Heather Lin's Blog, page 2

Westridge on sale now!

My contemporary romance novella, Westridge, has just been re-released with a new cover and a new price! You can snag your copy today for just $2.99 at Smashwords (.epub) and Amazon (.mobi).

 

Gabby Jones and Jason Dawson were born only months apart in the small town of Westridge. For the next eighteen years, they were inseparable, but after their high school graduation, Gabby got on a bus to the city, leaving Jason with a weak explanation and a broken heart. After five years of making it a point to avoid her old flame, Gabby comes home for a funeral and, thanks to meddling parents and circumstance, she and Jason are thrown together again.

But now Jason is an auto mechanic with an ex-wife and a daughter, and Gabby owns a successful flower shop in the city. Even if Gabby is able to admit she still loves Jason, and even if Jason is able to convince her to tell him the real reason she left, will they be able to get past the changes and broken pieces in time to start over?

What people are saying about Westridge:

“These are characters that are very familiar with each other and can read each other easily, and that is felt in the scenes, in the writing, in the dialogue. Lin’s writing overall is wonderful, and she connects these characters really great.”

–Marissa at For the Love of Film and Novels

“It is a pleasant surprise to have two younger characters that feel about ten years older than they actually are….Westridge is a wonderful story for anyone who likes a small town sweet contemporary romance.”

–Sizzling Hot Books

“This is a new author to me and after reading this book I will definitely me making my way back to her books again. I very much enjoyed the sense of mystery and suspense to the build up when Gabby finally does reveal her reasons…I recommend this read for all fans that love a good sweet and sensual , emotionally pack[ed] second chance romance.”

-Desere at Romance Book Haven

Keep an eye out for Rosa’s Story, the sequel to Westridge, coming in August 2014!

Cover Reveal!

Westridge will be re-released at the end of June!

Did you already read the first edition of Westridge? Look for Rosa’s Story and Caitlin’s Story later in the year.

Curious about the cover art? It was done by Cheryl Ramirez at CCR Book Cover Design. She wrote a post about the process here.

Dog Tags & Camouflage

I’m pleased to announce I just signed a contract with Forbidden Lust to have a short story included in their upcoming anthology, Dog Tags and Camouflage. It’s my first attempt at historical erotic fiction, and it turned out better than I could have hoped. It’s called “Twice a Sinner” and is about a young soldier in George Washington’s Army who falls in love with a nurse during The Revolutionary War.

Here’s a sneak peek at the cover.

More details to come!

AVAILABLE NOW

Today’s the day! *confetti*

Scandal and Other Erotic Tales is now available for download from Smashwords and Amazon, and it costs a whopping Ninety-nine cents.

To celebrate (and entice) I’m offering a flash fiction piece found in the anthology for FREE. Check out “The Dance” below.

 

The Dance

First published by FortheGirls.com on March 22, 2010.

Marie sat on the couch in her apartment, a box of tissues by her side and the TV droning in the background. A knock sounded on her door, and she brushed the tear-soaked tissues off her pajama bottoms before looking through the peephole. Ace’s jaw was set and his brown eyes were smoldering. She should have known he’d take his friend’s side.

She’d loved Ace since freshman year of college, but by the time he realized he loved her back, she’d moved on to his best friend—who had just broken what was left of her heart approximately five hours ago.

“I know you’re in there, Marie!” He pounded on the door again.

She’d never seen him like this. She cautiously opened the door, prepared for a confrontation.

Then his lips were against hers.

His kiss was demanding, finally claiming what should have been his all along. He wrapped an arm around Marie’s waist, supporting her as he forced her back into the apartment and kicked the door shut behind them.

“Ace,” Marie managed.

“Don’t say anything, or I’ll lose my nerve.”

His need-roughened voice sent sensation straight to her loins, and the kiss he brought down on her lips made her knees buckle. He laid her down on the couch and pulled her pants to her ankles. She unbuckled his belt with shaking fingers. Everything came naturally, easily. Even the way he fumbled with the clasp of her bra was just a part of the dance.

Ace reached for his discarded jeans and grabbed a condom from one of the pockets. Marie took the initiative, tearing open the wrapper and stretching it over his hard length. He leaned down to kiss her, and she guided him into her wet heat. His entry was slow, allowing her to feel every rigid inch of him. Her toes curled automatically as he hit the right spot, without even trying.

“Fuck,” he groaned.

His whole body shook as he thrust into her.

“Faster, Ace,” she breathed.

It was all the encouragement he needed. His next movements were hard and fast. Marie could feel ecstasy building.

“Yes,” she moaned.

