Mandy M. Roth's Blog, page 72
April 22, 2013
CONTEST: Win a signed PRINT proof of A King’s Ransom!
I love writing books that are erotic and I love reading them. Please help me “fight the advertising powers that be” by promoting my upcoming A King’s Ransom (Masters of Pleasure) by Reagan Hawk release.
Release Date: May 21, 2013
M/F with MFM scene. Is futuristic fantasy with paranormal elements.
So, will you help me “fight the powers that be” and stand up and say… Erotic Romance Books sell and I WANT to hear about them when they release?
It will be in ebook (kindle to start and then at all e-vendors shortly after) and in PRINT!
KINDLE pre-order US: http://www.amazon.com/Kings-Ransom-Masters-Pleasure-ebook/dp/B00BL312GG/ref=la_B00AM1VBY6_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1366651788&sr=1-8
KINDLE pre-order UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Kings-Ransom-Masters-Pleasure-ebook/dp/B00BL312GG/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1366652196&sr=8-7&keywords=reagan+hawk
Createspace PRINT pre-order: https://tsw.createspace.com/title/4244503
Amazon US PRINT pre-order: http://www.amazon.com/Kings-Ransom-Masters-Pleasure-Volume/dp/162501046X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1366665677&sr=8-2&keywords=reagan+hawk%2C+a+king%27s+ransom
Other print order links coming very soon!
Sci-Fi Fantasy Paranormal Erotic Romance
Novel
On a quest to find his brother, King Kritan of Katarian on the planet of Panucia finds himself ambushed, beaten, tortured and then sold to fight in the arena games. The people of Tamonius–his rival kingdom–condone slavery, take public sex to new lows and try to turn a profit off anything they can. Nothing can change his hatred for everything Tamonius… that is until he meets the most breathtakingly beautiful woman he’s ever laid eyes upon. Surina of the House of Argyros, daughter to a powerful senator stirs the beast within him, making it want to lay claim to her as badly as the man does.
Free or not, Kritan is a master of seduction and has selected Surina as his newest prey. But this virginal beauty has secrets of her own–ones that change everything. And destiny just might have the last laugh.
Warning: Novel contains graphic violence, explicit sex, MF and MFM scenes, forced seduction, raw and gritty scenes of a society without order, sex scenes that may be offense to some, an alpha male shifter king who sees what he wants and goes for it, all else be damned, a head guard who has many secrets but shares a passion for the heroine and a virginal heroine who has longed to be taken rough and claimed fully by a man. This novel is not for everyone or the faint of heart. This novel contains adult content and is intended for mature audiences only. Must be 18 years or older to read.
As a thank you to those who help me spread the word about this book, I’m giving away three signed print PROOFS of A King’s Ransom (Masters of Pleasure) by Reagan Hawk. How are you entered? Simple, post and let me know with links where you’ve shared news about this upcoming release. Contest closes May 15th!
April 20, 2013
Readers, I need your help!
My sales for March and April have fallen and there doesn’t seem to be a pick me up in sight. With Mr Mandy still without a job I’ve dumped in all I can into advertising and, of course, I’m beyond worried about my sales. (Also, some of the advertising I was banking on was yanked because of the erotic content of my books–not kidding!) Instead of continuing to stress past the point of belief, I decided I’d be open and honest with all of you and ask for your help in promoting my books, telling others about them, buying ones that you might want to read, giving honest reviews and so forth.
Here are my pen names and links to Raven Books Author Pages for each:
Mandy M Roth Books
http://www.ravenhappyhour.com/Mandy_M_Roth_Books.html
Reagan Hawk Books
http://www.ravenhappyhour.com/Reagan_Hawk_Books.html
Rory Michael Books
http://www.ravenhappyhour.com/Rory_Michaels_Books.html
Kennedy Kovit Books
http://www.ravenhappyhour.com/Kennedy_Kovit_Books.html
Thank you all so much for you help and your support!
