Monica Corwin's Blog, page 3
October 21, 2016
Welcome Viviana MacKade!
Procrastination.
As I spoke with few of my writer peers, I realized we all share common traits. Creative, neurotic, with a knack for drama and ridiculously charming, we’re also procrastinators. If the first qualities are easy to understand and see, the charm above all, procrastination might give some trouble.
Why do we drag the moment we sit down in front of the keyboard, you may ask?
Sometimes we are strong enough to get to our computer, but then life happens. Nothing we can do about it. Our Facebook status must be updated. The files in our computer reorganized. Our kid needs his 12-layer cake, I better start baking. Laundry. Time to clean the top of the kitchen cabinets-all of them.
Most of the times, though, we simply postpone our duty. As much as we can, with an enviable stubbornness.
Why?
Well, because creating a story hurts. All. The. Fucking. Way. Through.
From start to finish.
The first draft is a free fall through a tunnel infused with blinding lights. Voices you don’t recognize echo into your head, places you haven’t been to run behind your eyes, and foreign emotions mess with your sleep. You don’t know where you’re going, nor where you’ll end up. You’re not even sure when it’s going to end. And the worst part is, you can see the emergency exits, but some evil force helds you there and you keep falling.
The tunnel does end, sooner or later. That’s when you edit, also known as the moment you cry tears of blood. All those beautiful sentences, the inspired descriptions, the brilliant insight hours of research gave you. Trash it all, because they do nothing for the story. They have to go. And each time you press the delete key, a part of yourself dies.
You soldier through the pain, manage to trudge to your writing partner. With kind words, affection, and the occasional alcohol, he or she will help you nurse the wounds and polish a little more your story.
You are better now, and strong enough to press the ‘send’ button to the devil’s roommate: the publisher.
The waiting begins. Days become weeks, then months.
And one sunny morning, when hope had sailed away for the Caribbean and you’ve forgotten to be paranoid, you see THE email.
That’s it. This email will change your life, allow you to call yourself an author and not feeling a fraud. Your moment. You dreamed about it, even rehearsed how you will tell your family and friends–especially that ass with the condescending smile.
Hope pummels up, fingers tremble.
You click on the message without seeing much, so close you are to pass out.
Good story, but I’m afraid it doesn’t fit into our publishing house. All the best for your writing career.
At this point, the choice is between getting drunk or picking up the Knitting For Idiots manual. Personally, I bought raw coffee and learned how to toast it myself. I even got the right pan. Never worked out.
The send-and-get-rejected movie goes in repeat for an unknown number of times. Until the moment comes. The planets align, the gods of the written words stop the party, and a holy light fills your email account.
You have a contract (or, if you self publish, the report of your sale brings tears of joy to your tired eyes). The ordeal will start all over again in a short period, but that’s a thought for another time.
So, why do we put ourselves through it, if it’s so bad? Hard to say.
To me, it’s the only way to get some quiet into my mind. A release for the overload of energy I store–the character’s, not mine.
And there’s more. It’s the high of the last period, when each and every time I cry because I got to the destination I didn’t know. The first draft leaves me with, stealing Stephen King’s words, a pile of crap, but I have something to work with. I can make my character’s story the great journey they deserve, regardless of how much it hurts.
If I have to guess on a larger scale, I’d say we need it in all its monstrosity glory. It’s our destiny, our curse, and our salvation. We love it just as much as we hate it. All. The. Fucking. Way. Through.
Synopsis
She had to die. Yoga instructor Ann Holloway’s sunny life is wrecked when a group of men break into her apartment and kill her sister. A rough, broody stranger snatches her from the killers’ jaws, but she has no clue who these people were or the reasons behind the attack.
He was too scarred to really live. Burned-out former Marine and leader of the Team, Mark Carson thought he was doing a teammate an easy favor by picking up a couple of girls. How wrong. When his friend is killed, shadows build over the Team’s loyalty, and Ann’s life starts meaning more than his own, Mark is thrown into a different game. Now it’s personal.
