Mandy M. Roth's Blog, page 90
February 20, 2012
Guest Blogger: Writing about Running
Authors,
I put a call out on the web, asking people who work in various fields or who have certain hobbies to step forth and tell me what bothers them when reading a book that talks about what they do or what they know quite a bit about. Here is one of the responses to my call out. –Mandy M. Roth
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Make Your Writing Stronger Series is professionals in varying fields giving their personal opinions on their area of expertise. These do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the blog owner.
Writing about Running
I've read a lot of romances where a character goes for a "jog" to clear his or her mind.
That word makes me want to stab my eyes out.
In my non-fiction writing life, I write about running for Runner's World and the New York Times, and I run. A lot. I even won a race once. I have the trophy to prove it.
As much as I understand the need to have characters partake in some physical activity like running to give them taut thighs and six pack abs, I wish some of the descriptions would be more accurate.
So here's some tips for writing about running:
1. Never ever ever call it jogging. Don't have your characters go out for a jog. Don't call them joggers. Just stop it. These are olds words from when distance running went from something those weird skinny people did to a common recreational activity. So leave jogging, jogs and joggers back in the '80s with Aquanet and leg warmers.
2. Don't have your character suddenly run a marathon. Most people spend three to four months training for that 26.2 mile race. So if your hero or heroine is going to run a marathon, you must refer to training somewhere else in the narrative. Hal Higdon [LINK http://www.halhigdon.com/] has been kind enough to put free training schedules on his website. They're great references to see what your character would be up to.
3. On the same note, it's more realistic if a character starts running by racing in a 5k or 10k at max. The Biggest Loser is doing their contestants a disservice by making them run a marathon without having much running experience. Your hero or heroine will be more believable to readers if he or she starts with a shorter race. A lot of people start running with the Couch to 5k program if you'd like another race reference [LINK http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2...]
4. Learn the lingo. Pick up an issue or two of Runner's World, or poke around runnersworld.com to get a sense of the jargon runners use. Just like any other specialty, we have our own language, terms and jokes (man of them about black toenails and trying not to poop your pants during a marathon).
5. Runners cannot eat whatever they want and still stay fit. The 15 pounds I gained while training for my last marathon is a testament to that. On the same note, they can't live on a low cal or low carb diet and train hard. Runner's World's nutrition channel on their website is a great source of information for what your running hero/heroine should be eating.
Obviously a lot of these things aren't going to matter if your character occasional goes for a run (NOT a jog). But if your character is one of the millions who find solace in lacing up and hitting the road, use these tips to make their experience the most realistic possible.
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J. Audrey Miller is the pen name of another JAM who has been writing about running and runners since she ran her first 5k six years ago. Read more about her transition into writing romance at https://jaudreymiller.apostrophenow.com/.
February 18, 2012
Excerpt from Magnetic Attraction
Droid Wars 2
Futuristic Sci-Fi Romance
No matter how many light years you run, the past is never far behind.
Droid Wars, Book 2
Tired of a life on the run, Kiwi has put down roots on a science vessel. She finds more than she bargained for in the form of cocksure, overachieving, too-sexy-for-his-own-good Dr. Conell Ballou. His arrogance is infuriating—which, strangely, makes her want him more.
Since the tiny spitfire of a mechanic boarded his vessel, Conell hasn't been able to focus on much of anything except her. Kiwi's mere presence pulses through every synthetic and humanoid part of his body. And, unknown to both Kiwi and Conell, her past is entwined with his.
But a deranged captain of the Vanos, the alien race from which they're defending mankind, is still hunting for Kiwi. Against all the odds, Conell and Kiwi have a second chance at happiness—if the enemy doesn't find them first.
Product Warnings
This title contains the following: explicit sex, graphic language, kick ass, strong-willed heroine, partially rebuilt sexy alpha males with bionics, who are bigger, stronger, faster and a hell of a lot harder to deal with.
Copyright © 2008 Mandy M. Roth
All rights reserved — a Samhain Publishing, Ltd. publication
Chapter One
Orbiting Planet Rhesus in the Prometheus Quadrant of the A-QPT46 System…
"Pegasus's balls," Kiwi cursed softly as she twisted the last torque nut into place. The couplings had needed replaced and once there, she'd realized her ship's thrusters were in need of work too. The exothermic reaction sections of the engine had seen better days as well. Still, she made do. Her ship was a thing of pride to her. It represented freedom, regardless how pristine it was—or wasn't, in her case. In the scope of the fleet, her cargo ship wasn't the worst. Not by far. Out of necessity, she'd learned to do her own repairs. It wasn't a glamorous life but it was hers to do with as she pleased. Besides, since she'd taken up residency on the science vessel, which had been created to house a thousand, Kiwi found life wasn't nearly as hard as it had been on her own.
Still, laying down roots wasn't her style, regardless how right the situation seemed to be. Not anymore. There had been a time she would have but that was before the attack—when she was a different person. A person who thought she was entitled to everything and worked for nothing.
That girl is long gone.
