I’m a guest blogger!

Today, I’m guest blogging on Naughty & Spice about keeping my erotic scenes fresh and giving away a free ebook to a commenter (including an eARC of my upcoming release,  Heart of a Huntress). Stop by and say hi!

Year in Review – 2009

2009 was a busy and important year for me in every aspect of the word. I became a new mom. I switched jobs (with a lovely 6m stretch of nail-biting unemployment in between). I moved across the state.

But writing-wise, I reached a turning point. I went from an unpubbed author to a published one. I sold 6 stories this year — 5 to e-pubs and one to a magazine. I saw the release of three of those stories. I’ll be collecting my first royalty check in a matter of days. All things that make me feel happy about my progress to become a *real* (read: professional) writer.

So what have I learned?

1. I learned a good hook in a query letter will result in more requests.  I also learned a good hook helps when pitching to an agent in person (and contrary to some rumors out there, they aren’t out to draw blood). Make it short, sweet, and attention-grabbing.
2. I learned that even though I might have a great story, timing is important, as well was what the market seems to want.
3. I’ve learned that even though a first encounter with an agent or editor may end in a rejection, if they leave the door open for future projects, it’s a very good sign.
4. I’ve learned that sometimes flexibility is good thing, and if I’m willing to work with an editor to change a few things, it helps in the long run. These people know their business.
5. On the other hand, I’ve also learned that sometimes it’s good to stand your ground when your gut tells you that a suggestion won’t work.
6. Contests are good for feedback (most of the time), but just because you win a few doesn’t mean you’re going to land that NY contract.
7. No one is going to sell your books for you. You need to help promote yourself as much as possible, including having a frequently updated web page so people can learn more about you and your writing (and know what’s in the works).

There’s still so much I need to learn, and I’m definitely not quitting my day job any time soon. But I’m moving forward, and I’m excited about what 2010 will bring.  Happy New year!

(Speaking of which, I’m lining more guest bloggers to share their writing wisdom with you in the coming months, and I’ll be making a guest appearance on the Naughty & Spice  blog tomorrow. Stop by and say hi!)

Best Books of 2009

It’s the end of the year, so I’ll be focusing on those end of the year things over the next few days. Today, I’m gonna highlight the best books I’ve read in 2009. If you’re on Goodreads, you’ll know them as my 5-star picks. And yes, there are some authors who appear multiple times because their books are soooo good. I’ve included links to all these books so you know where to find them. So, in no particular order…

Three Days to Dead by Kelly Meding
Myla by Moonlight by Inez Kelley
Sea Glass by Maria V.  Snyder
Poison Study by Maria V.  Snyder
Magic Study by Maria V.  Snyder
Fire Study by Maria V.  Snyder
Soul Fire by R. F. Long
Consort by Kim Knox
Angel’s Blood by Nalini Singh
Simply Shameless by Kate Pearce
Strange New World by Jennifer Colgan
The Twilight Deception by Alina Morgan
The Wolf’s Sister by R. F. Long
Magic Lost, Trouble Found by Lisa Shearin
Armed and Magical by Lisa Shearin
The Trouble with Demons by Lisa Shearin
Personal Demons by Stacia Kane
The Flame and the Shadow by Denise Rossetti
Snowbound by M. G. Braden

There were several wonderful 4-star picks that I read in 2009 that are worthy of checking out (ex – The Faustin Brothers trilogy by Evie Byrne), but since my 5-star list is long enough, I won’t list them all by name.

What are some of the best books that you read in 2009? I’m always on the lookout for more books to add to my TBR pile.

Book Reviews (and what to make of them)

As any published writer knows (or will soon learn), not everyone will like your writing. Welcome to the world of book reviews. Thankfully, I’ve been blessed so far with positive reviews (see links on my book page). I’m waiting for the day that someone will find fault with my writing and pick it apart with sarcastic glee. I know it’s coming, but again, it’s that reviewer’s opinion and if it’s deserved, I’ll make a note of it and try to make my writing stronger in the future. I will not argue with the reviewer or try to redeem myself.

