Shiloh Walker's Blog, page 80
April 23, 2013
Some stuff I learned at the WRWDC Retreat
Kindle(I’m also including the signing at Turn the Page bookstore).
Turn the Page
People travel from Ireland and England to meet Nora Roberts. Like Sarah from Smart Bitches said… Nora is her own travel destination.
It’s okay to raid your mom’s jewelry stash for booksignings… cuz I did. And Nora Roberts Liked My Necklace. It’s mine now. Not Mom’s. I called her and told her I could never return it, it’s like my good luck thing. She understood. (She laughed, but she understood and gave it to me.)
Antietam …I gotta go back.
Antietam
People define success in an odd way. I’m going to reevaluate how I look at it myself. More on that later.
The WRWDC folks really know how to twist up the game Jeopardy. And that’s all I’m going to say about that…except…. THIS GAME IS NOT FAIR.
There’s still a very heavy emphasis on the things an author must do. It’s odd that a lot of people don’t talk about the one thing I think is crucial. More on that later.
I’m definitely going back to the WRW retreat.
I’m going to consider how a surfer might look at things. More on that later.
I met too many cool people to mention, but I did get to spend some time with chatting with Mary Burton, Jane Porter, Dorien Kelly, Darynda Jones and there was an epic, awesome road trip with Sarah Wendell from Smart Bitches.
Also…most important, if you call your husband on a Thursday and the youngest tells you that she has a surprise for you and your gut tells you that the surprise barks…
My surprise, waiting for me when I got home
Listen to your gut
April 22, 2013
I’m not glommable… answering/responding to a reader Q
Kindle
Totally swiping that phrase from KatiD/Dear Author…
I have a confession to make and I hate to do it because I want to be glommable. I want readers to want to buy every single thing I’ve written and to stalk my website looking for the next.
But I’m not glommable. The thing with being glommable is that the books offer a similar ‘experience’ from one to the next.
It’s hard to do that when I vary so widely on what I write.
Paraphrasing here on a comment from a reader…
I really enjoyed XXXXX. I hated the YYYYY and I’d like you to focus more on writing just this sort of thing. If these do well, can’t you do that?
(ETA… I removed the titles, because this really isn’t just a book specific thing. I get this a lot. I can’t shut off how my brain functions and the books come from the brain.)
Well. No.
For a number of reasons.
I’d get bored. Seriously. And if I’m bored, that’s not going to result in a good experience for you.
A lot of readers loved the Ash books. Yes, they were dark and creepy and there was a psycho killer running amok…some people enjoy that sort of thing. I enjoy that sort of thing, which is why I decided to write it.
I write fast. My publishers know this and they work with me to keep my options open. My newest publisher St. Martins is focusing on small-town sort of romantic suspense, similar (sort of) to the Ash books. Berkley might be interested in more books like Wrecked but that all depends on how well Wrecked does. They have the FBI Psychics, but contract issues also come into play here and I have to keep that into mind.
Bottom line, though…I’m going to write the stories that a) appeal to me the most and b) that I feel are going to sell well. I have to focus on these two things because if the story doesn’t appeal to me, I’ll be bored and that doesn’t result in a good book for anybody. Readers don’t want to be bored, but if the writer is bored, I can guarantee the reader will be bored.
I have to keep in mind whether or not the book is going to sell well because writing is my job. It’s my only job. If I write 2-3 books and they all flop, I may not be able to sell that next one.
For those who liked Wrecked, you might like some the contemporaries I’ve had at out at Samhain, EC or the ones I’ve selfpublished (Beg Me, Tempt Me ~be warned…Beg Me is dirty). You can check out the genre page.
Some of the books I write totally do have the glom factor because you’ll find the same ‘experience’ with each… it’s just a matter of what appeals.
The Grimm books (think Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets fairy tales plus crazy sauce)
The FBi Psychics (romantic suspense with a paranormal slant)
My Hunter books (vampires! werewolves! oh, my!)….
the J.C. Daniels books (yeah, there are only two, but more are coming.)
And there are like 14-15 straight contemporary titles here
but my attention span is about as short as… squirrel…and I love changing it up. The good news is… there really is something for just about everybody. The bad news… I dunno if I’ll ever be one of the Must Glom authors.