“Fuck…Marie,” he whispered raggedly.

Marie’s muscles clamped down at the sound of her name on his lips. He plunged deeply, powerfully, one more time, and found his own release.

Ace rested his forehead against hers, and she brought a hand up to touch his face, to reassure herself that this was real.

“You know I’ve always loved you,” he murmured.

“I know now.”

[image error] .epub

[image error] .mobi

Get ready for the countdown!

I’ll be posting sexy snippets from Scandal and Other Erotic Tales in anticipation of the anthology’s release! It’s still scheduled for late April, and–seeing as it’s already April 14th–you know it’s getting close!

I hope you’re as excited as I am. Follow @heatherlin88 on Twitter and check out the #erotictales tag to make sure you don’t miss any exciting news.

 

Cover Reveal! – Scandal and Other Erotic Tales

Sorry I went off the radar for a while. I’ve been working really hard on this:

This anthology will be released in late April and contains ten stories of erotica and erotic romance, all by yours truly. Eight stories were published between 2008 and 2010, and two stories are brand spankin’ new.

When the feature story, Scandal, was first released by New Concepts Publishing in 2010, Dina from Coffee Time Romance & More had this to say:

“Hot and erotic are some of the words that come to mind when reading this story; it sure made me feel torn between wanting to find out what will happen next and yet enjoying what is happening now too much to turn the page. With little being said about Meg and Jack, Ms. Lin was able to cleverly utilize the situation as well as the fast-paced and sexy dialogue to give a thorough insight into her characters. The transformation about to happen to Jack is realistic and perfectly in keeping with his character; it is the women and the sex that made him what he is, and it is a woman and her sex that are about to change him. This is one short story with enough sizzle to read more than once.”

What else will you find inside?

Here is the official table of contents and a sneak peek at each sexy story:

Scandal “He’d long since stopped feeling apologetic about getting a hard-on while dancing. The women knew why he was there; they knew why he was asking them to dance. Some tried to play innocent, but not this one. Her movements were deliberate. He’d picked a winner.”

The Dance “His kiss was demanding, finally claiming what should have been his all along. He wrapped an arm around Marie’s waist, supporting her as he forced her back into the apartment and kicked the door shut behind them.”

A Rule Worth Breaking “Theresa sucked in a breath as the conversation became suddenly and deliciously erotic. But cyber sex with someone a million miles away was quite different from cyber sex with a former classmate, even if she couldn’t identify him.”

A Sleepless Night “As if in a trance, mesmerized by Layla’s young, slim body, Hunter climbed carefully onto the double bed beside his object of affection. She stirred and threw her head toward him but remained asleep. Hunter stretched out beside her and propped his head up with his right arm to better watch the way her bosom rose and fell with each breath.”

No Regrets “Tina stared. The desire in his dark eyes matched the undeniable pull she felt. He leaned forward, almost touching his lips to hers but waiting for her to close the distance. She wanted to—God, did she want to. But she couldn’t.”

The Send-off “She took her hands out from between her thighs and licked her own glistening fingers. It was a simple act that drove Donny nuts. And that’s just what she wanted to do.”

Poetry “Professor Carver’s voice stopped her in her tracks. There was a husky edge to it she’d never heard before. Instinctively, she knew it was the voice reserved for a lover.”

Car Trouble in Paradise “When she undid the clasp of her bra and released her very real breasts, he couldn’t stop himself from getting hard. It was the same routine she’d performed since she started at Paradise, but it never failed to grab his attention.”

Good Neighbors “She stuck her shovel in the snow and tossed a small mound aside. Then she snuck another glance at Rick. His blue eyes were still on her, and they were coming closer. Oh, God.”

Seconds “The moment they stepped inside the barn, Elijah’s arms were around her waist, his hands pushing up her shirt. He was already hard—the tense car ride had ensured that. His lips landed on her neck, kissing, sucking, nipping, knowing just how to drive her crazy.”

Be sure to follow @heatherlin88 on Twitter, like Heather Lin on Facebook, and check back here for updates!

Self-Pubbed Erotic Anthology in the Works

I’ve never believed in self-publishing, honestly, for two reasons:

First, a real book sits on a shelf. The local bookstore sells it, and you can sign the cover for loyal readers. A.K.A. I have been stubbornly more interested in the artistic/prestige side of publishing than the practical, business side.

A friend (Shari Slade—you’ll be reading wonderful, sexy things from her soon) recently posed the question: “What do you hope to accomplish from writing?” That cleared things up. I hope to be able to contribute to my household income by writing. It doesn’t have to be a lot, but I’d like to be able to work from home when I have kids. My goal is not to win an award, it’s not to have a book with my name on it collecting dust. It’s to make money doing what I love.