The reason I’m writing about this was because a few weeks ago, one author did just that. Candance Sams, author of Electra Galaxy’s Mr. Interstellar Feller, blasted a person who gave her book a 1 star review and even contacted the FBI about it. Um, diva much? Despite the fact she’s deleted all her rants now, her inappropriate behavior might have just cost her a contract with her publisher, if the blog post I read is to be interpreted correctly. OUCH! (If you want to read more about it, try here.)

Book reviews can vary wildly, too. For example, take Beauty’s Curse by Traci E. Hall. Romantic Times, one of the premiere book review magazines for romance, gave it 4 Stars (out of 5) and praised it for its authentic dialogue that helped recreate the medieval setting perfectly. On the other hand, All About Romance criticized the same book, saying:
It should be mandated in Medieval 101 that you can’t get instant Medieval just by inserting “nay” and “for certes” ad nauseum amongst the 21st century nouns and verbs – it doesn’t work that way. It especially doesn’t work that way when, at one point, your heroine snorts and says, “Woot, woot.”

So, which review do you believe if you’re on the fence about buying this book? I tend to go with my gut, to be honest. There are some reviewers I trust more than others, mainly because the same things that drive them crazy also drive me crazy. If they liked it, chances are I will, too. If they hated it… well, let’s just say I’m less likely to risk my money on it. So check out different review sites, see how they rated books you loved (or hated), and if you find a reviewer who’s tastes match yours, maybe you’ll discover some new gems out there to read.

OTFS winner

The results of the On the Far Side Contest were release last night. A Soul for Trouble got 3rd place in the Fantasy category, and Once in a Coyote Moon won 1st place in the Time Travel/Historical Paranormal/Steampunk category!!

Guest Blogger – Amy Warwick

Today, I’m happy to have Amy Warwick guest blogging on her tips to beat writer’s block. She is the author of SUMMER SNOW, a book about the destructive, yet powerful relationships of women in small town America. The book can be purchased though www.amywarwick.com or www.amazon.com. For information on Amy’s next book, please visit www.amywarwick.com.

“Writer’s Block –Well, it’s about time!”
by
Amy Warwick

The other day I came out of my office for my fifth cup of stale coffee, with knotted hair, smeared make-up, and bloodshot eyes that would make any binge drinker look like a princess, and bellowed at my husband, “Thank God! I finally have writer’s block!”

He looked at me with the same distant expression that he always gives when I am working on a book: Ignore her and stay back. This could be the one that finally puts her over the edge and forces me to put her in a padded cell with just her computer and a printer and watch her type over and over again: All work and no play makes Amy a very dull girl.

After publishing my first book Summer Snow, I thought that writing my second one would be much easier and much faster. While I am definitely more trusting than my husband that I will not, in fact, fly full tilt over the coo-coo’s nest, it has by no means been the smooth ride that I had hoped for.

As a self-proclaimed expert on my own writing patterns and pitfalls now that I have one book under my belt – or so everyone would like me to be – I was certain that I could use that knowledge to simply fly, float, or sail through whatever novice technical issues had befallen me in the last book. Apparently, this is not the case. I still have the same typo’s, the same problem with writing 51,210 words one month and then scrapping it all in a day, the same haze-covered characters who refuse to reveal their true desires until I’m finally asleep at two o’clock in the morning, the same issue with reminding myself I do not need to justify my time or desire to write, and of course the same writer’s block.

Oddly enough, this time the writer’s block happened at just about the same spot as it occurred in my last book, at about 16,401 words, or if you would rather, Chapter 4. I couldn’t believe it, here I was again: Up to Chapter 4 and then, scrap it all. Start again. No, go back and use that scene from Chapter 2 that really was a scene from Chapter 1 (how did I miss that!). I’m on a roll again! Nope. I have to scrap Chapter 3; it was just plain stupid. No, wait; there was that ONE useable sentence though! Okay, let’s roll onward to Chapter 10. STOP! This sucks! File it! Start over and…and…and now I have it. The book actually started somewhere in Chapter 5 and I never even knew it, but now, now I know exactly where I am going. Don’t I?”