Mandy (an erotic romance author who isn’t ashamed of the fact she writes books with sex in them)
April 17, 2013
Raven Author Excerpt: The Barbarian Prince by Michelle M Pillow
Dragon Lords 1: The Barbarian Prince by Michelle M. Pillow
This might be my second book published, but it is really the one that had defined my career. It is the start of a multi-book series that keeps growing even nearly 10 years later–Dragon Lords. The series has spun off into many directions including the series: Lords of the Var, Space Lords, Zhang Dynasty, and Galaxy Playmates (all with several books in each installment) and it’s far from done. Dragon Lords 6: The Stubborn Lord releases 2013 in ebook and print.
If you’re new to my work, this series is by far a reader favorite. And, since I love reading things in order, instead of excerpting book 6, I’ll start you off with book 1.
Dragon Lords 1: The Barbarian Prince
Futuristic Romance
Breaking up was never so hard…
Going undercover at Galaxy Brides as one of the prospective mates to these Viking-like barbarians, Morrigan has no intention of getting chosen to stay. But when Ualan of the Draig picks her to be his wife with the aid of his mystically glowing crystal, it is all she can do to say no.
Waking up from a drug-induced night of torturous and unfulfilling pleasures, Morrigan discovers her spaceship has left without her and Ualan is claiming she is his wife. It’s not exactly the story this reporter had in mind. And to make matters worse, Ualan refuses to take no for an answer.
Being cursed by the Gods was never so frustrating…
Prince Ualan is like all others of his race on the male dominated planet of Qurilixen. He is raised to trust the mystic powers around him and when it comes time to marry, he is ready to follow those powers to choose his life mate. When the stubborn, yet achingly beautiful, Morrigan refuses to accept their shared fate and his supreme authority over her, it is all he can do not to break her lovely neck.
Rating: Contains graphic sexual content, adult language, and violence.
Chapter One EXCERPT
Must be 18 years and older to read. If not, please stop reading.
Chapter One
Wanted: Galaxy Brides Corporation seeking 46 fertile, able-bodied Earth females of early childbearing years and A5+ health status for marriage to strong, healthy Qurilixian males at their annual Breeding Festival. Possibility of royal attendance. Must be eager bed-partners, hard workers. Virginity a plus. Apply with A5 health documents, travel papers, and IQ screen to: Galaxy Brides, Phantom Level 6, X Quadrant, Earthbase 5792461.
The idea had been simple. Uncover illegal virgin trading practices by Galaxy Brides. For years it had been rumored that Galaxy Brides used outlawed medic units to restore women’s virginity. Virgins meant more trade with the numerous barbaric, male-populated, humanoid planets eager for fresh, young Earth brides. If the story broke, it would be huge. It was just the sort of thing to make a star reporter’s career. It was just the thing to bring down evil breeding corporations that sold women to the highest bidder.
Morrigan Blake was just such a reporter–or so she thought. However, the medic units where such procedures took place were nearly impossible to find since they looked like any other medic unit. It would take a series of diagnostic tests to reveal the chip sequencing necessary for virginity replacement. She would just have to get the women to talk to her, which hadn’t been easy either. The brides were being compensated well for their participation.
All right, thought Morrigan wryly, as she stared absently at her bare feet in the pedicure basin. Breeding corporations aren’t exactly evil and virginity replacement isn’t illegal in all quadrants.
The small metallic hands of the beauty droid worked frantically at her toes, as another pulled her dark hair into a traditional Qurilixian upsweep. Curls were left to hang down her back in long, thick waves. The droid had used a hair extender to get her normally short locks to grow. The weight was heavy on her neck and hard to get used to.
Morrigan was in the spaceship’s expansive beauty parlor with the rest of the prospective brides getting ready for the official docking later that evening. They had spent the last month being pampered and primped for tonight. Looking down at her legs, Morrigan gave a half smile. If nothing else, the trip had given her a lot of free benefits–permanent hair removal, a body enhancing lift, and time to contemplate the perfect color for her toenails.