Kiwi shimmied out from the smoky gray shaft, her palms sliding over the slick surface. She double-checked the work she'd spent the last three hours doing, before exiting her personal ship. The thruster engines had required a complete overhaul and she'd needed something to keep her occupied. Her thoughts had been on a man she shouldn't be worried about. For some reason, she couldn't help herself.
The weight of someone's stare made her backside burn and her face flushed with the knowledge of who was there—the same man she'd been working overtime to not think about. She smiled, still facing the ship. "Enjoying the view?"
"You have no idea."
She hopped to her feet and used a hand to steady herself. The exterior of her cargo ship was smooth to the touch. Almost as smooth as one Dr. Conell Ballou, who happened to be standing directly behind her. She wasn't sure how long he'd been there, but if how hot her ass felt was any indication, he'd either been there a while or was looking damn hard at her. Whenever he was around, she had issues keeping her body temperature regular. Hot flashes were a constant threat.
His sandy blond hair flopped down over emerald green eyes, and the faintest hint of a beard showed on his face. He was always in need of a shave. The look suited him. There wasn't much about the man that didn't seem just right. Except for his attitude, of course. He was some sort of super genius and his ego was even bigger than his IQ. That was saying something.
Last she knew, Conell had been planetside, doing recon work and posing as one of the enemy. With a planet as large as the one they were orbiting, it was entirely possible to drop by and blend in, seemingly unnoticed. It wasn't as if the enemy had taken total control of the planet. They were only in the starting phases of the act. The Vanos weren't to be toyed with and if left unchecked, they would rid the universe of anyone other than their own kind.
Kiwi hated when Conell volunteered to go on missions that put him on the front line of danger, mainly because his background was that of an academic, not a soldier. Though time and the pending war had hardened him slightly. It hardened everyone it touched. Including her.
"Thought you weren't due back for three more days." She was more than excited to see him but refused to show any sign of it. Whatever was happening between them was coming to a head. She knew it and suspected he did as well.
A devilish grin slid over his entirely too-kissable lips. "Keeping track of me?"
Wiping her grease-covered hands on the back of her overalls, Kiwi stared at him, fighting the driving need to touch him. "Did you want something, Ballou?"
His hungry gaze moved over her and she had a fairly good idea of what he wanted. Problem was, she wanted it too. Getting involved with him wasn't an option. Kiwi had too many secrets she needed to keep under wraps to let anyone too close and Conell was a man she could see herself opening up to. He wasn't the only one on the ship. That scared her.
Dr. Aeron Braxton-Fairbanks was an amazing woman who had given Kiwi her life back by rebuilding some of the damage the Vanos had inflicted upon her and even Aeron didn't know all of Kiwi's secrets. She wasn't sure anyone ever would. So many people aboard the vessel weren't what they appeared to be. Many were composed of synthetic parts. Some were part Vanos. Others full Vanos. They'd found a way to get along well enough and had become an odd sort of family. That being said, Kiwi still couldn't imagine telling them everything, even though she knew they wouldn't look at her differently—it was how she viewed herself that left her staying to herself.
Conell's green gaze slid lower and Kiwi almost asked if he was mentally undressing her. Knowing Conell, he'd only say yes and leave her on the spot, again. He tended to run away whenever a revelation about the need between them came to light.
"You about done for the day?" He cast a sexy grin in her direction and it was all Kiwi could do to keep from biting a knuckle and moaning. The man's voice alone brought her close to orgasm. Add in the rest of the packaging and Conell required her full concentration to ignore.
She glanced at the mounted timekeeper and realized her shift, for lack of a better word, had ended several hours ago. "I guess. But I'd like to finish fitting the thermal…"
"Some of the crew are headed planetside to find a watering hole and relax."
By watering hole, he meant a bar, she was sure of it.
Kiwi almost declined, as she normally did whenever the invitation was presented. She nodded and Conell actually took the smallest of steps backwards.
"Really?"
"Unless you don't want me. The look you're giving me now makes me wonder."
"No. I want you." He cleared his throat. "I mean, we want you to come with us."
"Do I have time to get cleaned up?"
He beamed. "You sure do."
February 16, 2012
Help make a book FREE on Amazon
Hi everyone. Raven Books has been trying for over a month to get one of its titles to be listed for FREE for good on amazon. Its not an easy task. We have several other promotional books planned to do this as well and from various authors but we refuse to put them up if they can't be marked FREE on Amazon too. So, we need your help. Its simple and its NO cost to you. It will just take a bit of your time. I'm guessing under five minutes. In the end, if it goes FREE, you'll be rewarded with a FREE book or you have the option to download for FREE from the other vendors that already honored our FREE request.
Odds are, if this works, we'll need to ask for your help with our other select titles that will be promotional. We're hoping because you love us (admit it, we're hard not to like) you'll be all in about lending a hand.
Instructions:
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Visit this AMAZON book page link. In the PRODUCT DETAILS section you will see this under the info listed there " Would you like to give feedback on images or tell us about a lower price?" Click on TELL US ABOUT A LOWER PRICE. Select ONLINE story option. In the url section you can paste one of the following URLs (doesn't matter which one you use) and you can input the price as $0.00 and the shipping as $0.00.
URLs to be pasted in
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/they-...