Yes, I do – for now anyway. And, although I feared the writer’s block when it started again, and spent many days recklessly driving the vast lines of back roads here on the Palouse scratching out scenes on my pad of paper in the passenger seat, I quickly understood that it too has a purpose in the writing process.

Writer’s block is not the blocking of information that it is always portrayed to be in movies and in college classrooms. It is instead, the building of information churning and growing like the water behind the Missoula ice dam as it occurred just before the glacial floods that changed our local landscape forever. Okay, okay, so I am getting a little prosaic here, but I think you get my meaning.

In the end, I have learned a couple of things that do seem to make this part of the process pass a little faster than it did during the writing of my other novel. First, every stage in the process does have a purpose, so there is no need to fight it or ignore it and hope it will go away, because it won’t. Second, you will make it past the stage if only you keep typing. And three, with writer’s block, there is only one guarantee: give up and stop typing and you won’t get past it. Go for a drive, rake the leaves, go for a walk -or as one writer advised me – do those dishes you’ve been ignoring while working on your book. If you have patience, and faith that you are as good at your job as anyone else, the information will eventually come out.

Now, instead of slamming the lid on my computer and walking away cursing not only myself, but my characters, my editor, my parents, my husband, the dog, the cat, or the wind that seemed to interrupt me ON PURPOSE, I simply smile, grab another cup of coffee and do what all great authors have always told us to do: keep typing!

Eventually whatever is dammed up in there does come out – be that a single sentence that changes the whole flow of a book, or a whole new character that you never even knew existed. In the end, all writers must trust the storyteller within and keep typing. For myself, I have learned that the information gleaned from my time having writer’s block is usually worth the effort and often pretty damn good.

Amy Warwick
Author~Summer Snow

Excerpt Monday – December

Once a month, a bunch of authors get together and post excerpts from published books, contracted work or works in progress, and link to each other. You don’t have to be published to participate–just a writer with an excerpt you’d like to share. For more info on how to participate, head over to the Excerpt Monday site or click on the banner above.

This month’s excerpt comes from the beginning of my current WIP, Tangled Web.

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You’ll never find a knot you can’t unravel.

The soothsayer’s words mocked Azuhra more loudly than usual tonight. She strained against the hemp ropes that bound her wrists and ankles to the thick wooden posts, reviving new trickles of blood down her copper brown arms.

For three days, she’d been forced to stand in the center of the room like this, a naked plaything for her master and his friends. For three days, she’d endured whatever sick fetishes they wanted to satisfy using her body. Now, covered in blood, sweat, and other fluids she didn’t want to think about, she fought hard to keep her spirit from breaking.

She whispered a string of curses, taking care to speak softly so she wouldn’t wake her master and his friends. First, she cursed the Deizians, who’d appeared from sky centuries ago and used their magic and technology to form the Empire. Then, she cursed the Elymanians like her master, who shook off their yoke of slavery and saddled it on her people, the Alpirions, two generations before. And finally, she cursed him for subjecting her to this treatment. If she ever got free, she’d show him the meaning of torture.

The first birdsongs of dawn filtered in from the courtyard, and she cringed. How much longer would the wine dull their senses and leave them adrift in their drunken slumber? Would they let her go today?

Footsteps shuffled outside the room. Ramina peeked into the room and shook her head at the mess strewn across the floor. Azuhra could almost imagine her fellow slave clucking her tongue if she had one, but their master had cut it out years ago when Ramina said something he disagreed with.

Azuhra beckoned her over with a flap of her wrist. Her throat rivaled the desserts to the south, making speech impossible. Her cracked lips formed the word, “water”, and the other slave nodded. She tiptoed past the broken crockery and sleeping men and lifted a glass to Azuhra’s mouth.

The woman’s small act of kindness almost brought tears to her eyes. Most of the other slaves regarded Azuhra with suspicion. Some even accused her of being cursed. She almost agreed with them. With her bright teal eyes, she stood out from the other Alpirions, which was why she captured the unwanted attention of her master.

“Thank you, Ramina,” she whispered once she’d soothed the dryness in her mouth.

