Serena Akeroyd's Blog: All Things Serena! , page 306
October 14, 2013
GUEST BLOGPOST: JENNIFER LOISKE
Okay, I’m going to poke on the beehive and write about sex in the...
GUEST BLOGPOST: JENNIFER LOISKE
Okay, I’m going to poke on the beehive and write about sex in the YA books…
The line between young adult and new adult genres is quite vague. I’ve written stories for teen, young adult and mature young adult readers and yet my biggest fans on my YA series are adults and on mature YA series are from age 14 and up. People read what they want to and that’s exactly as it should be (with certain limits of course ;)). I, for example, am a huge fan of Paranormal Romance YA stories. I rarely read adult stories for fun and I’m not ashamed to admit it.
So as an author how do you define on what genre your books belong to? If your protagonist is minor should your book automatically fall under YA category? If you are writing for YA readers should you keep the language clean or is some harsh words allowed? If your characters are hot, mouthwatering guys with lickable abs are you expected to add couple of hot scenes in your story and if you do, how much is too much? Some say that if it goes further than kissing it’s too much for YA books, some that few hot scenes are allowed. Hmm…not an easy job for an author…
Here are some examples from my books:
BLACK DIAMOND (age 12 and up readers)
He raised his hands and a storm arose in the room. The flames in the fireplace seemed to explode and reached the ceiling. The wind tore the curtains from the windows and rattled the giant chandelier. Strands of darkness started to whirl around them. They were like thin veils or gossamers that reached towards them, wrapping them in their deathly embrace. Robert spoke in a language that was very old and strange and it sounded like he was making a curse or something.
Shannon’s long, dark hair spun around her and she felt the cold creep into her bones. She wanted to scream and run. They had been stupid. She had been stupid! How had she even thought of winning against him? His magic was so much stronger than hers. And yes, he was way more talented than she was. He’s a demon, her mind screamed. What did you expect, you idiot! They wouldn’t have a chance against him. She stared at his hands. There were no keys or locks. There was something more horrifying. Black skulls spun in his palms and their mouths seemed to open as if they were going to devour them both. Shannon raised her hand to protect her face and Ian put his arm around her. They leaned on each other and prepared for the worst. Shannon gulped. No stone was going to save them from this. This was true black magic and only the most powerful witches could fight against it.
“Goodbye, Ian,” she whispered almost soundlessly. “I love you.”
Robert raised his hands and held them high. Lightning flashed and he laughed. It was an insane laugh. His eyes gleamed and his mouth was wet with drool. Shannon started to pray. She hoped that someone would hear her and save them.
*So no sex, no cussing (well, to be honest I think there are like two-ish ‘bad’ words in the story), only mild violence if even that, but a lot of suspense…
SEDUCTION, part two of The Shape Shifter Series, for young adult readers (age 16 and up)
He grabbed her hands and locked them against the wall. She turned her head from him, but he managed to turn her head back easily and kissed her by force. She tasted blood in her mouth as he scarfed down her lips. She tried to force her lips shut, but she couldn’t help the little exclaim of pleasure that escaped from her. He continued to kiss her, but his brutality slowly started to change into tenderness and she couldn’t do anything but answer his kisses.
No one had ever kissed her like that. She literally felt the earth quake under her feet. She melted as one with him and her head was empty of any thoughts. He kissed her slowly, savoring every bit of her taste. When he let go of her hands, they found their way to his black hair and grabbed it. He pressed himself closer to her and she purred with pleasure, offering her body to him. His hands were everywhere. They searched her body and intruded their way under her shirt. They groped her soft skin and she gasped and moaned desperately. His hands found their way to the button on her jeans and slowly started to undo it. She screamed his name and he whispered gently into her ears forcing her to slow down. And suddenly she could almost see their souls entwining together. Their cells merging and she could see into his soul as clearly as he could see into hers.
*Hot, but not too hot as this is about as hot as it gets in this series… or what do you think?
CLUB NUMBER FIVE, part 1 of Immortal Blood Series, for mature YA readers (age 18 and up)
He looked as if I’d slapped him and I almost felt sorry for him, but there was no way I’d stay home. “Move,” I breathed quietly.
“No.”
I put my freshly manicured screaming-red nail on his chest. “Move.”
He drooled! Oh, this could’ve been so fun, but I really wanted to go and he was the only obstacle between me and my freedom. I clenched my teeth and hissed at him, but nothing I did made him move. So technically what happened wasn’t my fault. You could actually say he drove me to do it.
