Guest – Sarah Walter Elwood

On the purple crushed velvet couch today is author Sarah Walter Elwood.

When do you decide to become an author?

Thank for having me on Love, Lust and Laptops today, Lillian!

I first wanted to be a writer back in high school, but really became serious in 2008 after writing Star Wars fan fiction for several years.

Have you always been a writer?

I guess I’d have to answer this yes. Ever since I started writing my first story way back in eighth grade.

What genre do you write?

I actually write in two. I write paranormal romantic suspense under the name of Cera duBois and contemporary westerns under my real name.

What drew you to that particular genre?

I was drawn to writing contemporary westerns simply because I love the genre and because my story lines belong in the West.

As for paranormals, I enjoy that genre as well and started writing in it after reading several vampire romances.

Who is your favourite author and why?

Rachel Gibson. I just love her writing style and voice.

Do you plot your books or write by the seat of your pants?

I’m something of a hybrid, but I’m more a pantser than I am a plotter.

Tell us a bit about your current work in progress.

Right now, I’m working on book 3 of the Colton Gamblers—Gambling On A Dream. It’s the story of Dawn Madison, a Native American who wants to be sheriff, and Texas Ranger Wyatt McPherson. They have a nasty past and are forced to work together on series of drug related murders that’s turning Colton upside down. Both Dawn (who is as a deputy sheriff) and Wyatt (who is Dylan Quinn’s second cousin) are both mentioned in Gambling On A Secret and are minor characters in Gambling On A Heart.

Here’s a snippet of the beginning from Chapter 2 (remember this is the first draft and also unedited):

Dawn doubted anyone had seen anything since the time of death was estimated to be sometime around four AM, but she might just get lucky because it had been a Monday morning. Someone might have been heading out to work that early. “Find out anything?”

“I got a witness that puts Talon Blackwell in the vicinity of the Longhorn at the same time as the murder?”

She couldn’t miss the smugness in his voice. Chet Hendricks had never been counted among her friends. He and Talon had been classmates, and Chet had bullied her older brother for years for being the youngest bastard son of the notorious Jock Blackwell, until he’d had enough and pounded the hell out of Chet. The deputy hadn’t made it a secret he didn’t want her as interim sheriff, and although he kept it under wraps, she’d learned through the infamous gossip chain the locals called the Grapevine that he was actively campaigning against her.

But his dislike went deeper than Talon’s illegitimacy or her ability to be sheriff.

Chet disliked anyone who didn’t check the Caucasian box on the census form.

Despite this, the town loved its veterans, and Chet qualified. He’d gone to the Army National Guard after high school and had done a stint in Afghanistan before getting out of the military.

She leaned back in her chair and gripped the armrests. What the hell was Talon doing on Main Street at that time in the morning? He’d moved back to town two months ago and into the old hunting cabin on the third of the family ranch belonging to him. His big plan was to raise cattle on his part of the M bar C.

At four AM, if a rancher was up, he was feeding stock, not cruising through a sleeping town fifteen miles away.

“I’ll question Talon as soon as possible. He may have seen something.”

Chet’s lips twisted into a sardonic grin. “Yeah, you do that, Sheriff.”

Determined not to let the pissant intimidate her, she stood and leaned over the desk. “I should remind you, Deputy Hendricks, you are very close to insubordination.”

“Hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

Both she and Hendricks turned toward the door. Texas Ranger Wyatt McPherson stood in the opening. He pulled his hat off his head thick with hair the color of the bay horse she’d won all of her barrel racing buckles riding as a teenager. His full lips twitched up on one corner, and amusement caused small crinkles at the corners of his bluebonnet blue eyes, as if he spent too many years squinting into the sun.

Dawn sucked in a breath and hated that her heart seemed to speed up. Damn, she hated when people snuck up on her. She refused to think about the fact her heart hadn’t started beating fast until after she’d conducted a full assessment and determined the interruption was harmless.

Well, as harmless as a rattlesnake.

Tell us about your new release

Gambling On A Secret is the first book of a six book series of contemporary western romantic suspenses called collectively the Colton Gamblers.

Here’s the blurb and excerpt…

Blurb:

When Charli bets everything on a secret, will she find the deck stacked against her?

Former runaway-turned heiress Charli Monroe is hiding her sordid past and planning a future in Colton, Texas. Attending the local college for a degree in social work, she intends to raise cattle on her newly purchased ranch, which she plans to open as a home for troubled teens. Only a few glitches—the Victorian mansion is crumbling, the barn needs a roof, and her oilman neighbor wants more than friendship. When she meets Dylan Quinn, Charli is willing to take a chance on the town drunk to help her rebuild the rundown ranch.

Dylan has his demons, too. The former Special Forces commander can’t get past his ex-wife’s betrayal and the botched mission that left him with much more than a bad limp. Certain the greedy oilman next door to Charli wants much more than just her heart, Dylan’s even willing to stop drinking in order to protect her.

When things get dangerous and secrets of the past are revealed, is he only looking out for his new employer, or is she the new start he so desperately needs?

CONTENT WARNING: Details abuse of a minor, drug abuse, alcoholism, swearing, spicy sex, murder.