The older woman stared at the hemp ropes and shook her head. The sadness in her eyes told Azuhra she wasn’t the first slave to be bound like this. Ramina turned to their master, and a snarl curled her lip. She nudged him with her foot. When he didn’t stir, she drew foot back to deliver a stronger blow.

“No, don’t wake him, please,” Azuhra begged. She needed a few hours without his hands fondling her body.

Ramina flashed her smile and pulled a small pouch from her pocket. She poured some the dark green powder into the wine jar and shook with silent laughter. The old woman had drugged them. No wonder they were sleeping like the dead now. Was this a poison to finish them off? Azuhra prayed to the gods that is was.

The other slave held her finger to her lips, urging Azuhra not to tell anyone about this. As if she would. Their master’s death would be a blessing on them all. He had no heirs. When he died, they would gain their freedom unless he’d already arranged to bequeath them on the next territorial magistrate.

Ramina bent down and picked up a broken piece of crockery. She flipped it over and examined it before she approached Azuhra with a wicked smile on her face.

Her heart jumped into her throat, blocking all air from entering her lungs. By the gods, she wasn’t going to kill her, too?

Instead of aiming for her flesh, Ramina sliced the sharp edges across one of the ropes binding Azuhra’s wrists. Some of the tension eased against her skin, and after a few more swipes, the hemp gave way. She was free.

The older woman smiled and pressed the clay fragment into Azuhra’s palm. What kind of blessing was this? She’d have her freedom in more than one way today. Tears prickled the corners of her eyes, and she silently thanked Ramina for giving her this opportunity.

The sound of voices echoed across the villa. Her heart raced. The other slaves were waking up, and she only had a short time to cut through the other ropes before they discovered her. She’d borne enough humiliation during the last three days without having disapproving glares of her fellow slaves on her. Besides, she needed to get far away before she was accused of poisoning their master.

Ramina ducked into the courtyard, leaving her alone. The voices faded back into the kitchen area while she sawed through the next rope. Her raw skin stung when the air hit the wounds on her wrists, but the prospect of freedom dulled it. Azuhra made quick work of ropes around her ankles, her breath coming fast and quick as if she was already running away.

A snort nearby paralyzed her with fear. She huddled in the corner, waiting for whoever it was to roll over and go back to sleep. Instead of listening to her prayers, the gods mocked her. Her master opened in his eyes and locked them with hers.

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For more great excerpts, go here! Note: I have not personally screened these excerpts. Please heed the ratings and be aware that the links may contain material that is not typical of my site.

Alexia Reed, Urban Fantasy (R)
Bria Quinlan, Rom Com (PG13)
Danie Ford, Womens Fiction (PG13)
Kaige, Historical Romance (PG13)
Jeannie Lin, Contemporary (PG13)
RF Long, Fantasy Sword and Sorcery (PG13)
Shawntelle Madison, Paranormal Romance (PG13)
Debbie Mumford, Flash Fiction (PG13)
Jo Lynne Valerie, Paranormal Romance (PG 13)
Kendal Ashby, Erotic Contemporary (R)
KB Alan, Erotic Paranormal Romance (R)
Penny Dune, Romantic Suspense (R)
Cate Hart, YA Paranormal (R)
Inez Kelley, Contemporary Romance (R)
Jeannete Murray, RomCom (R)
Christa Page, Regency Paranormal (R)
Michelle PicardParanormal
Jeanne St James, Erotic Rom M/M (R)
Danielle Yockman, Historical Romance (R)
Sara BrookesFantasy (NC17)
Emily Ryan Davis, Erotic Contemporary Romance (NC17)
Ella Drake, Erotic SciFi Romance (NC17)
Angeleque Ford, Erotic Contemporary Romance (NC17)
Jamal W Hankins, Dark Fiction/Fantasy (NC17)
Bryl R Tyne, Transgender M/M (NC17)

Inspirational Erotic?

I’ll have my kink with a side order of  ”Come to Jesus”  — NOT!

Seriously, before I start this discussion, I have a small disclaimer. In my angels and demons novella, Angelic Surrender, I inserted a moment of “divine intervention”, so I may be guilty of this, as well, but hopefully not to this extreme.

