Barbara Garren's Blog, page 4

So you want to be a writer? Getting an editor, part 2...

Happy little WERD gremlin that you are, you sit down eagerly and pound the keyboard until you have a book. And it's a beautiful book! Look at those words, so pretty and shiny! They flew from your fingers with breathtaking magic, making you laugh, cry, pace in frustration and sigh with relief when you're finally DONE!

You package it all up, nice and pretty - while dreaming of covers, dream-casting the main characters, wondering who to dedicate it to - and send it into the ether on submittal.

At...

Save Me From Myself...

No, not ME! I'm fine - a little wobbly at times, but doing okay.

This - THIS is the long anticipated and beautifully rendered cover reveal for a book I've been oh-so-impatiently waiting for!

Stacey is a book bloggin' friend of mine from Twitter. She's one whole corner of my Street Team, keeps me laughing, snorting coffee up my nose and plowing away at my writing. And now she's joined the dark side.

Yup - she's been working on this hot little number for a while and, well, let me just show you the...

"Unexpected Hunger" Blog Tour...

Some of you may remember when I hosted the cover reveal for this book a little while back…



And now that it's available, I thought you should learn more about the author, as well as celebrate in all the buzz!

First, from the author:
Creating new characters is my favorite part of writing a new book. My goal is to make them feel real, like someone you’d know or be friends with in real life. For me, it’s not always an easy process. There’s a lot of trail and error, and occasionally, the characters t...

Why getting an editor is a lot like dating, Part One. The Blind Date

You've finally done it - sitting there in your neat little hands is the proof that you truly have achieved the goal you set for yourself 2, 7, 19 years ago: YOU are now an AUTHOR!

Commence trumpets, confetti, streamers and parades.

Uh, not.

You see, my friend, the real work has just begun.

Sure, you spent hours toiling over the keyboard. You searched the dictionary and thesaurus for just the right word. You've checked punctuation, spelling and tense until you're tense. And now? Now you get an edi...

COVER REVEAL of my debut novel, PHASMS; INFINITE POTENTIAL

Without further ado,


Available 24 February, 2014 from Entranced Publishing
God, I love this cover so much! It captures perfectly the image I held in my mind as I wrote the book. The sense of loss, the mystery and passion and the longing Kelsi feels. I have to thank my amazing cover artist, Divine Michelle (@arterismos) who reached across the miles and read my heart and soul with her talent and insight. 

Want to know more? Well, here you go:
Kelsi always Knows when bad things are coming, but...

An Unexpected Hunger by C. Rosa - Cover Reveal!

Cover Reveal: An Unexpected Hunger 
by C. Rosa



Alexa Stanton has the world on a plate. Five years after graduation, she's following her culinary dreams as sous chef of a popular California restaurant. But one explosive night in the kitchen brings her life crashing down. Ashamed and broke, Alexa retreats home to New Jersey for a fresh start. 
Ricky Perry is known for two things: getting kicked out of high school and charming the pants off any woman. He is exactly the kind of guy Alexa swore she would never fall for again. In high school, it took all of Alexa's willpower to avoid him. But this isn’t high school anymore, and Ricky is more appealing than ever.
Ricky sets out to show Alexa that everyone deserves a second chance. Even him. Alexa needs to decide between what’s right for her career and what’s right for her heart. Or maybe Ricky will prove she really can have it all. 

About the Author:
C. Rosa lives by the Jersey shore with her husband and their four year old son. In 2008, she received her Bachelor’s Degree in Communications with a concentration in Writing Arts. After taking some time off to start a family, she made the decision to go back to school. In September of 2013, she received her Master’s Degree in Education. Writing has always been a part of her life, but it wasn’t until she became a full time stay at home mom when she decided to finish writing her first novel. Three books later, and she signed her first NA romance with Entranced Publishing, releasing December 2013. In between writing, and not letting the laundry pile too high, she’s also active on her blog, twitter, and Facebook.GoodreadsTwitterFacebook

Christmas Fantasies by Siren Allen - Cover Reveal!