COVER QUOTE: “Full of intrigue, tangled pasts, and raw emotions, this one is guaranteed to keep you turning pages from start to finish and then wishing for one more chapter!”

Carolyn Brown, New York Times bestselling author of Just a Cowboy and His Baby.

Ms. Brown also named Gambling On A Secret as one of her favorite romance reads in 2012 in the Happy Ever After Blog on USA Today.

Excerpt:

“Ferguson, what are you doing here?” Dylan barked.

Leon ambled toward them on the stone path. “I’m saving a young maiden from torment. What are you doing here, playing the part of the devil?”

“I’m Miss Monroe’s new manager.” The deadly edge of his voice matched the flintiness of his eyes. “If there’s anyone to save the young maiden from, it’s you.”

“Mr. Quinn, please.” She turned to Leon. “Leon, is there something I can do for you?”

He smiled, showing off perfect white teeth in a face handsome enough to belong to an actor. “I was just passing by on my way home and decided to stop. How are the boys working out?”

Dylan’s stance widened and his hands flexed at his slides. “What boys?”

“Charli and I have entered into a business arrangement.”

She lost the battle with the urge to wrap her arms around herself. As much as she appreciated Leon’s kindness, respected him, and was even a little attracted to him, something about him didn’t sit right with her. He represented her peers in the community. According to Mrs. Pratt, besides the Cartwrights, she and Leon were undoubtedly the wealthiest residents in the county. No one in Colton could learn about her past. It would ruin her, and Leon, no doubt, had the means to dig up the dirt.

“Really?” Dylan stepped closer to her in a protective manner. Whiskey tainted his breath as the warmth of the exhalations tickled her cheek. “What kind of business arrangement?”

She could protect herself. Dylan Quinn wasn’t any safer than Leon Ferguson. Stepping away from him, she forced her arms to her sides. “Mr. Quinn, I can handle this.”

She faced Leon. “I’m amazed by how much the men got done since starting on Monday. The foreman told me last evening they’d be reseeding another fifty acres for hay this morning. And they have the corrals fixed and started on the fencing in the north pasture.”

“Good, good.” He glanced at Dylan. “I’ll be going, unless you need a more reliable exterminator. I couldn’t help but overhear about your snake infestation. I can give you the name of the company that has gotten rid of the snakes in our lakes over on Oak Springs for years.”

Although he presented the perfect solution, she didn’t the like way Leon had looked at Dylan as he said the word exterminator. “No, Mr. Quinn is quite capable of getting rid of the snake.”

“Oh, I’m sure he is.” Leon tipped his hat. “Let me know if there’s anything else I can do for you, Charli.” Dylan’s jaw tightened as his uncle glanced at him. “It’s good to see you up among the living again.”

Leon headed back to his Porsche. With no pretense of lowering his voice, Dylan said, “Now, there’s a snake no one wants in their garden.”

Upon hearing the jibe, Leon’s shoulders jerked in mid-stride.

Rattled by Leon’s attention and the snake fiasco, she turned on Dylan. “You aren’t off the hook. I want those snakes gone.”

“We’ll see.”

“I hate snakes.” She shuddered and put her hands on her hips. “Maybe I should have asked him who the exterminator is.”

Bio:

Sara Walter Ellwood is an award winning author whose novel Gambling On A Secret was named by bestselling author Carolyn Brown in the Happy Ever After Blog on USA Today as one of her favorite romances of 2012. Although Sara has long ago left the farm for the glamour of the big town, she draws on her experiences growing up on a small hobby farm in West Central Pennsylvania to write her stories. She’s been married to her college sweetheart for nearly 20 years, and they have two teenagers and one very spoiled rescue cat named Penny. She longs to visit the places she writes about and jokes she’s a cowgirl at heart stuck in Pennsylvania suburbia.

She also writes paranormal romantic suspense under the pen name Cera duBois.

Buy Links:

Lyrical Press: http://www.lyricalpress.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=3_25&products_id=574

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Gambling-Secret-Colter-Gamblers-ebook/dp/B00AVLL4XA/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1357261386&sr=1-1

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/gambling-on-a-secret-sara-walter-ellwood/1114062294?ean=2940016153667

BookStrand: http://www.bookstrand.com/gambling-on-a-secret

Author links:

Website: http://www.sarawalterellwood.com

Blog: http://www.sarawalterellwood.com/blog/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sarawalterellwood.ceradubois/

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/sara_w_ellwood

Giveaway:

**PLEASE LEAVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR THE GIVEAWAY**

~One poster from every stop will win a Gambling On A Secret ebook

~One commenter from each stop will win a piece of custom jewelry.

(The winners of these two prizes will be announced the day after the tour stop.)

I also have 2 Grand Prizes!

~First Grand Prize is a SWAG PACK, including a signed copy of Carolyn Brown’s Just a Cowboy and His Baby. Also included is a copy of D’Ann Lindun’s Shot Through the Heart, a pen, a notebook, a horse themed mini calendar, a patriotic themed day planner, and more all tucked away in a reusable tote bag at the end of my blog tour.

~Second Grand Prize is a $10 Gift Card to either Amazon or Barnes and Noble. If you follow the tour and comment as often as possible, you increase your chances of winning!

