C. Desert Rose's Blog, page 9

Cover Reveal

Simi’s Komma: Amplified Reminiscence
By:
Da’Kharta Rising
Author: Da’Kharta Rising

Genre: Dark Teen Drama

Publisher: All Authors Publishing House

Release Date: Friday, November 13th, 2015

Blurb:

Papyrus is a small town that’s not a fan of anything different. Here we meet four long time friends. Hiphen is the observant one. Rod is the laid back one. Point is a girl that acts like one of the guys yet is a proponent of action. Simi is the leader of the squad.

When transfer Komma Plush arrives, Simi takes it upon himself to show her the ropes of a new town yet at first she is not open to it. What follows takes Simi on this journey that threatens the balance of his long term friendships.

Cover Created By All Authors Graphic Design

To Amazon!

A Fan’s Question 10/8/2015

Do you think that you are obsessed with taboo romantic situations?

If so, why?

A fan asked me the above question, and I thought to myself, “That’s a great question! Blog time!”

At first glance, I can see where a person might believe that I am. After all, most of my books are about taboo romance, or so it would seem.

I mean, you have a human falling in love with a dark angel in one book and a demon hybrid falling in love with an angel hybrid in the other. Then there are my short stories; teen romances gone askew.

Of course, all of my stories have an underlines interracial element as well. The great thing is that most people don’t even notice it because I try to focus more on human emotion than skin color or ethnicity.

Then there is my novelette that will be coming out very soon titled “Nathanyel’s Lady Lune“. It’s about an average Louisianan man in the 1940’s who falls in love with a demigod from a different time and place.

So, of course people might be led to believe that I am infatuated with taboo romance. But you see, the beautiful thing about writing is the art therein, so the story’s interpretation is mostly in the eye of the beholder.

I may have one thing in mind when writing a story, but the reader could have a different understanding altogether, and that’s perfectly okay.

However, I’m diverting a little bit from the question asked. So, let me answer it properly and then explain a little bit about why.

The answer is no. I am not obsessed with taboo romance. I just like the concept and enigma of an enticing story. I prefer to think of it as “playing with unlikely and prohibited ideas in order to create an alluring plot“. :D LOL.

I guess there are a few reasons why I like to tinker with said notions. Let’s see, there is:

My being a hopeless romantic
My true infatuations, which are mythology, lore and religious theology.
The desire to provide my audience with a great story.
And lastly, the need to take a trip to places I’ve never been. My imagination being the pilot, improbable romances being the aircraft.

So as you can see, it’s not necessarily about being enraptured with the thought of illicit affairs, but the imagination at work.

Imagination is artistry and ingenuity at work and it starts with a spark.

The part of me that is a hopeless romantic is that spark. The inspiration on which it flares is the candle. A small breath of air from my lungs is the kindling that creates the flame, which is the story. It is all connected.

And so, in my mind, a forbidden love affair is merely what my psyche delights in telling most of the time. For pure pleasure and no other reason.

If you have a question you’d like to ask me, please email me at cdesertrose1@gmail.com. I love to hear from my readers and love to answer questions on my blog as well.

“Alan, Fay & Demona” by Synful Desire

 

Let’s Take A Deeper Look at
“Alan, Fay & Demona” by:

Synful Desire is one of my favorite authors. All of her works speak in a voice that is both genuine and universal. When I heard about her current project “Alan, Fay & Demona: Preludes Of Prism 1” I became highly intruiged and excited.

Immediately, I jumped at the prospect of asking for a bit more insight into the work. Here was my question to Synful Desire.

ME: I see that you are writing more than one prologue. I know for certain that you are an “out of the box” sort of thinker and I appreciate that about your writing style a whole lot. However, I’d like to know, when the series is done, do you plan on creating a collection of Epilogues to coincide with the Prologues? That is to say, one Epilogues story for each character for whom you are creating a Prologue?

Synful Desire: Well, technically I’m calling the other segments “preludes”. Why “preludes” as opposed to “prologues”? Although in some circles, they can be used interchangeably, I’ve opted to go with the more technical term of prelude, which is: 

an action or event serving as an introduction to something more important

​This distinction is essential because some of the preludes serve as further expansion on action that happens a bit later in some of the novels, as opposed to the very beginning, which is usually more associated with prologues.

With that being said, there won’t be any epilogues to accompanying the preludes or the novels. For one, some of the characters in the preludes are not mentioned in any of the Convoluted Prism books. Example of that would be in “Alan, Fay, & Demona”. ​Two, other preludes are just provided to give more details on a specific scene, like “Heat of This”. In addition, some characters may resurface but just in passing, and quite honestly that would be just way too many people to keep up with.