From New York to sunny Miami, Ann and Mark run into a maze of lie, betrayal, and death, where love is the only, terrifying certainty.
And when truth unravels, they will risk all to survive.
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http://www.viviana-mackade.com/
Read On For an Excerpt
THE AIR WAS SOAKED with heat. The few particles of oxygen that didn’t drown didn’t quite reach the bottom of Ann’s lungs. It was thick and sultry.
Perfect.
The sky, clean and huge, supervised Miami with its merciless blue stare; underneath, cream and red beach chairs hemmed the topaz water of the pool; further on, a white rail closed the world away.
Sitting on the poolside, Ann inhaled all that summer mugginess like the most refined smell. As her feet splashed the perfectly cool water, she closed her eyes, tasting the freedom. It wasn’t real, but lying for few moments would help keep her sanity. She needed to pretend it was just a vacation.
“I give you ten minutes before you’re burned,” Mark said, standing at the poolside. He hadn’t changed from jeans and t-shirt, but didn’t seem too bothered about the implacable heat. “I can bring the umbrella closer if you want.”
“Don’t worry, I’m okay. Unless it’s too hot for you, and you want some shade. I mean, you’re fully dressed.”
He sat at her side, took off his shoes and rolled his jeans; for a second, Ann saw him young and carefree, getting ready for some fun. “I was born in this sun,” he said. “I don’t burn. I don’t get too hot.”
“Excuse me, Mr. Florida.”
She didn’t see it coming. She felt his hand on the small of her back, a steadfast shove and then sassy cool water everywhere. The quivering shape of Mark chased away the leftover of black memories. The last time she was under water, it hadn’t been of her own will. But he was up there, and she was safe.
Ann let herself drawn in the pleasure of the wet, muffled world around her. When she touched the bottom of the pool, her mood was flying high. So much so, that she thought his pushing her into the pool deserved retribution.
She met the air with thrashes and messy pushes, up and down the surface, gurgling words and spitting water. “Can’t... swim.”
A splash, and Mark’s arms were around her. He pulled her up, tight against his chest as his worried eyes inspected her. “Are you all right?” he rushed. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know, I’m sorry.”
As mean as it was, laughter bubbled in her throat; she tried to contain it by pressing her face against his shoulder.
“What?” he asked, even more worried than before. “Talk to me, Ann.”
She let it free, a full, rounded laugh, shaking her from head to toes. She clung onto him as it wore off, feeling guilty and giggling when she met his even face.
He ran a hand over his eyes to wipe away rivulets of water dripping from his hair, his face, his neck. Did he know how good he looked right now?
Under her palms, he was solid as a rock, all tough muscles and warm flesh. His heart beat fast and strong. She scrambled closer against him, wrapping her legs around his waist. “Do you really think I can’t swim?” she asked, her throat suddenly tight.
“Would I take the chance?”
His lips were beautiful, their hard line calling to be smoothed, seduced into a smile or a kiss.
“I’m completely dressed,” he scolded.
She lifted her chin, the laugh still in her eyes. “Well, next time think twice before pushing me into a pool.”
He tightened his hold on her waist. “That’s very mean.” “I’m sorry.” “No, you’re not.” “Okay. But you started it.”
“I did.” “I’m glad,” she said, looking down at his mouth. Mark didn’t fight. He didn’t want to. Not with the heat of the sun rubbing his back and her cool fingers skimming up and down from his neck to his short hair. He was tired of holding back, tired of wanting her and denying himself the salvation hidden in her arms.
She surrounded his brain like the mist of a dream, a sinful fairy wet and smiling. And strong and delicate like the words of a spell, she surrounded his body. Her hard nipples rubbed against the thin fabric of his t-shirt. Her lips were parted, and when she licked a bead of water he stopped breathing.