Christmas Fantasies by Siren Allen

Blurb: One bite was all it took…It’s that time of year again. Alyssa Blakely is busy writing in her fantasy diary, filling it with all her forbidden, sexual fantasies. The star: her very sexy boss, Devin Jordan. Too bad for her, he’s never given her a second glance.
Or so she thought…
After a steamy kiss under the mistletoe and a night of wild sex, Alyssa has the bite to prove just how wrong she was.
Devin Jordan has found his mate. The only problem: she’s human. He’s not. Can he prove to her that his inner beast can be both naughty and nice? Or will her fear of the unknown keep him from claiming her?

You can add Christmas Fantasies to your to-read list on Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18601318-christmas-fantasy
Want to be part of the blog tour? You can sign-up here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1vCRnV_vQpLRHvosPU-gpRj1y7HVHaemW5z0Z7EmHKSg/viewform
Information about the book:Title: Christmas FantasiesAuthor: Siren AllenGenre: Erotica paranormal RomanceRelease Date: 9 December, 2013
About the Author:Hi, my name is Siren Allen. I’m a writer and lover of all things erotic and romantic. I reside in southern Mississippi where I write steamy romances that are guaranteed to make you blush. When I’m not listening to the characters in my head and jotting down their adventures, I am busy working as a Clinical Laboratory Technician.

I love to travel, preferably with my husband, so he can do all of the driving. I enjoy time with my family, who are just as silly as I am. I have no children…yet, wish me luck! My hobbies are reading, writing and shopping, though I hate trying on clothing. If I wasn’t a writer or a Laboratory Professional, I would probably be a Secret Agent. But that’s the beauty of being a writer; you can create your own world and be whoever you want to be. In my imaginary world, I am Queen and my siblings are my minions.
You can Find Siren Allen here:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorsirena...Website: http://sirenallen.com/Twitter: https://twitter.com/SirenAllen Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7163788.Siren_Allen

Cover reveal coming soon!

This year I'm celebrating my birthday in HIGH STYLE - with your help of course!

Monday, November 18th is my birthday (don't ask which one - even the Valkyrie know better than to ask!) and the cover reveal for my debut novel " Phasms Book 1: Infinite Potential " will be the same day!

All the Huzzah's and Woots!

I'd love for you to join the party and help show off the Abso-Gorgeous cover~

Just fill out the following form, and my publicist, the incredible Misty Williams will send you the information a few days in advance.

If you have trouble viewing or submitting this form, you can fill it out online:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1nCgqup20iedBkf2J5Df2Z4QSNPzQoto-MztmpDRzEC0/viewform

Phasms: Infinite Potential Cover Reveal Sign UpPlease note, all information regarding the reveal will be sent out three days prior to cover reveal date. Name:Email:Blog name:Blog web address:Number of blog followers:Will you also share this on your: Facebook Twitter Pinterest Instagram Other: How many facebook followers do you have?How many twitter followers do you have?Never submit passwords through Google Forms.Powered by  This content is neither created nor endorsed by Google.
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Some days are made for pajama pants...

They really are. It has nothing to do with weather - either the meteorological or the physiological kind.

It has to do with comfort. And time. And a sort of meta-physical relaxation technique known as "lazy."

Today's one of those days, and really, pajama pants are the only answer.

They are just so - easy. We all need a little easy in our lives from time to time, right?

I know I do.

I feel like I've been pushing rocks up hills for the last few weeks. Not that anything's been that difficult lately, just that my schedule's all off schedule and I, believe it or not, am a creature of habit.

It's not that I'm not spontaneous or can't enjoy the odd bit of surprise. I LOVE surprises - even more when they are real surprises. Nothing spoils a surprise more than someone telling you they have a surprise for you. I find that extremely annoying. Vulgar, even. Makes me want to say ...


