Writer’s Tips & Tricks Day 11 part a: How to Handle a Bad Review by Kristina McMorris

How to Handle a Bad Review:

While perhaps cliché, for writers, I have to agree that receiving those very first bad reviews (and even some that follow) is much like having a stranger publicly announce that your baby is downright ugly. But since such criticism is part of the gig, finding a way to swiftly and fully rebound is essential. So . . .

Once you’ve grumbled to your family or close friends (preferably writers who truly understand), and the initial sting has worn off, here’s my advice:

Visit Goodreads or Amazon, look up your three all-time favorite books, and read at least two one-star reviews of each. The nastier, the better—because hey, how could any person in their right mind despise such a work of brilliance?!

To further heal your wounds, reread wise words like the following, from author John Locke:

“If you get a bad review, it’s because someone outside your target audience has found your book and gave it a shot. It’s no reflection on them as a reader, and no reflection on you as a writer. If, as an author, you don’t understand this, your writing will suffer, because you’ll be writing not to get bad reviews instead of writing to reward your target audience.”

Then there’s my personal favorite, from the amazing Georgia O’Keefe:

“I get out my work and have a show for myself before I have it publicly. I make up my own mind about it—how good or bad or indifferent it is. After that the critics can write what they please. I have already settled it for myself so flattery and criticism go down the same drain and I am quite free.”

And finally, after you’ve done all of the above, it’s time to brush away those self-doubts, sit your toosh back down at that computer, and, for the readers who eagerly await your next book, forge ahead and write.

A little about Kristina:

Kristina McMorris is a critically acclaimed author published by Kensington Books, Penguin Random House, and HarperCollins UK. Her works of fiction have garnered more than twenty national literary awards and appeared on the New York Times and USA Today bestsellers lists. Inspired by true personal and historical accounts, her novels include Letters from Home, Bridge of Scarlet Leaves, and The Pieces We Keep. Prior to her writing career, Kristina worked as a host of weekly TV shows since age nine, including an Emmy® Award-winning program, and has been named one of Portland’s “40 Under 40” by The Business Journal.

Learn more about Kristina and her books here: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

*****

Let’s take a look at Kristina’s newest novella.

Found in the book Grand Central: Original Stories of Postwar Love and Reunion

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Virginia Collier discovered her calling at the height of WWII as a member of the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP), an adventurous job that led to close friendships and even a whirlwind romance. But then a devastating tragedy changed everything. A year later, in the fresh wake of the Allies’ victory, she at last musters the courage to board a train bound for a confrontation with her past. Yet with every passing mile, the temptation grows to forgo her destination and keep harbored her haunting secret.

On any particular day, thousands upon thousands of people pass through New York City’s Grand Central Terminal, through the whispering gallery, beneath the ceiling of stars, and past the information booth and its beckoning four-faced clock, to whatever destination is calling them. It is a place where people come to say hello and good-bye. And each person has a story to tell.

Now, ten bestselling authors inspired by this iconic landmark have created their own stories, set on the same day, just after the end of World War II, in a time of hope, uncertainty, change, and renewal…

*****

Make sure to check out all of the other stops on this month long tour HERE and enter the grand prize giveaway.

All winner’s will be picked at the end of the month and announce the 1st week of October.

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September 12, 2014September 12, 2014

Writer’s Tips & Tricks Day 10: Humor by Molly Harper

Humor by Molly Harper:

My first writing job was as a newspaper reporter. Well, technically, my first writing job was as an obituary writer for my local newspaper. Which should tell you a lot about my personality.

While I working for the paper, I started writing a monthly humor column for the life and style section, mostly silly stories about my home life. And I noticed that the columns that really got readers’ attention were the ones where I injured myself (a frequent occurrence) or humiliated myself (an even more frequent occurrence.) So years later, when I started my first novel, NICE GIRLS DON’T HAVE FANGS, I decided that I was going to come up with the most humiliating way possible to become a vampire.

My main character, Jane Jameson, is fired from her job, despite the fact that she’s pretty good at being a youth librarian. She gets a restaurant gift certificate instead of a severance. On her way home from that restaurant, her car breaks down. And while she is walking down the proverbial dark country road, a drunk hunter drives by, mistakes her for a deer and shoots her. A vampire happens along and saves her by turning her.

I discovered that the same statements that used to get a “what is WRONG with you?” response amongst friends and family, was exactly what people were looking for in their snarky romance heroines.

There is room for humor in any plot. Whether you’re writing a thriller, an erotica, or a horror story, taking a moment for the character to make a funny observation gives the reader a moment to breathe mentally – keeping them from being overwhelmed by the plot.

That said, the humor used must be authentic to the character and move the plot along. Giving the reader a moment to breathe is one thing, but don’t derail a whole chapter to make a joke. The same should be said of the editing process. Don’t keep a scene that’s slowing you down because you like particular gag. This is a lesson I have had to learn the hard way. I actually keep a “funny file” full of jokes that I’ve had to edit out of manuscripts, just in case I can find a home for them in another story.

First, you need to figure out what makes you laugh. Do you enjoy broad slapstick? Or maybe character-driven quirks? This will be your most natural comedic style.

Then you add layers of

– Weirdos – While your main characters have to be mostly normal and therefore accessible to the readers, they can have as many crazy, quirky friends and relatives as you can come up with. My most popular character is a vampire named Dick Cheney who wears smartass t-shirts and sells counterfeit iPods from the trunk of his car.

– Dialogue – Conversations between characters reveal intimacy and history between characters without spoon-feeding the reader details. If you have difficulty with this, watch dialogue-heavy TV shows like Castle, Supernatural, Modern Family or anything in the Joss Whedon oeuvre to pick up speech patterns and structure.

– Hyperbole and Humiliation – In the words of the brilliant Nancy Holder, what can you do to mess up your character’s life further? Say your character has just had an embarrassing interaction with an ex. That’s bad enough. But how much worse would it be if she compounded that discomfort by realizing she had a cappuccino foam mustache the entire time they’d been speaking? Basically, you kick your character while he or she is down.

– Pop Culture references – The wonderful thing about pop culture is that it’s a sort of collective consciousness your readers tap into. Most readers may not be familiar with your hometown mayor’s incompetence, but most of them know about Kim Kardashian’s sex tape. You have to be careful with these as they can date your story. Also, you risk that after your book, which includes a joke about Charlie Sheen, comes out, something horrible happens to Charlie Sheen. And that will make your reader cringe and make you feel guilty. And the references you find funny may not be relevant to your reader. For instance, I am enormous nerd. A lot of my references are comic book or scifi-related. And sometimes, my editor has to remind me that I am a romance writer, not a columnist for Wizard Magazine.

Tips and Tricks

– Remember the Rule of Three. Once is an example. Twice proves the pattern. Three times confirms it.

– Don’t be afraid of well-placed sentence fragments.

– The closing line of each chapter must suck the reader into the next chapter. Be the bane of nightstands everywhere!

*****

Let’s take a look at Molly’s upcoming release.

Snow Falling on Bluegrass

Bluegrass #3

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Parks & Recreation meets The Blue Collar Comedy Tour in this third ebook in Molly Harper’s Bluegrass series of contemporary romances: A love triangle of colleagues heats up the winter lodge where they get snowed in for a week.

Kentucky Tourism Commission employee and executive assistant extraordinaire Kelsey is known around the office for having everything under control. So it’s not surprising that she and her boss, Sadie, have everything planned to the second for the office winter retreat. But there are things even Kelsey can’t micromanage.

An unprecedented snowstorm smothers half of Kentucky and knocks out the power, closes the roads, and generally shuts down the state. Luckily, the lodge has working fireplaces and enough food to keep the staff from turning on each other like something out of The Shining. Kelsey wouldn’t mind being stuck inside if it wasn’t for the tension with her not-so-secret crush, Charlie, the office’s statistician. But handsome Ranger Luke, the lodge’s only employee on hand, is there to take Kelsey’s mind off her discomfort.

Even though this weekend is supposed to be a planning session for KTC, Kelsey can’t help her mind from wandering and finds herself conflicted over Luke and Charlie. Someone’s love will keep her warm, but whose will it be?

*****

A little (or a lot) about Molly:

When Molly Harper was eight years old, she set up a “writing office” in her parents’ living room, complete with an old manual typewriter and a toy phone. And she (very slowly) pecked out the story of her third-grade class taking a trip around the world and losing a kid in each city. She had a dark sense of humor even then.

When Molly was considerably older, she headed for Western Kentucky University, where she majored in print journalism. After graduation, she landed a job with The Paducah Sun and married her high school sweetheart, David, a local police officer. After six years at the newspaper, Molly took a more family-friendly secretarial position at a local church office.

