Marian Tee's Blog, page 11
March 3, 2014
When I Moan - First Three Chapters
I thought you'd enjoy having all the excerpts linked together.
Hopefully out this year! :)
Warning: For readers age 18 and above only!
Hopefully out this year! :)
Warning: For readers age 18 and above only!
March 1, 2014
The Demon Duke and I Updates
Lately, I've been getting a lot of emails about Brimstone books, mostly from readers who just learned about my books when they bought the To Love a Shifter Boxed Set. Thank you by the way to those who purchased it - I really do hope you enjoyed the books.
So, anyway, there are a lot of questions left unanswered by the first book and I promise that some of them will be tackled in Book 2. Certainly, we'll learn more about the four "old" men who have looked after George throughout her life. But what I'm particularly excited about is the fact that we'll be seeing more of the lands held by the demon dukes.
I'm a great fan of David Eddings' Belgariad series so if you're familiar with his work, you should know that I patterned the Kingdom of Chalys after his brand of world building. I am hoping that, like the great David Eddings, I'd be able to describe the various dukedoms vividly enough for all of you to lose yourself in it. :) You'd only need to close your eyes and you'll be able to easily imagine how it is to live in, say, Asphodel, Brimstone, or Sulphur.
But hey - don't worry. The second book won't be lacking in romance. I love romances as much as you do so there will be a lot of sexy and romantic times between Silviu and George and...mm....
You'll see! =D
So, anyway, there are a lot of questions left unanswered by the first book and I promise that some of them will be tackled in Book 2. Certainly, we'll learn more about the four "old" men who have looked after George throughout her life. But what I'm particularly excited about is the fact that we'll be seeing more of the lands held by the demon dukes.
I'm a great fan of David Eddings' Belgariad series so if you're familiar with his work, you should know that I patterned the Kingdom of Chalys after his brand of world building. I am hoping that, like the great David Eddings, I'd be able to describe the various dukedoms vividly enough for all of you to lose yourself in it. :) You'd only need to close your eyes and you'll be able to easily imagine how it is to live in, say, Asphodel, Brimstone, or Sulphur.
But hey - don't worry. The second book won't be lacking in romance. I love romances as much as you do so there will be a lot of sexy and romantic times between Silviu and George and...mm....
You'll see! =D
February 28, 2014
We're up on Buqo!
BUQO is the Philippines' first ever Filipino digital bookstore. So think Amazon - but only this time it has all-Filipino content. Mind you, that doesn't mean everything is written in Filipino. There are lots of English books here, too - they just happened to be authored by Filipinos as well.
Buqo is currently available as an iOS app - download it on your Apple device via the App Store for free.
The app also offers free ebooks and magazines. You can learn more about that by visiting its Facebook page.
Having my books up on Buqo is one of the ways that will eventually make it easier for Filipino readers to buy my books. I've received lots of emails over time about how readers are unable to purchase my books because they don't have credit cards. Well, that's something I believe Buqo is working on so let's keep our fingers crossed that soon you'll be able to buy ebooks via PayPal, bank deposits, or deductions from our cell phone loads. Who knows right? Anything's possible as long as you pray, believe, and work hard for it! :)
Buqo is currently available as an iOS app - download it on your Apple device via the App Store for free.
The app also offers free ebooks and magazines. You can learn more about that by visiting its Facebook page.
Having my books up on Buqo is one of the ways that will eventually make it easier for Filipino readers to buy my books. I've received lots of emails over time about how readers are unable to purchase my books because they don't have credit cards. Well, that's something I believe Buqo is working on so let's keep our fingers crossed that soon you'll be able to buy ebooks via PayPal, bank deposits, or deductions from our cell phone loads. Who knows right? Anything's possible as long as you pray, believe, and work hard for it! :)
February 20, 2014
Greek 4: The Art of Forgiving a Greek Billionaire - DELAYED RELEASE
So...we had a family emergency last night. It wasn't serious, thank God, but it does require me to focus on my family even just for this weekend only.