Galaxy Red number one or Galaxy Red number two? Okay, she was definitely getting bored.
According to her editor, she was to do a soft, romantic piece on the four Qurilixian Princes and their possible attendance at the festival. It had been sixty years since royalty attended a festival in search of a bride, and women on earth were always eager to devour details of far off royal romances and intrigue.
The last piece she did on the Lophibian royal wedding had boosted newspaper chip sales nearly forty percent and the Lophibian were a slime-dwelling species covered in scales. She had spent four months in the swamplands covered in bluish-green goo. Though the tinting effect it had on her hair had been lovely, Morrigan would not relive that trip for the world.
This was definitely a better assignment. If she could uncover a scandal and interview at least one of the four Princes, she could get two stories from one trip. Not to mention, she would be in for a huge promotion and pay raise. Plus, it did help that the men were rumored to be healthy, virile specimens and would photograph particularly well. Cute men sold chips.
It wouldn’t be easy. There were no known pictures of the men on file and they were notorious for not giving interviews, especially about their private festivals. Oh, if she could pull this off! Maybe then she could get that vacation back to her own apartment she so badly deserved. She wondered if she remembered where exactly her apartment was.
“What about you, Rigan? Have you finished your Qurilixian etiquette uploads?” asked a nearby woman from her beauty seat. Her voice was soft and polite, matching her kind blue eyes. Her light brown hair whirled around her head in a frenzy caused by six robot hands. She was very careful not to move.
Morrigan turned at the sound of her name and gave Nadja a light smile. No one on the ship knew who she really was. They all thought her to be another excited bride in search of virile, warrior males Qurilixen was rumored to produce. To be chosen was an honor, or so the other women claimed. Morrigan’s thoughts, on the other hand, went to a meat market, and they were the prime cut.
“Didn’t you know?” laughed Gena next to Nadja. Her red hair was finished and her beauty droid was placing the customary short veil over the curly auburn locks. “Rigan finished her Qurilixian uploads first. It would seem she is most eager to please her new husband.”
“Or to be pleased by him,” added someone from across the circular room.
Morrigan closed her eyes, ignoring the abrasive women. Honestly, she didn’t understand them. Sure, some of them were nice enough and even seemed intelligent and from a well educated background– like the softly spoken Nadja. But why in the galaxy someone would subject themselves to this trade was beyond her.
Being alone wasn’t so bad. She had no one to answer to, except her boss, Gus. He never bothered her unless she was late with a story. She called her own shots, made her own deals. She never had to bother with a guy looking over her shoulder asking when she would be back from her assignment. Or deal with the jealousy that would inevitably come from a mission like this.
Though, mused Morrigan, forever trying to see all sides of a story though she wasn’t always successful in doing so, it would be nice to have someone to talk to on late nights. Someone to rub my feet when they are sore. Someone to … She smiled. Hey, I’ll just take this beauty droid home with me.
“I wish I could be so ambitious. I’m afraid I didn’t watch a single one of those boring uploads.”
Morrigan couldn’t tell who was talking since her eyes were closed. She hoped the others would think she napped so she didn’t have to join in the nervous banter. She was afraid her excitement would be transparent. She was, after all, close to a big paycheck.
Morrigan had spent most of the first week on the ship’s computer uploading Qurilixen facts into her brain. The rush of information had given her a wicked migraine, but it was well worth it since it freed up the rest of the trip for work. Already she had written, and transmitted, the beginning of her soft romance piece.
For weeks, her head had swum with too many of the planet’s facts. It was on the outer edge of the Y quadrant, inhabited by primitive males similar to Viking clans of Medieval Earth. The Qurilixian worshipped many Gods, favored natural comforts to modern technical conveniences, and actually preferred to cook their own food without the aid of a simulator. They were classified as a warrior class, though they had been peaceful for nearly a century–aside from petty territorial skirmishes that broke out every fifteen or so years between a few of the rival houses.