(The winners of the Swag Pack and Gift Card will be announced on March 1, 2013.)

(Swag Pack is only eligible for US residents to win. The jewelry and gift card are eligible to US and Canada residents only. The ebook is eligible to anyone, unless prohibited by law.)

 

 

 

 

Hi. My name is Emilia and I write erotica…

In case you didn’t know, I’m kinda nerdy. Like book nerdy. Maybe even a little sexy librarian nerdy…at least in my mind.

This week, I started the second semester of graduate school. I’m working on a master’s degree in publishing.

One of the classes I am super excited about started as well. Young Adult Genre Studies. We get to read and analyze books like Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Archer and Matched by Ally Condie. Great books by great authors.

With the start of every new semester comes the day of introductions. State your name, occupation, and other general bullshit that no one will remember tomorrow. This particular first class though, something interesting happened that I probably should have seen coming.

Along with the usual getting-to know-you questions came, “What were your favorite books as a teen?”

Uh. Um. Yeah.

I write erotica. I didn’t exactly follow the path of innocence to get here. Even in my teen years, I wanted passion so hot I blushed just reading it. I wanted strong-willed heroines who were just waiting for a man who could match her wits and set free her deepest desires. I wanted heroes with chiseled chests and big…uh, you get the picture.

But how to put this delicately? Hmm…

Then I remembered there was one non-Harlequin-esque book I enjoyed. One book that was slightly respectable for a girl of that age to be reading, one book that had more plot than sex, one book that I could throw out to my classmates without looking like the complete smut-lover that I am.

Unforgiven by Patricia MacDonald. This was a relatively mild book in comparison to the sexy exploits I enjoyed even then. (My alter ego actually talked to our own Monette Michaels on her blog about it not too long ago.) So, there it was, I threw that one out there. My favorite book as a teen.

One slightly awkward instance in the life of an erotic writer. Trust me, there are so many more and most of them are far worse than this!

Answer to the Universal Question …

And what universal question is that, you ask?  What came first, the chicken or the egg?  Why is there air? Is God a man or a woman? Or, what was up with that Mayan calendar deal?

Nope, none of those.  Although I did ponder quite awhile over the chicken and egg one until my brain cells went crosswise and I began to lose the feeling in my limbs.  If anyone has the answer — share.

No, the UNIVERSAL QUESTION I am talking about is … Kindle or Nook?

Now, some background:

I have been an e-published author since 1998.  Way back then when e-books were emerging from the primordial ooze, we mostly read on laptops and maybe Palm Pilots until a wonderful device called the Rocket eBook by Nuvomedia came out.  There were many who tried to copy it and failed. RCA/Thomsen Consumer Electronics bought out Nuvomedia and then went nowhere with the Rocket which they had renamed. Um, I hope the marketing genius who screwed the pooch on the Rocket eBook re-branding has now kicked him or herself in the ass. They’d taken a viable product with name recognition and killed it off.  JMHO.

And the original Rocket was a damn good product for its time. My original Rocket eBook still works over 13 years later. Yes, ladies and gents, the same rechargeable battery still recharges — and, gasp, holds the charge. You can’t say that about many rechargeable devices today.

Nuvomedia had a good, reliable product that did what it purported to do — store and read eBooks in a simple format.  Yes, it was only black and white with grayscale for the covers, but it was a pioneer product in the new world of eBooks. Baby steps would have soon led to bigger and greater things. But it was not to be.

Since e-books didn’t catch on quite as fast as everyone had hoped, the Rocket and its immediate successors went the way of the dinosaur and died.  RIP

BTW I love my Rocket, and while I have retired it, I plan to have it buried with me.

Flash forward a few years — well, more than a few years — to Jeff Bezos and Amazon and the Kindle. This is when e-books began to gain ground.

Jeff Bezos is a marketing genius. Whether you like him and his company or not, he has single-handedly brought e-books into the mainstream.  Everyone else has been playing catch up ever since.

Like everyone else, I want new and shiny technology.  I want to read my books, have color covers and images, and do other shit with my reading device.  So, after I gently packed away my Rocket (which still effin’ works!) in its original box, I decided to buy a modern e-reading device.

My dilemma was — what of the many choices out there did I want to take a chance on?

I did my homework.  Read reviews. Read customer complaints. Studied specs.

When I made my decision, I didn’t begin with the Kindle or even the Nook; both were a tad bit too pricey for me to take a chance on when I decided to retire the Rocket. So, I went with a Nook-a-like, the Pandigital — it had color, it played music, it played videos, and it was inexpensive.  It was Android-based and if I wanted to hack it, it could act as a tablet.

I was happy with it until it died. Unlike my Rocket eBook, the Pandigital was not built for the long-term.

So, my next leap into the e-reader marketplace was the Kindle Fire.  I was an Amazon Prime customer, and the idea of loads of free videos, TV shows, and free books on loan sold me.  And I have to say, the Kindle Fire does what it says it will do and so far (knock on wood) the battery has recharged and held the charge. Most nights, I can get almost 8 hours with the WiFi on, more with the WiFi off.

