Mia Downing's Blog, page 4

Oooh, Tortured Hero! Six Sunday Sentences from Spy Games: Trained For Seduction

Ready for some tortured Chase?

Chase Sanders has never had trouble being the boss before, until he met sexy spy Kate Wells. He's been assigned the task of training her to learn the art of seduction, for her first--and possibly last--mission. Yeah, he's feeling a little conflicted right now, because how can he send her off to die when all he wants is to love her? Enjoy!



“You’re sorry for what?"

“I’m sorry for being the man you’ll learn to hate.” She opened her mouth, and he shook his head. “You will hate me. I’ll send you to hell and back, make you do horrible things, and though the safety of America is worth it to me, I’m not so sure it’s worth it to you. I hate my job for taking someone I saw as so pure and beautiful, and turning her into a fucking hot, killing machine.”



Available at:The Wilder Roses Catalog AmazonBN


Want to play? The rules are easy. Visit Six Sentence Sunday, sign up, then come Sunday, post yours! Go check out the links to other great blurbs!

Lovin' Him Should Be Dirty!

Team Chase? Team Jake? Undecided? Who Cares?

Well, when there's free stuff involved, everyone cares! Read on to get to the free stuff.

Agent Jake Anderson is one of my favorite charmingly smart spies. His personal slogan: Lovin' me should be dirty. He is featured in a book coming out NOVEMBER 2, 2012. Spy Games: Lethal Limits is book 2 in the Spy Games series. (Shh, don't tell him it's erotic romance. He loves the kinky stuff, but he's afraid of love. He thinks he's in an action spy book with explosions and gunfights.)

Now, if you're afraid to read out of order, don't be. Our Team Jake fan club president was hooked as a cold turkey beta reader. It pisses Chase (book 1) off, but Jake needs love. Come. I'll introduce you to Jake.

Secret Agent Jake Anderson is the perfect best man, best friend, best partner. He hates running, courier runs and anything to do with barfing women, even if they are his best friend's wife. He secretly loves Paris. He openly loves missions that end in gunfights and exploding cars, anything kinky, fantasy role playing, and his favorite love--tying up willing women and making them scream his name. He's not boyfriend material, not one bit. He doesn't fall in love. So why the hell is he suddenly feeling all weird about his best friend's wife?

Jake's worried it might be love, but he's not so sure. He's is loyal enough to his best friend, Chase Sanders, to want to run and abandon his buddy's barfing wife--his work partner--in their Paris hotel room. It doesn't help that downstairs, in the bar, waits a willing woman--Tia Richards--one he had once tied up and run out on, leaving her unfulfilled. It wasn't his fault work had issued a 9-1-1 to the airport, and he did untie her before leaving. Jake has these odd feelings for Tia, too. She's wild and twisted, and he's quite happy with not adding notches to the bedpost with Tia in his life. But these silly emotions for Tia also smack of something deeper, things a man whore shouldn't be experiencing.

Poor Jake! He spends most of his adult life avoiding love and now he has not one woman, but two, he's feeling iffy things for. So what's a man whore to do? RUN.

GIVING STUFF AWAY!

I don't wish to live like a hoarder, so I'm pimping 2 print copies of Spy Games: Trained for Seduction on GoodReads to make room in the clutter. Plus it's sort of a party, for Jake's big day! He loves a good party. I have no clue where it shows up (I just put it on line) so try here: Mia's page or click the book cover.

SPECIAL UPDATE!

Edits are underway for something fun. Jake is a little pissed his birthday menage is off-screen between books 1 and 2. You don't turn thirty-five every year, and he thinks he deserves a short story.

So check back for the release of his story, featuring a bit of background for the last book, Spy Games: Endgame. Is there much plot? No. It's some office chatter and a whole bunch of sexy Chase, Kate and Jake action. Jake gets to be 'hostess,' which is code for him being in charge. Jake at the wheel of anything could be dangerous, and he does like missions that end in gunfights and exploding cars.