OR
http://www.allromanceebooks.com/produ...
OR
http://www.diesel-ebooks.com/item/SW0...
Raven wants to be able to offer a few select titles for promotion that are FREE to our readers. We obviously can't offer all our titles for that or we'd go out of business but the ones we can we want to assure are actually listing for what we want. Thanks for your help on this! Also, if you can, please share this post with your friends and fellow readers to help us get as many lower prices notices as we can sent in to Amazon. We'll call on your help again the next time we want to make a book FREE for good and seriously…. THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
February 15, 2012
MwM Self-Publishing Spotlight: James Mace
Marketing with Mandy Self-Publishing Spotlight: James Mace
Q: Please take a minute to tell us a little about yourself.
A: I grew up in Meridian, Idaho, which is just outside of Boise. I spent three years in the Air Force and was stationed in Phoenix before getting out and moving back to Boise. I worked full-time as a federal technician for the Army Guard for fifteen years before recently resigning in order to focus exclusively on writing.
I am the author of four books in the series Soldier of Rome – The Artorian Chronicles, as well as a short novella based on one of the characters. Writers are often stereotyped as introverts, hence why one of my best friends told recently that he's surprised it's what I do for a living as I am the most sociable person he knows.
I work out religiously, hitting the weights, swimming laps, running, or bicycling five to six days a week. My goal is to compete in my first Spartan Race this year. I also belong to a rather insane running / social club called The Hash House Harriers.
Q: What prompted you to self-publish your book(s)?
A: After writing my first book in 2005, I made numerous attempts to go the traditional route. The perception was that you had to have an agent and go to a big publisher, otherwise you were a failure. I sent out approximately a hundred queries and received about twenty responses. I was told that was phenomenal, since the response rate was supposedly only about 2%. I shrugged it off, as even though I got twenty responses, none of them would take me on as a writer. No one said they didn't like the story; what all of them said was, "There is no market for this". Apparently they'd never seen "Gladiator". A friend of mine had written a book a few years back and recommended that I try self-publishing.
Q: How has the experience been to date?
A: It was slow at first. I certainly was not writing in order to become rich. It was simply a hobby that I made a little bit of money at. The issue with self-publishing is you are completely on your own when it comes to marketing and advertising. You are also required to front the costs, though these are not too bad.
Where my real success has been is in the rise of the eBook. I tell people all the time that Amazon Kindle is my new best friend! Around the spring of 2011 I managed to get all of my books onto Kindle and the sales immediately took off. By summer I was making substantially more in royalties off Kindle alone that I was working full-time for the federal government.
Q: What do you know now that you wished you knew when you started?
A: I've gone through many hard lessons learned, foremost being don't skimp when it comes to proof-reading and editing! Unfortunately, no one has written a "Self-Publishing for Dummies" guide, so I had to learn most lessons the hard way.
Q: What tips/tricks do you use for marketing or promoting your own titles?
A: This is still something I'm actually trying to learn more about. I've done the occasional blog tour, plus I have a fan page on Facebook, along with my official website.
Q: What is one thing you'd want to tell a newer author, just coming into the game?
A: Keep writing! Sounds clichéd, I know. Thing is, focus on what you're good at and start getting a catalog of quality work out. Also, like I mentioned above, don't skimp on the proof-reading / editing. You may think you can proof your own work. Trust me, you can't. The brain will see what is supposed to be there, but it may not be what is actually printed. Also, if you don't put your works onto eBook, especially Kindle, you're only hurting yourself. Between my four books (my novella is eBook only), I sell maybe a hundred or so copies per month combined. Conversely, I sell several thousand a month on Kindle. And if you have short stories, you can publish those directly to eBook and sell them for $0.99, thereby giving readers a sample of your writing style.
Q: Could you tell us a bit about your latest release?
A: My latest release was my short novella, Centurion Valens and the Empress of Death. Though it has characters from The Artorian Chronicles in it, it is not a "military" story. I classify it more as a semi-erotic thriller involving a Centurion and the fallout that comes from his transgression with the notorious Empress Messalina. It's about 26,000 words, so about a quarter of the length of one of my regular books. It has been well received and in fact is my best-seller in the U.K.
Q: Can you tell us a little about your current WIP's (works in progress)?
A: I am currently working on the fifth installment of The Artorian Chronicles, entitled Soldier of Rome: Judea. This will be the second-to-last book of the series, so I am looking at branching out into other eras of history. That is why after Judea is released I will be working on another short novella before I jump into the final book, Soldier of Rome: The Last Campaign. This particular story will take place during one of the most brutal sieges of the Napoleonic Wars which took place in April 1812. It is called Forlorn Hope: The Storming of Badajoz.
LINKS:
February 14, 2012
10 Tips For Writing Your Book Fast
This can also apply to fiction as well
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10 Tips For Writing Your Book Fast
The number of aspiring authors is growing as entrepreneurs, coaches, speakers and other professionals discover that writing a book increases their credibility and visibility. As their eagerness increases, however, their patience decreases and therefore many look for ways to get their books written fast.