His palm found the small of her back, slid down to grab her and press her hard against his aching crotch. Her sharp intake of breath punched on his brain.
He knew that danger lurked over them, knew that he would be ashamed of letting his desires run him, but in that moment, everything he needed surrounded him. The heat, the rocking of cool water, and Ann.
Kissing her wasn’t the only thing he could do. It wasn’t the right thing to do, either. But if he didn’t do it, he might as well get out of the water and put a bullet into his head. So he kissed her.
She didn’t hesitate, but grabbed his hair and pulled him in. The taste of her, the way she answered to his mouth, the dance of her hips against his seized upon his control, upon his better judgment.
Wild with need, he pushed her back against the pool wall. Both hands ran down her sides, squeezing her waist, losing willpower, losing himself as she rubbed against him.
Her breathing was a war cry; her legs the sweetest torture; her hands weapons whose feather touch hit him hard and low.
Thoughts were far away, so were the reasons why he believed he shouldn’t take her. He only had to unzip his jeans, push the tiny bikini aside and he would be inside her, where he belonged.
He hit the wall of reality with a crush at the noise of the door crashing open.
His mind stripped down to icy clarity, his body switched to combat mode. He turned, pushed her behind him to shield her and face whoever had walked in.
Three girls, armed with big beach bags. They looked at them, and left for the chairs, giggling and whispering.
As the adrenaline wore off, Mark looked for Ann’s face and his heart nearly drowned for what he saw. Her eyes never lied. It wasn’t gratitude, and it wasn’t just sex. It was something beautiful.
Shitless scared, his heart drummed a hymn of joy. Gently, he sat her on the poolside. “I need to change.” He pushed himself out of the water. “Mark,” she called, but it was too late. His eyes shunned away from hers as he handed her a towel. Without a word, he walked away.
October 19, 2016
On a Black Horse Release Day
When a Sun God makes a prophecy, it’s best to heed the warning...
Katherine stands on the edge of ruin. With Ragnarok in full swing and her friends off finding thier own lives she can’t find a purpose in her existence. When Baldir, their missing Sun God, kidnaps Katherine and entreats her to care for his friend, a wounded hellhound, Katherine makes a selfish choice for the first time in her life.
Arwan never expected to meet a God, let alone fight a group of them to begin the Apocalypse. After the battle between Bianca, the Horseman of Conquest, and Hel, the Goddess of the Underworld, Arwan, escapes home to the Welsh coast intent to die on his own land.
With Hel dead, the Horseman believe they’ve stalled Ragnarok. But Baldir has a dream that convinces the Horseman to take out the remaining hounds loyal to Hel which includes the incapacitated Arwan.
Can Katherine go against her friends to save a man she promised to protect? Even if Arwan could end the Horseman for good?
Come and see...the newest installment of the bestselling Revelations Series...On a Black Horse. On sale for $.99 for a limited time.
CLICK TO PURCHASE NOW!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:Monica Corwin is an outspoken writer who attempts to make romance accessible to everyone no matter their preferences. As a new Northern Ohioian Monica enjoys snow drifts, three seasons of weather, and disliking Michigan. When not writing Monica spends time with her daughter and her ever growing collection of tomes about King Arthur.
You can find Monica online at www.monicacorwin.com. Monica is also available via Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Want to try our her work before purchasing? You can grab a FREE copy of her Arthurian time travel romance now! CLICK HERE to grab it NOW!
Also make sure to stop by her Facebook Page to learn the details of her MEGA release week GIVEAWAY. Signed books and gift cards are up for grabs!
If you haven't experienced the Revelations Series you can grab them now as well! On sale for $.99 for a limited time!
October 13, 2016
Focus for the Indie Author: 5 Fresh Tips and Tricks for Mastering Focus
First and foremost I need to articulate I am not an expert. I am not a doctor, nor am I a life coach. I'm a single mom, hybrid author, student, and full time desk monkey. I've devoted a considerable amount of learning in order to manage the time I have, analyze what works and what doesn't, and still make time to foster creativity in my life.