If you read this far, you deserve a cupcake! Or a present! Leave a comment if you're Team Chase, Team Jake, or undecided. You'll be tossed into the running for an advanced e-copy of Spy Games: Lethal Limits (Jake!) OR an e-copy of book 1 (Chase!) Spy Games: Trained for Seduction.

Naughty or Nice...Hmmm A stop on the Blog Hop!

I'm doing my first blog hop over at my other blog organized by Nat at Reading Romances!

Stop by and leave your email in the comments for a chance to win a copy of Exceeding Boundaries and a $25 Amazon gift card!

If you want to chat and be entered for a second time into my magical hat, then leave a comment about what makes you feel naughty, be it a favorite scented candle, a massage, or a good, sexy book! I personally love the smell of Old Spice stuff on my hubby. Cheesy and cheap, but he rocks the scent!

The hop runs from Sat, Sept 22 until next Saturday, Sept 29. Don't delay, because you'll forget if you're like me.

Do Your Characters Talk To You?

They say as long as the voices don't tell you to do something heinous, like kill someone, you're okay. I'm not so sure about that, but I don't have to worry, because my characters don't speak to me. "What?" you shriek. "But you're a writer. What do you mean, they don't speak to you?" I know. I feel the same way.

Actually, mine speak to each other. It's like watching something on Netflix. They boot up, and sometimes it starts before I'm at the computer. That's a lot like real life because the family starts shows without me all the time. And then I sit there. I watch and listen, typing furiously as they do whatever it is they're doing, like fighting, or getting to know each other, or...well...other things I shouldn't probably watch but it's really fun and naughty.

Watching them is better than Netflix, because it has that theater feel to it, but I can hit rewind if I want. Sometimes I skip forward and write parts they're ready to rehearse. I don't have to write in order if they don't want to. Unfortunately, if they don't want to do their scenes, they don't have to. I don't know where they go when they hide, but it probably involves whiskey and Coke if it's Jake. I have to wait until they up and decide it's time to get stuff done. It can be frustrating the other way, because if they're on, then they are ON and they are not waiting. So type faster, writer lady.

Someone asked once if I'd do a character interview for Chase Sanders, my hero from Spy Games: Trained for Seduction, and I was surprised. First, he's never spoken to me, so I don't even know if he knows who I am. Second, he's a spy boss, so I'm supposed to think he works for the IRS or something. I'm not supposed to know who he is, and he'll be pissed as hell if he thinks his cover is blown. We won't even talk about what he'd do to me if I asked about his relationship with Kate. He's a very private person. He can snipe stuff at over a mile away and you'd never see it coming. Do I really want to tempt the man? Really?

Probably the only ones I could interview would be Kate Wells, Chase's woman, or Aaron James. Kate's new to the spy business so she has a hard time lying still. Aaron is an actor, and you haven't met him yet. He gives interviews all the time, but again, he's a fairly good liar, given the acting and he's Jake's brother. Kate would probably get her butt paddled for speaking with me, but since her ménage with Jake and Chase, she doesn't mind paddling. Jake would just lie and make stuff up, but he'd be charming as hell. Jake also wouldn't let me near Tia for an interview, seeing he's as protective as Chase about his woman. Charlotte...I wouldn't get the time of day with her.

So I'm sad they don't talk to me. I'd like to do a character interview someday, damn it. Maybe I need to find more friendly characters.


So my question is, do your characters talk to you? Am I the only crazy one who doesn't get a conversation?

How to Write Kick-Ass Blurbs! (w/Trish Owens)

How to Write Kick-Ass Blubs!

Editor for The Wild Rose Press, Trish Owens, has stopped by with a few informational posts about writing kick-ass blurbs. She and Diana Carlile fix my blurbs for me, and I love how they wrangle my words into something really cool someone just might want to buy. I asked her to give us insight about her gift of blurb writing.

Mia: Hi, Welcome, Trish! I have coffee and tequila, as well as a buffet of delectable snacks. Help yourself.