Besides, what’s wrong with letting the reader come up with his or her conclusion? Using one’s imagination isn’t against the law yet, so people should utilize it while they still can.


Don’t miss out on your chance to read “Alan, Fay & Demona: Preludes Of Prism 1” which will be coming soon to a book retailer near you. In the interim, take a look at this Teaser.

Waves To Light: Blog Tour

Today I am hosing an awesome blog tour.

Blurb:

M.J. Holman and Queen of Spades return in this highly anticipated follow up to The Sea of Conscience.

When tackling a complex issue such as depression, it is important to see a light that will guide you to a place of functionality, contentment, and hope. However, each journey can transpire in different ways.

Travel with M.J. Holman as her discoveries are painted in “All Shades of Black”. Continue the ride with Queen of Spades while roving along her “Nuances of Color”.

Two unconventional trips, heading toward the Waves to Light.

I asked the authors of Waves To Light, a question, here is their answers.

What does Waves To Light mean to you and what was the purpose of putting it together was?

MJ Holman Replied:

Waves to Light is a progression from The Sea of Conscience. Whereas the first book was about the discovery of mental illness and using creativity to alleviate the symptoms, Waves to Light charts the course of the disorder and focuses on different coping strategies and treatments.

In my section entitled All Shades of Black, I start in the midst of the illness before concentrating on moving to a place where I can find peace and hope. It offers an insight into my thought processes, not only during treatment (Cognitive behavourial therapy), but in finding my own way through the use words and creativity.

The true purpose of the words is to set down a description of an illness which is not easily expressed in language, and to provide a voice for all those who find the task of depicting it onerous. As with The Sea of Conscience, I would like to hope Waves to Light also aids the relatives of sufferers to help them understand the nature of the affliction.

It is important to me, both sufferers and their relatives see that there are two individuals who have negotiated the illness and have found ways to cope. It does not mean we will never suffer again, yes there will be dire episodes, but there is always hope. That’s what Waves to Light does, it offers an enlightened path.

Queen of Spades Replied:

In my opinion, the purpose of putting Waves to Light together was to act as an extremely telling flip side (if you will) to The Sea of Conscience.

The Sea of Conscience is a collection of poetry and prose by MJ Holman that documented the discovery of mental illness. I was asked to contribute a few works to the book. After seeing the final product, I proposed to MJ Holman the prospect of going beyond the “discovery element”: to delve a bit closer into the treatment component after one has been diagnosed. She agreed and asked me to play a bigger role in Waves to Light—an equal participant, since there are similarities and differences in our treatment paths leading to the final destination of survival, functionality, and hope.

For me, Waves to Light represents three things.

(1) A willingness to be transparent as it pertains to mental illness

There is still a huge amount of stigma in regards to mental illness—that it has to have a certain look and have particular mannerisms. Just because one may “appear fine” doesn’t mean that everything is fine. It was very important for me to show others that even a person that is seen as a superwoman (like me) can deal with some Kryptonite from time to time. Through my candidness, perhaps others will dare to be candid.

(2) A true examination from the source about different ways to cope with mental illness

People can (and sometimes do) get in what I call the “medicinal hamster wheel”. When I first got diagnosed, the doctors worked diligently to decrease, if not eliminate, the more prevalent of the symptoms associated with my depression. Then, one can go through trial and error—having to see what medicines work and what doesn’t work, and this whole process can be rather costly (even if one finds a generic for the medicine). However, there were other alternate methods that were available yet they were not promoted as heavily. Waves to Light showcases that there are sources for treatment outside of prescription drug usage.

(3) To leave the reader and others dealing with this illness with the ambiance of inspiration

In my segment “Nuances of Color” I dip into all of the emotional components during my ongoing battle with depression (pre and post diagnosis). Even with awareness, moments arise when one’s disposition is rather cloudy. Yet through it all, there is a light—the knowing that you’re not alone and the lingering desire to keep going.

Now, what are you waiting for?
Go Pre-Order it!

Cover Reveal!! #WOOT!

Blurb:

What happens when passion blinds reason? The ardent fire of desire meets the shocking and harsh blows of reality in this Prelude of Prism. The convoluted relationships of three individuals morph into a rainbow of disarray.

“Alan, Fay & Demona: Preludes of Prism 1” is the first of several Preludes which connect to the “Convoluted Prism Collection”.

Now without further delay, I present you with the cover of “Alan, Fay and Demona: Preludes of Prism 1”!