Unfortunately, this would mean I have to stop working on Greek. I'm really sorry about this - and I feel worse because I also have to reduce the time I'd spend on promoting Love and Laughter as well as Riding Desire, but at this point I really just want to prioritize my family.
I've been working nonstop since last November and while it had been a lot of fun, it was also extremely tiring. I don't regret a single day of it but I just wish the hours were longer or I need sleep less so I could give everyone my time.
Ah well. Maybe next time. I'm just thankful they understand me and now I want them to know that I'm here for them, too.
Sorry again everyone! I hope to bring to you Greek 4 soon!
You chose werewolf. Why am I even surprised?
I posted a question recently--- Post by Marian Tee. And guess what?! Not counting those who answered both (haha), those who chose to date a WEREWOLF outnumbered those who chose to date a billionaire THREE TO ONE (3:1).
I therefore (albeit inaccurately) conclude two things from this:
You want the next Moretti novel OUT more than anything else!
You guys are basically a mixture of Misty (hopeless romantic) and Mairi (cutest billionaire-wife-to-be ever who's not a gold-digger)!
I therefore (albeit inaccurately) conclude two things from this:
You want the next Moretti novel OUT more than anything else!
You guys are basically a mixture of Misty (hopeless romantic) and Mairi (cutest billionaire-wife-to-be ever who's not a gold-digger)!
February 19, 2014
What do you think of Drake?
If you have read How Not to be Seduced by Billionaires and my Greek Billionaire Romance serials, then you should now have a good idea about who Drake Morrison is. =D
Of course, I have my own ideas about who Drake is since he's been in my head for a loooooong, long time now. But I'm curious to know what you think of him. Like, what do you think about his background? What kind of lover do you think he'd be like? Would he be, say, more like Jason or Nick? What kind of girl do you think would be the perfect match for him? :D
Eager to hear your thoughts!
Of course, I have my own ideas about who Drake is since he's been in my head for a loooooong, long time now. But I'm curious to know what you think of him. Like, what do you think about his background? What kind of lover do you think he'd be like? Would he be, say, more like Jason or Nick? What kind of girl do you think would be the perfect match for him? :D
Eager to hear your thoughts!
February 18, 2014
Is this what you want me to blog about?
Lately, I've been thinking hard about what I should write on my blog. I tried to put myself in your shoes - tried to remember what I feel as a regular reader and not a combination of reader/author.
So, say I'm visiting the site of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, the authors of the Pendergast series (you guys should check it out. He's the swoon-worthiest FBI agent I know. Honestly, I think he's A LOT sexier than James Bond. :D). Anyway, when I visit their page, these are the stuff that I'd like to know ---
When's the next book going to come out?What are other future books that I can look forward to?Are they going to collaborate with other authors which means Agent Pendergast gets to interact with other authors' characters?Do they have free books I can download?Are there contests of theirs I can join?I want more scenes - rather than just interviews - written about the everyday life of Agent Pendergast!What other books can they recommend that are like Agent Pendergast's series?Any events of them online or offline I can attend?
Now - my question is: do you feel the same? Because if you say yes, then I'll start blogging more about stuff like that.
So, say I'm visiting the site of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, the authors of the Pendergast series (you guys should check it out. He's the swoon-worthiest FBI agent I know. Honestly, I think he's A LOT sexier than James Bond. :D). Anyway, when I visit their page, these are the stuff that I'd like to know ---
When's the next book going to come out?What are other future books that I can look forward to?Are they going to collaborate with other authors which means Agent Pendergast gets to interact with other authors' characters?Do they have free books I can download?Are there contests of theirs I can join?I want more scenes - rather than just interviews - written about the everyday life of Agent Pendergast!What other books can they recommend that are like Agent Pendergast's series?Any events of them online or offline I can attend?
Now - my question is: do you feel the same? Because if you say yes, then I'll start blogging more about stuff like that.