Her husband worked nights and Molly was alone with their small child in the “The Apartment of Lost Souls.” A big fan of vampire movies and TV shows, she decided to write a vampire romance novel. Molly created Jane Jameson, a bit of an accidental loser. Jane is single, almost 30, and a librarian working in Half-Moon Hollow, Ky. She has become a permanent fixture on her Mama’s prayer list. And despite the fact that she’s pretty good at her job, she just got canned so her boss could replace her with someone who occasionally starts workplace fires. Jane drowns her sorrows at the local faux nostalgia-themed sports bar. On her way home, she’s mistaken for a deer and shot by a drunk hunter. And then she wakes up as a vampire. The three-book Jane Jameson series–which includes Nice Girls Don’t Have Fangs,Nice Girls Don’t Date Dead Men and Nice Girls Don’t Live Forever—was released in 2009. A fourth and final installment, Nice Girls Don’t Bite Their Neighbors, was released in 2012.

Molly continues stories in the Jane Jameson universe through her Half-Moon Hollow series,Driving Mr. Dead, The Care and Feeding of Stray Vampires, Undead Sublet, and A Witch’s Handbook of Kisses and Curses. Undead Sublet is a short story in The Undead in My Bedanthology. A Witch’s Handbook of Kisses and Curses will be released in June 2013. A special free audio holiday novella, I’m Dreaming of an Undead Christmas, was released in December 2013.

Molly will update her popular Naked Werewolf romance series in 2013. How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf, was released in February 2011, quickly followed by The Art of Seducing a Naked Werewolf. A third installment, How to Run With a Naked Werewolf, will be released in December 2013. Her first-ever “haunted house story,” Better Homes and Hauntings, will be released in June 2014.

Molly will launch her first-ever contemporary romance series with My Bluegrass Baby in December 2012. Rhythm and Bluegrass was released in October 2013.

Molly’s books are published by Pocket Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. They are available in print, as e-books and audio books at major book stores and on Amazon. Molly is a native of Kentucky. She lives in Paducah with her husband and children.

*****

Make sure to check out all of the other stops on this month long tour HERE and enter the grand prize giveaway.

All winner’s will be picked at the end of the month and announce the 1st week of October.

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September 11, 2014September 8, 2014

Writer’s Tips & Tricks Day 9: Sketching Characters by Shiloh Walker

Sketching Characters

I’ve never been much of a plotter. It’s hard to know exactly which way the plot is going which I’m not in the driver’s seat.

My books don’t exactly come from me, if that makes any sense at all. My books come from my characters—they are in the driver’s seat and always have been. It’s why I’m always reluctant to say, Yes, this character will get a story…because it’s up to that character. The bottom line, not every character has a story to tell me. If they won’t talk, I can’t force them.

This method, sadly, ends in a lot of wrong turns, though, because I don’t always know the things I want to know.

So I’ve learned to get to know my characters in advance, as much as I can, and through that, I’ve developed my method of plotting. I don’t know if it resembles anybody else’s, but it works for me.

Some of the best writing tips I’ve ever learned came from Lynn Viehl, aka, Paperback Writer. If you’re trying to learn your craft, I’d like to point you in her direction. Be sure to check out her blog, particularly the freebies she has listed on the sidebar. Look for the novel notebook and her plotting template, in particular. Although I’m not a plotter, these gave me guidelines as I developed my twisted form of plotting.

Which I call character sketching.

Character Sketching, for me, started the first time I saw a picture online. I don’t even remember exactly what the picture was, or which book it inspired, but I knew when I saw it that I was looking at a character.

Over the course of the next few days, that character settled inside my head, as they do, and proceeded to tell me a story. Now sometimes, it’s not an image—sometimes it’s a story. Take, for instance, my latest contemporary romance, YOU OWN ME. If you’ve read it…or even just the blurb, you might recognize something that could have inspired that story. But my twist on the story came from Decker, the hero, who walked into my head, sat down and basically said, Okay…so I’ve got a story and here’s how it goes.

Once I get a concrete idea of a character, I have a few things I need to know first.

Who is this person…yes, their name, what they do, who they are…some of this is basically backstory, but for me, it’s also the story itself. Because as I’m sketching out my worksheets, and yes, I have a worksheet, I’m also looking at what he wants, what he doesn’t want, what’s his mission… (what’s his purpose in the story…like Decker. His mission was to get the woman he loved to finally look at him and realize the man she was looking for was standing right there).

Then we get down to the real heart of the matter and this is going to be key to the story and where my plot starts to unfold.

What does s/he want? Why can’t s/he have it?

These two questions are a variation of three found via Lynn Viehl’s novel notebook, and almost the plot of most, if not all, stories can be pared down to the answers to these questions.

Her questions were (if I recall correctly)

Who are you?
What do you want?
What is the worst thing I can do to you?

They stuck with me long after I gave up trying to use Lynn Viehl’s novel notebook. I love that woman, but her organizational skills kill me and she can plot her way to the grocery store, to the minute, while I get distracted on the way to the kitchen.

So…are you a hardcore plotter? If so, let me direct you to the freebie page at Lynn’s blog. Find the link to her novel notebook, which is free to download and share as long as you credit her.

If not…

Try my idea of plotting. Start with a character sketch. It’s below the line.

I leave a big blank space over on the left for an image if I have one, or wait until I find one or sometimes I just fill in the mental image I have because sometimes, nobody ever fits that mental picture.

Name:

Age:

Height:

Weight:

Build:

Eye & Hair color:

Occupation:

Education:

Hometown: Currently resides:

Likes: Dislikes:

Hobbies:

Who is s/he?:

Mission? (a reason or being here?):

Any enemies?:

What does s/he want? Why can’t s/he have it?:

Shiloh Walker

*****

Let’s take a look at Shiloh’s latest & upcoming releases

You Own Me

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It had always been her…

Ten years had passed since the doors slammed shut behind Decker Calhoun, taking away his freedom, but more importantly, locking him away from Elizabeth Waters, the only woman he’d ever loved—the woman he’d given up everything for.

The day he was sentenced, he’d looked at her and said, No regrets, Lizzie. But he lied, because he did have one. Although he’s been out of jail for three years now, he was a year too late. Lizzie never knew how he felt and just months before he was released, she found somebody else and it’s too late.

Or maybe not. It seems that Lizzie’s boyfriend wants an open relationship and two can play at that game. Now all Decker has to do is convince Lizzie that he’s the better man…and has been all along.

Genre: Contemporary Erotic Romance.

*****

Coming Soon

Sweeter Than Sin

Secrets & Shadows #2

Release date: September 30, 2014 Preorder here: Amazon| B&N

CAN’T FORGET THE PAIN

It took years for Adam to stop drowning his regrets in alcohol, and running the local bar doesn’t make it any easier—especially not when everyone he knows gathers there to discuss the shocking allegations that have shattered his hometown. When another murder rocks sleepy Madison to its core, it becomes chillingly clear that even more vicious wounds are waiting to be exposed.

WON’T RESIST THE PLEASURE

Nothing is sacred anymore, and no one is safe, least of all the mystery woman who shows up in town out of the blue, looking like every fantasy Adam’s ever had. She may have her own dangerous secrets, but she can’t ignore the urgent heat between them any more than he can. As a killer’s quest for vengeance explodes into violence, Adam is tempted to lose himself in the delicious promise of her body—until he realizes he’ll risk anything if she’ll give him her heart…in Sweeter than Sin by Shiloh Walker.

A little about Shiloh:

Shiloh Walker is an award-winning writer…yes, really! She’s also a mom, a wife, a reader and she pretends to be an amateur photographer. She published her first book in 2003 and since then, has tried her hand at digital publishing, traditional publishing and self-publishing. Her publishers include Hydra Publications, Ellora’s Cave, Samhain, Berkley, Random House and St. Martins. She writes romantic suspense, contemporary and paranormal romance, and urban fantasy under the name J.C. Daniels.

Learn more about Shiloh here: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

*****

Make sure to check out all of the other stops on this month long tour HERE and enter the grand prize giveaway.

All winner’s will be picked at the end of the month and announce the 1st week of October.