The information she hadn’t uploaded was mostly concerned with the wedding ceremony itself and a bit about the culture and law. She doubted the wedding was any different from the other formal ceremonies on the planet. Morrigan didn’t plan on getting married while she was there, but hopefully she could see a ceremony and get some pictures. Whatever tidbits she couldn’t pick up along the way, she could upload into her brain on the trip home.
Morrigan smiled wryly to herself. She was definitely going to be one of the ‘unlucky’ losers who got a free trip back. Hadn’t the corporation already warned that not all the brides would be chosen?
“I tried on my gown this afternoon,” said Gena, unintentionally breaking into Morrigan’s thoughts. She pushed up her generous chest beneath the robe. “They are gorgeous, but I think I am going to go get my breasts enhanced again–just a little bigger–and I’m going to have my nipples enlarged. Those Princes won’t be able to resist me. Maybe I’ll marry all four of them, just for fun.”
“How will you know who the Princes are?” asked a blonde from across the room. Morrigan buried her laugh behind her folded hand at the cynical words, recognizing Pia. Now, strangely, this seemed to be a woman who shared her uninterested views on marriage. “I’ve heard that all the men wear disguises. You could end up with a royal guard.”
“Or a gardener,” offered a brunette with a laugh.
“I hear they wear practically nothing at all,” added a woman with flaming red hair and sparkling green eyes the color of emeralds. “Except the mask and some fur.”
“You can’t miss royalty,” Gena said boldly with a kittenish smile of excitement. “You’ll see it in the way they move.”
Morrigan stood as her droid finished. She looked down at her own enhanced breasts showing from the gap in her white robe. They were a size larger than she was used to. It had been part of the company’s complimentary beauty enhancement services for their part in the trip. They were real, just genetically altered for perfection. At first, she didn’t like them. But, as she got used to the weight, she found they actually filled in her clothing quite nicely. She just hoped none of the men back at the office took too much notice.
Their spacecraft was outfitted with the best accommodations and services the star system had to offer. Personal droids were assigned to each passenger, and cooking units in each of their quarters could materialize almost any culinary delight, without straying from the strict mineral diets the corporation had them on. Even the doctor was mechanical.
The only company the women had been allowed the last month of travel had been each other. They were quarantined, to insure nothing unseemly happened, in what was affectionately referred to as the harem. The only communication with the ship’s crew was by video relay. The brides were valuable merchandise. The quarantine had provided for a very anxious, catlike atmosphere between the competing women. Morrigan frowned. She was in apparent need of some company with testosterone.
As the other droids finished, the prospective brides began to slowly make their way back to their personal quarters to dress. Nervous excitement infectiously buzzed through the air as they tried their best to look unconcerned. Ignoring them all, Morrigan slipped her ID card from her pocket and slid it past the laser sensor to open her door.
Once alone, she sighed as she made her way past the array of machines and blinking sensors that illuminated different parts of the room as her presence registered. With a small, absentminded command from Morrigan, music played softly in the background. She retrieved a glass of scotch from the simulator, her customary drink before landing on a new planet. It helped to steady her nerves and to keep her wits about her.
Slowly, she went to an oval window full of sparkling stars. In the distance she could see the reddish-brown surface of the small planet of Qurilixen. Lifting the glass to the orb, she muttered, “Cheers.”
She sighed at the burn as the drink slid down her throat. Then, reaching behind the curl of the window’s metal ledge, Morrigan pulled out a hidden container. She pushed the oval button on top, causing the lid to slide open.
Glancing around to make sure her droid was not in the room, she slid a clear recording disc onto her finger and stuck it into her eye. She blinked several times to get it into place before slipping a ring onto her pinkie finger. The sparkling emerald stone glittered in the mock firelight coming from the ship’s fake fireplace.
The journey was nearly over and no one had said anything about the virginity conspiracy. She hated to admit it, but there just might not be a story at all. The rumors were vague at best. But Morrigan knew from living with the other women for a month, just which ones would be experienced in the way of men. She would just have to wait for the marriages to be complete before seeing who was proclaimed pure. Then she would have her story and, hopefully, she would be able to prove it.