Cover Art Created by All Authors Graphic Design

Please enjoy this Teaser of “ Alan, Fay & Demona: Preludes of Prism 1 “!

“Alan, Fay & Demona: Preludes of Prism 1”
by Synful Desire
Coming Soon!

Just Out! A #FREEBIE

By:

Blurb:

The Amazon Rainforest holds more secrets than meets the eye.

When folklore meets reality the only outcome can be devastating and confusion.

Or can it?

Edeli is a curious and independent young woman. One who wants nothing more than to be set free in order to discover all that life has to offer.

Zavier, an Encantado demon, prince to his kind and transcendentally beguiling. He is a beautiful and enchanting creature, yet at his core, a hellion.

Discover if love can identify the essence of the heart apart from the chassis in which it is embodied in this short story spin off of the Fate’s Endeavor Series by C. Desert Rose.

Take an enigmatic and mesmerizing trip For Love and Enchantment.

The Fate’s Endeavor Series, surpassing the emotional fabric of angels and demons and delving into the delicate threads which infuse Fate’s tapestry.

Available For Free On:

Smashwords

But wait! That’s not it! Take a look at this Teaser Trailer of “Demoness Enchanted: Fate’s Endeavor Series Part 2“.

Just for Sh**s and Giggles

I don’t have a real purpose to this blog post. None at all really. I’m just here because I feel like writing something other than the rewrites that I am doing for “Demoness Enchanted“.

So what will I be doing to get my mind off of the work?

I’m going to tell …

BOOM!

Two blondes were on their way to Disneyland and came to a fork in the road. The sign read: “Disneyland Left.”

So they went home.

**

Q: What is the definition of diplomacy?

A: The ability to tell a person to go to hell in such a way that they look forward to the trip.

**

Q: Why did the fat turkey cross the road?

A: To get hit by my car.

**

* Nasty Joke Alert *

A guy asks for a tattoo of a $100 bill on his penis. Curious, the tattoo artist asks him why he would possibly want that.

He replies, “Three reasons: I like to play with my money, I like to watch my money grow, and $100 seems to be the only thing my wife will blow these days.”

**

A few days before his proctological exam, a one eyed man accidentally swallowed his glass eye. He was worried for a while, but there were no ill effects, so he forgot about it.

Once he was in the doctor’s office, the man followed instructions, undressed, and bent over. The first thing the proctologist saw when he looked up the man’s arse was that eye staring right back at him. “You know, ” said the doctor, “you really have to learn to trust me.”

**

Two airplane mechanics named Bob and Tim work at Atlanta airport. Atlanta gets fogged in one night and nothing can take off or land so Bob and Tim have nothing to do. After work Bob and Tim usally have a drink on their way home, so Bob says to Tim, “I heard that you can get a buzz off drinking jet fuel.” Since they have nothing better to do, they try it. Finally, their shift is over and they get to go home. Next morning Bob calls Tim and says, “How are you feeling?” Tim says he’s fine, never felt better. Bob asks, “Do you have a hangover?” Tim says no. Then Tim says, “Wow this is great! We can drink all we want and not get a hangover.” Then Bob says, “Well, there is one side effect, Tim. Have you farted yet?” Tim says, “No, why?”

Bob says, “I’m calling you from Detroit!”

**

Teacher: “Four crows are on the fence. The farmer shoots one. How many are left?”

Little Johnny: “None.”

Teacher: “Listen carefully: Four crows are on the fence. The farmer shoots one. How many are left?”

Little Johnny: “None.”

Teacher: “Can you explain that answer?”

Little Johnny: “One is shot, the others fly away. There are none left.”

Teacher: “Well, that isn’t the correct answer, but I like the way you think.”

Little Johnny: “Teacher, can I ask a question?”

Teacher: “Sure.”

Little Johnny: “There are three women in the ice cream parlor. One is licking, one is biting and one is sucking her ice cream cone. Which one is married?”

Teacher: “The one sucking the cone.”

Little Johnny: “No. The one with the wedding ring on, but I like the way you think.”

**

A duck walks into a bar and asks, “Got any grapes?”

The bartender, confused, tells the duck no. The duck thanks him and leaves.

The next day, the duck returns and asks, “Got any grapes?”

Again, the bartender tells him, “No — the bar does not serve grapes, has never served grapes and, furthermore, will never serve grapes.” The duck thanks him and leaves.

The next day, the duck returns, but before he can say anything, the bartender yells, “Listen, duck! This is a bar! We do not serve grapes! If you ask for grapes again, I will nail your stupid duck beak to the bar!”