But since I am of an inquiring mind, had a shit load of books in EPUB, and since I like to test out my book files on both the Kindle and a Nook-like device  such as my deceased  Pandigital, I then purchased a Nook Color (WiFi).

What are the differences between the Kindle Fire and the Nook Color?

The Nook Color screen is larger, and it is lighter to hold. I don’t play music on it. I don’t watch videos on it.  I read magazines and books on it. Magazines look fab on it. I’m not sure I like the way files are organized on the Nook (Kindle is easier to use), but the Nook also has an external SD card slot — so the memory is expandable.  You can save a lot of books on a 32 G SD card.  Also, I think the Nook touch screen is easier to use in that the Kindle takes a harder swipe to scroll.  (FYI, The Nook I bought is newer than my Kindle Fire and the screen seems more adaptive.)

So, what is the answer to the Universal Question … Kindle or Nook?

My answer is I don’t know.  Sort of like the chicken and egg thing — it is all a matter of perspective.

For right now, I am happy to use both — the Kindle for the Amazon Prime free videos and TV shows (the picture is really really good and with headphones on it is like being in a mini-theater), and the Amazon Cloud storage.   The Nook for all the books I had already purchased in EPUB and for when I want a larger screen to read graphic intensive magazines and books.

Share your e-reading device experiences — I will choose one of the comments and give away a FREE download of the first book in my Security Specialists International series, Eye of the Storm to one commenter.

Advise from one geek to…..

Hay, it’s Cherie here again.

As you may or may not know, I’m an IT manager at my EDJ (every day job). Which means  I am in fact a giant geek. Yep….huge geek.

That being said I thought I might use my geeky-ness for good…..on this occasion  heh.

So today is officially being called BACK IT UP day.  No matter if you are a writer or not, this  will apply to you. Picture this..you are working on a new story, or presentation for work, or some college essay. You are nearly at the end and then BAM!! computer crashes and you lose the entire thing. Hours worth of work …gone.

Yes word has an auto-save function, but you may or may not have changed it from its original setting of every few hours and now you have lost all that work…all you have left is the title page…….   Heart stopped beating yet??  Yeah…I know right….nightmare..

or worse still…computer dies or misfires and what happens…all those pictures you took….gone forever!

So back up all those files that mean anything to you….don’t just back them up to one place like an external hard drive, which vary in price FYI, but to something free and simple like Dropbox. Two places are good, because if the external hard drive dies……you still have an additional store selection…

I have spent may hours helping people recover lost work and I can say it’s not always possible, no matter how good your IT person is….it may be gone forever.

As a writer I know the pain of loosing all those words……..the horror of realizing you didn’t save it properly or anywhere else…..that pitiful cry to the wind at the injustice of it all….so take my advise…BACK IT UP…

ok…ok….I will get off my soapbox now….just please… people, if not for yourselves then for the sanity of the IT person you will call….back it up!

I am not only a geek my trade I have writing about them too.

In the Alpha’s Vixen, Dizzy starts out the night as a simply IT geek…..but ends it very differently..

Blurb: 

When the Wicked Ladies of Fiction meet up in a Scottish bar they don’t expect a night filled with danger, lust and hot supernatural men…

 Blurb for Alpha’s Vixen:

From IT geek to Mystical Beacon in one night; not the usual WLF meeting it has to be said.

Dora “Dizzy” Williamson is a busy lady, but she finally makes time to meet some of her writing group in a new bar. Surely a couple of hours with the ladies wouldn’t be too bad, right?

Xander de Rista is CEO and alpha to his pack, so being drawn to a new bar that prickled his fur doesn’t sit too well with him. Tonight feels different; there are too many supernaturals in one place, but one human stands out to him. One he intends to claim and protect, because hell isn’t just breaking loose, it is coming to town.

Excerpt

“Oh my God, you’re a vampire!”
“I am not!” Xander yelled. If she hadn’t been held down on his sofa, half naked, in a cottage        in the middle of the Scottish country side, Dizzy would have found the indignant look on his face amusing.
“Mate, funny changing eyes, superman strength, and fangs?
If it looks like a vampire and smells like a vampire, it’s a vampire.”
She attempted to shrug even though her arms were over her head.

****

Buy link: Breathless Press, Amazon

****

The Blood Bar Chronicles Book 1 has also been nominated for Best Anthology 2012!! I know I  freaked out too!!  You can see how it’s doing by clicking HERE, polls close on Jan 20th.

Until next time remember……Candles….are not just for birthday cakes……heh….

Location, location, location.

Are you one of those people who adore watching real estate shows on TV? If so, you will have heard the real estate mantra, “location, location, location.” In other words, if you’re buying a property, a desirable location is always first priority.

Weeell, this mantra applies to other things too.

I’d be willing to bet that most authors, romance or otherwise, would agree upon the importance of setting to the development of a book. In fact, sometimes the setting is so vivid it almost becomes a character unto itself.

There are some settings in romance lit that are familiar by now: the cabin in the woods, the sunny beach, the boss’s office. I have no problem with revisiting these settings; they are like a cozy, warm blanket.