Trish (peering over at the coffee table) Does the hunk mind that he has vegetarian sushi decorating his abs? He looks suspiciously like the guy from your Ripped cover.

Mia: Shhh. I kidnapped him. He doesn't mind as long as you don't put soy sauce on him. It tickles.

Trish (helping herself to a cucumber roll): So blurbs. You stink at them, Mia. Really. You write such wonderful prose and then you hand us drivel. What do you have to say about that?

Mia: You and Diana never taught me your secrets. I think you don't share on purpose, so we can bow down to you both. I think you get a kick off the goddess worship.

Trish: Maybe a little. I don't get worshiped as much as Diana. I kinda like it.

Mia: So spill. Not the soy sauce!

Trish: Sorry, sweet boy. (Pats the hunk's chest. He grunts.) So great blurbs come from knowing your characters and their conflict. A great blurb is short, to the point, and contains the secret formula of outlining your characters' goals, motivations and conflicts. It also contains the flavor and genre of your book, be it erotic romance, historical, or comedy. Try to keep it around 150 words. 200 words, maximum.

Mia: That's it?

Trish: That's it. Well, in a nutshell. For longer novels, I like to make two paragraphs, one about the hero, one about the heroine. For shorter novels you can stick to one informative paragraph. I like to state very clearly what that character wants, why they can't have it, and what they are going to do about getting it.

Mia: So...Mia wants sushi, but she can't have it because Trish is eating it all. Mia will get the sushi, dammit, by beaning Trish on the head. How's that?

Trish: Sure. That works if you want crappy blurbs from now on. You want me to craft something from that? You sure about that? Think of your career future.

Mia: I see it as a challenge, but I don't want crappy blurbs. How about I create you a sushi banquet served on Ripped boy so you think about sharing?

Trish: That's better.

Mia: Then prove your greatness, O Blurb Queen.

Trish: Blurb Princess. :::cracking knuckles::: Here it goes.

Lowly serf Mia has always wanted to taste the delicacies wealth and power have to offer, starting with the sushi held in the hand of the powerful yet deadly monarch, Princess Trish of the Garden. But the strict rules of The Garden do not allow those of tainted blood to be more than chattel. Mia yearns to be more, to sample more, and yet can't seem to attract the gorgeous yet aloof redhead who holds the reins to Mia's body, the key to her heart. Catching her eye could mean sudden death. It could also mean ultimate ecstasy. Mia tempts fate by creating the princess's favorite sushi dish, served off the most gorgeous male slave The Garden has to offer, and now the princess is heading her way. Will Mia's first taste of the forbidden be one laced with ultimate desire, or will it end with the kiss of death?

Mia: That was...amazing, and 150 words, exactly. I take it it's Sci-fi or fantasy with a little suspense. I see that you're a scary...er...princess, and I'm your slave. I think I'm fairly stupid to tempt fate, though.

Trish: I sense you were going to say I was a scary bitch. Go ahead, you can say it. I'm a ninja princess in my own mind.

Mia: No, really. You're nice in person. One complaint, it really smacked of a little f/f action. No offense, but I like him a lot more. ::pointing at the hunk laying on the coffee table, decorated in sushi:::

Trish: I got a little carried away. If we woke studly up, it could be f/f/m. ::laughing:: Kidding! You forget where I work. My mind just goes straight to the naughty side, all the time.

Mia: So...readers are going to want to know. Do I die, or do I get to eat sushi.

Trish: Your readers will have to wait to find out. If Spy Games: Lethal Limits doesn't release, you're dead.

Mia: We have readers waiting for Jake! You can't do that to them.

Trish: How about I take all the sushi and go home? Studly, too.

Mia: ::sighing:: Okay. Fine. Go. He needs a coat, though. He'll catch cold.

Trish (rising, and yanking the hunk by the hand): Why don't you share Jake's blurb, so they can see something decent I helped craft?

Mia. Good idea! My thanks to Trish Owens for stopping by with that informational (and really scary) demonstration of blurb prowess.

Blurb for Spy Games: Lethal Limits, book 2 in the Spy Games series out late fall, 2012.

