Isabelle Drake's Blog, page 73

LA here I come!

Yes! LA here I come. I love RT as much as anyone else, but I have to admit to sneaking away from conventions from time to time to see some stuff. Don't tell anyone, but this time I plan to sneak out for a minute or two to see a live taping of Bill Maher LIVE. I have to confess, I'm not really a fan. I get mixed notes from people about whether or not I'll think he's funny, but I figure I'm in LA - I should see something TVish. Right?


  Did you know all those TV show tapings are free? And you can get tickets easily off the net. Here's one place to check tvtix.com. Last time I looked there were seats available for the Tuesday night taping of Rules of Engagement with David Spade. If you are going to RWA national in New York in June, you can check that site for NY tickets.

 I was out in LA last month and went to a taping of America's Got Talent. Did you know the clapping is fake? They tape it ahead of the acts. Am I innocent or what? I had no idea.

 When I haven't zipped out for a minute to see something, you'll find me around the convention hotel. My official plans include:
Wednesday night Ellora's Cave partyThursday morning workshop on using sensual imagery to make scenes come aliveClub RT most afternoons - look for me at the TEB table!EBook Expo on Friday afternoonLike always, RT promises to be a crazy event! Can't wait!

 

Zombies! a new free read at Ellora's Cave

The inspiration for this story came last winter at a writer's workshop. The assignment was to read a tabloid newspaper, like the National Enquirer or the Weekly World News, and use one of the articles as an inspiration for a scene. I think the goal was to loosen us, the writers up, and get us to think outside our usual pages.


I'd been thinking about writing a zombie story for a while, so I was instantly enthused when I saw a couple articles about zombies. One in particular caught my eye: How to prepare for a zombie attack during the holidays. There was even a video. Then there was the zombie Barbie. Were girls all around the globe being encouraged to turn themselves into flesh eating undead? Awesome. Around this time, Boston and New York were hit with a couple huge snow storms. That was pretty much all I needed to get started.
How did it turn out?
Find out for yourself by getting it for free at Ellora's Cave.
Check out the dedication: To Mrs. Pine's people with special thanks to RK and his Eclectic Eight. That's my shout out to RK for getting me going and everyone else who encouraged me.

Fate Unbound ... the EC release January 18, 2011

Submission to all men who approach her--that is the dictate Taryn must obey. In doing so, she will find the one man who will tame her wild heart.

The Oracle of Greece has a dictate for Adrian as well--patience and self-restraint. But those are not the qualities of a man accustomed to demanding the pleasures of the flesh.

When the two former lovers are cast out of Greece and sent to modern LA, The Oracle's words of warning are not enough to quell their desires.


this book was previously published by TotalEBound

Contest? Find Me on Facebook

If you haven't found me on Facebook yet - come on over...
I've just announced my Ellora's Cave 2011 Caveman Contest!


Get your work in the hand's of an Ellora's Cave Editor

Starting October 25th, 2010, my friend Tawny Taylor will be hosting a writing contest!

The final judge is an editor from Ellora's Cave.  


The Prize? Read on!  
All SubGenres of erotic romance accepted, including:

~Contemporary~Fantasy~Futuristic~ Shapeshifter/Vampire~BDSM~


*You may submit one chapter--not to exceed 5000 words. Stories must be complete and unpublished.
*Each Monday, two stories will be selected by an Ellora's Cave editor who is actively acquiring. At the end, six weekly winning authors will submit a partial (first three chapters, last chapter and synopsis) to the final judge for ranking.

The first place winner will receive ...

A critique of the full winning manuscript by EC editor Grace Bradley!

The second place winner will receive...
A critique of the partial manuscript by EC editor Grace Bradley (first three chapters, last and synop). 
T
he third place winner will receive...
A critique of the first chapter by EC editor Grace Bradley.


THE DETAILS:

*Starting Date: October 25th 2010

(Submissions received between 12:00 am October 25th and 11:59 pm October 29th will be considered for round one. Submissions received between 12:00am Oct. 30 and 11:59 pm November 5th will be considered for round two. And submissions received between 12:00am November 6th and 11:59 November 12th will be considered for round three.)