* * * *
The docking door of the ship hid the Qurilixian men from view, but the woman could hear the music and laughter just beyond the hatch. Dusk was setting on the normally sunny planet, marking the beginning of the one dark night of festival. Normally, a soft green haze of light plagued the planet’s surface.
Qurilixen had three suns–two yellow and one blue–and one moon, which made for a peculiarly bright planet. The green leaves of the planet’s foliage were overlarge due to the excessive heat and moisture they received. The trees towered high above the planet’s surface, like overgrown redwoods. Some of their trunks were as large around as the houses back on Earth.
The brides waited, single file, in the corridor leading out of the ship’s port. Their bodies were covered in the fine gauze and silk of the traditional Qurilixian gowns. The slinky material stirred against the skin when they moved, hugging tight over the hips and flaring out around the legs in thin strips. Soft silk shoes encased their feet.
Morrigan looked down over her nearly exposed body and gave a wry smile. Since this was undoubtedly a male planet, men had assuredly designed these outfits. The gowns fell low over the breasts to reveal a generous cleavage. A belt of sorts went across their backs. But, instead of looping in the front, they continued to the sides, holding the wrists low like silken chains, and winding half way up the arm to lock over the elbows. The women couldn’t lift their arms over their heads.
Qurilixian women were rare due to the blue radiation the planet suffered from. Over the generations it had altered the men’s genetics to produce only strong, large male, warrior heirs. Maybe once in a thousand births was a Qurilixian female born. In the old days, they had used portals to snatch brides from their homes, bringing them back to their planet. There were even rumors that their species originated on Earth, but there was no proof.
The fact that they had no women of their own was why the services of corporations like Galaxy Brides were so invaluable to them. In return, the Qurilixian would mine valuable metal that was only found in their caves. The metal was a great power source for long-voyaging starships, all but useless to the Qurilixian who preferred living as simply as possible. They were not known as explorers.
Sensing the line was about to move, Morrigan looked forward and pressed the emerald on her finger two times to take a quick picture of the waiting women for her article. The recorder in her eye blinked black, signifying it was working. Later, she would be able to download the images.
Outside the ship, she could see the soft glow of crackling firelight from a giant bonfire pit. The smell of burning wood mingled with nature’s exotic perfume. The Qurilixian moon overhead was large and bright, the biggest moon she had ever seen standing on a planet’s surface. The bonfire flames lapped at the starry night, sending sparks into the cool air. She could not see into the distance, she noticed, and only got a vague impression of a mountain.
Morrigan stepped forward and the cheers of rowdy men on the festival ground washed over her. Morrigan blushed despite herself, feeling almost naked in her ‘sacrificial’ attire.
The grounds were set up with large pyramid tents. Torches lit dim earthen pathways. Ribbons and banners floated on the breeze in many brilliant colors. Near the back, the married men sat in throne-like chairs with their wives firmly upon their laps. Morrigan was happy to discover that her information so far seemed correct. By their long hair and tunic style clothing, they appeared very much like the Vikings. The married women could be heard laughing as they watched the spectacle of those barbarians too young to participate in this year’s festival shout and pose for the prospective brides.
Morrigan swallowed nervously. Some of the women in front of her modeled before the watching crowd. She had the sudden urge to walk around them in an attempt to avoid the direct stage the docking platform had become. Dealing with slime-dwelling slugs was one thing–but humanoids? And not just any humanoids–strong, virile, women-starved, healthy, male humanoids. At the last minute, she remembered to snap a picture of the married couples and of the campgrounds.
“Oh, my!” exclaimed Gena in a breathless murmur, leaning forward to peer over Morrigan’s shoulder. “Do you see them, Rigan? With men like that, who cares if you marry the gardener?”