Secret Agent Jake Anderson would rather have the measles than love his best friend’s wife. So when she gives him a mission— to find his own woman to love— he knows just the woman to target. Exotic beauty Tia Richards— his new partner— is wild, twisted, and has no limits when it comes to adventure, in bed and out. She’s perfect for him. Now he just has to get Tia and his heart to agree.

Sexy spy Tia Richards has a problem, and the solution is Jake. The last time they hooked up, he left her bound and begging, unfulfilled, so close to finally getting the fireworks she deserves. But Jake loves his former partner, and Tia refuses to be second best. Will she listen to the ache in her heart that whispers she has what it takes to be first in Jake’s life, or will lethal limits separate them forever?

Rules For Writing Erotic Romance

Hello. My name is Mia Downing. I write erotic romance.

The definition of that, from Wikipedia, is:
Erotic romance novels are stories written about the development of a romantic relationship through sexual interaction.[1] The sex is an inherent part of the story, character growth, and relationship development, and couldn’t be removed without damaging the storyline.

Yep. That's exactly what I write. There are books out there that blur the rules, and some of those books have become really popular. That makes it hard for us who write to the rules, because the newbies to erotic romance expect everything to fall in line with the book they read and loved, not realizing there's a whole system to the madness, already in place.

I joke that there aren't many rules, and some of the few include don't love the dead people or pets, harm children or rape people. I'm good with all of those, because that doesn't excite me or my characters, and it's morally wrong. But did you know there are actually quite a few rules I have to follow, if I want to be published? Here is a list of the big rules.

1) Heat it up, fast!
That's a hard one, because the true readers of erotic romance (and my publisher) want the sizzle right from the get-go. I don't get 30 pages to slow-burn the lust between the characters and let them get to know each other over crumpets and tea. They want it fast, they want impact, they want a connection. That's hard, because if you have characters that are strangers to each other, you have to somehow make the attraction believable.

2) Lots o' sex!
Yep, the readers and publishers want this, too. Lots of sex, lots of details. I try very hard to show character growth, conflict, or motivation in my sex scenes so it's not just tossed in there for fun and giggles. I do a lot of dialogue and toss story line pieces into the sex, too. It's hard to write sometimes and I'll admit, sometimes I'm like, "really, who would read that?" Usually, that sex scene ends up to be the favorite one of test readers. Who figured?

In the sex, it's important to note there's a certain level of frank language that's expected. We call those 'buzz words.' So if you've read a book where the heroine might be referring to her delicate bits as 'down there' realize that's not at all par for the genre. In fact, in an erotic romance, the hero would probably demand she call her delicate bits what he calls them. Or vice versa. Do I like using buzz words? Hell no. It makes me cringe sometimes. But quite honestly, when I read books that use something flowery instead of the buzz word, I get a little cranky.

3) No 'I love you' until the end.
I never get to write the wedding scene, because in erotic romance, any romance really, once they say I love you, it's definitely over. Some authors don't even get to have characters say that, if they have a happily-for-now ending. Why? That's not what the reader/publisher wants. They want that romance formula, the chase, catch, release, suffer heartache and then resolve formula that works so well. Delving deeper, into a committed relationship or marriage, doesn't happen because usually, they say 'I love you' and the book is done. Unless they have an epilogue, or they're in a series (like my Spy Games series) you get a glimpse of what the future held for favorite characters.

This is a rule a few books break, because they go into a series that cumulates over the character's relationship. A lot of erotic romance publishers don't take serial/saga books. It will be interesting to see if guidelines change. However, from what I've seen, readers really hate that a book's conflict/romance isn't solved in a book. Hence why my series consists of stand-alone books with characters that cross-over. But each romance gets the happy ending at the end of their book.

4) Sometimes, you don't have any say in story length
It's interesting to see reviewers or readers complain about story length. Sometimes the author just doesn't have a say. If they want in on that series or anthology, an author has to come up with a story that fits the word count specified. That's really hard. I don't like to write short, and had a hard time doing so with Ripped. My Spy Games books are all full-length novels, and if they'd let me, they would have been longer. But you can only do so much sometimes.