Now, let me begin my WTF rant. Warning: this is solely my opinion, and I know other people feel differently about this. And this is definitely NOT an attack on the authors themselves.

With the growing trend of angels and demons in paranormal romance, I suppose it’s only natural to see a revival of sorts in religious themes. Normally, I’m ok with it in moderation and tend to avoid the more preachier approaches (ex –  the Inspirational lines). But when you combine extreme religion with BDSM erotic literature, I’m wondering if it’s a bit too far. I recently just finished a novella somewhat like that. The heroine begins the story f***ing random strangers, asking them to beat her so she can get off. OK for an erotic BDSM story, but about 20 pages into the story, it took a religious turn. We’re talking about a soul-searching, God-speaking, divine grace and redemption turn. It was like Monica from Touched by an Angel  was acting out a Penthouse  letter while trying to save a soul (yes, there was kinky angel sex with the goal of salvation).   I forced myself to read the novella it all the way through just so I could see what the author was doing with it. I understood what she intended — to show that true love defies death (which she did a great job of showing) – but I could have done without the characters’ soul-wrenching agony with a side order of guilt over suicide. As I read, I felt like I was in one of those Judgement Houses. (For those of you who didn’t grow up in the Bible Belt, Judgement Houses are “haunted houses” put on by Fundamentalist sects that try to scare you with a glimpse of hell and try to get you to “Come to Jesus” at the end of it.) I get it. Don’t keep preaching about the soul’s torment because a person committed suicide. Get back to the love story and the very hawt sex. Thank you.

In another novella I read a few months ago, the MCs (one of whom was a Biblical figure) were screwing each other left and right while a horde of other Biblical figures (and Biblical plagues) paraded through. It was like Judeo-Christian Theology  101, but with lots of sex. A lot of eye-rolling occurred while I read it.

OK, let me end my sarcasm and have a more rational conversation. I’m not so much knocking the stories themselves (or the authors, for that matter). They were both very imaginative and well-written with some wonderful world building. But let me set the record straight. I like sexy, erotic romances. And I can handle those deeply religious, gut-wrenching, life-altering stories in moderation. But please don’t merge them. It’s almost like the story is trying to do penance for all the naughtiness. I don’t know if that was the author’s intention or if she was forced to add more sex so the novella would fit the publisher’s guidelines or what, but it’s just not my thing. I like to keep them separate, if you don’t mind.

And I’ll probably burn in hell for this post, but I seriously needed the catharsis.

What are your thoughts on this topic?

(and side note: I’ll refrain from posting the cover from goodreads for a while)

Guest Blogger Heather Howard

Today, I’m thrilled to have Heather Howard guest blogging about finding inspiration in the least likely places. She’s giving away a copy of her new release, Barbells at Christmas, to one lucky commenter, so please share your stories.

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A Duck Blind, a Shotgun, a Case of Beer, and Thou

A few years back there was a meme going around the writerly blogs called “Ten Things I Have Learned from Writing.”  I wasn’t published back then, but I was an unrepentant smartass, so I wrote out my ten things.  The first was, “Showers are inspiring.  Take lots of them.” The remaining nine items were all about how deodorant soap dries your skin out and how you should always let your dog out to poop before you hop in the shower or else be subjected to his sad eyes staring at you through the glass door.  The obvious joke—sadly lost on a few people—was that I didn’t know anything about writing, I just knew that taking a shower helped things settle in the ol’ brainbox.  Inspiration struck in the shower, so I took lots of them, and thus knew a lot about showers.

Fast-forward three years.  My first story comes out today.  Have I learned anything about writing?  God, no!  And if I ever thought I did, I’d be in really big trouble.  I have, however, learned a lot about that fickle friend, inspiration, and that sometimes it’s not enough to moon about naked under the warm spray, hoping he’ll drop by.  Sometimes you have to grab a bag and some tranquilizer darts, and go out and get him.  How do you do that?  By opening up your mind to possibilities, and stretching your horizons.  Here are a few cheap and easy things you can do to start opening up.  Remember these are tricks that work for me. They may not work for you, because every process is different, but hey. Can’t hurt to try!