And sometimes you get a setting that strikes you as a little different, even odd. A mechanic’s shop, a busy city street, a cluttered museum storage facility. Throw a lust-struck couple (or group) into one of those settings and enjoy the zing of something new!

As a writer, I’m always thinking, “How can I make this my own?” This extends to setting too. I may place my characters on that familiar beach, but I try to throw a new light on the situation. In Sweet Hell, for instance, I used a beach, but the beach was in hell…and not a happy place. It can be fun seeing how your characters react to different locations. A stimulating setting can thrust your characters together in ways they never anticipated.

My newest setting in my current work in progress is a northern Ontario fishing lodge. LOL- it’s been fun trying to make that one sexy! 

Give me a shout out and tell me about some of the settings you’ve enjoyed. Where do you like to see literary lovers at play?

Rosanna

 

Cheesy Sex

When you think of sexy food I bet the things that come to mind are sweet and sensual. Who can resist licking a warm body drizzled in chocolate sauce? Or how about filling a belly button with champagne and dipping sweet strawberries in it?  Sucking honey from hard flesh?

My other half is not a sweet tooth. He loves bags of potato chips, nuts, corn chips and cheese. Would you ever imagine taking any of these to bed. Can you imagine how uncomfortable a night’s slumber would by lying on a sheet covered in chip crumbs? And nuts could get into all the wrong places. What about cheese?

Cream cheese is a possibility but I can definitely advise that grated parmesan is not good. Now you might think I was testing something for a new book, or just going one kinky step further to please my hubby. You’d be wrong on both counts. Nope, I opened the fridge to tug out a bottle of Coke Zero to quench my thirst in Australia’s never ending heat wave and a full tub of grated parmesan toppled off my shelf. The lid popped off and the whole tub landed on my chest. My cleavage was full of cheese, my bra was full of cheese and it felt horrible. I smelt of sweaty feet and I hate cheese, it makes me heave.

Grated parmesan makes your skin itch, it gets everywhere and only a shower will clean up the mess. So, no matter how much your partner begs you to take the grater to bed, trust me and just don’t go there.

Photo Suat Eman FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Guest Blogger– Robyn Peterman

I met today’s Guest Blogger at the RT BookClub Convention last year in Chicago.  I was teaching plotting to aspiring authors. Robyn was a stand-out student (she wears these really sparkly reading glasses — I love a gal that can work bling!) in the program and later pitched a book to me over breakfast one day.

By the end of the breakfast, we were well on our way to being BFFs.  Robyn, like me, has never met a stranger — also something I like in human beings in general.

Anywho, she sent me the book to read. After I scared my cat off my lap by laughing so hard and snorting my Pepsi Free up and out my nose, I knew Robyn had IT. She’s a natural born story-teller, funnier than all get-out, my new BFF, and I am happy to say, now a published author.  [Yes, I offered for the book on behalf of Liquid Silver, but Kensington beat me to her.  Maybe next time.] — Monette Michaels

MM: I know you are also an actress, what drew you to writing books?

Robyn: I was a professional actress for over 20 years and now I’m a soccer-mom/dance teacher/romance novel writer!! I find most artistic processes similar, whether it be writing, acting, cooking, drawing … I think visually and stories are like large puzzles to me. Putting the pieces of the puzzle together is what thrills me most. It doesn’t matter if I’m playing the character or creating her and building her out of words; it feels the same to me.

Writing makes sense to me. I’ve always written (I have boxes in my attack full of the beginnings of the “great American novel”). I just never got my crap together enough to finish a book until last year! And I gotta say, very little, besides my family, has made me as happy as writing has.

MM: Your trip from aspiring writer at the RT Convention in 2012 to a published author in 2013 was meteoric. Do you have any tips for wannabe writers?

Robyn: Yes, lie. Big, fat, hairy lies lead to two book deals…. Here’s my story (don’t try it at home):

The crazy, mixed-up tale of how my first book came to be – also known as, WTF? I’m getting published

I’ve been asked how I got published. The answer is simple…I lied. That’s right, I lied.

I wouldn’t recommend it, although it worked for me. It certainly could have blown up in my face, but whether it was sheer will and determination or dumb luck, I’ll never know. Here’s how it went…

I pitched a very unfinished novel (as if it were done) to major NY publishers and agents at a writers conference in Chicago. I was shocked, delighted and appalled that everyone I pitched to asked for a full manuscript. After a brief and hopefully unnoticeable panic attack, I very logically explained to them that I needed to get the book professionally edited (real meaning–write it) and would have it to them in three weeks. What the hell did I have to lose? My sanity had been gone for years.

Having been an actor for umpteen decades came in handy. Clearly, pretending to smell delicious imaginary aromas in commercial auditions and becoming one with my inner lawn gnome in acting class, made my fear of telling ginormous lies nonexistent.

The next part of the story goes like this…I went home and wrote it. I didn’t sleep for three weeks, my family ate a lot of peanut butter and jelly, and no one in the house had any clean underpants. I loved every minute of it. I ended up with several offers and went with a two book deal with Kensington Publishing.

That’s my crazy story, but the real answer to getting published is to write. Just write. Every day. Every writer I’ve had the good fortune to know says the same thing. Oh, and read…tons.