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September 10, 2014September 10, 2014

Sheldon’s Interview Zach and Lisette from Dianne Duvall’s Night Unbound

Thank you for joining me! I’m happy to be here today, celebrating the release of NIGHT UNBOUND, the fifth book in my Immortal Guardians paranormal romance series. If you like powerful heroes, kick-ass heroines, action scenes that will keep you flipping pages well past your bedtime, and romance that is alternately sweet and steamy and laced with humor, then I hope you’ll pick up a copy, because you’ll find all of this in Zach and Lisette’s story. 😉

My friends on Facebook thoughtfully provided some Hot Seat questions for Sheldon, one of the human characters in NIGHT UNBOUND, to ask Zach and Lisette that I hope will help you get to know them a little better:

Sheldon: *opens a small spiral notebook* Okay. The first interview didn’t go quite the way I’d hoped, so I’m just going to ask you some hot seat questions this time. Cats or dogs?

Lisette: Cats.

Zach: I’ve never had a pet, so I’m ambivalent.

Sheldon: You’ve never had a pet?

Zach: No.

Sheldon: That sucks. Vampires or shifters?

Lisette: I have to listen to the thoughts of psychotic vampires every night when I hunt them, and they sicken me. So I much prefer immortals who can shape shift. *peeks up at Zach* One in particular.

Zach: *winks* Immortal shape-shifters, for the same reason. Though I admit I admire Bastien’s young vampire friend, Cliff. He’s an honorable man and has managed to keep the madness that strikes all vampires at bay far longer than most.

Lisette: *nods* I like Cliff. I hope Melanie and the network will be able to help him.

Sheldon: If anyone can help him, Melanie can. What about . . . humans or immortals?

Zach: If you’re asking who is more annoying, I’ll choose immortals.

Lisette: *elbows him* That’s just because you’ve so little contact with humans.

Zach: I doubt humans would chap my ass the way your Immortal Guardian brethren do. They’ve certainly never declared me a traitor.

Sheldon: What about you, Lisette? Do you like one group over the other?

Lisette: No. My fellow immortals and the humans who aid us are all like family. I don’t know what I would do without Tracy. She’s like a sister to me, and she’s human.

Sheldon: She totally kicks ass, too.

Lisette: *laughs* Yes, she does.

Sheldon: *consults list of questions* Okay, I really don’t want to know this, but apparently all the ladies do . . . Boxers or briefs?

Zach: You want to know what kind of underwear I wear?

Lisette: When you DO wear it.

Sheldon: That’s . . . too much information.

Zach: *shrugs* Boxers. I was born thousands of years ago. Men didn’t wear tight, binding undergarments then, so why the hell would I want to do so now?

Lisette: Especially when you look so hot in boxers.

Sheldon: Gag. Day or night?

Zach: Both.

Lisette: Night. I’m a younger immortal and can’t withstand direct sunlight without suffering the consequences. Zach, on the other hand, is lucky. He’s like Seth and is so old that sunlight doesn’t affect him adversely.

Zach: *frowns at Sheldon* Were you asking what time of day we prefer? I thought you were asking when we prefer to make love.

Sheldon: Why would you think that?

Zach: *shrugs* You asked about my underwear.

Sheldon: Dude, no one wants to know about your sex life. *consults list again* Crap. I spoke too soon. Top or bottom?

Zach: Both.

Lisette: Both.

Zach: *takes Lisette’s hand as his eyes acquire a golden glow and hers begin to glow a vibrant amber*

Sheldon: Great. Now your eyes are glowing. Don’t pounce on each other yet. I still have a few questions I’m supposed to ask. Spaghetti or steak?

Lisette: Spaghetti.

Zach: *smiles* She’s a carbohydrate fiend.

Lisette: It’s true.

Zach: She’s also ALWAYS hungry.

Lisette: *winks* And not just for pasta.

Sheldon: Come on, guys. No flirting. *checks list and sighs* This is so not going to help. Bed or sofa?

Zach: Is THIS one a lovemaking question?

Sheldon: *resigned expression* Yes.

Zach: Bed. Her sofa is way too short.

Lisette: *laughs* I’ll have to get a larger one.

Sheldon: Change of subject. Petite or tall?

Zach: Petite.

Lisette: I’m 5’6”. I don’t think that’s considered petite.

Zach: And I’m more than a foot taller than you. You’re petite.

Sheldon: Who ISN’T, compared to you? Daggers or swords?

Zach: Daggers suffice.

Lisette: Says the immortal who can kill a man with a thought and doesn’t need ANY weapons. I favor shoto swords myself.

Zach: And you’re exceedingly skillful at wielding them.

Sheldon: Strong women are so hot.

Zach: Not to you, she isn’t.

Sheldon: Dude, I totally just flashed back to interviewing Étienne. Next question . . . Which speaks louder to you—actions or words?

Lisette: Actions.

Zach: I agree.

Sheldon: I agree, too. Which brings me to my last question. *eyes Zach* Friend or foe?

Lisette: Sheldon! I told you, he’s on our side!

Sheldon: I know. But I’d like to hear it from him. Zach?

Zach: I believe the—

Lisette: If you say the jury is still out on that, I will beat you.

Zach: *eyes flash golden* With what?

Sheldon: Aaaaand that’s my cue. See you guys later.

*****

New York Times and USA Today Best Selling Author, Dianne Duvall, returns with the much-anticipated 5th book in her paranormal romance Immortal Guardians series, NIGHT UNBOUND!

Title: Night Unbound

Series: Immortal Guardians #5

Author: Dianne Duvall

Format: eBook/Mass Market Paperback, 432 pages

Publication: September 2nd 2014 by Zebra

ISBN: 1420129805

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Praise for the Immortal Guardians series:

“Duvall is a major player.” –RT Book Reviews

“The Immortal Guardians series is one you’ll want to follow.” –The Romance Review

“These dark, kick-ass guardians can protect me any day!” –Alexandra Ivy on Darkness Dawns

“Whizzing along at light speed. . .this sophomore effort sizzles.” –Publishers Weekly on Night Reigns

Dianne Duvall’s Immortal Guardians protect humanity from unspeakable horrors–but their hearts are as fragile as any mortal’s. . .

For centuries, Lisette d’Alençon has been a warrior against the dark. She fights alongside her brothers and comrades. But when the dreams start coming, she can’t bear to confess them to the Immortal Guardians’ command. Dreams of a dark-haired man with soft eyes and brutal wounds, a man her heart aches for–and a man she knows has been declared a traitor.

Zach is an exile, a loner. He won’t defend himself against false accusations or grovel to those who should have faith in him. But he’ll damn sure defend the woman who kept him sane against a plague of super-vamps that seems to have appeared from nowhere. The Guardians will blame him, and that will make Lisette suspect, too. With life, death and eternity on the line, who can they really trust?

Kelly’s review of Night Unbound:

NUMBER OF HEARTS: 4 3/4

It feels like I have been away from the Immortal Guardian world for way too long. When Ms. Duvall announced that Night Unbound was going to be Zach’s book I was over the moon. I just love this Immortal with wings!! And that Lisette was going to be his lady love. Super excited.

Night Unbound did not disappoint me. Zach & Lisette are so perfect for each other. I love that Zach is always wanting to try something 🙂 (you will have to read to understand). I am so glad that Zach got his own book. He really need to be excepted and find love after so many years of nothing.

There were so many heartbreaking tissue grabbing and happy joyful scenes in this book. Just a few that stood out were:

1) The scene with Cliff were heartbreaking I hope that they find a way to help him.

2) The scene with Amy: Oh gosh, poor Amy. Poor Marcus. Many tears

3) The scene with Aidan broke my heart.

4) Every scene with Zach & Lisette

I just loved this book. And as always I had the wonderful Kristin Potter read to me yet again. I just love how she is able to bring the characters to life for me. Kristin is so very talented at voices that it is really easy to tell who is who even before she reads who is speaking. I am very much looking forward to the next installment of the Immortal Guardian series.

Disclaimer:

I received a complimentary copy of the book from NetGalley & Tantor Media in exchange for an honest review. This review is my own opinion and not a paid review.

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Dianne Duvall earned a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of St. Thomas, where she studied fiction writing, playwriting, and poetry writing. Darkness Dawns, the first book in her Immortal Guardians paranormal romance series, was nominated for the RT Reviewers’ Choice Award for Best Vampire Romance by RT Book Reviews and for Best Paranormal Romance – Vampire by The Romance Reviews. It was also deemed a Top Pick by The Romance Reviews and a Best Book by Long and Short Reviews. Night Reigns, the second book in the series, was nominated for Best Best Book of 2011 – Paranormal Romance by The Romance Reviews and declared an “utterly addictive” Top Pick by RT Book Reviews. Phantom Shadows, the third book in the series, has been declared a Top Pick by both The Romance Reviews and Night Owl Reviews. Her Immortal Guardians novella In Still Darkness was released in the Predatory anthology on May 7, 2013, and has received many fabulous reviews. Darkness Rises, the fourth book in the series, hit the USA Today Bestseller list, has been nominated for the RT Reviewers’ Choice Award for Best Vampire Romance by RT Book Reviews and was deemed a Night Owl Reviews Top Pick.