February 15, 2014
Author Spotlight: Jade Onyx
Hi everyone! This Valentines' weekend, it's my absolute honor to introduce to you Jade Onyx. I always love learning about other authors' writing routines so I was definitely interested when Jade decided to share how her own writing process works. But don't worry - she has interesting stuff to share with readers, too (hint: a book that you'll definitely want to read) so please join me in welcoming Jade to our little blog! #1. What's Your Writing Process Like?
LOL. The first thing that comes to my mind when I hear that question is: Oh, sh*t. Where's my outline? In fact, what does make up my outline?
I used to outline, but somehow as I worked through the outline, I would get stuck or I would lose touch with the characters and feel as if I forced them to have a happy ending before they were ready or that they somehow still didn't get their way by the end of the story. (For the record, none of these works are published.)
So I started to write by listening more to my characters and being true to how they want to pace the story. When I wrote this way, the outlines always changed. I learned then, and really early, that I was not one of those writers who outline or plot well at all in advance.
I have to admit that now I'm not much of a person who outlines. Generally, I know what will happen in the story, but twists and turns happen and things change by the end of the story based on how the characters successively evolve through the story.
So what I do instead is start out with characters. I try to find out what their strengths and weaknesses are, what they present to the world and what they hide especially to themselves. The more I know what motivates them, the more I know how they direct and change the story. So in every story I aim to stay with the characters and see them through to their happy for now or happily ever after.
#2. Do You Ever Get Writer's Block?
Do I ever! I get writer's block when I force myself to outline. I almost wish I was one of those writers who can plot, outline and crank out a novel every couple of months. However, I've long realized my constitution and am happy with my process.
Other times I get writer's block are for scenes in which my characters or I do not enjoy fleshing out. Sometimes I get stuck when I don't know my character enough or when I don't want to get into a character's head.
When I get writer's block, I usually take a break from that character or project and come back to it later. In the meantime, I write about the characters that do seize my imagination and demand their story to be told.
So when I got stuck not wanting to get into a villain's head when I was about two-thirds of the way completing the first draft of my first novel Awake, two minor characters within that story started hounding me at night. I couldn't sleep. They demanded their story to be told!
Well, I listened. That's how my first novelette Prison Break came to be, even though I had not intended anything to be published before Awake. Then within that novelette came another story that turned out to be the novella Eat Mì.
By the time I got back to the novel Awake, I realized I knew what kind of villain I was dealing with and how the story would end. I am now about one chapter away from completing the first draft with about a fifth of it already critiqued. I'm hoping I can send it to my beta readers by the end of this month and that I can make a March publication date. If not, the book will definitely be out no later than June 2014.
So I think the most important thing about writer's block is to listen and respect yourself. If you judge yourself or get down on yourself, you're not helping yourself advance. If you don't write, though, then you aren't being true to your nature as a writer. So my best suggestion is to write anyway—only find something that is more top of mind to write about.
#3. Tell us about your writing.
I call what I write HER, short for Healing Erotic Romance. I have a background in the healing arts and have much respect for that field. When we heal, we awaken to our wholeness. Erotica is also so potent. When we acknowledge our whole selves, especially the power and sensuality of our sex and sexuality, we open up to exquisite sensations and the sacred beauty of life itself. When we indulge in romance, we come alive with hope and anticipation, desires felt and desires met.
Thus, my writing is an experiment in combining these three fields. Awake is my first novel representing such an attempt, to be the manifestation of the intersection of Healing + Erotica + Romance. I call these my triple treats.
#4. Tell us about your latest release.
My latest release is Eat Mì. Its alternate title is Eat Me. The latter word in both titles are homophones. I chose the Vietnamese word for "wheat" (mì) with the accent mark in place because the male protagonist in the story is an Asian alpha male. Wheat is a food that entered the Vietnamese diet through the French. The title seemed fitting since the love story is between a European (Irish) American woman (Jessica Wyatt) and an Asian American man (An Tang, pronounced On-Tong). So the representation of an English word and a Vietnamese word side by side in the title spoke to me.