On and off the Internet there are classes, retreats and webinars that promise to show you how to write a book in incredibly shorter and shorter amounts of time—28 days, 90 days, 5 days, a weekend and so on. How can this be? What does it take to write a book fast?
Here are 10 ways you can get your nonfiction books written fast.
1. Commit to getting your book completed in whatever time frame you've set.
Put your family and friends on notice that you won't be available during this time or segments of time. Then treat this time like you would any job or school assignment. This means temporarily dropping any nonessentials from your schedule.
2. Choose a place to write that is comfortable and conducive to you.
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For some, this is a dedicated room at home, without any distractions.
For others the local library or coffee shop works best. Don't wait until you afford a remote cabin in the woods or an escape to a deserted island.
3. Decide on the topic about which you're passionate.
If you want to write a book on dieting, for example, you will have to narrow your topic considerably since there are infinite directions you can go with this topic. Your ideal diet may be one that allows you eat anything you want, but only in certain proportions. Perhaps you've come up with a way we can eat fast food only and still maintain our ideal weight. How about a cookie diet or ice cream diet?
4. Gather all the information you have on this topic.
If you are a coach, an entrepreneur, or a blogger you already have loads of content in the form of articles, blog posts, reports or speeches with which to work. When I wrote my book, "Color Your Life Happy: Create the Success, Abundance and Inner Joy You Deserve," for example, I began with the blog posts I had already written about living a happy, peaceful and joyful life. If most of your ideas are still in your head, do a major brain dump into your computer or a recorder.
5. Decide on your target reader.
While you may think that your book would be perfect for everyone, it will be easier to write and more likely to be a hit if you direct it at a specific group. A book for pet owners is far too broad, and will only be able to give cursory attention to all the aspects of pet ownership. A book on diagnosing and nursing your sick pet bird back to health can go into depth and be much more satisfying for readers looking for this exact topic.
Create an outline of the key points you want to make.
Create a working title for your book and then convert it into a question. If you're writing a book on attracting a man, perhaps your title in question form could be "How Can You Become Irresistible to Men?" Now make a list or record the answers to this question. These become your chapter headings.
6. Expand on each item from your list in as much detail as possible, in no particular order.
This can be done fast by having someone interview you while you record your answers in any order you wish. You can do this on your own without an interviewer, of course.
7. Resist editing what you've written and focus instead on finishing your rough draft.
This is the greatest challenge for writers. Each time you come back to your manuscript after a break, continue where you left off without going all the way back to the beginning. The editing and polishing of your book can only be done after you have a completed manuscript.
8. Gather the elements that can help convey your message.
Help your reader have a deeper and more meaningful experience by including relevant illustrations, quotes, tips, activities, charts, guides or other features.
9. Write your introduction telling the reader what they can expect from your book.
10. Now that you've finished your rough draft and introduction, print off the whole thing and read it through from beginning to end.
Use your red pen to edit your manuscript. Make the changes in your manuscript then turn over to a professional editor (not your nephew.)
By following these ten steps you can complete your nonfiction book successfully and in a short period of time.
Flora Morris Brown, Ph.D. is an author, coach, speaker, radio host and entrepreneur. Her book, Color Your Life Happy, promotes making choices that give you the life you want. Her forthcoming book, Color Your Life Published: How to Write a Nonfiction Book in 90 Days, gives the ordinary person reassurance and guidance in getting their books published and creating multiple streams of income. Join Flora on Facebook under Color Your Life Published. Get her free ebook, It's Time to Write Your Book, at http://www.coloryourlifepublished.com
This article is free for republishing
Source:
February 12, 2012
John Reyer Afamasaga, Metafiction Author Interview by Michelle M. Pillow
John Reyer Afamasaga, Metafiction Author
By Michelle M. Pillow, www.michellepillow.com
Most of us in these technological times have heard the term GUI (Graphical User Interface, often pronounced "gooey") and even more of us are familiar with a little social phenomenon called Facebook. It is these two elements that create the forum to author John Reyer Afamasaga's postmodern intertextual style. An ongoing story told via Facebook (and later in eBook and other formats), the GUIOPERA is an end-to-end saga that, well, is probably a concept best explained by the author himself.
And this wouldn't be an exclusive Paranormal Underground interview if there wasn't a little bit of the otherworldly thrown into the mix. The ongoing, online story deals with the idea of multiple planes of existence and the concept of possession. The possessions are not inherently good or evil, but more of a fundamental concept of the world building.
Q: Who are you and what do you do?
John: I'm an online writer. I write Emotional Techno Fiction (etfiction) namely the GUIOPERA.
Q: In your work, etfiction and the GUIOPERA, you delve into the world of Possession. What inspired you to write about this?
John: I write in the genre called Metafiction, and to quote wiki it "…self-consciously addresses the devices of fiction, exposing the fictional illusion…" So with that said, I use external devices, such as the interview taking place to reinstate some of that intrigue that traditional fiction has. From wiki again, "It is the literary term describing fictional writing that self-consciously and systematically draws attention to its status as an artifact in posing questions about the relationship between fiction and reality…" In the story or the End-to-End Saga, Lazoo, Metofeaz, Le Mac & Afamasaga (LMLA-ink) the lead characters are linked by events that go back to sometime in the nineteenth century. The modern day story is twisted so it may be used as a cloaking device to distribute Intel amongst LMLA-ink and other Network operatives who fight corruption.