Especially in the romance/erotica genre, self-publishing often turns out to be the smartest option. I’m in control of ARCs, the cover art, the royalties, branding, etc. Kindle has made it incredibly easy to make an ebook available. And without the constant pressure/struggle of acceptance vs. rejection, my creativity can flow more freely. I can focus on writing because I know my story will get to the readers.

I also saw these:

Here’s a post from someone who turned down one of these fabulous NYC contracts in favor of self-publishing, and so far it seems to be going really well for her.

Here are survey results showing just how much money people who self-publish can make—and just how much the industry itself is changing.

I’m not saying I’ll make bank doing this, but I don’t see myself any worse off than I am with the decidedly small royalty payments I’ve been receiving from publishers.

Second, if I can’t get one other person in the publishing industry to invest in my work, there’s something wrong with it. I had convinced myself that if I couldn’t get a publisher and/or an agent to back me, my story simply wasn’t ready to be published. It wouldn’t sell, anyway. This also supported my snobbish, near-sighted view that people who self-publish do so because they’re too stubborn to see the reasons why no one will publish their work.

This is the one that’s been holding me back the most—my need for validation. I refuted this argument very recently in one brief epiphany: I should be willing to invest in my own work.

I believe in it the most, I know it the best, and I’ll work the hardest for it. I shouldn’t be afraid to own my creations.

Not to mention, I really want the opportunity to re-release The System and finish the trilogy I meant for it to be a part of.

My first self-pub release will be an anthology of contemporary erotic stories, called Scandal and Other Erotic Tales.

This will be a collection of stories I’ve had published in various anthologies and on websites over the last six years. I wanted to consolidate any reverted stories for my readers and throw in a few new ones to sweeten the deal. I received the cover today (reveal to come!) and decided on my table of contents.

It should be a fun way to figure out the self-publishing process, from start to finish, and decide if it is something I want to pursue full force.

I’m not writing traditional publishers or even e-publishers off completely yet, of course, but I am excited for this new adventure—and I can see a lot more advantages to it now than I ever could before.

Historical Romance

I am currently attempting to write a short piece for this anthology. They’re asking for any erotic romance story having to do with the military—past, present, or future—and they pay pro rates. Always a plus!

I’ve had this idea for a while about a British soldier during the Revolutionary War who quarters with a Continental Army supporter. The drama! The romance! Somehow, that’s turned into a story about a female camp follower/volunteer nurse who’s tending to a wounded Continental soldier, but…I like how it’s going so far.

Except writing historical romance is harder than I ever imagined. This story will probably be just a tad over 2500 words. So far, I’ve had to do in-depth research on the Battle of Cowpens, officer names, soldiers names, colonial-era euphemisms, colonial dress (way too many layers), colonial medicine, etc.

I really wish I’d paid more attention during that family trip to Colonial Williamsburg when I was eleven.

….for that sex story I’d write fourteen years later.

It just blows my mind that all of this research is necessary for one short story that, at most, equates to 5% of a full-length novel. I have to give mad props to people who do this on a regular basis.

And, of course, part of my research will include re-watching The Patriot.

…because this.

And also this.

A flimsy excuse isn’t always a bad excuse, right?

 

Guest Post: “I Never Knew Giving Birth to a Book Was So Hard” by Nikolas Baron

As with all writers (and let’s face it, everyone writes), the dream is to pen down all your thoughts into this incredibly massive book and have it impact the world so greatly that random strangers will come up to you, shake your hand, and let you know what a difference your book made in their lives. That is the dream. I cannot deny that this sneaky idea hasn’t found its way into the crevices of my head every now and then. However, when I think about it, every other person has a book published these days, including my neighbour, my high school friend from way back, my colleague, and even Grandma.

I’m currently working at Grammarly, an online proofreading program, and part of my job involves interacting with various writers to find out what tools, if any, they use to aid their writing. At some point somehow, the conversation usually steers toward self-publishing. I do tons of freelance writing on the side, and I completely share the same sentiments with many of these writers, and that is self-publishing trumps traditional publishing due to a myriad of factors that have to do with lag time, the freedom to decide on various aspects of the book, and royalties. Thus began my journey into the vast unknown of self-publishing, and these are some pointers I picked up along the way.

Read, read, read. If everything is just one big looming fog, and assuming you don’t have jack-of-all-trades family and friends, chances are that your best bet of finding out more about self-publishing is through professionals who have taken the time to write down the different ways you can approach the unfamiliar. Two incredible authors I recommend are Steve Weber and Guy Kawasaki. If you’re really a novice at this, start with Guy Kawasaki; but if you’re looking for better resources, Steve Weber provides some reliable references for marketing and self-publishing. Both books are equally comprehensive and should give you a solid idea of how and where to begin.

