A with the Author, From the Back Cover are populated from #3, ergo the book’s description will be incomplete.
Insincere marketing ~ This is a big one for me. Amazon.ca is pushing me to change but provides no benefits to me as an author. As a matter of fact, I’m being punished by staying with Amazon.com, since the experience I used to have is no longer the same.
My final words to Amazon.ca: Don’t sell me something as being good for me just because I live in the country where you’ve launched your new product. Until your service can consistently meet that provided to me by Amazon.com — I see no benefit in switching over.
As a caveat, this article is not targeted to Canadian readers who purchase products from the Amazon.ca. site. I am unaware of any issues for buyers.
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Filed under: Eden's Guest Blogs, Revelations & Humor
February 1, 2013
Sandcastle and Other Stories by @JustinBog is NOW Available in Paperback
The incredible, Justin Bog, has just released his literary collection, Sandcastle and Other Stories in paperback! You may recall I had the honor of interviewing him when his ebook version came out last year.
Published by Green Darner Press, Justin is a phenomenal indie success story. Sandcastle and Other Stories has been reviewed by the Huffington Post and continues to garner rave reviews.
I’ve just put in my order and can’t wait to get my copy ~ Congratulations, Justin on your success!
Buy Link: Amazon.com
Go to Justin’s website to see him holding a copy of his book!
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Connect to Justin
Subscribe to Justin’s blog A Writer’s Life
Follow him on Twitter @JustinBog
Justin Bog, is a book reader, movie fanatic, and music audiophile.
So it comes as no surprise that Justin pursued an English Degree at the University of Michigan, followed by Film and Music Appreciation classes — finally graduating from Bowling Green State University with an MFA in Fiction Writing. After teaching creative writing, Justin began apprenticing in a number of bookstores and editing fiction. Justin ended up on the management team at Chapter One Bookstore in the Sun Valley resort area for a decade, offering book recommendations to its local celebrities, skiing fanatics, and tourists. Currently residing in the San Juan Islands just north of Seattle, Justin has the opportunity to focus on his own novels and short stories, while contributing commentary and reviews of Pop Culture.
Justin continues to engage his lifelong passion for writing in combination with his curious mindset as the Senior Contributor and Editor at In Classic Style.
Sandcastle and Other Stories is his first book.
Filed under: Author Promotions 