Dianne has also completed two not-yet-published paranormal romance novels that are prequels to Darkness Dawns. A Sorceress of His Own is a medieval romance with paranormal elements that won awards in the Lone Star, Where the Magic Begins, Southern Heat, Picture This, Book of Your Heart and Suzannah national writing competitions. Rendezvous With Yesterday is a time travel romance and won second place in the Picture This writing contest.

In addition to writing romance, Dianne has completed a one-act play (comedy) and teamed up with an award-wining screenwriter to write a spec script for a new situation comedy. Several of her poems have also been published in anthologies.

When she isn’t writing, Dianne is very active in the independent film industry and once even appeared on screen as a machete-weilding maniac not unlike the vampires she so loves to create in her novels.

1st Prize – 1 Winner

$25 Amazon Gift Card

2nd Prize – 2 Winners

Autographed copy of DARKNESS RISES, tote bag, and swag

3rd Prize – 3 Winners

Autographed paperback of winner’s choice from backlist + Immortal Guardians Swag Pack

4th Prize – 5 Winners

Immortal Guardians Swag Pack

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September 10, 2014September 8, 2014

Writer’s Tips & Tricks Day 8: Permission to write by Gini Koch

Permission to Write:

There are as many tips and tricks out there as there are writers, but I find that a lot of aspiring authors need two things in particular. (I, myself, needed one of them.) And they are both permissions. The permission TO write, and the permission to stink on ice WHILE writing.

I honestly didn’t feel I was a writer because I’d been taught (by an idiot, but that’s another story) that the only way you could write was to outline. I’d try to outline, and hours later have gibberish, and so concluded I wasn’t a writer. It took a friend who was already an author, poet, and journalist to tell me that I has as much “right” to write as anyone else. Her permission meant that I could write whatever and I felt that I was allowed to do so. So, for anyone reading this, if you’re in that same situation – I give you permission to write, whatever and however you want to, because you have just as much right to write as anyone else in the world.

I was already a successful businesswoman when I started writing, so I was well aware that the first stuff I wrote wasn’t going to be awesome. I knew then, just as I know now, that everyone needs to practice. No one starts out as Mozart other than Mozart himself. But time and time again I run into aspiring authors and even those who have started writing who feel that every word they write must be “perfect”. And that’s bullpookey.

Every author has a set number of words to write before they stop sucking. For most it’s in the hundreds of thousands. For some it’s in the millions. So the faster you write, the faster you get through your sucky words and into the good, then better, then better still, then publishable words. So, if you’re one of those who think that you have to somehow be as brilliant in your first attempts as Insert Name of Author You Adore Here, then I tell you that you don’t, and I give you permission to stink on ice for as long, and however many hundreds of thousands of words as it takes, for you to no longer stink.

There’s more, of course. There’s always more. But I’ll leave you with this one last thing, which relates to everyone’s favorite excuse: writer’s block.

It’s more important to write, even if it’s garbage, than it is to think about writing. Yes, thinking is necessary, but if your time spent thinking about writing exceeds your actual writing time, then you’re kidding yourself. Work out ideas in your head, sure, but be ready for them to change as you write them down. Don’t work out ideas in your head and just work them out as you write them down. Either way works. The key is that you write.

Should you suffer from writer’s block, the cure is simple – write. Sit your butt in your chair, and write something, anything. Remember – it doesn’t have to be good. No matter what level you’re at, there’s this thing we call editing and it means that you can write the worst crap in the world and it’s fixable. And if it’s not? If it’s the worst stuff ever written? No worries, you have permission to write that, remember. Just don’t publish it. No ideas? Write about that. Hate your idea? Write about that. Idea you’ve been saving? Write about that.

But still, write. Always write. The truth is simple: Writers write. So go on and be a writer.

A little more about Gini Koch:

Gini Koch writes the fast, fresh and funny Alien/Katherine “Kitty” Katt series for DAW Books, the Necropolis Enforcement Files series, and the Martian Alliance Chronicles series for Musa Publishing. Alien in the House, Book 7 in her long-running Alien series, won the RT Book Reviews Reviewer’s Choice Award as the Best Futuristic Romance of 2013. Alien Collective, Book 9, released in May, and Universal Alien is coming this December. As G.J. Koch she writes the Alexander Outland series and she’s made the most of multiple personality disorder by writing under a variety of other pen names as well, including Anita Ensal, Jemma Chase, A.E. Stanton, and J.C. Koch. Buy her books — her meds don’t come free, you know.

*****

Make sure to check out Gini’s newest Katherine “Kitty” Katt adventure.

Alien Collective

Katherine “Kitty” Katt #9

Amazon| B&N

Despite not having run for office, nor wanting to remain in office, Representative Jeff Martini is being wooed as the vice presidential running mate for a charismatic senator who seems likely to win the campaign. While the Diplomatic Corps has to deal with the pressures of a political campaign sure to uncover secrets they don’t want shared with the world, Ambassador Kitty Katt-Martini has other worries—handling the reemergence of her most potent nemesis, thought dead and buried.

*****

Gini Koch will give three winners their choice of one of the following in ebook format: The Night Beat, The Happy Acres Haunted Hotel for Active Seniors, A Cup of Joe (writing as Anita Ensal), Amazing & Waiting: Two Novelettes (writing as Jemma Chase), When Josie Comes Home (writing as A.E. Stanton), or Kaiju Rising: Age of Monsters anthology (featuring a story writing as J.C. Koch). Contest is open internationally.

To Enter for a chance to win.

Please leave a comment or question for Ms. Koch.

Along with your email

(please use (AT) and (DOT) we don’t want any spam)

*this giveaway is sponsored by the author*

Make sure to check out all of the other stops on this month long tour HERE and enter the grand prize giveaway.

All winner’s will be picked at the end of the month and announce the 1st week of October.

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September 10, 2014September 9, 2014

Blog Tour & Giveaway: The Wedding Soup Murder by Rosie Genova

WEDDING SOUP MURDER

by Rosie Genova

When I conceived of the idea for a mystery series set in an Italian restaurant, it felt entirely natural to place that restaurant at the Jersey shore, in the fictional town of Oceanside Park. There’s a long tradition of Italian cuisine in New Jersey, from boardwalk stands to upscale restaurants. The setting of the books, the Casa Lido restaurant (which literally means “beach house”) is a family-owned establishment presided over by the tight-knit Rienzi family: Nonna, the matriarch and iron-handed manager; her son Frank, the easygoing host; his wife Nicolina, who keeps the accounts, and their daughter Victoria, my main character. It’s the kind of place that serves rustic, seasonal food in a wood-paneled dining room with red and white checked tablecloths—the kind of place that people go back to, season after season.

In fact, most shore restaurants rely on strong summer business to keep them going throughout the year. In the first Italian Kitchen Mystery, Murder and Marinara, the Casa Lido’s livelihood is threatened when Victoria discovers the corpse of an unpopular television producer in her grandmother’s tomato garden. Since the dead man ate his last meal there, the restaurant suddenly loses its customers, inspiring Vic to use her sleuthing skills to solve the murder in time for the start of the summer season. The book also contains recipes of dishes served in the restaurant, including the marinara sauce in the title. (If you make it once, you’ll never open a jar again!)

In The Wedding Soup Murder, Vic is called upon to help cater the soup course at a wedding reception being held at the upscale Belmont Country Club. Her first job, assigned by her ornery Nonna, is to make a thousand tiny meatballs for the soup! At the reception, she and her ex-boyfriend Tim, now the sous chef at Casa Lido, have to prepare the soup on site at the Belmont. While there, they run afoul of a testy pastry chef, a spoiled bride, and the club’s president, Elizabeth Merriman. When Elizabeth’s body shows up on the beach the next day and a family friend comes under suspicion, Vic reluctantly takes on the case. The soup in the title is made with a meatball recipe that was passed down to me by my mom and grandmother, and if I do say so myself, they are very tasty.

I hope that the Italian Kitchen Mysteries portray the Jersey shore that I love—a place with a long and proud history, beautiful beaches, miles of boardwalk fun, and of course, good Italian food!

About the Author:

A Jersey girl born and bred, national bestselling author Rosie Genova left her heart at the shore, which serves as the setting for much of her work. The atmosphere of the Jersey shore is present in the details, whether it’s the smell of the sea, the sound of a Springsteen song, or the taste of Kohr’s custard from the boardwalk. And no summer is complete unless she has sand in her shoes.