Writing groups are a great idea too. I promised myself I would join RWA (Romance Writers of America) when I got three quarters of the way through my first novel. That would be my wa-a-ay too long (150,000 word) paranormal romance that everyone and his mother rejected. Joining RWA was one of the smartest things I did. There are local chapters in cities all over America. I was such a nervous wreck about going to my first meeting with real writers that when I couldn’t find a parking space, I turned around and drove home.

Thankfully, I grew some bigger testicles and went to their next meeting. I met some of the neatest and most generous women. My unpublished status and huge pile of rejection letters were greeted with similar stories that made me gasp, laugh and cringe (all at the same time). I learned to embrace my rejections, look at my writing with a more critical eye and grow thicker skin. In this group of amazing women, I found critique partners, cheerleaders and friends.

It’s empowering to be with others who share your passion, no matter where you are in your career. I highly recommend it.

I do believe writing the book of your heart (i.e. my grossly overwritten vampire tome) is important, but knowing what’s marketable is not stupid. I wanted more people than just my mom to read my books! So I just kept at it, read industry blogs and entered contests…

Oh, and I lied.

The publishing industry has changed and continues to change. With digital reading devices now in the game, viable options for writers are endless. I have extremely talented friends who publish traditionally through NY and equally as talented friends who are publishing independently. Many writers are doing both, very successfully.

The bottom line is that you have to write a good book and then you have to never give up. And while you’re ‘never giving up,’ you have to write more good books. It’s a wonderful thing to have a job where you can work in your underpants.

Writing may seem like a solitary sport, but it’s not. A critique partner, other writing friends, spell check, Coke® with extra ice in a Styrofoam cup and a great editor are just a few of the things I think every writer needs.

So that’s my story. I’m not sure how good the lesson is, but the ending is happy. I love happy endings.

MM: Your first book, How Hard Can It Be?, is pee-your-pants funny. Why choose romantic comedy as a genre?

Robyn: Because I love it, and it comes naturally for me…makes sense. I would marry it if I could, along with paranormal romance and hot spicy erotic romance.

MM: Is there one particular thing that you find challenging about writing?

Robyn: It used to be my typing skills, I have none. I have kicked myself in my own ass repeatedly for the last year because I didn’t take typing in high school. I now have my own method, which makes my kids laugh and gave me f#@king tennis elbow…. I suppose the thing that gives me angina now would be dealing with social media. I kinda suck. I have sent things out into cyber space thinking they were going on my Facebook page (I still have no clue where some of that stuff landed). If writing books simply involved me in my underpants in front of my computer making up stories, I would be happier, but alas that cannot be…..

MM: What do you do to get in the mood to write?

Robyn: Luckily I am always in the mood to write. My problem is finding a way to get in the mood to fold laundry and pay bills….

MM: What is your favorite thing about writing as opposed to acting?

Robyn: I like the solitude of writing. I like creating the whole world and being men and women (and sailor-mouthed old ladies…read my book)

MM: Some of your characters are, shall I say, out there in a funny and profane way. Are your characters a reflection on you or anyone you know?

Robyn: Probably me, much to my mother’s dismay! Yes, I have a potty mouth, BUT I’m a nice girl, loyal friend and a kick ass contract gin rummy player.

MM: Do your characters talk to you?

Robyn: Constantly and I talk about them as if they are living breathing people. My husband had to ask me the other day if the conversation we were having was about real people. I smiled, shook my head, chuckled, and told him no. At least I didn’t think so. He’s an actor, so we have a bit of trouble with fiction and reality in our house.

MM: Who are some of your favorite go-to authors?

Robyn: Too many to name. I am a voracious reader, but some of my faves are; Jeannine Frost, Thea Harrison, Michelle Rowen, Chloe Neill, David Sedaris, Jane Austin, and of course, Monette Michaels!

MM: What are you reading now?

Robyn: Believe it or not, I’m reading the Anne of Green Gables series. I adored these as a kid and my daughter is reading them for the first time. I got jealous, so I joined her! We’re now having awesome mommy-daughter discussions on Ann and Marla and Diana and Gilbert!!!

MM: What is your guilty pleasure?

Robyn: Really great erotic romance, like Cherise Sinclair’s books, and Black-Raspberry Chip Ice cream.

MM: Dark or milk chocolate?

Robyn: Dark, but I prefer salty or any with jalapenos on it!!

MM: Favorite writing attire?

Robyn: T-shirt and sweatpants. If it’s hot, I like my hubby’s boxer briefs and a t-shirt.

MM: Thin crust or thick crust pizza?

Robyn: Thin crust and it must have jalapenos!

MM: Silk nightie or flannel Pjs?

Robyn: No Pjs at all…

MM: Smart geeky guy or alpha-male with six-pack abs?

Robyn: Combo and he must have a great ass and killer eyes.

MM: If you were a supernatural creature, what would you like to be and why?

Robyn: I’d be a very hot, immortal shape shifting vampire who could fly. I feel that would cover everything, and I’d have a larger pool from which to find a hot sexy, toe curling, sex bomb of a mate.

MM: Your first book, How Hard Can It Be?, is out this month. Tell us a little bit about it.