April 20, 2013
Try a little tenderness…
KindleI’m not here today. Kit and Damon can keep you company. Be quiet. They are having a moment. A dirty one.
“You’ve always been really good at distracting me in the shower,” I teased. I leaned in and flicked my tongue against his lips. “Why don’t you do it again?”
He watched me, dark eyes hooded. “You need to not think, baby girl?”
“Badly.”
He didn’t give me the distraction in the shower.
Figures he wouldn’t cooperate and nothing I said or did would change his mind.
He did take the time to stroke me down, head to toe, with some of the soap he knew I liked, although I don’t know how he got his hands on it. I had it made for me and it wasn’t anything you could buy at a store or online.
He washed my hair and tucked me back onto the bench while he dealt with his wet clothes and washed up, his gaze ever watchful…hungry. It was the look that turned my blood into lava and made me wish for crazy, needy things.
Crazy, needy things that he had the damnedest way of understanding.
I was about ready to self-combust by the time he turned off the shower. I went to stand up and he was already there, picking me and carrying me out of the ridiculously lush enclosure, setting me down and drying me off with a towel that was even warmer than the water had been.
“You do realize if you try and do something nice and gentleman-like, I’m going to punch you,” I told him.
He laughed a little.
“You do realize I can still see where something took a bite out of your side, Kit.” He splayed a hand over the wound. It didn’t ache nowhere near bad as it had earlier, although I could still feel the tug of healing flesh deep inside. “And there’s still some swelling here…” He touched gentle fingers to the back of my scalp and I grimaced at pain emanated out, a little starburst radiation.
“I know. They didn’t do a full healing. But I’m not fragile.” I turned around and slid my arms around his neck, leaning against him and pressed my lips to his. “I’m bruised and battered—doesn’t mean I’m broken.”
“No…you’re not. But I think I can take you in the bed instead against the damned wall,” he muttered against my mouth.
Hot little shivers raced through my belly and I smiled as he trailed his lips down my neck, biting me right where it curved into my shoulder. “Oh, I can deal with that, I think.”
He boosted me up and I wrapped my legs around his hips, sighing in pleasure as I felt the heat of him nudging me between my thighs. This…just this. This was what I needed, what I wanted.
I curled around him, my nails digging into skin as he went to lay me down and he shuddered. “Drives me nuts the way you do that.” He nipped my lower lip.
“Do what?” Whatever it was, I needed to know so I could it a lot.
“Do everything.” He trailed a path down my collarbone, caught the tip of my nipple in his mouth and tugged. “Everything you do drives me nuts. Either you make me want to beat my head against a wall, or I want to put you against a wall and do this…”
He slid a hand between us… from NIGHT BLADE, which is now in ebook & print. 
other authors!
Shelli Stevens
Caris Roane
Eliza Gayle
McKenna Jeffries
Taige Crenshaw
Delilah Devlin
HelenKay Dimon
TJ Michaels
Myla Jackson
Lauren Dane
Jody Wallace
Leah Braemel
Mandy M. Roth
Felicity Heaton
April 17, 2013
One more reminder…order some signed books
KindleI head out tomorrow. Today, I’m going to be running around like a lunatic, making sure I haven’t forgotten anything, and of course, I’ll forget something.
But don’t you forget… you can order signed books from me while I’m at TURN THE PAGE on Friday. Order something! Make me look important! They have WRECKED and THE REUNITED listed, but they do have a few other titles on hand, so if you don’t want those two books, just shoot them an email or give them a call and see if they have another title you might like. They will totally mail books, so you can order even if you’re in Antarctica Do I have readers there? Man. That would be cool.
Anyway…there ya go. One more reminder.
If you’d like to come, you can… there’s going to be a bunch of writers, including Nora Roberts.
Check out the signing protocol, though.
Some info I got from TTP:
Free tickets will be given out to fans beginning at 10 am and ending at 2 pm.
All books signed must be purchased at TTP.
Signed books may be ordered online for signature up until 9 am on Friday.
Okay. I think that’s it. I need to go back to spazzing about whatever in the world it is I’ve forgotten.
April 16, 2013
The winners…
KindleWinners….
Donna won the GC from me
Diane won the copy of WRECK THIS JOURNAL
Eva won Thea’s prize
Elaing8 won Alyssa’s prize
BeckyN won Helenkay’s prize.