Honestly, I met An after I met Jessica. When Jessica's brother Jeremy (in the forthcoming novel Awake) urged her to get her sexy back after yet another disappointing break-up but instead she went to a sex club, I knew then that I wanted to write her story. I mean, here she is a product of Catholic school upbringing and she somehow gets talked into going to a BDSM club--it was too good a story to pass up! As soon as I knew that I wanted to write her story, I went to a one-year-old's birthday party and on the way home from there An appeared in my mind's eye. I couldn't get either Jessica or An off my mind by that point. So the story began to form.
#5. How can readers get in touch with you?
Goodreads, definitely. Twitter, second. Facebook, third. Those social networks used to show in reverse order for me! No matter how you contact me, though, I love hearing from real people and I really do respond!
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7305801.Jade_Onyx
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JadeOnyxBooks
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JadeOnyxBooks
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/Gn81b
Jade Onyx writes about HER ~ Healing Erotic Romance. When not writing, she can be found nursing her newborn. You can expect her to go through bouts of nursing mind in the forthcoming year. Oh, but the characters won't let her forget them, and they insist upon their happily ever afters. So you can rest assured that Jade will be writing. ARCs are available to bloggers and reviewers upon request and approval. For new releases, contests, free book promos, etc., sign up for her email list: http://eepurl.com/Gn81b
Excerpt from Eat Mì
“ The characters are multi-faceted and unique, and so are the scenes.” ~ K. A. Krisko, Author of Stolen
WIN A COPY OF JADE ONYX'S BOOK BY JOINING HER GIVEAWAY HERE.
LOL. The first thing that comes to my mind when I hear that question is: Oh, sh*t. Where's my outline? In fact, what does make up my outline?
I used to outline, but somehow as I worked through the outline, I would get stuck or I would lose touch with the characters and feel as if I forced them to have a happy ending before they were ready or that they somehow still didn't get their way by the end of the story. (For the record, none of these works are published.)
So I started to write by listening more to my characters and being true to how they want to pace the story. When I wrote this way, the outlines always changed. I learned then, and really early, that I was not one of those writers who outline or plot well at all in advance.
I have to admit that now I'm not much of a person who outlines. Generally, I know what will happen in the story, but twists and turns happen and things change by the end of the story based on how the characters successively evolve through the story.
So what I do instead is start out with characters. I try to find out what their strengths and weaknesses are, what they present to the world and what they hide especially to themselves. The more I know what motivates them, the more I know how they direct and change the story. So in every story I aim to stay with the characters and see them through to their happy for now or happily ever after.
#2. Do You Ever Get Writer's Block?
Do I ever! I get writer's block when I force myself to outline. I almost wish I was one of those writers who can plot, outline and crank out a novel every couple of months. However, I've long realized my constitution and am happy with my process.
Other times I get writer's block are for scenes in which my characters or I do not enjoy fleshing out. Sometimes I get stuck when I don't know my character enough or when I don't want to get into a character's head.
When I get writer's block, I usually take a break from that character or project and come back to it later. In the meantime, I write about the characters that do seize my imagination and demand their story to be told.
So when I got stuck not wanting to get into a villain's head when I was about two-thirds of the way completing the first draft of my first novel Awake, two minor characters within that story started hounding me at night. I couldn't sleep. They demanded their story to be told!
Well, I listened. That's how my first novelette Prison Break came to be, even though I had not intended anything to be published before Awake. Then within that novelette came another story that turned out to be the novella Eat Mì.
By the time I got back to the novel Awake, I realized I knew what kind of villain I was dealing with and how the story would end. I am now about one chapter away from completing the first draft with about a fifth of it already critiqued. I'm hoping I can send it to my beta readers by the end of this month and that I can make a March publication date. If not, the book will definitely be out no later than June 2014.
So I think the most important thing about writer's block is to listen and respect yourself. If you judge yourself or get down on yourself, you're not helping yourself advance. If you don't write, though, then you aren't being true to your nature as a writer. So my best suggestion is to write anyway—only find something that is more top of mind to write about.