*Weekly Finalists Announced on November 1, 2010, November 8, 2010 and November 15, 2010.

*Last Finalist Announced: November 15, 2010

  *Entries will be accepted until 11:59 pm November 12, 2010

*NO Entry Fee or purchase necessary to win

*Please send entries to writingcontest@tawnytaylor.com. A one-page synopsis may be included along with genre, word count, and your name and contact information.

  *For any questions, email Tawny (tawny@tawnytaylor.com)

Official Rules:

Eligibility
This contest is open to both unpublished and published authors of erotic romance fiction. All entries shall be the author's original work and not contracted for publication prior to the entry deadline. (Authors currently published with Ellora's Cave are not eligible to enter.)

Entry Deadline

All entries must be received between 12:00 am October 25th and 11:59pm November 12th (Eastern U.S. Timezone).

Entry Details

Entries will be accepted in electronic (e-mail) submissions only. If you have problems sending electronically, please email the coordinator.

Each electronic entry should include:
One (1) copy of the first chapter of your manuscript (5000 words maximum) and 1-page synopsis (single spaced is acceptable, but please, keep the font at 12pt or larger). Total entry must be in one file; synopsis can go at the beginning or end of an entry.
Name and contact information must be listed in the body of the e-mail.

You will get a confirmation of the arrival of your entry. If you do not receive a confirmation within two days of sending, please e-mail the coordinator to ask if it was received. (tawny@tawnytaylor.com)

Entries should be received in RTF (rich text format) files only.

  Please enter a story only once. Authors may enter more than one story, but only one per week. Please keep in mind, the book must be finished.

Judging


First Round: The first round will be judged by Grace Bradley


The scores/scoresheets will NOT be returned to entrants. Entries will be judged on the following: plot, pacing, characterization, genre appropriateness, narration, dialogue, writing mechanics and originality.


Weekly winners will advance to the final round.
Final Round:

The finalists will be asked to send the first three chapters, last chapter and synopsis to the coordinator by 11:59 pm November 19th, 2010 for final judging.

The winner of the grand prize will be announced on November 29th, 2010.


Notification


The first round finalists will be announced weekly on Tawny's blog (www.tawnytaylor.net) and facebook page, the last one on November 15th, 2010.


Additional Prizes:


One entry will be selected each week by random drawing to received a detailed critique by an author published with Ellora's Cave. The weekly random drawing winner will also by announced on Tawny's website and blog.


IMPORTANT!

Understand that by entering you are stating that:

You have read, understand and agree to abide by the rules of the Some Like it Hot writing competition.
You understand that contest judging is subjective, and that the decisions of the judges will be final.
You agree to be bound by the judges' decisions and by the contest officials' decisions, regarding any question or dispute arising from or relating to the contest, the interpretation of official rules, and any other matters relating to the contest, not specifically covered by the official rules.
In the event of any dispute arising from or relating to this contest, you agree to defend and hold harmless Ellora's Cave, Tawny Taylor, contest personnel, and judges from any and all liability.
You understand that failure to agree to the above terms automatically disqualifies your entry.  

PLEASE DO NOT ENTER IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO THESE CONDITIONS.


Finally, please understand Ellora's Cave publishes Erotic Romance. If you have questions about what is appropriate material to submit, see the submissions guidelines at: http://www.jasminejade.com/t-writerscircle.aspx


While no purchase is required to enter or win, I suggest anyone wishing to enter Tawny's Some Like It Hot writing contest read books published by Ellora's Cave.

Get Hot for Free

A couple years ago I went for a walk on the beach with a friend of mine. She was letting her dog run in and out of the waves, I was wading in the water, cooling off. I guess I wasn't watching where I was going because I waded right in to a weird muddy spot. Three steps in I was stuck. Not just ha ha this is funny stuck--but really stuck. It was creepy! Who knew it was possible to actually get stuck in mud? Not me. After about fifteen minutes of wiggling we did get me out. The sensation of being stuck stayed with me and soon became the spark that gave life to BRIGAND LOVE, my new free read. When you read it, it'll be easy to spot the scene.