The duck is silent for a moment, and then asks, “Got any nails?”

Confused, the bartender says no.

“Good!” says the duck. “Got any grapes?”

**

A woman walks into her doctor’s office and says, “Doctor, I need to lose weight fast.” The doctor replies, “Instead of putting food in your mouth, try putting it up your butt.”

Two months later, she comes in and says, “Doctor, it’s a dream come true. I’m half the size I was.” But the doctor notices that she is bouncing up and down. He asks, “Where did you get this twitch?” The woman replies, “I don’t have a nervous twitch; I’m chewing bubble gum.”

**

A farmer ordered a high-tech milking machine. It happened that the equipment arrived when his wife was away. So he decided to test it on himself first.

He inserted his penis into the equipment, turned the switch on, and voila, everything else was automatic! He really had a good time as the equipment provided him with as much pleasure as his wife did. However, when the fun was over, he found that he could not take the instrument off. He read the manual, but did not find any useful information.

He tried every button on the instrument – some made the equipment squeeze, shake, or suck harder or less – but still he had no success getting out of it. Panicking, he just barely reached the phone and called the supplier’s customer service hotline.

The farmer: “Hello, I just bought a milking machine from your company. It worked fantastic. But how can I take it off from the cow’s udder?”

Customer Service: “Don’t worry. The machine was programmed to release automatically after collecting about 2 gallons of milk.”

**

A nun, a priest, an Irishman, a Scotsman, a rabbi and a blonde walk into a bar.

The bartender looks at them and asks, “Is this some kind of joke?”

**

So … I leave you with this …

What Harder; Writing or Rewriting?

HO! LY! SHISH KABOBS!

*Insert Angelic Choir Music Here*

Okay, everyone knows that the writing process isn’t easy. That much is a fact. But no one ever told me how hard REWRITING can be.

Let me tell you all a little story.

As most of you whom follow my blog know, I am currently and diligently working on the upcoming release of “Demoness Enchanted” the 2nd book in my series.

But you know what?

*Side Note: I have no idea why I keep starting my sentence with conjunctions today. But, oh well. LOL* :D :P

I am having a field day—and not in a good way—with rewrites.

Yes, rewrites. Not to be confused with edits.

Editing is the process of polishing up and perfecting what is already completed. Rewrites, is saying to yourself “Rose, WHAT IN GOD’S NAME WERE YOU THINKINGS!?”

… and then deleting it and starting over.

It’s funny because while I am still completely in love with the premise of the story and believe that it’s a unique spin on the average New Adult Paranormal Romance, I also feel like I must have been drunk the entire time I was writing it.

Of course, “Demoness Enchanted” was among one of my first stories—written when I was a newbie at all of this. I mean, I did have to do a significant amount of rewriting with “If Death Should Love Me” also. However, this one differs in that I am not only changing elements of the story for coherence, but I’m also altering the characters voices. Which is hard because they are both young. I mean how different can you actually make two teenagers sound, really? LOL

Most of the story is written in first person, some parts are written in third person, but it works well.

However, here is the conundrum:

Since I am rewriting as opposed to editing, this means that once I’m done with the rewrites, my story will have reverted back to “rough draft” form, which translates into having to do heavy editing as well. So, it’s not just going through it once for a heavy set of edits, and then a couple of Alpha and Beta reads. It’s literally having to do everything twice, UNTIL the point of Alpha and Beta reads.

So, as it stands I’m currently like …

And …

And …

Just trying to fix it all.

I say all of that to say this …

RE-

What’s Happening Now.

Oh my goodness, it’s been damn near 3 weeks since I last blogged. Life has been a whirlwind of happenstances … most of them, me working behind the scenes on my upcoming WIPs.

I’ve been investing all of my time with WIPs that I’ve dropped the ball an blogging. Sorry about that to those whom read by blog faithfully and have been waiting for me to post something.

So what have I been so diligently working on as of late? Edits, revamps, rewrites, edits and over again.

Round and round it goes!

That, however, is besides the point.

I have recently finished a short story that ties into the Fate’s Endeavor Collection. I hadn’t planned on doing that, but somehow it just happened. Here is the good news … the good news is that it will be given away FOR FREE.

Be on the look out for it!“For Love & Enchantment”

is coming your way, August 31st, 2015!

Here is the Blurb:

The Amazon Rainforest holds more secrets than meets the eye.

When folklore meets reality the only outcome can be devastating and confusion.

Or can it?

Edeli is a curious and independent young woman. One who wants nothing more than to be set free in order to discover all that life has to offer.