#3. Tell us about your writing.
I call what I write HER, short for Healing Erotic Romance. I have a background in the healing arts and have much respect for that field. When we heal, we awaken to our wholeness. Erotica is also so potent. When we acknowledge our whole selves, especially the power and sensuality of our sex and sexuality, we open up to exquisite sensations and the sacred beauty of life itself. When we indulge in romance, we come alive with hope and anticipation, desires felt and desires met.
Thus, my writing is an experiment in combining these three fields. Awake is my first novel representing such an attempt, to be the manifestation of the intersection of Healing + Erotica + Romance. I call these my triple treats.
#4. Tell us about your latest release.
My latest release is Eat Mì. Its alternate title is Eat Me. The latter word in both titles are homophones. I chose the Vietnamese word for "wheat" (mì) with the accent mark in place because the male protagonist in the story is an Asian alpha male. Wheat is a food that entered the Vietnamese diet through the French. The title seemed fitting since the love story is between a European (Irish) American woman (Jessica Wyatt) and an Asian American man (An Tang, pronounced On-Tong). So the representation of an English word and a Vietnamese word side by side in the title spoke to me.
Honestly, I met An after I met Jessica. When Jessica's brother Jeremy (in the forthcoming novel Awake) urged her to get her sexy back after yet another disappointing break-up but instead she went to a sex club, I knew then that I wanted to write her story. I mean, here she is a product of Catholic school upbringing and she somehow gets talked into going to a BDSM club--it was too good a story to pass up! As soon as I knew that I wanted to write her story, I went to a one-year-old's birthday party and on the way home from there An appeared in my mind's eye. I couldn't get either Jessica or An off my mind by that point. So the story began to form.
#5. How can readers get in touch with you?
Goodreads, definitely. Twitter, second. Facebook, third. Those social networks used to show in reverse order for me! No matter how you contact me, though, I love hearing from real people and I really do respond!
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7305801.Jade_Onyx
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JadeOnyxBooks
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JadeOnyxBooks
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/Gn81b
Jade Onyx writes about HER ~ Healing Erotic Romance. When not writing, she can be found nursing her newborn. You can expect her to go through bouts of nursing mind in the forthcoming year. Oh, but the characters won't let her forget them, and they insist upon their happily ever afters. So you can rest assured that Jade will be writing. ARCs are available to bloggers and reviewers upon request and approval. For new releases, contests, free book promos, etc., sign up for her email list: http://eepurl.com/Gn81b
Excerpt from Eat Mì
“You can't fool me, missy!” Jen swooped toward Jessica, patted and pinched her buttock with one arm and cradled her breast-to-breast with her other arm. “How about a girl-on-girl dance?” Jen's sly smile made Jessica's cheeks flush. “You know how hot men get when they see this action?” Jen glanced over her shoulder and motioned Mariah over. “Get close and hump me from behind!”
Jessica giggled nervously. “Jen! How do you come up with this stuff?”
“Just relax, missy. We've got you.”
While Jen rubbed her up and down, grinding into her full frontal and on the side, Mariah made her way around Jen to flank Jessica and shimmied her way up and down along Jessica's spine. Pulling Jessica's hips toward her crotch, Mariah pumped and swayed with the music.
Jessica could not help but burst into raucous laughter. In fact, they were all laughing.
A firm hand with an expensive watch shot through the tangle of female pheromones towards her. “May I cut in?”
The throaty voice sent Jessica's heart skipping a beat. Her eyes snaked up the fit arm past the black button vest on his stocky shoulders, past the button white T-shirt that showed up blue in the black light, past his full lips and connected with twinkling cordovan eyes that shot electricity to her brain.
Short circuitry. She did not know when she reached out her hand. She was vaguely aware of Jen and Mariah parting their way to reconfigure their girly arrangement.
The moment their hands met, Jessica felt the zap. She almost retracted her hand, but he held hers firmly and pulled her toward him into a tight embrace to lead her in a dance to their own beat. He smelled of pine and musk, as if he was just getting started.