Okay folks! Contact me at shilohwalker2011 at gmail.com with the PRIZE you won, the email you used to enter and your entry nunber…you can see we had a lot of entries so I have to make sure I’ve got the right donna, diane, etc…
And please make sure you email me. I’ll get you in touch with the author who has your prize.
Thanks for entering!
April 15, 2013
A word of advice
KindleWhatever you do, never ever, and I mean never ever confuse the lemon-lime soda for water when you’re making up a new batch with your soda stream drink thingamajig.
Take my word on this. The mess is…epic.
Image from Bed Bath and Beyond.
April 14, 2013
Just a reminder… get some books signed by me!
KindleI’m signing at the Turn the Page Friday… they’ve got several of my titles in, including my newest releases. Those are listed on the page, but if you contact the store, they do have other titles on hand.
Other authors attending…
The WRW Mega Booksigning will be
Friday April 19th from 11:30 – 2
Scheduled to attend: Mary Burton/Mary Ellen Taylor,Shiloh Walker, Darynda Jones, Dorien Kelly, Jane Porter,Sarah Wendell, Grace Burrowes, Sally MacKenzie,Alethea Kontis, Allison Leotta, Hope Ramsay,
Nora Roberts/J.D. Robb, Christine Trent, Willa Blair,Rebecca York, P. J. O’Dwyer
This is a great chance to order some signed books from me, especially if you’re international or live on the other side of the country.
Yeah, look at me being all cool and not freaking–damn it, I can’t do it. I’m at a signing with Nora Roberts. I need to get my freak out NOW so I don’t ditz on her Friday. Okay, okay. I’m cool, I’m cool.
If you want to order books, go to the page here…
If you live in or around the area and plan to attend, make sure you check out the signing protocol!
April 13, 2013
Crawling back to You… MAKE UP SCENE
KindleI love those make-up scenes…
Bills paid.
That ate up an hour.
Supplies ordered.
That ate up another hour.
He sketched out a couple of designs for a client who lived over at the army base. That took up forty-two minutes. The client was still debating out in the shop. Zach wished he’d make up his mind, because if he wanted the work, doing the tattoo would take up the next couple of hours and then he could go home.
But now, with his mind empty and his hands free, he found himself bent over his sketchbook and the image taking place wasn’t anything he could ever put on anybody.
It was Abby.
The way she’d been in that last portrait. Her gaze locked on him, eyes dark and full of love. Need. Like she was staring into the very soul of him.
The curve of her lip. The line of her jaw.
Her hair, the way it glinted in the light . . . even though it was just a pencil sketch, he could see the dark, rich auburn and his hands itched to feel the softness of it again.
The door opened and he kept his gaze on the portrait. “Did the guy decide on which design he wanted?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t ask.”
Dropping the pencil, he lifted his head.
Abby stood in the door, her head cocked to the side, arms folded over her chest. It was a dangerous pose, because in that dress, her breasts looked like . . . whoa. Yeah. He thought that summed it up pretty much.
As a matter of fact, the entire package was just whoa. She was wearing one of those pinup girl‑ styled dresses again: a formfitting black sheath that fit her form oh so nicely, all the way down her to her knees. Against the black, her skin glowed like ivory and he was about ready to fall down and worship her.
She had on a pair of red heels . . . fuck. Red heels. Had he ever seen her in a pair of red heels?
He didn’t know, but now it was his life’s ambition to see her in just those heels . . . and nothing else. Assuming she wasn’t going to kick his ass to the curb. If she tried, his life’s ambition was going to be getting her to forgive him….
Focus, Zach. He dragged a hand over his face and swallowed the ache in his throat.
“Abby.”
And his voice cracked.
Caris Roane
Eliza Gayle
McKenna Jeffries
Taige Crenshaw
Delilah Devlin
TJ Michaels
Myla Jackson
Lauren Dane
April 12, 2013
Hunting the Hunter…in ebook.
KindleYay! Hot Damn! finally!
You can go buy now.
BAMM | B & N | Book Depository | Amazon
Or maybe read an excerpt first.
No blog here today…
KindleBut you can go here and read an excerpt from BROKEN BLADE
(If you tried earlier, just try the link again… there was some sort of DDoS attack on the hosting service I use for the JC blog and I think it blipped when I saved the post, but it’s cool now)