Robyn: The back cover blurb does a good job, so here it is….

What happens when an accountant decides to grab life by the horns and try something new? Apparently a pirate named Dave, a lot of pastel fleece, and blackmail—just to start with…

Visualize and succeed, Oprah said. I was sure as hell trying, even if my campaign to score a job as the local weather girl had ended in a restraining order. Okay, TV was not my strength. But a lack of talent has never stopped me before. Which is why I’ve embarked on a writing career. I mean, how hard can it be to come up with a sexy romance?

Leave it to me to wind up in a group of porno writing grannies who discuss sex toys and apple cobbler in the same breath. Also leave it to me to leak an outlandish plot idea to a bestselling author with the morals of a rabid squirrel. And only I could get arrested for a jewelry heist I didn’t commit—by a hunky cop whose handcuffs just might tempt me to sign up for a life of crime. Maybe I’ve found my calling after all…

MM: Are you working on another book?

Robyn: The sequel to How Hard Can It Be? is done and with my publisher at Kensington. It should be out late Spring or early Summer. I have a young adult called Hell On Heels is in its final stages, and there is a redneck vampire series living in the warped recesses of my brain. Oh shit, I’m also writing the screen play for How Hard Can It Be? It’s been optioned for a movie! Squeeee!!

MM: Where can your readers reach you?

Robyn: At my suite in Hell (kidding)
At my website: http://www.robynpeterman.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Robyn-Peterman/
On Twitter: https://twitter.com/robynpeterman
Or email me directly at robyn@robynpeterman.com

To buy How Hard Can It Be?, either go to my website or use these direct links!!

Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/How-Hard-Can-Be-ebook/dp/B009T9SCRG/ref=la_B00A7D7DPA_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1352920534&sr=1-1

Barnes & Noble
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/how-hard-can-it-be-robyn-peterman/1113633561?ean=9781601830623

Robin’s Top 5 – Part 1

Robin’s Five Favorite Heroines of All-Time

This post will be my first in a two-part series about my favorite characters. Ladies first, of course, so this week I’ll be sharing my five favorite heroines of all-time. Join me again in two weeks as I recount the delicious heroes who top my list.

And now, with no futher ado, are my favorite characters whom are missing the “Y” chromosome.

5. Keely Walsh – Monette Michael’s kick-butt, brainiac heroine is the epitome all female characters should aspire to. I fell in love with smart, sassy Keely from the very first page. Keely can do it all…drive a helicopter, snipe out all the bad guys, and build a highly complex, futuristic-type security system. Did I mention she’s only twenty-one? This gal has it going on in one uber-talented pint-sized package. See her in action in Love, Lust, and Laptop’s very own Monette’s Eye of the Storm.

4. Mary Rose Clayborne – Julie Garwood’s orphaned heroine who is found and raised by four street urchins can’t help but tug at your heartstrings. Mary Rose’s shining personality is the sum of the best parts of her brothers. I read For The Roses during spring break my senior year. Did I mention I was at Panama City Beach? Yep, while my friends were tanning and flirting with boys, I sat on my lounge chair with my nose pressed to a book. The future Mrs. Ben Affleck (aka Jennifer Garner) was cast as Mary Rose in the made-for-TV movie, but even as much as I love Jennifer, none can hold a candle to Mary Rose!

3. Penelope Trask – I’m not ashamed to admit that my own My Footman, My Prince was inspired by my favorite Jennifer Ashley novel, Penelope & Prince Charming. Until I read it, I didn’t know that I was “allowed” to write a historical type romance with fairy tale elements, such as curses and paranormal creatures. The Princes series was created with this tale in mind as well…as I developed my own kingdoms so I could have free reign with the “history” of my characters. Penelope & Prince Charming is a delightful read about what happens when a normal gal meets the prince she is destined to marry.

2. Whitney Stone – Judith McNaught is a wizard when it comes to creating unforgettable characters. The favorite book from my pre-teen and teen years, Whitney, My Love, features an irresistible hoyden who grows into a ravishing woman. See, she’s that awesome she even got a book named after her! An outcast as a child, unloved by her father, and packed away to Paris, Whitney’s tale begins when she’s a young child. She returns home to England all grown-up and ready to break hearts. She is loyal to the unworthy Paul and the crush she’s had on him for years, but all of that changes when she is practically given to Clayton Westmoreland. I got mad on Whitney’s behalf. I laughed with her. I sighed at her hot, intense romance. Never have I been so wrapped up in a character. Whitney easily slides into the #2 spot.

1. Penelope Featherington – If you’ve ever read my interviews, then you would know I’m just a tad bit crazy about Julia Quinn. Not saying that I’ve named a child after her (although I did), but she’s easily my favorite Regency romance writer to date. So it comes as a no surprise that one of her heroines would feature as my ultimate heroine. Penelope Featherington won hearts of readers everywhere when she appeared in Julia’s Bridgerton series. Romancing Mr. Bridgerton is the fourth book in the series and is my favorite, of course. Poor Penelope was the ugly duckling, overweight and overlooked, who came into her own through the course of the tale. Self-deprecating, with a delicious secret, Penelope is a heroine readers root for as her unrequited love is suddenly…requited.