So with that warning in mind...let's jump in.
In this blog post I'm offering five fresh tips on mastering the art of focus. These posts will be geared toward indie authors, but a lot of them can be adapted to everyday life...for anyone.
1. Write It Down
Seems like a simple thing, and by write it down I mean get a pen or pencil, and an actual piece of paper. Don't add it to your 1,000 task long iPhone to-do list. Get a piece of paper, write down the things you need to accomplish, and enjoy the sense of accomplishment you feel as you scribble out each completed task.
2. Learn Your Roadblocks
Once you begin writing things down you'll notice some things stay on your to-list, week after week. In order to kill those tasks too, you need to figure out what is keeping you from simply completing them.
For example, I had a shirt that needed mending. I put it on my to-do list and kept transferring it to a new week (I make a weekly list) for almost two months. I sat down one day to try and figure out why I just didn't do it. Turns out, for me, when there are a lot of steps involved, or a large amount of initial work investment in something, I freeze up. When I freeze up...I ignore it. (To combat this particular habit see the next step.)
There are many varying reasons why you aren't just fixing your darn shirt. Sit down, think about what is involved in completing the task, and hopefully you can dissect what your roadblocks are.
3. Break Things Up
People naturally do this everyday. Sometimes, though, a little more breaking up is required to motivate you into completing a task. When you want a cup of coffee there are steps involved in doing so, correct? You fill the pitcher with water, pour it in, add grounds, turn it on...etc.
Some tasks require that level of break down to motivate you. The bigger ones can be broken down again, and again. When I worked on my latest book I made a list of every chapter, and under each chapter I put write, revise, and beta. To indicate what steps needed done for each chapter. It helped me finish the book I was stalled out on for awhile. Don't be afraid to break things into digestible chunks.
4. Clean Your Workspace
This might seem like an obvious one, but people don't do it. There are many out there lamenting their lack of focus while their desk is stacked high with books, magazines, washi tape (okay maybe that's just me.) Clutter can allow distraction. Distraction can hinder focus. I'm not saying you have to remove every single thing from your desk, but a clean workspace has been proven helpful to foster productivity and motivation.
5. Build in Excitement
I'm not going to lie. Sometimes we have to complete boring tasks. (see shirt repair example above) A good way to combat those tasks that you just can't seem to manage out of boredom...add some excitement.
Sometimes I don't want to outline. I love writing but HATE outlining. In order to motivate myself into the task I built in some excitement. I enjoy the TV show Castle. Well, I love the humor but more so I love that Richard Castle is where I want to be some day (yes, following a sexy NYC police detective around). Watching Castle create books, outline books, write book etc motivated me to do the things I need to do to reach my goals...which include outlining.
Other ways to build excitement in your daily routine...make it a game, add music, challenge yourself. There are a number of ways you can accomplish this.
Do you have any tips or tricks to improve focus? Something fun you do to build excitement around boring tasks?? Comment below.
October 8, 2016
October 4, 2016
Feed Your Paranormal Cravings!
Feed your paranormal cravings!
Halloween can't get here soon enough! Especially when we have this tantalizing boxed set to look forward to.
A Wicked Halloween ~ 13 **BRAND NEW & EXCLUSIVE** paranormal romance tales that will thrill and chill you just in time for All Hallow's Eve.
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See what the reviewers are saying...
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"This was by far the best written box set that I have had the pleasure of reading! There wasn't one story that didn't carry it's weight. I am a huge fan of Paranormal Romance and this set definitely delivered."
5 stars
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Goodreads
A Wicked Affair #FREE
A set of short story paranormal romances centered on All Hallow’s Eve. Be thrilled and chilled by these tales set in Salem—the ultimate city for witchy and shape-shifting fun. Each story features sexy heroes and spellbinding characters. Salem has never been so hot!