Possession is a device that was used by the author who also appears in the story under various guises to sell to the new operatives under his care, who were mostly gifted ex-cons, thieves, hit men and the like their new identities or covers. He instilled in each of the untrained operatives their new personas and therefore personalities which had to account for their natural tendencies with such conviction that it was likened to being possessed by an entity. In GUIOPERA 1 John Reyer even created a site in the Nevada desert, like a mecca where the new and young recruits would visit after their training he designed based on psychosynthesis technique "Transmutation," to find their Entity with Entitlement, a spirit worthy of possessing their shell or body and mind.
Q: What is GUIOPERA?
John: GUIOPERA stands for Graphical Interface Opera. I like to think of it as an app. It's the brand name for the online serial I write, incorporating its facets, it's delivered in a browser (GUI) and it's an opera in how the story has links to music on YouTube. A glorified story if you'd like.
Q: What is Trillion Cool? I see you post this word a lot on your Facebook page.
John: *TrillionCool* is a phrase, but also a tour that I'm currently on. The Halcyon Days following an apocalyptic first decade to the 21st century. The tour ends in 2020, during which I hope to write the GUIOPERA in as many countries around the planet possible. Hopefully I'll be able to talk about topics like "Sustainability" and "Economic Development" for developing countries, in and amongst writing the GUIOPERA.
Q: In the story you refer to the SFD, MMD and AMD? What do the acronyms stand for?
John: They're dimensions, where the entities roam looking for a Shell to inhabit. MMD or the MindMorph dimension is earth or the physical realm where Shells exist. The name derived from how our minds are morphed in consumerism by marketers making it; life on earth quite a freaky reality when we consider everything we do is planned for us. The SFD is the SenFenide Dimension or the dream dimension likened to our subconscious mind. The SFD is the negative of or inverted image of reality. The AMD is the AmalgaMension dimension, or the realm where everything is congruent. For the sake of self-development the apparatus is two step paradigm —the new recruit works in MMD and SFD sorting out their mind and finding out how they work, and progress onto the AMD. In the End-to-End Saga the apparatus; three universes in which the battle of good against evil is waged by entities inhabiting or possessing humans.
Q: When world building, did you base your story off of known myths throughout history?
John: Mostly based on the mind, influenced by Psychoanalysis by Sigmund Freud and Roberto Agasiolli. But that is only the rules or the constructs of each dimension. What goes on in the dimensions has a lot to do with my upbringing, a strict Christian one till I broke free in my teens.
Q: What myths or legends inspired you?
John: The Bible of course, I had little or no say in that. But then there was King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table and Robin Hood. And Dracula. Add to that my penchant for making stuff up, and I ended up with a cauldron of misfits cruelly cut up by some real life experiences of demonic possession of people around me.
Q: Why do you think readers, and society in general, are fascinated by the paranormal?
John: Logically speaking it's a reaction to the rigidness of life we lead, another form of escapism that is safe from an inquisitive mind's length away. On the other hand it's an all immersed alternative to religion's "sit in a pew, fold your arms, face the front" search for the truth to satisfy the soul.
Q: What are your favorite paranormal shows, movies and books?
John: I'm out of touch to be honest, have had my head buried in my writing for the past decade. Meeting you was the first time I really got to know about this.
Q: Do you believe in the supernatural? Or are you a skeptic?
John: Definitely witnessed supernatural up close and personal if Demonic Possession is counted.
Q: Have you ever had a paranormal experience?
John: I witnessed three cases of Demonic Possession and all of them happened to deeply religious people. A few interesting facts prevailed in all three cases. 1, the chilling air, ice cold no matter the insulation of the room or the weather outside. 2, the fear in the person's eyes, but the strength and will in their bodies. And 3, the fluency in the tongues they were speaking in was also chilling. Two of the people are still alive and still remained in their faith after the experience. The other died from an epileptic seizure which couldn't be dealt with due to the ferociousness of the occupation. The first two I witnessed growing up. The later, I witnessed in my late teens. I didn't know the person, but was only there as a friend of a friend who knew I was a Christian and thought that I could be of help as the possessed person, also a Christian, was a runaway.
Q: What kind of paranormal creatures do you wish you could meet?
John: A vampire Rom writer who believes in the supernatural? Is that an admissible answer in this forum? [image error]
Q: I see someone finally got their season of True Blood. *laughing* So, if given the chance, which of your dimensions/worlds would you want to live in?
John: It would be the AMD or the AmalgaMension dimension where all lessons learned have amalgamated resulting in congruency or in find the Authentic Self, you!
Q: How would you react if you came face to face with a ghost or vampire?
John: Ghost, I would question the reason why they're here. Vampire, I'd be on the phone straight away to King Bill –"Dude, I think I have Sookie and Eric's love child here, he wants to know if I have any True Blood …" lol.
Q: What does the future hold for your writing?