Morrigan followed the woman’s eyes, curiously looking down the docking plank to the ground. The bachelors, standing below them, were indeed handsome. Although those behind the men laughed and a few continued to pose their muscles, the true bachelors held perfectly still. Their bronzed bodies were like statues, with only their lungs expanding and contracting to show they lived.
Morrigan wanted to run back inside. Her feet refused to move. That was until Gena gave her an eager shove to get her descending down the plank.
The Qurilixian males were every inch the proud warrior class they were rumored to be, some even seemed to tower nearly seven feet tall in height. Fur loincloths wrapped around their fit waists to leave bare their muscular legs and chests. The fire glistened off their smooth, oiled skin. Golden bands of intricate design clasped around sinewy biceps. From their solid necks hung crystals bound with leather straps.
Morrigan’s heart began to pound, partly in fear and partly in excitement. The sexual tension on the ship had been potent for the last month. Until that moment, Morrigan had been able to resist its lurid pull. But there was something to being at the campground–something erotic in its smell of burning wood and its rustic, yet colorful, sights. Music played, primal and earthy in the background, hypnotic, enticing, gyrating in its rhythms.
Black leather masks covered the men’s faces, hiding them from forehead to upper lip. Their lustful eyes shone bright from the eye slits, like liquid metal, or was it her imagination? Morrigan didn’t know.
Captured by a spell, she suddenly realized she was walking down an aisle made up of hot flesh on each side. They were so tall that the crowd behind them disappeared from view. She glanced to one side and then the other. Her heart continued to pound. Blood rushed inside her ears, deafening her.
Somehow, her feet managed to keep moving, propelling her forward in line. The watching crowd had gotten quiet as the bachelors studied the women, concentrating on them with their serious eyes and harshly pressed lips. Then her heart–and time–stopped. Her breath caught in her throat at meeting a solid blue gaze beneath a mask. The man’s eyes narrowed and a slow, leisurely smile commanded her attention to his lips. The crystal about his neck began to pulse and glow with a white light.
Morrigan felt the cool night breeze caress the tops of her breasts, as real as a hand against her skin. Chills worked their way over her bare throat and face. Her short, blue veil fluttered over her dark locks. Her hand lifted without her commanding it to, as if to reach out. It was held back by the silk shackles of her belt.
Blinking slowly, the man nodded at her in greeting. She turned her head to watch as she passed by him. His smile dropped from his features, replaced by passionate intent and electrifying promises. Morrigan shivered as her heart began to race anew.
As she moved forward through the remaining line of men, she looked around. The others were handsome, but none caught her notice or returned her gaze for very long. And none were as spellbinding as the man with the radiant blue eyes had been. She wondered at the curious feeling in her veins each time she thought of it. She wanted to look back, but her neck refused to turn. He was so like all the others and yet somehow different.
Making her way to a raised platform laden with a gigantic feast, Morrigan forgot all about the emerald on her finger and her newspaper assignment.
BUY LINK
http://ravenhappyhour.com/The_Barbarian_Prince.html
April 14, 2013
Find my books on Amazon with ease!
All my Mandy M Roth books and my pen name books (Reagan Hawk, Kennedy Kovit, Rory Michaels and Darby London) can be found with ease using the following link. Also, you can find other The Raven Books titles.
http://astore.amazon.com/mandmroth-20
April 11, 2013
Goodreads Book Giveaway Executive Decision by Mandy M Roth
Goodreads Book Giveaway
Executive Decision
by Mandy M. Roth
Giveaway ends May 01, 2013.
See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.
I’m having a giveaway on Goodreads. Details on you can be entered for a chance to win are in the link above.
April 10, 2013
Time Management for Writers
Time Management for Writers by Jaye Wells
Hello, my name is Jaye, and I am a procrastinator.
I feel no sense of shame admitting this because every day I see dozens of other authors beating themselves up for spending more time on social media than in their fictional worlds. In fact, if you’re a writer, I’d put some money down in Vegas on the chance you’re a procrastinator, too.