5) Sometimes, the title and cover isn't what you wish it to be
If you want to sell sexy, your title and cover have to reflect that. I am horrible with titles, so I tend to name them after the character then brainstorm with my editor after she reads it. I know the title I pick isn't going to be sexy enough, and I've come to terms with that flaw. I also want a horse on every one of my covers, but I don't get one unless I write a Cowboy Kink. Now, I only have one book with a horse in it, but whatever. I can't complain at all about my covers--they're sexy and hot, and I love them all. But I won't deny that at times, I just want one of those tame covers with scenery and a cottage or something. A horse. If I want that, I have to go to a different genre, because that is not what sells.

So those are the rules I live with in my genre, erotic romance. Did they surprise you?

I'm also blogging over at Desiree Holt's blog so if you want a chance at free stuff, go there. But a comment here might win you something good...

Behind the Scenes for Ripped and Give Away!

Okay, how can anyone not admire that gorgeous chest and want to lick the water droplets from those abs? And that's just the cover!

The Blurb:
Lifeguard/artist Gavin White has been holding the ripped shreds of his life together by the seams. Facing the anniversary of his sister's death, he fights the dark call of dependency and is at the edge of succumbing when his best friend since preschool returns to his life. Handsome geek-turned-hunk, Erik Clarke, wasn't afraid to come out and had been bold enough to kiss Gavin the last time they were together. Damn that kiss. Gavin wants more. So much more, but he was never brave enough to tell Erik his dreams. With his future hanging by a tattered thread, Gavin must trade one temptation for another or risk ripping his life apart.

The Juicy Bits:
Ripped was supposed to be a short, fun m/m for the Boys of Summer series. I like conflict, and one of the heroes, Gavin, has a bit of baggage, which wasn’t revealed to me until I got to a certain shower scene. He’s a child of an alcoholic, and he suffers a lot of guilt and pain from that past. This wasn’t a direction I really wanted to go, seeing I am also a child of an alcoholic, and some of Gavin’s issues were my issues. But I considered it a way to purge, so I wrote it. The story is in no way autobiographical, and I think Gavin had the harder road to travel.

Two interesting things I discovered while writing Ripped. One was how I still have a very strong concept of ‘safe,’ meaning safe havens, safe people, safe jobs. When your home isn’t a safe place as a child, you tend to create these pockets of safe in your life. I had a huge upheaval of safe places this summer when I lost a job of 12 years due to sale of the company, and that was hard.

The other interesting thing was that Erik, Gavin’s best friend since preschool, never knew the extent of Gavin’s suffering. I have a friend I’ve known since I was ten, and she verified that no, I don’t talk about that aspect of my life. She knew my dad yelled, but she never knew why I practically lived at her (safer) home.

Anyway, that's a little bit about what went into the story. Since you've been good and read to the end, leave me a comment and I'll put you in the running for to give away a copy of Ripped, your choice of e-format. If you're not into m/m (silly rabbit) then I'll give one of Spy Games: Trained for Seduction or Exceeding Boundaries.

Rachel Leigh Visits!

Today I'm interviewing the smexy author, Rachel Leigh. She'll tell us all about her newest release from The Wild Rose Press, Hot Summer Sands.

Come on over to the blog: Mia's blog

Give away!

Chatting today with Trish Milburn of Romance Bandits and giving away a copy of Spy Games: Trained for Seduction. Come talk about scorching hot spies!

Romance Bandits

Release Day!

So excited for release day! This is my second release but my first, full-length novel. So it feels like I've gone from a training bra to the real thing (and yes, I need that real bra badly.)

Visit my blog at Mia's Blog and leave the name of your favorite fictional spy and your email addy to win a copy!

Visit Long And Short Reviews for an interview and more fun information and another book giveaway!



Spy Games: Trained for Seduction is available at:

The Wild Rose Press and Amazon.com