“You just got here?” she asked, when she finally recovered her ability to speak.
“Not long ago.” His black bangs were brushed to the side, yet several strands flirted with an eye. His hair was long enough to cover his ears and curled out at the ends.
Fuckable. He was definitely fuckable. Dark and fuckable. She ached to pull that hair.
“ The characters are multi-faceted and unique, and so are the scenes.” ~ K. A. Krisko, Author of Stolen
WIN A COPY OF JADE ONYX'S BOOK BY JOINING HER GIVEAWAY HERE.
February 14, 2014
Amazon US Top 100 for Both Bundles!
I'm so excited!I really thought To Love a Shifter wouldn't make it to Amazon US' Top 100 but because of you guys, it finally did! :) I know this could be gone in a flash - the ranking I mean - so screencapping again! Eternally Seduced is also at its highest at #72. I am soooooooooooooooooo freaked out about this - it's just too bad it's already close to 2AM here so there's no one I can share my excitement with. Everyone's so tired and full after our shabu-shabu meal here at home that they fell asleep right after our guests - just cousins and uncles and aunts - left. =/
But - doesn't matter. At least you guys are there! Below's the screen shot. :) Thank you everyone! I'm forever grateful for everyone's support! :)
But - doesn't matter. At least you guys are there! Below's the screen shot. :) Thank you everyone! I'm forever grateful for everyone's support! :)
February 13, 2014
My first top 100...
Once upon a time, there was an ordinary girl who dreamed of Greek billionaires.
Well, no I'm just kidding.
Actually, in this case the ordinary girl dreamed of hitting Amazon's Top 1000. And it happened. So she dreamed of hitting Amazon's Top 500. And it happened. Dare she dreamed of hitting Amazon's Top 100?
Umm...of course she did.
This is me, the eternal optimist. Of course I'm going to dream big. My heroines are eternal optimists for a reason you know. :D
However, Top 100 is a far cry from Top 1000. That's like...something only a handful of authors are able to hit and that's only when they book certain ads. But...hey...dream big, right?
So I dreamed. And when I least expected it...well, it happened, too.
So forgive me for going Little Ms. Screenshot on you but I really want to have all of this up on my website for posterity's sake. I don't know if I can replicate the success again. I took these shots around 3 or 4pm by the way (it's 11PM now).
Note: All the screenshots below with rankings are for OVERALL lists on Amazon. Overall, baby!!! :D The books first hit Top 100 on Amazon UK. So - thank you UK readers! Please drop by anytime so I can thank you personally! :)
After an hour or less, Eternally Seduced made it to Top 100 as well. :D The highest To Love a Shifter got is #104 but I'm not losing hope. I mean, come on it's Domenico Moretti!!! We can do this, right? :D
Well, no I'm just kidding.
Actually, in this case the ordinary girl dreamed of hitting Amazon's Top 1000. And it happened. So she dreamed of hitting Amazon's Top 500. And it happened. Dare she dreamed of hitting Amazon's Top 100?
Umm...of course she did.
This is me, the eternal optimist. Of course I'm going to dream big. My heroines are eternal optimists for a reason you know. :D
However, Top 100 is a far cry from Top 1000. That's like...something only a handful of authors are able to hit and that's only when they book certain ads. But...hey...dream big, right?
So I dreamed. And when I least expected it...well, it happened, too.
So forgive me for going Little Ms. Screenshot on you but I really want to have all of this up on my website for posterity's sake. I don't know if I can replicate the success again. I took these shots around 3 or 4pm by the way (it's 11PM now).
Note: All the screenshots below with rankings are for OVERALL lists on Amazon. Overall, baby!!! :D The books first hit Top 100 on Amazon UK. So - thank you UK readers! Please drop by anytime so I can thank you personally! :)
After an hour or less, Eternally Seduced made it to Top 100 as well. :D The highest To Love a Shifter got is #104 but I'm not losing hope. I mean, come on it's Domenico Moretti!!! We can do this, right? :D