I leaned even closer and kissed him. A huge mistake. If I’d been able to resist him before, I wasn’t anymore. His eyes narrowed like a hunting animal and he growled dangerously. Before I could blink I found myself under his body and on my bed. His lips were hungry and all I could think of was yes. Yes, yes, yes. I twined my body around his and kissed him like crazy. His tongue was hot when it slid into my mouth and met mine. His talented hands searched me and made me scream with pleasure. I ripped his tee shirt into thousands of pieces and was about to rip my dress off when he grabbed my wrists and pulled my hands over my head. He started to slow his kisses and it felt so unbelievable good I found myself begging him to go on. He whispered softly in my ear and I moaned quietly. I had absolutely no idea what he had said. My brain had stopped working. But I didn’t care. Not if he kept doing whatever magic he was doing to me. So I softly whispered, “Yes.”
He lifted his head immediately and grinned. “What did you say?”
“Yes.” I arched my body and hoped he would go on.
I couldn’t get my eyes off his washboard abs and his narrow hips and I wished he would free my hands so I could rip the rest of his clothes off, but that was not his plan. Oh no, that wasn’t his plan at all.
“That’s right,” he said softly and dragged his finger slowly from my neck to my belly. “I’m glad we have an agreement.”
“What?” My eyes flew open.
*A bit hotter than my YA series but not too hot for eighteen-ish year reader (in my opinion). Sure, one sixteen year old girl read this book with flaming cheeks but I don’t think she was traumatized afterwards J. So why not put this series under YA? Simply because it gets way hotter as the series continues!
As a mother of two teenage girls I’m quite strict of what I want them to read and yet I feel torn as I know I can’t shelter them from the world forever. The content of YA stories vary enormously. In some I’ve read they give explicit instruction of how to give a guy a proper blow job, put a condom on, kill someone or even torture another human being days before killing and yes, those examples were all from books published by big companies. So are we being hypocrite if we want to shelter our kids from reading about sex and yet we allow them to read about murders? Maybe. But as an Indie Author I feel that it’s my responsibility to put my books in a correct category. If a minor still chooses to read a book meant for mature YA readers (age 18 and up) it’s her/his choice and hopefully their parents know if they are ready to read an adult stuff or not.
So if you want to dive into my world there are three different series available.
McLean Twins Series for Teens (age 12 and up readers). The first book, Black Diamond, is free on 14-16th of October.
The Shape Shifter Series for Young Adults (age 16 and up readers)
Imminence (the second edition will be released in November 2013)
Seduction (the second edition will be released in November 2013)
Change
Immortal Blood Series for mature YA readers (age 18 and up)
Club Number Five
Lucas
Cheers!
Jen
ABOUT JENNIFER LOISKE
Jennifer Loiske lives in Finland in Naantali, which is a small sunny town on the southwest coast. She has written six books, which can be found on Amazon worldwide, Barnes & Noble and Waterstones (among tens of other places). She has three different series, Shape Shifter series for YA readers, Immortal Blood series for Mature YA readers and McLean Twins series for Teen/YA readers. Jennifer is a workaholic author who is always writing. If she’s not writing blog posts to her own blog, guest post to other blogs, articles to the magazines or her novels she can be found in the forest with her two dogs or surprise, surprise…reading PNR stories.
Jennifer is very keen on charity work and a big part of her royalties go to the charity. She’s also a part of the team that makes Epilepsy Finland Magazine and international charity alliance Authors For Charity.
October 13, 2013
EROTICA 101
So, it’s Monday. You’ve got the blues at the idea of another week at work...
So, it’s Monday. You’ve got the blues at the idea of another week at work and I figured, I’d cheer you up with some Xrated motivation ;)
Now, be warned! It’s for over 18s only, adult and mature content. Explicit! You know what I’m talking about ;)
Click this link here! It will take you to the posts I like on tumblr :) Posts that inspired me to write the #NaughtyNookie series.
And if you fancy a read, then here are the links!
Simone: Part One: Fall Into Love
Simone: Part Two: Crazy Little Thing Called Lust
Simone: Part Three: All That Glitters… COMING SOON!
October 10, 2013
AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT: BRUCE BLAKE
WHEN SHADOWS FALL
A hundred hundred seasons have turned since the...
WHEN SHADOWS FALL
A hundred hundred seasons have turned since the Goddess banished the Small Gods to the sky, leaving the land to mankind alone.