But as easy as it was for me to admit it to you, it took me a long time to admit it to myself. I used to try to convince myself I simply was a perfectionist. That I was simply honoring my process. Or that I simply worked best under stress.
Hint: None of these excuses get books written.
Here’s the truth: Writers work in a delayed gratification field but live in an instant gratification world. Coming to terms with this fact and learning how to maintain balance in that no-man’s land between the two can make all the difference in your productivity. So if you want any sort of longevity as a professional writer, you’re going to have to develop some time (and self) management skills.
Your first task is to get honest. All the good intentions in the world are useless if they aren’t rooted in the reality of your life. You may want to be the kind of writer who leaps out of bed at six am ready to write, but if you’re a night owl this is a horrible plan that will only ensure you end up in an endless loop of failure and guilt. When do you work best? Pay special attention on those days when the writing is going really well. Do you need a large chunk of time or can you get more done if you know you only have an hour?
Once you understand when you work best, you need to figure out HOW you work best. For me, the key is to block all access to the Internet. I use a program called Mac Freedom that blocks the web, email and chat programs for an amount of time I specify. Other writers avoid the Internet trap by using a computer dedicated to writing with no Internet capabilities at all. Other people have the self-control of a monk, but if that were us we wouldn’t be having this conversation, would we?
I also have certain rituals I do to signal my brain it’s time to work. There’s a candle on my desk that I light every day right before I start working. I also make sure I have a fresh cup of coffee or tea. I also take a few moments to reorient myself in the story I’m working on. Whether this is rereading work from the day before or simply taking a few minutes to plan what I’ll work on that day. All of these little rituals help me get into the right headspace for a good writing session. After all, the better the writing goes, the more often you’ll want to do it.
Now we need to talk about the dreaded ‘D’ word: Deadlines. I complain about mine all the time, but the truth is without them I’d never finish a project. As I mentioned earlier, it’s difficult to be an author in today’s instant-gratification world. We spend months—sometimes years—working on the same project. And when you have six months to finish a novel it can be tempting to goof off in the earlier days of a project. Especially if you’ve convinced yourself that you work best under a tight deadline. To fight this harmful mindset, I’ve found it’s best to set intermediate deadlines to break the project into manageable time chunks.
Even if you don’t have “real” deadlines, there are other ways to make sure you’re accountable. Sign up for contests or for agent pitch sessions at conventions. You don’t have to spend a lot of money to register for a contest and a lot of local conferences aren’t too expensive. You might have to get creative, but the trick is to be accountable so you don’t play games with yourself to avoid writing.
There’s old saying, “Make hay when the sun is shining.” It’s a rule of writing that the longer you delay getting your words writing the more likely it is for a crisis to come along. So save yourself from the stress-induced ulcer by making your words and storing them away like the squirrel preparing for winter. Because, to bastardize George R. R. Martin, winter’s coming, friends. It always does. 
Now, it used to be that all writers had to do was write. But these days, writers are also expected to become marketing gurus, as well. Between Tweeting, Facebook, blogging, Tumblr, Pinterest, message boards, and email, it’s easy to eat up all your time promoting your books instead of writing them. In addition to being a huge time suck, social media outlets can also be really harmful to one’s creative process. So, here too, you need to learn how to manage yourself and what kind of info-pollution you’re letting into your head.
There’s no doubt about it: Writing is not a normal profession. It’s way more fun than most jobs, but that means it’s always way easier to forget that it’s actual work, too. Understanding your personal productivity pitfalls can going a long way toward ensuring you’re finishing stories on a regular basis. A lot of writers beat themselves up for being procrastinators, but they’d be better off developing strategies that work around that natural tendency for instant gratification. Get honest with yourself and set manageable goals and reasonable routines that work with your life and your goals.
Happy writing!