But yeah, pajama pants. They are the bomb.
They necessitate a certain level of slovenliness that is essential to our (okay, MY) peace of mind. Which is way harder to find than a piece of mind, especially if you know me. 
So, the house is clean. The book is back in my editor's hands. The grocery shopping and laundry are done and it's a beautiful day outside. I might even venture outside. Unlikely, what with the pajama pants and all (I do have a sliver of decency hiding away somewhere) - but that's not the point. 
Uh, I'm not sure there is a point, other than every one needs a day when they can just say "fuck it," verbally or otherwise, and pajama pants are contrived for exactly that sort of day. When I was a kid, we used to call those days the "terrible yuckies."
We've all had them. You know, the sort of day when you don't feel bad, in fact, you feel sort of alright, but you just don't feel like doing anything. You just can't quite find the give-a-damn to make you get up, get dressed, go to work/school/wherever and you can't quite explain why. Yeah. Those days. Those are the days made for pajama pants. 
Look out couch, here I come. 

Full Disclosure...

Uh, I have something rather embarrassing to admit to all of you. Really, it's rather shocking and a bit difficult to talk about.

But, I'll pull my big girl panties up and get it off my chest anyway.

I. Have never. Read. HARRY POTTER. Any of it. Not one. Not a single book.

I haven't even seen one of the movies. I know - sacrilege, right?



It's not that I don't like a good mystical, magical fantasy. It's not that I don't like MG/YA/NA. Cuz I do. I've read (and continue to read) tons of books written for this age group. It's just... I don't know. I guess I was annoyed by all the hype.

That, and I've always been a bit counter-culture.

Okay - I've always been A LOT counter-culture.

I've never read any of the Fifty Shades series either. Or Twilight. To be honest, I had never read Ender's Game until last month.

It begs the question...



I know you're saying this. I've asked myself the same question on numerous occasions. Usually related to hanging my ass out at work or in similar, awkward situations, but go ahead, you can apply it to this one as well.

So here's the thing, the thing that made me think about this particular fact this morning: I want people to love my book(s) as much as they seem to love THOSE books. I want the hype and the media and the word-of-mouth and the staying-up-late-under-the-covers-to-finish moments these books seem to have brought to the reading public.

I want people talking about what they love, hate, laughed at, cried over and couldn't get out of their head. I want people to relate to my characters, to the story and situation I put the characters through and to the obstacles they have to face. I want people (readers) to FEEL the words I wrote, maybe even quote a line or two, and to go all gooey in the middle at the parts that are gooey-riffic.

I may act all...

But really, I'm like every other author out there, searching for...


So, I read the first Harry Potter book, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone." And you know, I sort of like it. I won't say I LOVED it, because it is, after all, written for a MUCH YOUNGER audience. But I think, if I were that MUCH YOUNGER audience, I would probably have loved it.

I liked the characters and the pacing and the humor and plot lines. I liked the suspense and how close Harry and his friends are. Yeah. I liked it. I liked it enough to go on to book 2, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets." I have to admit, it's a bit slower getting started, but I'm still reading it.

I have not, will not and refuse to read Twi-Twi or 50/50. Nope. Won't do it. Can't. It would be like breaking the secret code of all want to be taken semi-seriously (at least enough to to sell a few copies) authors everywhere. Maybe that's a bit harsh, coming from an as-yet unsold author, and a bit unfair to say, since I haven't read the books. But - when you've heard as much about the lack of craft in those books as I have, I. Can't. Do. It.

So call me a snob. Call me a bitch. Call me whatever you want. Am I jealous that they've sold like, a gazillion copies and got movie rights and are swimming in money?

Of course I am, do you think I'm nuts? I'd kill for that kind of fandom.

But I have to live with myself, and my books. Maybe my books aren't that good. Maybe you'll hate my characters, my plot, my pacing and my style. Maybe you'll read the first one and say "God, never again will I waste my time/money/existence on such tripe!"

Then again, maybe you'll find one or two words that I've stitched together and say "whoa - that's beautiful. That means something to me."

Maybe. I hope so. Until then, I'm still not reading that shit.