Here's a bit about the story:
Restless and unsatisfied with her life, Lacey is looking for answers. But the recurring dream that haunts her sleep delivers only more questions.

When the fierce brigand of her nights seeks her out, Lacey's tormenting dreams become reality and her past becomes her present.

Get BRIGAND LOVE for free now! 

RT 2010 Report Part 2

Okay, I exaggerated. RT wasn't all surprises. Thursday there was only one surprise.

Except that the EC lunch location was moved, then moved again. Lucky for me I ran into some other people on their way there, so I just ducked in. The lunch was wonderful and EC gave us all gorgeous fleece blankets with the EC logo. Very nice.

After the lunch I sent to a couple talks about graphic novels. Very interesting. I'm intrigued by them but haven't done much more than think "hmmm...interesting." After those talks, I went to the agent/editor panels. Most of that was the usual stuff. One thing that did stand out to me was the intense interest in Steam Punk. Message: If you have a steam punk story tucked in a file somewhere GET IT OUT there. Seems like pretty much all the editors are interested.

RT ended for me on Thursday as I received the final surprise. Bronchitis. Yuck. And so not fair. My mom, who is awesome, drove me home and put me to bed.

RT in LA next year will be better. !

RT 2010 Report!

Pretty much everything about this year's RT Booklovers Convention was a surprise. First off, I hadn't planned on going, but thanks to a last minute twist of fate I found myself on the registration list and off shopping for a red dress for the EC party on Wed. That was exciting and fun, but I didn't find a dress. My sister did though, while she was shopping for a dress for her daughter's graduation, so that was great.

Because I live in Michigan and RT was in Columbus I drove. My mom came with me; she's also a writer and always happy to go to a different city and see what's going on there. We followed a google map--which is always a bit iffy--and found ourselves weaving through a really weird place outside of Columbus. The sights were interesting (lots of confusing streets and oddly placed stores) but the roads were in really bad condition. I dodged the pot holes as best as I could but eventually one got the best of us and bamm! Flat tire.

I pulled over in the first "best" spot. It turned out to be a Pontifical College. It was very quiet. Peaceful. But not the kind of place where some people are going to zip out to help. So we called AAA. While we were waiting for AAA I put on my eyelashes. My mom napped the free wii-fii. We tidied up the car. Looked at conference stuff. You know, got things done. Eventually the AAA guy came and changed the tire. He said, "Lots of people have this happen." Good news for the tire stores in the area; bad news for us. We had to by a new tire.

We did eventually get to the convention. That was great, of course. No so great--because I'd been a late add there was no name tag for me. I went back to the "problem" table a couple times, but the printer was being moody, so no name tag for me. I was okay with that, except it meant I couldn't get in to the goody room to get some free books. I did get there the next day, but I had to wait. Waiting stinks. Another thing that stinks--not having a name tag at a party that requires one to get in.

I managed to "sneak" in to the EC party through a side door. I had a beer, chatted with friends. Did the introduction thing...but eventually I had to go to the bathroom. So I went. But when I tried to get back in the woman at the door asked me where my name tag was. I tired to condense my whole - the machine wasn't printing and I was a late add - story but it wasn't easy. Especially with the loud music and all the craziness. I guess she didn't believe me, which is probably pretty reasonable given the silliness of my "explanation" so she went to get one of the people who'd been helping with the registration table. She brought him over and told him what I'd said. He looked at me, his face letting me know he did not recognize me. Problem: earlier that day I'd been sporting my own hair. Right then I was wearing a very long, curly black wig. He didn't recognize me. So yeah, I had to explain the wig. After explaining the whole machine wasn't working bit. It's funny now, but right then I was starting to feel a *bit* crazy.

That was day 1.