• Read Books – Actually, this suggestion is more “read books you wouldn’t normally read” than “read Teen Vampire Series #37,” even if you really, really love Teen Vampire books.  Especially if you’re writing your own Teen Vampire books!  I’m talking stuff way out of your genre.  True crime.  Lit fic.  Nonfiction.  Nonfiction you are certain will be boring.  There’s really nothing quite like cracking open some philosophy and discovering the high concept for your current WIP staring you in the face. “Yes,” you say, “of COURSE the book is all about coming to emotional terms with the naturalistic fallacy HOW DID I NOT SEE IT BEFORE??”  Quite helpful, that. 

• Get A Hobby – Hobbies make you interesting and attractive, and whatever you know can give you fodder for a story.  I started powerlifting back in March, and loved it.  When I decided I wanted to kick off my romance/erotica career, I had five days to come up with a story before the deadline.  I’d just started a new powerlifting routine.  It was all I could think about.  So I incorporated it into the story.  My heroine was going to be a powerlifter!  Instant inspiration! 

• Wed the Disparate – The powerlifting story is, incidentally, titled Barbells at Christmas (and comes out today, you should buy it). That’s right, I wrote a Christmas story that takes place at the gym. Naturally, my poor heroine had to be having a hard time of it, and so was my hero, to be stuck at The Gym on Christmas Eve. Oh look, motivation for them to get together. How convenient! Wedding two disparate things can give you combinations that sometimes work and sometimes don’t, but either way, you’ll exercise your writing muscles if you try. Two great tastes can always taste great together, in the right hands! 

• Talk – Get out of your head and into the heads of others.  Once there, steal their thoughts. If they have no thoughts worth stealing, at least you’re getting a refresher on what real dialogue sounds like! 

• Explore – Go places you don’t normally go. This doesn’t have to mean Paris. It can mean take a walk somewhere, but don’t stick to the sidewalks. Go behind buildings and over fences instead. It can mean going to an art museum or a gallery and twisting your body so you see all the works upside down. It can mean breaking into abandoned buildings to see what detritus the former occupants left behind. Bring a buddy! And a cell phone! 
• Take Showers – And yes, take showers. Sit down and stare at nothing. Do housework. Let your brain do its thing. The importance of chopping wood and carrying water in cultivating a calm, meditative mind cannot be underestimated. Stories come from within, but they must be allowed time and room to grow, until one moment you’re soaping up your hair, and the next moment you are running down the street, shouting “EUREKA!” while the neighbors call the police. 

So there you have it. Tiny tricks of the trade that took me years to get right, because I was too busy being an AH-TEEST and not running inspiration down over the icy tundra and shooting it from my helicopter.

Share with the class what you do to lure inspiration into your trap. My favorite answer will receive a free copy of my first release, Barbells at Christmas.

 

Barbells at Christmas

Flexibility

Sometimes, writers need to be contortionists (and not that type –  get your minds out of the gutter). One thing I see too often in new writers is a refusal to make few (if any) changes to their WIP.  Flexibility is a writer’s friend. It can help you discover new levels to your writing, fix plotholes, reveal more layers to your MCs, and find your voice. But only if you’re open to it. Granted, you don’t have to accept every recommendation, but at least consider them.

For example, I had a sale contingent on adding an additional sex scene between the characters. At first, I balked. Adding a scene where the editor wanted it would ruin the dynamics between the characters, IMO. This novella is about dominance and submission, and to have the characters hop in the sack early on would deflate the tension I’d worked so hard to build, meaning I’d have to do some serious rewrites if I added it. But, I also really wanted to make this sale (it meant a print edition of my work). So I mulled over it for a few days, considering all my options. I ended up sketching alternate plotlines and reached a compromise with the editor that resulted in the contract. It wasn’t exactly what she suggested, but it upped the heat enough to fit the criteria of the line without changing the tension between the characters (in fact, I think it upped it even more). And all because I was flexible enough to explore all my options.

What are some examples where being flexible with your helped you grow as a writer (or resulted in a sale/agent)?