John: As I pointed out earlier, the *TrillionCool* is a phase and a tour I'm on till 2020. I hope to write thirteen GUIOPERA by the end of 2020. I'm on number four right now, starting on September 5th 2011.
Q: Have you ever been to a psychic?
John: I've had out of body experiences, seen a lot of stuff, and I still believe that only destiny knows the future, and fate waits for you tempt it. Indecision and doubt are angels of fate.
Q: Have you ever been abducted by aliens?
John: Not yet, not today anyways…
Thank you, John, for joining us.
GUIOPERA 4 began September 5, 2011. It's a free online read and can be found at either http://www.etfiction.com or by friending John's Facebook page at www.NewGlobalRealm.com Interview by Michelle M. Pillow, www.michellepillow.com
February 11, 2012
Excerpt from Performance Criteria
Excerpt from Performance Criteria
What do you get when you have an IQ that is off the charts, the inability to let go of someone you love and a lot of spare parts? The man of your dreams, of course.
Droid Wars, Book 1
Dr. Aeron Braxton is on the verge of unveiling her newest creation—a droid who can pass as either human or Vanos.
An alien race took the man she loved away from her, but her revenge is at hand. Aeron has rebuilt Brad into a living, breathing killing machine she hopes will save the outer quadrants from a mass Vanos invasion.
Too bad the brilliant scientist didn't calculate the probabilities of love getting in the way.
Product Warnings
This book contains hot, explicit sex and violence explained with contemporary, graphic language.
Copyright© 2006 Mandy M. Roth
All rights reserved — a Samhain Publishing, Ltd. publication
Planet Athena in the Epimetheus Quadrant of the A-QET73 System…
Brad pried the bay doors open, his heart feeling as if it were lodged in his throat as thoughts of something happening to Aeron filled him. He should have never agreed to leave her side. The idea of sending pact members to opposite corners of the galaxy to avoid capture hadn't sat well with him but he'd listened, to a point, respecting the others' wishes. Instead of completely leaving the planet, Brad declined a promotion and stayed on as a captain to assure he would be in the vicinity of Aeron's lab. He'd not told her his decision yet and had little doubt word would have reached her even if he wasn't showing up to face her.
It wasn't until he intercepted a transmission leaking Aeron's whereabouts that Brad knew he should have trusted his gut and never left her side. He'd wanted to take her with him and confess all he felt about her. Only one thing had prevented him from doing just that—Conell, her on-again, off-again boyfriend.
None of it mattered now. Aeron's safety was his only concern.
"Aeron," he called, rushing down the corridor towards her lab. The sound of his voice echoed off the walls and was the only response he received. Adrenaline coursed through his veins as Brad continued full force into Aeron's lab.
"Aeron!"
A quick look around the area showed no sign of her. Brad grabbed the end of a work station and fought for air not wanting to come. "Aeron, honey!"
"Ouch. Brad, is that you?" Her soft voice never sounded so sweet. She peeked up from behind a tall table, rubbing her head gingerly. "What are you doing here? I thought we agreed to—"
He was on her in an instant, dragging her petite frame against his body and holding her close. She smelled of mint and Brad knew Aeron had been playing with her hydroponics garden again.
"Brad?"
"You're safe? Not hurt? Unharmed? All right?" He visually scanned her, searching for any indication she was injured but finding none.
A tiny laugh came from her and tugged at his heartstrings. "I'm fine but aren't you Captain Redundant. Could you think of any more ways to ask if I'm okay? Want to tell me why you're here?" She pressed her cheek to his chest and he felt the tension in her ebb away. "Not that I'm complaining or anything."
"I need to get you somewhere safe, Aeron," he said, not wanting to let go. Holding her felt right. "_They_ know where you are."
She tensed. "How?"
He'd wondered the same thing when he'd intercepted the transmission leaking her location. Brad would have assumed a pact member turned on Aeron if he didn't already know better. Each member was loyal to the cause—protecting humans from an all-out Vanos invasion. Aeron had also been one of the few pact members who remained on the planet Athena. She'd been adamant about not leaving her work behind and Brad had been equally as stern on her going. In the end, Conell stepped in, trumping Brad's decision. "I don't know, honey."
Aeron leaned back and lifted her sandy blonde brows to form a question on her face. "Brad, you're acting strange. You just called me honey."
"Is Conell here?" He didn't have time to worry about slips of the tongue. He needed to get her somewhere safe.
She shook her head. "No. He left, like almost everyone else did."
Anger coursed through Brad's body. As much as he hated knowing Conell held Aeron's heart, he hated the knowledge the man had left her alone more. The pact agreement didn't mean a thing. Not when it came to Aeron's safety. Brad would move the heavens to assure she was well. "Come on, we need to get you back to your father's ship. Is it still docked in the south bay?"
"Yes but it's not been serviced in the last six months." She closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath. "I couldn't do it, Brad. Not after they killed him. Being around the ship reminded me of my father too much. It's not ready to fly. Not yet." Aeron's bottom lip trembled as fear crept into her voice. "Brad?"