A bookworm from the time she could sound out words, Rosie spent many happy hours in her home town library where she hid behind the stacks reading the titles she was too young to check out. She earned two degrees in English from Rutgers University, where she discovered to her delight that reading Jane Austen was actually considered homework. Though she’s always considered herself a writer, she didn’t pen her first novel until ten years ago, and she hasn’t stopped since.

Her series, the Italian Kitchen Mysteries, is informed by her deep appreciation for good food, her pride in her heritage, and her love of classic mysteries, from Nancy Drew to Miss Marple. Her debut novel, Murder and Marinara, was named a Best Cozy of 2013 by Suspense Magazine and was a finalist for a 2014 Daphne Du Maurier Award. An English teacher by day and novelist by night, Rosie also writes women’s fiction as Rosemary DiBattista. She still lives in her home state with her husband and her youngest son.

Website/Facebook

As she researches her family history, however, she is distracted by her attraction to two men, old flame and chef Tim Trouvare, and woodworker Cal Lockhart. And life gets more complicated when her grandmother puts her in charge of catering a wedding reception with a menu featuring the Casa Lido’s famous Italian Wedding Soup.

Held at the exclusive Belmont Country Club, a historic site that overlooks the ocean, the reception is presided over by the wealthy and snobbish Elizabeth Merriman, the events manager and Nonna’s long-time nemesis. At the reception, a harried Vic has to deal with a demanding bridezilla and her wealthy daddy, as well a number of clashes in the kitchen—between the staff and servers, between two egocentric head chefs, and between Elizabeth Merriman and everyone.

The wedding reception is ultimately a success, but by the time the happy couple and their guests depart, Elizabeth is missing. When her body is found on the beach the next morning, it appears that Elizabeth slipped from the top of the high seawall, but Vic isn’t convinced. Did Elizabeth Merriman finally push someone too far? And did that someone push her right back over the railing and onto the sand below?

Amazon/B&N

Jennifer’s Review of The Wedding Soup Murder

Review (4.75 Stars): I love, love, love this series! Culinary mysteries are my absolute favorite and this book has everything. Great writing, fun cast of characters and wonderful descriptions of food that will make you hungry for more. The Wedding Soup Murder has Vic and her family’s restaurant helping to cater a prestigious wedding at the exclusive Belmont Country Club. Vic and Tim are “chosen” by Nonna to prepare and serve Nonna’s famous wedding soup to the guests as a special favor to the bride’s family. While working the event at the Belmont, Vic meets Elizabeth Merriman, who just happens to be the events manager and makes it known that she is not a big fan of the Caso Lido. Everything goes off without a hitch, but Elizabeth is found dead on the beach the very next morning. What Vic soon discovers is that Elizabeth had a long list of enemies that would love to see her dead, but who would be capable of actually pushing her over the railing? Vic is involved in yet another murder mystery and needs to find the killer before they decide to add another victim to their list.

I absolutely love this series and I have fallen in love with Vic and her big Italian family. Each of these characters are very entertaining and I look forward with each book to spending time with these lovely people. The Wedding Soup Murder was a fun, fast-paced mystery and I loved every minute of it. Makes me want to head to Caso Lido, have a glass wine and spend an evening chatting with Vic and her family. This is the second book in the Italian Kitchen mystery series and each book keeps getting better and better. I recommend reading Murder in Marinara first because it will give you some background on these characters and I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.

Giveaway

I’m excited to give away a copy of The Wedding Soup Murder. This giveaway is for US Residents only. To be entered in the drawing by September 17th, answer me this question in the comments:

Do you like culinary mysteries? What is your favorite series?

September 9, 2014September 8, 2014

Writer’s Tips & Tricks Day 7 part b: The crazy, mixed-up tale of how my first book came to be – also known as, WTF? I’m getting published by Robyn Peterman

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 wether 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 three book deal with Kensington Publishing.
That’s my crazy story, but the real answer to getting published is to write. Just write. Everyday. 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 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 at the time and huge pile of rejection letters were greeted with similar stories that made me gasp, laugh and cringe. 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 is important, but knowing what’s marketable is not stupid. You may feel a passion for magical unicorns who poop rainbows and save the world, but you might not find many takers…Educate yourself about what sells. That being said, I was told that paranormal was dead. Did I listen? No. I am doing really well with paranormal. However, I didn’t choose magical pooping unicorns. I wrote what I love to read.

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. I am considered a hybrid. I publish through NY and I publish independently. I am very happy doing this and am headed at this point towards indie only.
The bottom line is that you have to write a good book and then another and then another…Never give up. 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, awesome covers and great editors 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.

*****

Let’s take a look at Robyn’s upcoming release

Hell on Heels

Hot Damned #3

Release date: September 15, 2014 Preorder here: Amazon

Where does a Demon go when she gets deported from Hell?

Kentucky. Eden, Kentucky to be more specific—where nothing is exactly as it seems.

My name is Dixie. I’m a Demon—a lousy Demon. I’m a twenty-one year old virgin and I have a battery operated boyfriend. My magic is iffy at best and downright dangerous at worst. Leaving Hell to represent my race is not high on my list of things to do.

Hell was exact. Hell was simple. All I want to do is get to home base with the hotter than Hades Demon of my dreams and work on my dark side so Satan, my dad, will get off my ass.

Instead I end up in Kentucky looking for the Balance of Chaos, avoiding pole dancing classes with Mother Nature and finding out my invisible friend is a silver skinned destructive weather pattern.

And if that isn’t craptastic enough, the damn Sword of Death is missing again and who ever has it wants the King of the Underworld dead. Seriously.

With new powers emerging daily, keeping my Demon side, horniness and general disgust under wraps doesn’t make it any easier to fit in with the humans. Thankfully my priorities are in line; get laid…save world…try not to blow up kitchen appliances…and get laid again. I was ready to rumble.
All I want to do is go back to Hell, but with the balance of good and evil in my hands, I’m stuck in the garden of Eden. Oh well, what the Hell. Someone has to save the world before there’s no world left to save. Might as well be me.

A little about Robyn:

Robyn Peterman writes because the people inside her head won’t leave her alone until she gives them life on paper. Her addictions include laughing really hard with friends, shoes (the expensive kind), Target, Coke Zero Cherry with extra ice in a styrofoam cup, bejeweled reading glasses, her kids, her super-hot hubby and collecting stray animals. A former professional actress, with Broadway, film and T.V. credits, she now lives in the south with her family and too many animals to count. Writing gives her peace and makes her whole, plus having a job where you can work in your underpants works really well for her. You can leave Robyn a message via the Contact Page and she’ll get back to you as soon as her bizarre life permits! She loves to hear from her fans!

Learn more about Robyn and her books here: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

*****

Make sure to check out all of the other stops on this month long tour HERE and enter the grand prize giveaway.

All winner’s will be picked at the end of the month and announce the 1st week of October.

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September 9, 2014September 8, 2014

Blog Tour & Review: The Wolfe Widow by Victoria Abbott

Falling in love again …

by Victoria Abbott

No sooner has Jordan Bingham recovered from Lord Peter Wimsey when she’s falling in love again, this time with Archie Goodwin. I guess she’d better take a number because she’s not the only one. Archie’s been collecting hearts since he first made an appearance back in 1934 as Nero Wolfe’s witty, urbane and tough-as-nails assistant, in the books by the great Rex Stout. For a man whose beverage of choice is milk and whose suits seem to be tailor made, he’s awfully good in a fight. We don’t think he ever starts them, but we are prejudiced on that topic.

Is Archie Goodwin the sexiest man ever? It depends on who you ask. Ask us and we have to say yes, at least in the category of fictional characters. Ask Jordan and she’ll say, ‘Absolutely.”

Archie may have been dashing around Manhattan back in the thirties, forties and fifties, but he’s still dashing today, forever in his thirties and forever a favorite of the ladies, including more than a few who turned out to be guilty of murder.

This time, Jordan Bingham has it bad. Maybe she likes the sizzling hint of danger that Archie presents. Plus we all know that Nero Wolfe’s right hand man never really settled down. Is that part of the irresistible lure of Archie? Or is it the old appeal of the totally unavailable love interest? You can’t get more unavailable than a character who hasn’t appeared in a new book for many years.

Never mind all that. Jordan – the first person in her large Irish family to go straight – appreciates that Archie is clever and streetwise and he knows when to bend the rules. He turns out to be not just a man to dream about, but a good guide to getting out of tough situations. In fact, Archie seems born for tough situations. He never backs away. Neither does Jordan, so that’s no big surprise. He is witty and wisecracking in life-threatening scrapes, something that Jordan can admire and even emulate.