All stories are complete in themselves with a beginning, a middle and end...no cliffhangers! They are an introduction to the longer books in the companion box set, A Wicked Halloween.
Buy links:Nook: http://goo.gl/BnsDu8iBooks: http://apple.co/2aQFqM1Amazon US: https://goo.gl/I8D5LS Amazon UK: https://goo.gl/p79rTU Amazon CAN: https://goo.gl/WOQ8PNAmazon AUS: https://goo.gl/FVN4odKobo: http://bit.ly/2bphReVARe: https://goo.gl/UvYsV5
Don't forget to add to your bookshelf on Goodreads: http://goo.gl/dOpHXL
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Come to the party!FB Event October 4th
September 30, 2016
Enter to win Amazon Gift Cards and Books!
Winners chosen by random drawing receive:
1 - $100 Amazon gift card
1 - $50 Amazon gift card
2 - $25 Amazon gift card
38 - one book each from a participating author (see below for books)
1 - a copy of ALL the books provided by participating authors
1 - a set of three books of their choice. (max $15 per book)
Enter sweepstakes and receive exclusive offers from Monica Corwin and participating authors. Unsubscribe anytime. Amazon is not affiliated with the giveaway.
September 26, 2016
On a Black Horse
When a Sun God makes a prophecy, it’s best to heed the warning.Katherine stands on the edge of ruin. With Ragnarok in full swing and her friends off finding thier own lives she can’t find a purpose in her existence. When Baldr, their missing Sun God, kidnaps Katherine and entreats her to care for his friend, a wounded hellhound, Katherine makes a selfish choice for the first time in her life.
Arwan never expected to meet a God, let alone fight a group of them to begin the Apocalypse. After the battle between Bianca, the Horseman of Conquest, and Hel, the Goddess of the Underworld, Arwan, escapes home to the Welsh coast intent to die on his own land.
With Hel dead, the Horseman believe they’ve stalled Ragnarok. But Baldr has a dream that convinces the Horseman to take out the remaining hounds loyal to Hel which includes the incapacitated Arwan.
Can Katherine go against her friends to save a man she promised to protect? Even if Arwan could end the Horseman for good?
You pre-order this book on Amazon (Oct 19) | BN | Kobo | Google Play | iBooks
You can also pre-order a signed print copy of this book by clicking here. Books will be sent at the end of October.
If you would like to join my newsletter that releases every Monday you can click here.
If you love reviewing books and want advanced copies of new releases please join my Review Crew Newsletter that comes out every Wednesday. You can also join the Facebook Review Crew as well or instead of the Newsletter for the same information plus free daily read postings.
September 16, 2016
Top 3 Reasons Why I Love Writing Ménage Romance by Roni Loren
Please welcome Roni Loren!
Top 3 Reasons Why I Love Writing Ménage Romance
by Roni Loren
1. Love triangles suck – Okay, so I’ll admit that I can get pulled into a book with a love triangle just as much as the next girl. And when the heroine picks the guy, I’m rooting for, all is well. But when she doesn’t—all the fist shaking. So when I write a polyamorous romance, I don’t have to choose. My heroine gets everything she wants (and so do the guys!)
2. Unconventional relationships are fun to write – Yes, it’s a challenge to write a complete romance for three people. And I’m a stickler for full relationship development between both heroes, the heroine and each individual hero, and the three together. I wrote an entire article recently about avoiding “Penis #2, exit stage left” syndrome in ménages, lol. No characters are just there for an interesting love scene. These are three fully formed people who will fall in love equally. So even though that’s hard to write (and mid-manuscript, I’m always asking why I did this to myself), I love the challenge of it.
3. Heroes falling in love with each other – Not all ménage romances have bisexual heroes. But in all the ones I’ve written (this is my third), my heroes are bi. As a character-driven writer, I love being able to write these tough heroes who are super vulnerable with each other (and with the heroine). It adds layers to the romance and makes me believe that these people could exist and have this type of relationship in real life instead of just being fantasy characters. (Though I like reading them, I have a harder time believing ménages with two straight guys and a woman would be sustainable in real life. She’d be damn exhausted, lol.)