"Shhh, it's fine, Aeron. Every time you and the others got going on a new theory, I got the hell out of here and hung out on your father's ship. I've kept up on it. In fact, I think it's one of the best vessels out there." Unable to stand the sight of her frightened, Brad leaned his head down and pressed his lips to hers. He waited, stuck in the moment, sure she'd push him away. She didn't. Instead, Aeron parted her lips for him, allowing Brad to ease his tongue in. The kiss was intoxicating, stealing Brad's ability to do anything other than lose himself in the taste of her sweet lips.
The second Aeron went to her tiptoes and slid her hands into the back of his hair, Brad pulled her towards the ground, too many years worth of wanting but never having built up behind him to stop. It felt so good to finally have her with him. He wouldn't think about tomorrow, about how she'd no doubt push him away. No. He'd concentrate on the here and now.
Something whizzed past his head and his military training kicked in. Brad shielded her body with his as shots from a Vanos weapon flew by. He knew the ammunition they packed was often filled with a substance that ate human flesh. Having Vanos blood in him would retard the destruction, to a point, if he was hit. If Aeron was hit, she wouldn't heal.
A beaker exploded, raining glass down on them. Brad kept Aeron tucked safely beneath him. When he realized she hadn't made a sound, his worst fear hit him head on.
She's dead.
"Aeron?" He leaned back enough to look down at her. Her blue eyes were wide as she clung to him.
She peeked out. "Are they gone?"
"No," he said, relief breaking in his voice. "Are you hurt?"
Shaking her head, she whimpered before grabbing his neck and coming away with blood. "You're bleeding!"
"Just a scratch, baby." He planted a chaste kiss on her forehead and then rolled off her. "Stay put."
"Brad." She grabbed his hand. "They'll kill you."
He drew his sidearm and winked. "Not if I kill them first. Promise you'll stay here."
She nodded and he took one last chance to stare at her. Telling her how he really felt for her was on the tip of his tongue but he held back. He'd get her to safety and then tell her once they were airborne. Brad tugged his hand free of Aeron's and forced a smile to his face. "We'll get through this, Aeron."
***
Aeron watched in horror as Brad bolted upright and began firing off shots. The enemy returned fire—a multitude of bullets, breaking glass and fumes from lab experiments now destroyed filled the room. Each time something popped, Aeron yelped. She rolled to her side and onto broken glass. It bit at her exposed skin but she ignored the pain, too worried about Brad's welfare to mind.
She peeked around the side of the table and came face to face with a dead Vanos. Shocked, she lurched back, raking her legs through more broken glass. A portable microbiology system crashed to the floor next to her, a piece of its glass front flying wide and lodging into her upper leg, as sparks popped out of the back end of it. The cut, while superficial, resulted in a large quantity of blood. She pulled the shard free of her leg, careful to avoid cutting herself further.
Brad seized hold of her arm and yanked her to her feet. Aeron knew better than to question his judgment when it came to matters such as these. Brad was a soldier and a damn fine one at that. If he wanted to move, she'd follow blindly.
She touched her swollen lips with her free hand, still in awe he'd kissed her. For years she'd wanted him. When it finally happened, their kiss had literally been explosive.
He led her towards the double bay doors and stalled, just a second, as he raked his gaze over her. "Aeron, you're bleeding."
"It's just a—"
Something loud sounded and she watched in what felt like slow motion as Brad's body lifted off the ground. He fired his weapon towards the doors a nanosecond before he released his hold on it and continued his decent.
It took Aeron's brain a moment to catch up with what she saw—Brad, lying on his back. An array of wounds littered his once unmarred body. The only part still recognizable was his face. Bile rose and she steeled her nerves for the time being as she glanced towards the door and spotted a dead Vanos there.
"B-brad?" She reached out tentatively, already knowing the worst had come true. "No."
Instinct kicked in and Aeron shut off her emotions, focusing on Brad instead. She launched into the steps necessary to save him, if it were possible, all the while blocking out the sounds of station police heading her way. Help was coming, but for Brad, help was already too late. As his blood coated her hands, she knew she would do everything in her power to make this right.
Bending down, Aeron pressed her lips to his cheek and released a secret she'd held dear. "I love you"
Brad's hand jerked and Aeron dismissed it as nerves but silently prayed the action meant some part of him could still hear her.
February 8, 2012
MwM Author Spotlight: Jenna Ives
Marketing with Mandy Author Spotlight: Jenna Ives
Q: Tell us a little about your experience with Samhain Publishing as well as self publishing.
A: Samhain is an awesome publisher. They have great distribution and are very supportive of their authors. I'm very happy with them, but I decided to self-publish my novella Snow White And Her Seven Lovers to "test the waters" of self-publishing, since some authors are doing really well in this new frontier of publishing! My Snow White story came out on December 26.
Q: What tips/tricks do you use for marketing or promoting your own titles?
A: I try to think outside the box for promo tie-in opportunities. I always make a really big push at Christmas and Valentine's Day, since romances are a natural at those times of the year. I did a "Heat Up Your Holidays" book signing at a local lingerie store, and it was so successful they invited me back for Valentine's Day!
Q: What is one thing you'd want to tell a newer author, just coming into the game?