Sure, she has Officer Tyler Dekker, the young police officer who is obviously in love with her, but how can he measure up to this perfect hero? Anyway, Tyler is out of town, supposedly on ‘training’ and Jordan’s close friends are all unavailable for no apparent reason. What’s that about?

She has to deal with being fired and saving her employer’s life (and book collection), apparently alone. Luckily, she can take inspiration from Archie, a guy who never lets you down when your life’s on the line.

Even when she’s trying some daring “middle of the night” escapades, she can draw inspiration from her new hero and maybe make it alive to the next day. Fingers crossed.

How about you? Have you ever fallen hard for a fictional character? How did that work out for you? Let’s hear it.

About the Author:

Victoria and Mary Jane Maffini are Victoria Abbott

Mary Jane Maffini thinks she’s the luckiest woman in the world. After all, she gets to work at home in her cozy office — or at her roomy dining room table or on her deck in summer — writing what she has always loved to read: mysteries. And she gets to write in her pyjamas if she wants, with her miniature dachshunds, Daisy and Lily, snuggled up. She can take her breaks with her husband and the pooches in the dog park and it’s no one’s business but her own. What’s not to love? Plus anyone who has ever made her mad has ended up in a book. No wonder she’s usually in a good mood.

MJ discovered mysteries as a child and read her way through the classics. Later in libraries, she found that people would pay her to select mysteries. They could have saved a bundle if only they’d realized who they were dealing with. She also learned how wonderful and varied crime fiction can be. Following a career as a librarian (not nearly as quiet as it sounds!), she continued her mystery infatuation by becoming co-owner of her favourite bookstore: Prime Crime Mystery Books, with her business partner, Linda Wiken .

Once again, people died. But only in her manuscripts. Since those wonderful reading days, MJ has written thirteen books in three mystery series and more than two dozen short stories. Her latest Charlotte Adams book The Busy Woman’s Guide to Murder won the 2012 RT Award for Best Amateur Sleuth. She’s picked up several awards for her short fiction, including three Arthur Ellis awards and an Agatha. She’s also been nominated for an Anthony, a Barry, and several other Ellis awards. She also holds the Crime Writers of Canada Murdoch award.

Victoria Maffini comes by her murderous tendencies honestly, not to mention her writing skills. This is her first collaboration and first novel. She dove head first into the eerie world of Mysteries when she worked at Prime Crime Books for five creepy good years. Vic the Chic is long gone now, but her many glorious years of gorging on New Releases and used paperbacks sure come in handy when writing a Book Collector Mystery series.

When Victoria’s fingers are not on the keyboard they are pointing her Nikon at brides, babies and bad dogs, turning the images into cards, art and memories. Speaking of art…being creative is deep in Victoria’s soul, she never comes back from her long Lanark Highland walks without a stunning shot or a scene that will need to be painted or a pinecone that must be glittered and glued to something. The crafting is strong with this one.

Victoria lives in Carleton Place, Ontario with her Dachshund companions who have not stopped bossing her around for over a decade now, please send help.

Website/Facebook

As Thanksgiving approaches, Jordan Bingham is grateful for her job researching rare books for Vera Van Alst, the infamous curmudgeon of Harrison Falls, New York. But when an uninvited guest makes an appearance, much more than dinner is disrupted—and Jordan is thankful just to be alive…

Vera Van Alst doesn’t normally receive visitors without appointment, but she agrees to see the imperious Muriel Delgado upon arrival. Shortly thereafter, Jordan is told that her position is being terminated. Evicted from the Van Alst House, Jordan is determined to find out what hold Muriel has over her erstwhile employer.

It seems Muriel has designs on Vera’s money and property—not to mention a particular interest in her collection of Nero Wolfe first editions. When Jordan discovers a deadly connection between Muriel and the Van Alst family, it’s up to her to put the house in order and stop a killer from going back to press.

Amazon/B&N

Jennifer’s Review of The Wolfe Widow

Review (4.5 Stars): This is a great series for me and it keeps getting better with each new mystery that is released. Jordan is a character that you will instantly like and the entertaining characters that are in her life will make you want to keep coming back for more. In The Wolfe Widow, Jordan meets Muriel Delgado late one night at the Van Alst home and before she knows it, she is fired from her job and sent back to live with her eccentric uncles. While Jordan is back home, she tries to learn as much as she can about this mysterious stranger and why she had decided to come live with Vera. Learning the truth about Muriel puts Jordan’s life in jeopardy and she needs to find the answers quickly before she becomes another victim.

This is the third book in the Book Collector Mystery series and I love spending time with these characters. Each book focuses on a classic mystery writer and I enjoy learning the different aspects of Jordan’s job as a book collector. Each mystery is extremely fascinating and The Wolfe Widow is a great addition to the already delightful mystery series. This mystery was well-written and entertaining and readers will definitely want to add this mystery to their own collection. Can’t wait to see what is in store for these characters in the next book from this great mother/daughter writing team.

September 8, 2014September 8, 2014

Writer’s Tips & Tricks Day 6 part b: Bring Sexy into your Writing by Delilah Marvelle

Bringing Sexy into your Writing by Delilah Marvelle

For those of you that don’t know me (and I won’t be so bold to say you all do), I write incredibly sexy historical romances. So sexy some have actually categorized me as writing erotica. I absolutely love erotica, but seeing as I know what it is, I also know I don’t write it. Although there is sex and graphic sex, I still see myself as writing romance. Because in the end, if you were to pull out all the sex scenes in my book, you’d still have a love story, not a sexy story. And in my opinion, sex is only as good as its love story.Seeing I write edgier and oftentimes humorous historical romances with sex, I find keeping up with what my readers want almost frightening. Because you can only keep upping yourself so much. The very idea makes me go flaccid (ehm..,). I swear, there are many, many times I sit in front of my computer and tell myself it’s too freakin’ HARD to keep writing sex that feels new.

So I started thinking of ways to keep this flame within me burning. Because if I’m not feeling it, my characters aren’t feeling it. And if my characters aren’t feeling it, my readers won’t want to feel it AT ALL…So for those of you writing sexy books, allow me to share six tips that keep me going (actually, I have more, but this post has to end sometime). And if you happen to only read sexy books, not write them, then this list will simply make you appreciate how much effort we writers put into being creative.

1.)I try being a sensualist. That is, I focus on pampering myself. Lighting candles, listening to music, watching romantic movies, and anything that will make me feel all girlie, girlie. It’s amazing how much it really works.
2.)I make out and get hot and heavy with my husband before I write a sex scene. Seriously. I don’t do it all the time, because frankly, it pisses him off when I make out with him, things get heavy and then I’m like, “Thanks! Now I have to write! Seeya!” But believe me, it really works when he does let me get away with it.
3.)I read very hot books that inspire me to write the scenes I know that will make my writing pop. Like Lisa Valdez’s Passion. Holy cow. I’m fanning myself just thinking about that book.
4.)I indulge in chocolate and whatever sinful foods I can get my hands on to heightens my senses and makes me happy. When your soul is happy, your sex scenes are too!
5.) Remember that sex is an emotional journey, not just a physical one. People focus on sex being physical, and it is, but reminding ourselves that sex is actually an emotional journey allows that depth to shine through.

6.) I create sex arcs for my characters in the same way I create characters arcs. Meaning, where are the characters sexually when they begin the book and where are they by the end of it? Are they virgins? How will this affect their view on sex and why? How will they react to sex and why? By asking yourself these questions and understanding what your character is like before, during and after sex will give insight to their character in a way only you, as the writer, can give. This allows the sex to have more meaning and become more than just sex. It becomes a part of who the character is.