Marketing. As I’ve mentioned earlier, every other person has written a book these days. While publishing has started to lax, so has the exponential penetration of books into the market. The question then is in knowing how to make your book known to your target audience. Start using social platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, and LinkedIn. Tell people about your book while you’re writing it, and build a fanbase for yourself. One thing you have to note, though, is your constant involvement in social media. Many people jump on the bandwagon because it’s free. The efforts invested in social housekeeping, however, might not translate into the coveted results many authors hope for. Social media, at its core, was made as a platform to build relationships, share stories, and connect with people – that is exactly what authors should be aiming to do.

You need a proofreader. If you can’t spend the money on a professional editor, a very economical way to proofread your work is with a natural linguistics program such as Grammarly. Grammarly has the ability to grammar-check your manuscript to pristine conditions. Sentence structures, grammar, spelling mistakes, punctuation errors, negative suggestion, you name it.

I thought I’d never have to feel the pains of child labour, but honestly, I think publishing a book comes pretty close. You know what they say, “If it’s not hard, it’s not worth doing.” What are your views? I’m looking forward to hearing some of your experiences in regard to writing and publishing.

By Nikolas Baron

Writer’s Block: A Pep Talk or Something

Writer’s block hits me on a pretty regular basis. I think it hits every creative person on a regular basis—including my father, the artist (it’s an old blog, but here it is), and even my crafty aunt who makes curtains and handbags.

Whether I’m in the middle of a project or trying to figure out how to get started on a project, I often find myself hating what I’ve written, unsure of what to write next, how to start, if I want to finish the project at all, etc.

At times, I’m my own worst enemy. I have this dream of writing professionally, of being able to contribute to the family income. I don’t need to be the next Nora Roberts or E.L. James; I’d just love to be able to make some extra cash doing what I love. As a result, my writing isn’t just for me anymore. It’s for the world. Business has to take a role as well as the pure love and art of writing, and that’s what tends to make the process so frustrating.

The majority of what I write is contemporary romance. I also have an interest in sci-fi and fantasy. I’m writing something I think may end up being general fiction, a la Nicholas Sparks or Jodi Picoult. I’ve been working on it for two years. Why is it taking so long?

Quite honestly, I don’t let myself focus on that story. I don’t let myself write down ideas other than romance because I have a pen name and potential career in romance.

I need to be thinking about and writing romance. Constantly.

That’s the business side of it. I have to write and produce, gain and hold a readership. I’m not going to do that if I switch up genres, and I’m not going to do that if I write one romance novel per year because I’m writing in other genres the rest of the year.

At the same time, I can’t keep staring at the screen and writing nothing because I’m not in the mood to write romance, but I should be in the mood to write romance.

I don’t resent the genre or writing in the genre. I love romance. Every single thing I have written, save a few select short stories, has contained strong elements of romance—even the sci-fi and fantasy stories. I’m sure everything I will ever write will contain elements of romance.

But they certainly can’t be called contemporary romance, and that’s the path I’ve chosen.

However, I think I’ve figured out a compromise.

A friend of mine from the Twitterverse, Jessica Lemmon aka @lemmony,  shared this quote with me:

“One reason that people have artist’s block is that they do not respect the law of dormancy in nature. Trees don’t produce fruit all year long, constantly. They have a point where they go dormant. And when you are in a dormant period creatively, if you can arrange your life to do the technical tasks that don’t take creativity, you are essentially preparing for the spring when it will all blossom again.” -Marshall  Vandruff

I’ve found that when I’m in the mood to write romance, I’m in the mood to write romance. I finished a novel and two short stories in the last six months. I also started a few other projects.

But when I’m not in the mood to write romance, I need to accept that and let myself write sci-fi, fantasy, general fiction, poetry, or nothing at all. I need to accept it and let myself read, watch TV, or play a video game until the urge returns because it will.

I don’t know about other writers or creative minds, but I have this constant fear in the back of my mind that my creativity has an expiration date. With every bout of writer’s block, I worry I’ll never recover.

But it truly is a cycle, just like Vandruff says.

So, in the spirit of New Year’s resolutions, mine is to give myself a break, to let myself write because I love to write once in a while instead of always writing because I’m chasing that dream. I love the dream. I love seeing myself get closer to that dream.

But sometimes it’s exhausting.

Sometimes I need a break.

And that’s okay.