So those are my five favorites. I have oodles of honorable mentions, but I’m sure you guys will mention them soon enough as I pose this question…Who are your favorite heroines?

Until next time!

Robin

Body Parts

Happy Thursday my lovelies! I tried to come up with a good tag line for that…Happy Titillating Thursday…Happy Tantalizing Thursday…Happy…okay. I’ll stop. There’s just not a good word that goes with Thursday.

So, on this Thrusting Thursday (see? Told you.), let’s talk shop, shall we? And by shop I mean body parts. And by body parts I mean what turns you on.

Arms, legs, fingers, toes, lips…with so many parts to choose from…how does one decide their favorite? For me, it’s easy. There’s just something about smooth skin encasing rock, hard muscle. Sharp lines leading to a softer bend, veins bulging.

I am, of course, talking about biceps.

Now, I could tell you something pretty and utterly romantic…like the first thing I notice about a man are his eyes. But, that would be a lie. The eyes are second, maybe third if his back is to me, but the first thing my eyes are drawn to are his arms. So, you can bet all of my leading men are going to have great arms too.

Strong, solid.

Able to pick a woman up and cradle her. Able to cocoon her in their protective grasp and make her feel safe. Able to hold her down and love her.

© olly – Fotolia.com

 

…Or able to carry her books one-handed for her. *winks*

I’ll give you a second…

 

 

*happy sigh* Okay, so what is your favorite body part? What are your eyes drawn to in that first moment? Do tell. Enquiring minds want to know…

Until next time, happy reading!

~Parker

Finding my voice

I recently read a wonderful book to my nearly-five-year-old twins, called Ish. Now, I know it’s probably not a “done” thing to talk children’s books on an erotic romance blog, and I certainly don’t want to google bomb this poor author, (gawd, can you imagine?) but the book is wonderful and my children and I had a long talk afterwards about what that book meant, and it got me thinking about my own writing, which is very romance-ish. 😉

I’m a relatively new author–I began writing in early 2010, and my very first book was published July 2012. When I started writing, I had this very firm idea of what a romance book should be, and I kind of knew my words weren’t it. It was like looking at a photograph of a beautiful beach and instead of seeing the colorful water, I was feeling the scratch of sand and the sting of a sunburn. It wasn’t what I thought I wanted to write. I wanted to write about the beautiful beach, not about the fallout from a day spent there. I felt like I needed to wash the grit out of my writing, make it nicer, more accessible, sweeter.

But the fact of the matter is, when I write, I’m amped up on the muse (even if I had to drag her to the desk with me by her hair) and I can’t not feel all the crazy sensation and the breathless energy writing gives me…and that comes out in my writing as a sort of manic observation of the world around me, and it’s what I’ve come to describe as “grit.” 

So I’ve come to accept the grit as what it is, an integral part of my authorial voice. Now, my voice changes the more I write. The books being published now are my voice a year or more ago. The books I’m writing now won’t likely be seen for months to years. When I encounter a particularly gritty moment, one which I feel I just have to write, I embrace it, because I know it’s part of the package. For every happy-ever-after walk on the beach, I have to get a little sand in my shoes.

I’d love to hear your stories of discovering and embracing the ish in your life. Are you an author who has come to terms with your own authorial voice? Maybe you’re an artist finding your style? Please share in the comments!

xoxo,
V

Piercings

Today was the dreaded day. I finally had to bite the bullet and let my teenage daughter get her belly button pierced. Ick! Why would anyone want to do that? She begged me for at least three years. I put her off. Hoped it was a passing fancy that she would decide against. Nope. Finally, I relied on my old standby. Hey, it worked in the past! “Sure, as soon as someone else does it.”

When the child was in about second grade, she started begging me to let her shave her legs. So young! Granted, I could see why. But who needs to shave at that age? So, I invented the ole, “How about as soon as one of your friends starts shaving, then you can?” It worked. We made it all the way until the summer before fourth grade before she came running in to tell me her bestest friend had shaved!

But this is a piercing. Not quite the same as shaving. Why would I care, really? The truth is I don’t really care. It’s her belly button. My only concern was that we just moved here. People don’t even know her yet. Would she get a reputation? What does having a pierced belly button say to her peers? Does it look kinda trashy?

I had hoped for another year at least. Maybe she would change her mind in that time. I mean really, what other mom here in the “South” was going to let their kid pierce their navel? No one. None of her friends moms would allow it. Okay, except one. Crap! So now I have a pierced daughter. Well, not her first. Not even her second. Or third. Let’s face it. She has five holes in her ears. Does this needle poking stop now? What next? Don’t answer that… I can’t take it. I’m still recovering from today. Gross. And I took pictures!

Bad mom… Just bad… In my eyes, I shall not get the mom of the year award and it’s only January 6th. However, hmmm, in the kids eyes, I’m the greatest mom ever to walk the face of the earth. That does mean something. I’ll take it! *grin* We have to pick our battles I suppose. Score one for the teenage daughter. Save the absolute “No” for another day. I’m sure there will be many to choose from…

Becca Jameson (Mom of the Year)