Roxy Queen's Blog - Posts Tagged "roxy-queen"

Audrey Exposed is really my first full length novel release under the name Roxy Queen. Even though I have done this countless times, I am SUPER nervous about this book. I can't explain why, but I'm channeling my energy into sharing teasers with you guys!

[image error]"

Final edit's came back today...that means sh*t is getting real. The release is totally happening and I have to be ready! I'm ready. Totally. Positively. Ready.

I'm a huge fan of indie writing/publishing. I love getting an idea that may not fit the mold and seeing what readers thing. For some reason I feel like my main character in this novel, Audrey. She's nervous and venturing into uncharted territory--or so she feels. It's somewhere she's been before and wasn't exactly successful. There are various layers of success and sometimes what we want is right out of our reach. Sometimes we don't even know what it is that we want...not really.

Stumbling along blind. No matter how many books I write and publish I always feel unsure and very excited about it. Seriously, it's like birthing a baby. Just quieter and with less fluids. Sigh, now I need a drink.

[image error]"

Okay, let's talk about Audrey.

For some reason I feel like I've grown so close to Audrey, the character. It was so important for me to get her "right." Rushing her story line would be a disservice to the character and I had to hold back and hold back and then hold back some more.

Who is Audrey? Audrey is a 24 year-old woman with an acute anxiety disorder. She is loving, fun and pretty normal other than the fact her vagina simply refuses to allow penetration. Of any kind. Sexy? No. Realistic? Yes. Fictional? Well...yes. This is a real condition that can be treated in several ways. Does anyone treat it with a sex-pert like Graham? No. (But I wonder what would happen if they did?) After reading several things and hearing about this disorder, one people probably skim over if they don't have it themselves, it seemed like an interesting story to tell. Audrey's story wanted to be told.

I hope I did it justice.

[image error]"

How do you separate the mental from physical? That was a big question I had when developing Audrey Exposed. Audrey and Graham are caught up in a psychological experiment, where pleasure is a good result, but not the primary one. Reduction of anxiety is foremost but once the anxiety is gone, pleasure will return. How do you balance these two?

Then you have Graham...he doesn't have an anxiety disorder. He has a job, but he can't turn on and off his feelings can he? His arousal? But NOT being a pervert is basically part of the job description. Where do you find a person like that?

[image error]"

It's so weird when you finish a book. It's done. Complete. Ready to fly out to the world. Of course, there's that moment, as an author, you just can't bare to look at it one second longer. "It's terrible!" you think or, "What the hell was I even thinking here?"

That's when you walk away.

I start to reconsider...should I add this? Remove that? Should I alter this just a little bit? I'll even go back in at times and scan it over, sure that I can fit in something different. The good news is that more time than not I'm pleased with what is already there. That there isn't any room to fudge around.

Maybe that's the stubborness talking?

Either way, Audrey is complete. I'm tweaking typo's or word flips or missing words at the moment, thanks to some amazing beta readers. It's fully loaded and by the end of the week it should be live.

I can't wait to share this with you.

[image error]"

[image error]"


The weekend got away from me. Family, work, summer fun...it's all part of the balance. It's why I can't publish 7 books in one year (okay, maybe 4 but not 7).

Audrey's live. It got here a couple days early. The blitz is happening. The reviews are coming in...I've done so much of what I can do. Writing the book, editing the book, creating the cover, publishing...

Someone said the other day that writing the book is the easy part. Everything else is hard. A friend called BS on that. That friend, btw, has never published a book.

I happen to agree with the first statement. Writing the book is the easy part of being an author. We can write but we can't force people to read.

If you've read Audrey Exposed please do two things for me.

1. Write a review. Good, bad or ugly. I can take it. (it's not for me anyway, it's for other readers)

2. Tell a friend about the book via facebook, goodreads, twitter, tumblr...wherever you hang.

Thanks for all the support!

[image error]" width="40"

Last week I came clean about pen names, the origin of one of my books (from fanfic) and the reasons I went about it. The following days were a little crazy. Lot's of anger, a little stress and many kind comments. Nothing I say below with satisfy my detractors. It will probably only make them angrier.

Frankly, with everything going on in my life I am simply out of F*cks to give on that situation.

To be clear, I did talk to my friend Sam (AG). She never saw my blog post as she was in the throws of an illness. I waited 3 days and confessed, linking her to all the drama. We talked. I almost puked. It was how we deal with things in our friendship because that's what we have. A friendship that goes beyond business and politics and who is better, Spike or Angel (Angel, duh) or Sam or Dean (undecided). If she feels like talking about it I'm sure she'll chime in when she's up to it. If not, all I can say is we're okay.

So let's talk about the rest of it. What happened from coming out of the p2p closet? Well, I definitely disappointed some people. Definitely. They feel betrayed and deceived and I can't take that back and I'm not sure I can apologize for something done with intent. There's some upset over the use of the word "Nasty FanFic Police," but...well, people show you who they are. We all make choices about our behavior and how we manage it. That's all I have to say about that.