Bottom line when it comes to writing sex scenes is that if it’s not a chore but a form of depth and character development. The moment you dread writing those sex scenes…don’t. It’s the best part of understanding your characters and letting your readers understand your characters. The only way it’s going to BE the best part, is if you put the time and effort to make it such. So go forth and make love to your characters. They earned it 🙂

Delilah Marvelle

USA TODAY Bestselling Author of Night of Pleasure

*****
Le’t take look at Delilah’s upcoming release

Master of Pleasure

School of Gallantry, #5

The greatest divide between a man and a woman is not the one society sets before them but the one they set before themselves…

When Malcolm Gregory Thayer comes under the protection of the Persian crown that saves him from a monastery that tortures the sins out of young men sent by their families, he dedicates himself to becoming the ultimate weapon and helping others in their greatest hour of need. When he is asked to return to England to take his rightful place as the Earl of Brayton, he refuses to face the family he knows he had wronged with his wicked ways. The Persion crown, however, has other plans. It sends Malcolm back into London on a mission he considers beneath him. Facing his family becomes the least of his problems when a dark-eyed beauty makes him realize his days of transgression are far from over.After the ever popular Miss Leona Olivia Webster had allowed
herself to be seduced by a dashing aristocratic rake who had left her scorned and pregnant, she is done chasing her happily-ever-after. Shunned by her own family and society, she dedicates herself to raising her young son and putting money in their pockets by becoming a servant to whoever will hire her. She doesn’t expect her latest master, a brooding man of hulking presence, to carve random messages into walls with his Persian blade as a means of starting a flirtation.Malcolm may have dedicated himself to a self-imposed life of virtue, due to a secret only his dead father and the Persian Prince know,
but after meeting Leona, he begins to yearn for the life he had always shied away from. Having never interacted with women during or after his days in the monastery, he is baffled as to how he is to woo Leona. When he receives an unexpected invitation to attend a special school that educates men in the topic of love and seduction, he seizes the opportunity in the hopes that Leona is up to his advances. His final mission is clear. He intends to finally serve the one thing he never had: his heart.

A little about Delilah:

I spent my youth studying various languages, reading voraciously, and playing the pianoforte. I confess that here ends the extent of my gentle breeding. I was a naughty child who was forever torturing her parents with countless adventures that they did not deem respectable. Confined to my room on many occasions due to these misadventures, I soon discovered the quill and its amazing power. I scribed endless stories that almost invariably surrounded the topic of love, for I felt an inane need to be rescued from a family that did not understand my lust for life. In my mind, King Arthur became my true love and I waited for the day when he would come riding upon his steed and invite me to sit at his round table, not as his queen, but as his knight. To my distress, King Arthur was never to be found anywhere except for in the tip of my quill. And so I led an imaginary life for many, many years. When I finally came of age, my family was further horrified to discover that I had fallen in love with an American. An American King Arthur who became my knight, my husband, my all. I have been blessed beyond reason and am grateful for each day I have with him. What is equally amazing is that I now have the opportunity to share my passion for stories with the public. The reason why I write romance is because it allows me to touch upon the subject of love on a much deeper, more intimate level. Many of the stories I write, many of the stories I will continue to write, will always evolve around love. And yes, gentle readers, it will also evolve around sex as I have no intention of becoming my parents and restraining my characters from what it is they truly desire to do. I challenge you, my readers, to let loose of those corsets that have been strung too tightly due to convention and enjoy 1830 to its fullest.”

Make sure to check out all of the other stops on this month long tour HERE and enter the grand prize giveaway.

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September 8, 2014September 8, 2014

Writer’s Tips & Tricks Day 6 part a: I have finished my book. Now what? by Kendra Elliot

I’ve finished my book. Now what?

Guess what? You’re not finished, and I guarantee it’s not ready for publication. But you’ve done the part that 95% of people who sit down to write a book couldn’t do. You finished and deserve a pat on the back and a big glass of wine.

Now it’s time for the next step: self-editing

This is a tough step if it’s the first time you’ve finished a book because you have no idea what to look for. Here are a few good references:

Fire Up Your Fiction Jodie Renner

Writing the Breakout Novel Donald Maass

Techniques of the Selling Writer Dwight Swain

Self-editing for Fiction Writers Renni Brown & Dave King

Take a few days and step away from your book. If changes occur to you during this time, write down the change on a master list to do later. There are two main parts to editing. There’s the editing the story and then there’s editing the words/sentences.

Editing the story

Is your first chapter awesome? Does it hook the reader and make them want to keep reading? These first pages are crucial. Agents, editors, and readers will give you about a page (or less!) to hook them.

Do your characters have strong internal and external motivations? Don’t know what I’m talking about? Then your story might be put-down-able. Read Debra Dixon’s Goal, Motivation and Conflict.

Ask yourself the purpose of every scene. Is the story strong without it? Or is it crucial to your characters and plot? You might be surprised how many scenes you’ve written that add nothing and will slow your pacing.

Does the end of every chapter inspire the reader to keep going? Readers think to themselves, “I’ll take a break when I finish this chapter.” Write the ending of the chapter so they’re compelled to go to the next chapter. Read a few of the reference books I list above to get a longer checklist for story edits.

Editing the words/sentences

When you’re ready, read your manuscript out loud. Are you stumbling over wording? Then your reader will too. Print it out to see how it looks on paper. Replace weak verbs, get rid of most of those adverbs, stagger your sentence length, get rid of excess words (very, really, just) Ask yourself, “How can I make this sentence laser focused and direct?” Look for passive sentences. Do actions happen to your subjects? That creates a passive sentence. Make your subject create the action.

The ball was hit by the bat. (passive)

The bat hit the ball. (active)

Give yourself a deadline or else you will never finish revising. A writer can go through a book a million times and still see things that need polish and change. When you’ve polished up your words to be the best they can be, it’s time to look to the outside world for some input.

Seeking outside help

Tread carefully and take every word of advice with a grain of salt. Most likely, your mother or spouse is not the right person to advise you on your story. Some writers have a network of critique partners and beta readers. The big question is how to find these valuable people and nurture the relationship.

Join a local writing group. Romance Writers of America has many local chapters with people just like you who want to talk about creating the best book they can. And they offer resources in workshops and access to online classes. Even if you don’t write romance, the amount of knowledge available about the publishing industry and improving your craft is gold. I’ve seen many authors outside of romance comment that no one knows the business and craft better than romance writers. Take advantage of that. And they’ll welcome you to their meetings; they don’t care what genre you write.
Develop relationships through social media. Look for people in the same boat as you but be ready to reciprocate. If the relationship doesn’t work, be prepared to gently end it without hurting feelings. You aren’t looking for people to praise your work; you’re looking for feedback. Expect the gut wrenching comments about how unlikeable your heroine is and focus on the why someone made that comment.
Enter contests. For a small fee, many writing groups offer contests and give feedback on a portion of your manuscript. Does the feedback deliver changes you must make? Definitely not. Again…take every piece of advice with a grain of salt. Does the feedback feel completely wrong or are you being too sensitive? Both are possibilities. Does the same issue keep coming up in feedback? Take an honest look at what they suggest.
Pay someone to read your manuscript. For a brand-new writer, paying someone to edit your manuscript is a last-ditch decision; you must learn how to write better first. Paying someone to do it for you won’t help you learn. And did the editor do a copy edit or a story edit? New manuscripts need tons of both, and quality edits are very expensive. My advice is to read, read, read everything you can on self-editing and get your work in front of experienced writers before resorting to this step. When you’re ready, ask successful published writers who edits their work. Watch out for scams! Or inept editors. Just because someone has an English degree or reads a lot does not make them an editor. A true editor has a genuine gift and most are employed with publishers or run successful editing businesses. Do your homework and research before handing over a big check. Google them up the wazoo and ask on social media for opinions. Check the website Preditors and Editors before agreeing to anything.

Now is your book the best it can be? It’s time to decide which path to pursue: traditional publishing or self-publishing or both. And while you’re working on that decision, start writing your next book!

Kendra Elliot won a 2014 Daphne du Maurier award for BURIED, which was also a 2014 International Thriller Writers’ finalist and a Romantic Times finalist for best Romantic Suspense of 2013. She’s published five novels and has three more on the way. She grew up in the lush Pacific Northwest and still lives there with her husband, three daughters, two cats, and a Pomeranian. She left the dental world after sixteen years to write full time in 2012. She’s always been fascinated with forensics, refuses to eat anything green, and loves a strong Mai Tai on the beach on Kauai.

Learn more about Kendra and her books here Website| Facebook | Twitter @KendraElliot | Goodreads

Make sure to check out all of the other stops on this month long tour HERE and enter the grand prize giveaway.

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September 5, 2014September 3, 2014

Writer’s Tips & Tricks Day 5: Five things every romance writer should know by Elisabeth Naughton

Five things every romance writer should know – by Elisabeth Naughton

1. An awesome story trumps phenomenal writing any day of the week. Readers care more about what happens in a story than how you tell it. I’ve seen mediocre writers hit it big with a great story and amazing writers struggle because they’re more worried about how a sentence sounds than what it says.

2. In a romance, if your hero isn’t drool-worthy, readers won’t fall in love with your book. Yes, the female lead matters. And yes, you still need to have a great story to hook a reader, but if the hero isn’t compelling, the romance will lack luster and your readers will quickly become bored. Women read romance for the fantasy element. Make your heroes to-die-for and they’ll continue to come back for more.