Zavier, an Encantado demon, prince to his kind and transcendentally beguiling. He is a beautiful and enchanting creature, yet at his core, a hellion.

Discover if love can identify the essence of the heart apart from the chassis in which it is embodied in this short story spin off of the Fate’s Endeavor Series by C. Desert Rose.

Take an enigmatic and mesmerizing trip For Love and Enchantment.

The Fate’s Endeavor Series, surpassing the emotional fabric of angels and demons and delving into the delicate threads which infuse Fate’s tapestry.

I’m super excited about this little story as it play a major part in the series.

Also, stay tuned for the official release post of “For Love & Enchantment” where you’ll get a sneak peek at my upcoming novel and second series installation, “Demoness Enchanted“.

Musing on Inexplicable Things

As random as this blog post seems to be, it really isn’t.

Thinking …

Recently I came across a very peculiar situation that left me perplexed, but also inquisitive. Needless to say, I haven’t stopped thinking about it since.

A day or two ago I came across a fellow author as he gushed over his own work. I’d read his work in the past and quite honestly, I was unimpressed with it.

Granted, if you don’t talk up your own work then who will, right? Or some such nonsense. LOL. :D

Yet, in my own humble opinion, this man’s work was mediocre at best, and lacked substance. At least, that was my thinking, although when browsing review of his work on Goodreads I’d noticed that other people were saying the same things as I.

Yet, there he was, on Facebook, oozing over the magnificence that was his masterpiece.

Blah, blah, freaking blah, blah.

Part of me respected his tenaciousness, the other part of me abhorred his conceit. I mean, how can a person be so full of him/herself, when there is no reason to be.

That was my plight.

Shortly thereafter, I stumbled upon another person I network with whose work I’ve also read in the past as well. Personally, I think it has an abundance of beauty and richness. Yet, she was having a moment of insecurity and disbelief in her own skills.

She shared a situation she’d recently endured via one of our mutual networking platforms. Apparently, she asked someone who claimed to be a professional editor for his opinion on her work. Something which he took advantage of in order to tear her down without mercy.

This person called his merciless feedback “critique” when it was actually unabashed criticism. In the end, he’d crushed her spirits.

Unable to keep quiet, I asked her for a sample of the work she’d given to him as I wanted to see what she was so heartbroken about. She sent it to me at once. As I read through it I was stupefied as to how callous the man was being with her, and for no reason whatsoever as the piece of work was beautifully written. I went on to read the man’s suggestions and realized that should she adhere to his recommendations the essence of a fine piece of art would be sacrificed.

It broke my heart.

Immediately, these two situations got me thinking.

I could not fathom how the person with the least talent had the more boastful attitude, superficial as he was, while the person with the most talent was trumped by self-doubt.

As it always is with me, my mind went into a tizzy of suppositions, some revolving around my own person.

I recognized my own shortcoming through her insecurities in this scenario. I was her, she was me. We shared the same uncertainty in our gift. I could plainly see how amazingly talented she was, yet I could not see it in myself.

Many times I find that after I’ve written something, I need LOTS of encouragement in the form of moral support. Because when all is said and done, I’m not sure if my work is “good enough“.

What an odd thing to think about one’s own talent, right? Right. But, there it is. There you have it.

Needless to say, I cannot (for the life of me) understand arrogance.

I happened upon yet another bizarre circumstance (these things happen in social media. LOL), and it made me think of the human mind and how delusional it can be.

Hold on, let me start from the beginning.

I was on a social media network (Man, I sort of sound like a social media addict, don’t I? :D Lol.) and a question was posed. One, which while I didn’t reply to, left me in deep consideration.

The question was:

Do readers and writers have different perspectives of a writer’s work?

Tuché!

Fantastic question!

Here is why.

I often realize that sometimes us writers are delusional. Either that, or our ego has been stroked so often, whether merited or not, that we no longer see things for what they are.

Here is the thing … I could sit back, look at my stories and go “MAN, THIS IS THE BEST PIECE OF LITERATURE ON THE MARKET TODAY!” Yet, readers whom have picked said work up are going “Wait, what!? Are you serious right now?!”

Why?

Well, because in my mind, the story I put out might be the shiznits. The most epic, superlative, magnificent book out there! Yet, in someone else’s mind it’s, in a word, HORRIFIC.

So all of this begs some questions.

When and how can you tell the difference between a warped sense of security/insecurity? When does confidence cross the line to pomposity? When is self-doubt unmerited insecurity?

In a world when less and less people seemingly know what good reads really are, how can one tell any longer? It feels like an impossible feat to overcome.