For Prince Teryk, life behind the castle walls is boring and uneventful until he stumbles upon an arcane scroll in a long-forgotten chamber. The parchment speaks of Small Gods, the fall of man, and the kingdom’s savior—the firstborn child of the rightful king. It’s his opportunity to prove himself to his father, the king, and assure his place in history. All he needs to do is find the man from across the sea—a man who can’t possibly exist—and save mankind.
But ancient magic has been put in motion by a mysterious cult determined to see the Small Gods reborn. Powerful forces clash, uncaring for the lives of mortals in their struggle to prevent the return of the banished ones, or aid in their rebirth.
Named in a prophecy or not, what chance does a cocky prince who barely understands the task laid before him stand in a battle with the gods?
ABOUT BRUCE BLAKE
Bruce lives on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. When pressing issues like shovelling snow and building igloos don’t take up his spare time, Bruce can be found taking the dog sled to the nearest coffee shop to work on his short stories and novels.
Actually, Victoria, B.C. is only a couple hours north of Seattle, Wash., where more rain is seen than snow, and the dog is too small to pull a sled. Since snow isn’t really a pressing issue, Bruce spends more time trying to remember to leave the “u” out of words like “colour” and “neighbour” then he does shovelling (and darn those double l’s). The father of two, Bruce is also the trophy husband of a burlesque diva.
Bruce has been writing since grade school but it wasn’t until a few years ago he set his sights on becoming a full-time writer. Since then, his first short story, “Another Man’s Shoes” was published in the Winter 2008 edition of Cemetery Moon, another short, “Yardwork”, was made into a podcast in Oct., 2011 by Pseudopod and his first Icarus Fell novel, On Unfaithful Wings, was published to Kindle in Dec., 2011. The second Icarus Fell novel, All Who Wander Are Lost, was released in July, 2012, and the third, Secrets of the Hanged Man, in July 2013. Sept., 2013 saw the publication of Blood of the King, the first book in the Khirro’s Journey epic fantasy trilogy, followed by second book, Spirit of the King, in Dec., 2012, and the third, Heart of the King in Jan., 2013. He has plans for more Icarus novels, several stand alones, and several more books in the Small Gods series.
Twitter: @bruceablake
Email: bruceblake@hotmail.ca
October 9, 2013
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
If you’re trying to achieve, there will be roadblocks. I’ve had them;...
This is the life of a writer. You either keep on bashing your head and eventually figure out a way to climb it, or you just give up.
That’s why I have huge bruises on my forehead! :D
Simone: Part One: Fall Into Love
Simone: Part Two: Crazy Little Thing Called Lust
Simone: Part Three: All That Glitters… COMING SOON!
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_wisdom.html#r7mHqKw2ZtTDigS7.99
October 7, 2013
START YOUR WEEK WITH A BLUSH
As an erotica writer, I need to get inspiration from somewhere! Find...
As an erotica writer, I need to get inspiration from somewhere! Find out what inspired me to write the #NaughtyNookie series.
X rated content! Over 18s only! Don’t click on to the link if you don’t appreciate adult-content photos!
Otherwise, enjoy! ;) Click here! You will need a tumblr account to access the link. Just FYI.
Simone: Part One: Fall Into Love
Simone: Part Two: Crazy Little Thing Called Lust
Simone: Part Three: All That Glitters… COMING SOON!
October 6, 2013
AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT: JOSS LANDRY
MIRROR DEEP
DANGER AND ROMANCE …Roll like thunder in Kat Bonner’s...
MIRROR DEEP
DANGER AND ROMANCE …Roll like thunder in Kat Bonner’s world, when a known felon comes to the ranch to drop a bomb about her past. Kat turns to Pierce for help, the same Pierce who bucks her every chance he gets … and whose feverish investigation lands them in trouble with the law and directly in the path of a serial killer.
The mystery deepens, fraught with wrong turns, bumbling detectives, old murders, and Kat’s doppelganger no one ever sees but her, just as she never sees the change in Pierce’s feelings toward her brewing, mounting, until she can no longer deny them.
ABOUT JOSS LANDRY
I am a pushover for a smile, a kind word and someone who needs my help. I love to practice Ho’oponopono and I am an author because I enjoy thinking outside the box. I am here, just around the corner:
Facebook Fan Page
BUY LINKS
And here’s the BLOG TOUR Joss is involved in:
October 4, 2013
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different...
Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
You see, this is why writers aren’t sane. Re-write, re-write, re-write… sound familiar? And if my buddy Albert says it’s so, then it must be right!
Simone: Part One: Fall Into Love
Simone: Part Two: Crazy Little Thing Called Lust
Simone: Part Three: All That Glitters… COMING SOON!
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/a/albert_einstein.html#ouQ5vUBYu6PlTU1F.99
October 3, 2013
AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT: CHRIS WESTLAKE
Hero to zero and then…?
Experience the world as seen...
AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT: CHRIS WESTLAKE
Hero to zero and then…?
Experience the world as seen through the eyes of Nick Evans, a young city-slicker with a trophy-girlfriend on his arm. Fast-forward just a day and he’s caught his girlfriend in an uncompromising position with his friend, accidentally sent a rude email to his boss – and he’s on his way home to South Wales with his tail firmly between his legs.
Unemployed and single, life seems oh-so simple for Nick back in Southerndown, a coastal village where sheep vastly outnumber people. But there are mysteries everywhere. What secrets are taunting best friend Den? What is it Dad does in the shed at the bottom of the garden? Why have Nan and Mum not spoken for as long as Nick can remember? And whatever happened to childhood friend Sam, who mysteriously disappeared just after A-Levels and has not been seen since…?
Enjoy the journey as Nick tries desperately tries to unravel the mysteries and piece his life together again, often with darkly hilarious results…
ABOUT CHRIS WESTLAKE
Chris was awarded 1st place in the Global Short Stories Award 2010, 1st place in the Stringybark Erotic Fiction Award 2011, 2nd place in the HASSRA 2010 Literary Award, short-listed for the Stringybark Short Story Award 2011 and short-listed for the Stringybark Young Adult Award 2013.
Buy Just a Bit of Banter on Amazon!
October 2, 2013
FINDING INSPIRATION - WHEREVER YOU ARE!
This is a short post, as it’s rather like teaching...
FINDING INSPIRATION - WHEREVER YOU ARE!
This is a short post, as it’s rather like teaching your grandmother to suck eggs! Or at least, that’s what my nanna used to call it. :D
I think as writers we tend to forget about the inane. Because our job is fantasy. Creating a whole new world to transport our readers from the mundane and to excite them and to take them from their woes. Who was it that said a book is the cheapest vacation you can ever have?
But reality is still important and so, as I sit here, in a supermarket using their wifi to write this post, I ask that you take a moment to look at the everyday people around you. Their strifes, their woes and their stresses and use them as inspiration. I know authors often say that they are people watchers, that they create characters from the people around them. But I find this incredibly hard. And I’m taking the time to sit back and really look and learn.
Have a great day and take a moment to just watch. I wonder what we can learn if we just take the time and refuse to be impatient!
X
October 1, 2013
AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT: JAMELA
AND I TRUSTED YOU
It takes a strong woman to survive, no matter what...
AND I TRUSTED YOU
It takes a strong woman to survive, no matter what the trial. Remember, it’s temporary.
Denise married her high school sweetheart, but things have changed over the years. Or have they?
Leslie is committed to her family, but other people have their own ideas about her life. Wonder what they have planned?
Samantha has tried everything, now there is nothing left to do but let him know how she feels. Who will walk away?
Adrienne wants this man so bad she can taste it and she knows he wants her, too. She finally gets him, but can she keep him?
Jessica has always been self-sufficient, but did she put her trust in the wrong man?
Tasha loved her job and her boss loved her. How will she handle things with him and at home?
We can survive anything, from betrayal to violence as long as we are strong. Find your strength in one of these stories?
ABOUT JAMELA
Jamela has been writing for 30 years. She currently resides in the Atlanta, Georgia Metro with her musician husband. She reads almost anything and writes mainly fiction. She dabbles in poetry, prose and other non-fiction works. She has been published in regional magazines and newsletters. She is the author of Bad Nerves (a medical book) and What Is This World Coming To? (another collection of short stories). She enjoys, reading, singing and obviously, writing. Jamela believes everything good will take hard work and is worth having, especially if it benefits others.
Print books:
http://www.asoralpublishing.org
https://www.facebook.com/authorlj.asoral
https://www.facebook.com/Asoral67
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jamela/568449613189000
LinkedIn, Pinterest & Goodreads are under LJ Jamela Thomas
Twitter: Asoral2
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