People feel the need to address how I'm simply using the fandom to sell books. Well, yeah, sort of. I mean, I'd love for all my fanfic followers to buy my books. That would be amazing. The reality is a few did. I'm always happy when my books find a home (Many of the sales were for original fiction, like my book Audrey Exposed)and with readers who are enthusiastic about the work.It's a nice feeling--One I won't deny.

Hard Facts: Posting my message on ff.net via The Merman allowed me to contact several thousand readers (although about half of what it would have been if I had done it through my more popular story, COH). The Merman typically has a handful of readers per day (maybe 20, compared to COH, which has, looking at the stats, about 600+ daily). It looks like about 8k people have read The Merman and announcement since last week. As an author that's such an amazing and interesting number to see. It makes you feel good that people are interested in what you are doing (if it translates to sales, which FTR, are a small faction of that overall number). It's nice to hear from readers, positive or negative (most were positive) and one interesting result was connecting with over-seas readers. Again, as a self-published author, is really hard to do.

My Angel Lawson blog, which I only linked this blog and the ff.net announcement had more hits than any other blog I've written in a long time. And on here, there were more than 70 comments. Plus private messages, comments on ff.net and DMs there as well. I made about 3 new friends on GR and possibly 3 on Roxy's facebook page. I haven't checked her twitter in months so who knows (Sorry--overwhelmed).

So in the end do I'm happy I reconnected with some readers. I hope they found some books they enjoy. I'm relieved to have this off my chest because managing the two accounts so separately/secretly was really overwhelming me. How I'll manage it in the future I am not sure (Feel free to friend me on Roxy's FB--I do try to keep better connected there). I suspect any extra notice I've gotten will fade pretty fast? That's how it seems to work. No complaints. Just commenting. So those who think this is about some sort of financial end game really do not understand how this book business works. At all.

Thanks for reading,
RQ/AL

BTW, (yes, deplorable self promotion.) My short story Tempted: Tyson will be available on October 1st. .99 cents. Here's the cover reveal:

[image error]"

 



Frequent Flyers - NOW AVAILABLE!

Romance flies the friendly skies in this diverse collection of short stories from a talented group of best-selling and up-and-coming authors.

There’s something for everyone in this mile-high compilation – from a love story born in a blizzard to a steamy encounter spawned by a series of crazy events. For supernatural fiction fans, how about the tale of an airport that’s also a portal to another world… or a scheduled flight that takes a detour into an alternate reality?

From an unexpected trip that reignites a twenty year old flame, to a quirky liaison between a ticketing agent and an adorable doctor, Frequent Flyers takes you on a journey that will touch your heart and leave you flying high!

 




Eye of the Storm by Beth Bolden - Commercial pilot Captain Grant Montgomery III lives for the rules; flight attendant Tess O'Brien loves to break them. The storm brewing between them might be even wilder than the record-breaking blizzard outside.

 

"I loved Tess. She reminded me of so many people in my large Irish family, and I saw some aspects of myself in her too." - Goodreads Reviewer

Fly Me To The Moon by Bev Elle - Ticketing agent Jessamy Taylor has been in a dating slump that was exacerbated when she moved her sickly mother in. Truth is, she's never gotten over the quirky Dr. Griffin Sanderson whose OCD drives her crazy, despite his excellent bedside manner.

"I love stories about people finding each other again, and this is just what you got with this story.

Beware, you WILL hum the Sinatra song throughout, and beyond, reading this story." - Goodreads Reviewer



Unscheduled Departure by T.M. Franklin – Rowan Elliott is devastated when her boyfriend, Finn, tells her he’s moving across the country to take over the family business, and thrilled when he changes his mind at the last minute and gets off the plane. But then things get . . . weird. And Ro’s left wondering if her boyfriend’s really who she thinks he is.

"The entire thing kept me turning pages. I NEEDED to know what was happening.

Sucked in right from the beginning, pace was perfect." - Goodreads Reviewer



A Midsummer Flight's Dream by Kira A. Gold - Twenty years ago, he promised to catch her if she fell. Contains young lust, old books, and wild strawberries.

"This story about past love and coming together again later was lovely." - Goodreads Reviewer



Forced Landing by Angel Lawson - Nadya discovers her tiny hometown airport is the portal to a world she never knew existed, one with an ancient history buried deep within her bloodline.

"I loved the paranormal elements...easily could be continued into a series." - Goodreads Reviewer



 

The Friendly Skies by Amanda Weaver - An unruly drunk, a misbehaving volcano and a re-routed flight lead to one steamy night for two strangers who meet on a plane.

"The relationship between Simon and Cassie was paced perfectly. I half expected it to feel rushed considering the majority of the story takes place in a matter of hours, but it never did. The pacing was perfect." - Goodreads Reviewer




Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon Canada | Kobo | All Other Platforms

Add Frequent Flyers to Your Goodreads Shelf!