So you tell me, do you like reading ménage romance? What do you like best about it?
About Loving You Easy:
Three lovers really click in the latest from the New York Times bestselling author of Call on Me—
Cora has an amazing sex life. She’s beautiful, daring, and the most popular submissive in Hayven. Too bad none of it’s real...
IT specialist Cora Benning has figured out the key to her formerly disastrous love life—make it virtual. In the online world of Hayven, she’s free of her geek girl image and can indulge her most private fantasies with a sexy, mysterious master without anyone in her life discovering her secrets. Until her information is hacked and she finds herself working to fix the breach under two very powerful men—one who seems all too familiar...
Best friends and business partners Ren Muroya and Hayes Fox were once revered dominants. Then Hayes was wrongfully sent to prison and everything changed. Ren wants to get back to who they were. Hayes can’t risk it. But when they discover the new IT specialist is their online fascination, and that she’s never felt a dominant’s touch, the temptation to turn virtual into reality becomes all too great…
BUY THE BOOK: Amazon | Barnes and Noble |Books-A-Million |Indie Bound |The Book Depository
BUY THE EBOOK: Nook | Kindle | Kobo | iBooks | Google Play
About Roni: Roni wrote her first romance novel at age fifteen when she discovered writing about boys was way easier than actually talking to them. Since then, her flirting skills haven’t improved, but she likes to think her storytelling ability has.
Though she’ll forever be a New Orleans girl at heart, she now lives in Dallas with her husband and son. If she’s not working on her latest sexy story, you can find her cooking, watching reality television, or picking up another hobby she doesn't need--in other words, procrastinating like a boss. She is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author and a winner of the prestigious RITA Award.
You can find her online at Website, Twitter, or Facebook. SaveSave
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September 13, 2016
The Count of Monte Cristo: Wild and Wanton Edition Volume Five
Edmond Dantes thinks life is grand until he is arrested and imprisoned for a crime he did not commit. Upon his ill-gotten freedom, armed with the map to find a vast and endless treasure, Edmond embarks on an adventure to redeem his honor and seek vengeance for the long years he suffered locked away in prison.French men and sensuality go hand in hand, and although Edmond has been out of the game of love for sometime, he learns how to get exactly what he wants, and who. Betrayal, lust, rage, and hope all run along the same emotional vein and Edmond learns how to twist people’s emotions toward exactly what he needs to gain his redemption.
Sensuality Level: Sensual
You can purchase this book on Amazon.
If you would like to join my newsletter that releases every Monday you can click here.
If you love reviewing books and want advanced copies of new releases please join my Review Crew Newsletter that comes out every Wednesday. You can also join the Facebook Review Crew as well or instead of the Newsletter for the same information plus free daily read postings.
The Count of Monte Cristo: Wild and Wanton Edition Volume Two
Edmond Dantes thinks life is grand until he is arrested and imprisoned for a crime he did not commit. Upon his ill-gotten freedom, armed with the map to find a vast and endless treasure, Edmond embarks on an adventure to redeem his honor and seek vengeance for the long years he suffered locked away in prison.French men and sensuality go hand in hand, and although Edmond has been out of the game of love for sometime, he learns how to get exactly what he wants, and who. Betrayal, lust, rage, and hope all run along the same emotional vein and Edmond learns how to twist people’s emotions toward exactly what he needs to gain his redemption.
Sensuality Level: Sensual
You can purchase this book on Amazon.
If you would like to join my newsletter that releases every Monday you can click here.
If you love reviewing books and want advanced copies of new releases please join my Review Crew Newsletter that comes out every Wednesday. You can also join the Facebook Review Crew as well or instead of the Newsletter for the same information plus free daily read postings.