A: My marketing advice for any new author is that even if you're published with a traditional publisher, there's always some additional publicity you can get for yourself: pitch yourself as a "success story" to your local newspaper, college alumni magazine, or, if you happen to write about a particular thing (cats, knitting, martial arts, etc) pitch yourself to a magazine that focuses on those topics. No one will work harder for you than you yourself!
Q: Could you tell us a bit about your latest release?
A: My new novella is called Snow White And Her Seven Lovers, and it's an erotic twist on the classic fairy tale. Here's the blurb for the story, which is written in first-person from my heroine's point of view:
What's a girl to do when she wakes up poisoned in the ER and finds that she's lost her memory, her family, and very nearly her life?
That was me. Three months ago. With no identity, no money, and nowhere to go on the day I was discharged from the hospital, I gratefully accepted my gorgeous ER doctor's offer to move in with him and his equally gorgeous six friends – the ones who'd found me unconscious in an apple orchard. My plan was to stay until my memory returned, and I could figure out who I was and if someone really had tried to kill me.
Together with Doc, these were an amazingly diverse bunch of guys, but there was something about each of them that attracted me powerfully enough to want to explore it. The policeman with his clever handcuffs. The cunningly linguistic librarian. The disciplinarian teacher. The virgin computer whiz who loved to play sex games. The engineer who created shotgun orgasms. The wildly imaginative baker.
Becoming intimate with these seven men completed me in ways I suspected discovering my name never would. That is, until the fateful day a man showed up claiming to be my fiancé…
Conflict with lots of steamy love scenes! But by far, my most favorite part of this story was figuring out real-life jobs for these seven men. Doc (of course) is the ER doctor who saves my heroine's life after she's poisoned, but can you guess which of the above are Sleepy? Dopey? Grumpy? Sneezy? Bashful? Happy?
Q: Can you tell us a little about your current WIP's?
A: My Samhain release is called The Initiation Of Isabella, and believe me, you'll be hot to join this sorority after reading this story! I'm currently working on another college co-ed and her sorority initiation…
Q: How did you get into writing?
A: Well, as the oldest child, I was always making up stories to keep my two brothers and sister entertained. When I became an adult, the stories just kept coming!
Q: How do you balance family and writing?
A: Sometimes with the craziness of family life (plus a day job!) it's very hard to find time to write, but you just have to sit your butt in the computer chair and do it. Writing is fun, but you also have to think of it as a job, or else you won't treat it seriously.
LINKS:
February 7, 2012
Make a Story Stronger: Mental Illness
Authors,
I put a call out on the web, asking people who work in various fields or who have certain hobbies to step forth and tell me what bothers them when reading a book that talks about what they do or what they know quite a bit about. Here is one of the responses to my call out. –Mandy M. Roth
*
Make Your Writing Stronger Series is professionals in varying fields giving their personal opinions on their area of expertise. These do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the blog owner.
Dealing with Mental Illness in Books by Jennifer Watts
I read a story once that was talking about the heroine's brother who had some sort of mental disorder. That's all fine and well until I read what the disorder is supposed to be versus what the brother's actually doing. And what he was doing in no way fit his disorder in the book.
And here's my gripe…if someone wants to include mental illness in their stories they need to do enough research to describe it accurately. Leaning only toward a mental diagnosis is referred to as the medical model of mental health. Looking at family history, current stressors, lifestyle, religious views, and behaviors that could lead to a diagnosis are more of the systemic and family therapy model of mental health. Either way is plausible and can be written very well if the author invests the time in it. I just wish authors would portray their characters accurately if they wish to use this as part of a story arc.
Q:How should an author handle this, what tips do you have to help them better their book?
A: Honestly, I think the easiest way for an author to get the most accurate research without diving into the DSM-IV-TR is to look up what type of mental disorder they want to portray. The DSM basically has a recipe list of each disorder…if the person doesn't have the right behavioral symptoms they don't have the disorder. You can get some great information online about what the traits and symptoms of a disorder are and then incorporate those into the book with the character. It would probably be best to check several sites just to make sure the consensus is the same if you want to go that route.
But to say a character has OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) and then show the symptoms as going into rages and not being able to remember them is only going to show the author didn't take the time to do their research. And if an author wants to get really in depth they could ask a counselor or psychologist what would be the best way to display a certain disorder in a fictional character.
Jennifer Watts
Thank you, Jennifer for helping to make a story stronger!
If you'd like to help authors make a story stronger by lending tips or suggestions from your field of interest please contact me.
mandyATmandyrothDOTcom
February 5, 2012
Many Faces of Peter (Happy Cocking)
(older post that deserved time in the light again)
Funny edit moment, brought to you by me.
I just have to wonder about the reasoning behind changing a line from eased his cock into her to eased his happy cock into her. Is there any other kind of cock at that moment?
I hardly think it would be a wary wiener. Or a tired tool. Maybe a sad sword. How about a daft shaft? Hmm, resistantrubigo? No.A pensive penis? A naughty nightstick? A mean member? We could go with lucky lance. Or caring key?
I'm unsure but I do have a hard time thinking sex organs require antidepressants but then again that might just be me.