3. Characters ARE story. Most newbie writers spend more time trying to come up with an intricate plot than creating memorable characters. Keep your plots simple. Spend your time crafting incredible characters your readers can’t help but fall in love with. The urge to see how a character will react to a situation or how they grow though a story is what keeps a reader turning pages, not the twists and turns of the plot.

4. Pacing takes practice. Pacing is probably the hardest element of writing to grasp. It was for me. The pace of your story is how fast readers turn pages. You don’t want the pace so slow your reader stops at the end of a chapter, puts the book down and forgets all about it. On the flip side, you don’t want the pace so fast she becomes exhausted while reading. Learning the right pace for your genre takes practice. I wish I had a magic potion for this, but in my experience, the best way to figure out pace is to read a lot in your genre, then practice, practice, practice.

And finally, the most important point of all…

5. Don’t ever think you’re too good to need a critique partner. A good critique partner is worth her weight in gold. When you’re a newbie writer, a critique partner will help you figure out things like pacing and character development and how many internals to include and dialogue tags and all the elements that are important to the act of writing. But as the years go on and you become a better writer, she will STILL be the very best secret in your box of writer tools. Why? Because an awesome critique partner knows your voice. She understands what you’re trying to say even when you don’t. She knows how your brain works so she can help you plot a book even if she doesn’t understand the subject. And she’ll be the first one to tell you if that sparkly new idea you came up with is pure brilliance or a giant pile of crap. And you know what? Because you’ve grown together as writers over the years, even if she tells you your idea is a load of horse dung, you’ll still love her. Because odds are, she’s completely right. (Just don’t tell my CP, Joan Swan, I ever admitted she was right!)

*****

Let’s take a look at Elisabeth’s upcoming release:

Twisted

Eternal Guardians #7

NICK – Leader of the half-breeds, the last true hero, and the son of one psychotic Titan. He’s spent his life fighting a dark pull toward the gods he doesn’t understand. But as his powers grow stronger and his destiny is revealed, no one knows whether he will choose to fight for the side of good or succumb to the sinister lure of evil…even him.

A little about Elisabeth:

Before topping multiple bestseller lists—including those of the New York Times, USA Today, and the Wall Street Journal—Elisabeth Naughton taught middle school science. A rabid reader, she soon discovered she had a knack for creating stories with a chemistry of their own. The spark turned to a flame, and Naughton now writes full-time. Besides topping bestseller lists, her books have been nominated for some of the industry’s most prestigious awards, such as the RITA® and Golden Heart Awards from Romance Writers of America, the Australian Romance Reader Awards, and the Golden Leaf Award. When not dreaming up new stories, Naughton can be found spending time with her husband and three children in their western Oregon home. Visit her website at

http://www.ElisabethNaughton.com.

*****

Make sure to check out all of the other stops on this month long tour HERE and enter the grand prize giveaway.

All winner’s will be picked at the end of the month and announce the 1st week of October.

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September 4, 2014

Blog Tour & Review: Fat Cat At Large by Janet Cantrell

Where Did Quincy Come From?

By Janet Cantrell

Other than the animal rescue shelter in Chicago where Chase Oliver picked him up, you mean? I was lucky enough to be the caretaker and servant to two rescued feral cats not long ago. One of them was Quincy’s prototype. They came to me pre-named by the woman who was fostering them, and the names were perfect.

The slim, handsome fellow, a Russian Blue with thick, dense fur, did have a name change before we got him. He was first named Lady Jane Grey (look for this name in the second Fat Cat book, FAT CAT SPREADS OUT). However, by the time it became evident that he needed a new name, he answered to Jane. His name was changed to James because he would answer to that one, too. I sometimes called him Sir James because of his regal composure.

His litter mate was named Agamemnon and that name stuck. He was a mighty little warrior, just like the ancient Greek, and he was so smart it was almost creepy. Agamemnon had to be my model for Quincy. It was a natural fit.

That guy was hard to entertain. If you dragged a feather toy, he leapt a couple of times, then followed the string with his eyes up to the stick, then to my hand. “Ho hum,” I could hear him thinking as he quit playing and washed his face. “This is just her. Not a bird at all. No wonder it doesn’t smell right.”

He was quite young back in the days when Elf Bowling was popular. The first time he heard me finish the game and make Santa pop up saying “Ho ho ho,” he was instantly in my lap, staring at the bobbing Santa and swiping at it with his paw. The next time I played, he was in my lap to begin with, intensely interested in the whole thing. How could I not let him play? The player bowled the ball at the taunting elves by hitting the space bar. If you hit it at the right time, you got a strike. I would hold Agamemnon’s paw over the space bar and “help” him by pushing it down the best I could to get him strikes and spares. He would, no lie, play an entire ten frame game waiting for the Santa finish.

More than once, when I would be in the bedroom with the door closed, he would jump onto the cedar chest beside the door and try to open it. He would curve his paw over the doorknob and attempt to turn it. He knew exactly how to open the door! Physically, he couldn’t do it, but he sure knew how.

That first scene in FAT CAT AT LARGE where Quincy unzips his soft-sided carrier from the inside? Yep, Agamemnon is where that came from. He was hard to crate to begin with, but when I finally got both of them crated and was gathering my purse and phone and car keys to take them to the vet for shots, it was dismaying to find Agamemnon’s crate empty and gaping open.

Also, like Quincy, Agamemnon stayed on the pudgy side. He loved to eat. His brother, James, was always slim and trim, but Agamemnon, a sleek all-black beauty with shiny fur (James’s looked like matte next to his glossy finish), was hard to take and keep the pounds off. He never got too heavy to leap to the top of any piece of furniture in the house, though.

He also loved to attack the paper as it came out of the printer. Quincy hasn’t done that yet, but, come to think of it, he should.

It’s been fun to resurrect my memories of the smartest cat I ever knew and let him live again through Quincy. I love being a writer!

About the Author:

Janet Cantrell is a pen name for Kaye George, Agatha nominated novelist and short story writer. She belongs to Sisters in Crime, Guppies, and Austin Mystery Writers. Her cozy Fat Cat mystery series debuts in September of 2014 with FAT CAT AT LARGE, featuring Quincy, a pudgy, adorable cat who is an accomplished escape artist. Especially when he’s on a diet and hungry. Leave it to Quincy to lead his human, Chase, co-owner of a Minneapolis dessert bar shop, into trouble. Janet lives in Knoxville TN with her husband. Her recently departed feline, Agamemnon, is a source for some of Quincy’s antics. Visit http://janetcantrell.com/ for more details.

When she’s not dreaming up irresistible dessert bars for her Minneapolis treatery, Bar None, Charity “Chase” Oliver is running after her cat, Quincy—a tubby tabby with a gift for sniffing out edibles. But what happens when this cat burglar leads Chase to the scene of a real crime?

The jig is up for Chase’s adorable plus-size cat, Quincy. His new vet says “diet”—that means no more cherry cheesecake bars. From now on he gets low-calorie kibble only. But one taste of the stuff is all it takes to drive him in search of better things. Quincy’s escape is the last thing Chase needs after the nasty run-in she has with underhanded business rival Gabe Naughtly.

Chase tracks Quincy down in a neighbor’s kitchen, where he’s devouring a meatloaf, unaware of the much more serious crime he’s stumbled upon. Gabe’s corpse is lying on the kitchen floor, and when Chase is discovered at the murder scene, she becomes suspect number one. Now, with a little help from her friends—both human and feline—she’ll have to catch the real killer or wind up behind bars that aren’t so sweet.

Amazon/B&N

Jennifer’s Review of Fat Cat At Large

Review (4.25 Stars): Fat Cat At Large is the first book in a brand new mystery series about dessert bar owner Chase Oliver and her lovable plus-size cat, Quincy. Chase is always chasing after her cat and had to put him on a diet after learning that his weight may cause him health problems. During one of Quincy’s escape episodes, she stumbles upon the body of a business rival and the evidence that is found points to Chase as being the killer. To clear her name, she must investigate clues with the help of her friends before her business dreams disappear and she ends up behind bars.

I liked Chase from the very beginning and couldn’t help but fall in love with Quincy and his sneaky ways to get his favorite treats. I love culinary mysteries and this book had me wanting to visit Chase’s shop with all of the descriptions of the delicious bars that Chase had created. The writing was very fast-paced and I liked learning about all the people in Chase’s life. There was a couple secondary stories involving Chase’s coworkers that kept my attention and had me wondering how this all would tie in with the murder mystery. Fat Cat At Large is a charming and delicious mystery that will delight readers and I’m looking forward to reading more about Chase and Quincy in the next book.