USA Today-bestselling author, Jaye Wells, writes urban fantasy novels with grave stakes and wicked humor. Raised by booksellers, she loved reading books from a very young ago. That gateway drug eventually led to a full-blown writing addiction. When she’s not chasing the word dragon, she loves to travel, drink good bourbon and do things that scare her so she can put them in her books. Jaye lives in Texas with her husband and son. For more about her books, go to www.jayewells.com and follow her on Twitter @jayewells.
April 8, 2013
The making of a book (how I outline)
I’m a big fan of writing my stories in Office Word. But, I’m an even bigger fan of outlining, plotting, developing my character profiles and so forth in Scrivener (for mac or pc and no I get no money from them for talking about them). I’m a strange mix of plotting and flying with my gut when I write. I will know what I want to write–genre, basic storyline, etc. But I won’t know the characters until I write at least one chapter getting to know them myself. From this point, I dig dipper and create character profiles. I use Scrivener for this. I also use the program to break down each chapter and what I want/need to have happen in it. While I write I have two windows up on my screen–Scrivener and Office Word (I use Office 365 on my MAC but reverted back to Office 2010 on my PC because 365 did not want to show edit marks for track changing for me and even tech support at MS couldn’t get it to work properly).
Here are some screen shots from Scrivener of Theirs to Hold (Hazard County Threesome) by my pen name Rory Michaels–coming soon.
Character Profile Board
April 7, 2013
I want to read some of your books. Where do I start?
Here is a handy guide to my books that should help you decide where to start.
The Immortal Ops Series
King of Prey
A View to a Kill
Master of the Hunt
Other Books
Do you love Laurel K. Hamilton, Kresley Cole, Yasmine Galenorn, Jeaniene Frost, Eileen Wilks and Charlaine Harris?
Do you love Sherrilyn Kenyon, Eve Langlais, Allyson James, Bianca D’Arc?
Try my pen name books
Reagan Hawk Books by Series
Trading Teon
Securing Sara
Rescuing Reya
Capturing Clara
Binding Bree
Strength in Numbers
Space Pirates Bounty
Bounty Hunters Captive
A King’s Ransom
A Knight’s Redemption
A Prince’s Captive
Prepared to Please
Denial of Service
Programmed for Pleasure
Do you love Maya Banks, Lorelei James, Delilah Devlin and Cheyenne McCray?
Win Urban Decay Temp Tattoo Body Jewelry
I do a lot of Makeup with Mandy posts and articles for mag and so forth. Thanks to Chritine, Urban Decay Rep, I have a tube of the Urban Decay Body Jewelry Body Jewelry to give away to one lucky winner. I’ll ship to anywhere that can receive mail with ease.
How to be entered for a chance to win? Simple, comment on this post. It is THAT easy. Yes it is. I will pick a winner on May 1st! Also, if you enter you’re taking full responsibility for yourself and any injury or allergy that may result from use of any product you’re entering for a chance to win (legal disclaimers suck, I know).
Vid on the net about the tattoos. Unsure if these are the exact ones. Look like they are or are VERY close.
April 3, 2013
Theirs to Take by Rory Michaels
Contemporary Western Threesome Romance
Hazard County Threesomes Book 1
Ray and Mark haven’t seen each other in four years. Not since Mark ran like a thief in the night after a rather intimate encounter with Ray. When Mark resurfaces in Hazard County with his new bride, Nancy, in tow, Ray is hurt but drawn to Mark’s wife. He wants to sample her, to know if she’s as luscious as she looks. To make matters worse, Nancy wants it too. She knows about Mark and Ray’s torrid past and she is willing to be their third—their missing link in the bedroom. Can Ray get over Mark walking out on him once and can Nancy really handle two men at one time?
Warning: This short story contains m/m/f sex, m/f/m ménages a trois, explicit sex, strong language and cowboys who will melt your socks off. If you’re looking for long drawn out plots and sweeping romances, this isn’t your book. This is a short story that won’t apologize to anyone. If you want hot, dirty, sexy and to the point, you’ve found it. If not, it’s best to move right along, this isn’t the book for you.
http://ravenhappyhour.com/Theirs_to_T...
