Authors' Corner starting soon!

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/trianglevariety/2012/09/28/authors-corner-review-with-host-elaine-raco-chase

You'll get information about Freya's Bower and submission information. There will be a few interviews with some authors. I'll be interviewed at 9:55pm Eastern time. The show starts at 8:00pm Eastern.

Author's Corner tonight!

I'll be interviewed on Author's Corner tonight. The show starts at 8pm Eastern time. I'm interviewed at 9:55.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/trianglevariety

Full Circle

In a war-torn world a group of vampires struggle to reclaim their past glory. One of their own is missing. Weakened by solitude, the leader of the vampires, Kendrick, must find Byron, his covenant mate, before the pain of isolation kills them both. Locating Byron is the least of the vampires' problems.

The chaos of the world's death rattle breeds suffering, death and pestilence as well as a call for vengeance. The opposing sides of good and evil never looked so similar. A war that began with the dawn of time has enjoyed a respite. That respite is ending. Vampiric history, human history and the lives of two lovers are about to come full circle.

Released today at Freya's Bower .

Full Circle released!

Full Circle is launched TODAY! 

It's true that no novel is truly finished; it's just published. My first publisher closed. I may have not received a penny in royalties (although the title did sell well), but I did get the chance to work on the title again. Freya's Bower and I did not squander that opportunity.

For those of you who read the first edition, the main story has not changed. This is a second edition of the first installment. I filled in some of the backstory, fleshed out some of the tertiary characters, clarified a few points, and tightened the writing. If you read it, I hope you enjoy it as much as you enjoyed the first edition.

For those of you who have not read it, I hope you enjoy it. Reader discretion is advised. There's sex and violence, love and hate, and life and death in the story. As one reviewer put it, I'm "brutal with [my] characters". 

Thursday night, a few of the Freya's Bower authors will be interviewed at Author's Corner.   You can call in and ask questions if you want. The interviews start at around 8:25 and I'll be interviewed at about 9:55. These times are in the Eastern time zone.

Friday, I'll be guest blogging on Four Strong Women. There will be snark and praise and even a few "Learn from My Mistakes" moments. 

And somehow I have to manage to get my tech work done. Gonna be a busy week!

Full Circle Release Date!

Full Circle will be released Sept. 25th, 2012 . I'm so excited! If you join me on this ride, I hope you enjoy it.

In a war-torn world a group of vampires struggle to reclaim their past glory. One of their own is missing.  Weakened by solitude, the leader of the vampires, Kendrick, must find Byron, his covenant mate, before the pain of isolation kills them both. Locating Byron is the least of the vampires' problems.

The chaos of the world's death rattle breeds suffering, death and pestilence as well as a call for vengeance. The opposing sides of good and evil never looked so similar. A war that began with the dawn of time has enjoyed a respite. That respite is ending. Vampiric history, human history and the lives of two lovers are about to come full circle. 

Full Circle cover art!

I have cover art for the second edition of Full Circle! I'm positively thrilled with it! Taira Reed did it.

The second edition of Full Circle will be released at some point over the next few months. We're still trying to nail down a date and that largely depends on me. How fast can I get all the pre-release stuff done?

The basic story of Full Circle has not changed. If you read the first edition you won't be lost or confused come the sequel. The second edition has highlighted some more of the back story and clarified a few points. I've added a bit more humor and reminded Alvaro and Josiah that they have another factor working against them. The world building feels a bit more solid to me this time around. The genius that Tami Parrington brought as my first editor still rings. Tami and I aren't working on a title together right now and that saddens me. She's a grand author and a brilliant editor. I keep hoping we'll work together again. I do keep in touch with her via Facebook. Pebble is the same snarky bastard he was in the first edition. So no worries Pebble fans, he's there.

The second edition of Full Circle almost didn't happen. That would have been the death of the series. One editor I worked with wanted me to cut the scenes told in Mihai's point of view. I explained how important he was to the readers (and reviewers) and that Full Circle just wouldn't be Full Circle without those scenes. I was willing to break my contract over this issue. I knew I wouldn't be happy, you wouldn't be happy, and the character's wouldn't be happy if those scenes had been removed. Those scenes remain and are largely untouched. I have given a few hints on why he's as crazy as he is. 

My tech job has dominated a lot more time than I anticipated and that has greatly slowed down my writing, but I think the slower pace has increased the quality.

Friend me on Facebook!

On Facebook.

I am now on Facebook. Come and be my friend so I won't be so lonely.
my Facebook
It won't be all promo, I PROMISE. It will also include industry news (did I put you to sleep already?), erotica discussions, genre discussions (hey wake back up), sex tips, kink safety tips, and other stuff as appropriate.
And you know me. Damn near everything is "appropriate".

Submission Hell take two

I've submitted a short. *crosses fingers* Let's hope this pub is a better match.

Submission Hell.

I just sent a story into Submission Hell. Let's hope this round is kind to me. It's short story that I'd like to see in an anthology. I've been wanting to do something with this particular publisher for a while.

I'm always nervous when entering Submission Hell. I get the submission packet together and hover the cursor over the send button for a while, get up, walk around, hope one the cats will hit the button for me, work up my nerve, and finally hit send.

My heart is pounding in my chest and I have the shakes.

It'll be several months until I hear something back, but keep your fingers crossed for me, please.

Facebook?

I'm thinking about setting up a Facebook author's page. Has anyone else done this and how has it worked out? Anyone interested in discussing sexy priests with me on Facebook? Hahaha!

2011 Update

So far 2011 has been wonderfully normal.

I've taken a position as a subcontractor with a search engine. I telecommute and it allows me to pay the bills while still having time to write. Win+win=winwin.

The second edition of Full Circle is still in editing. My crazy life over the past two years has caused delays in that title. The editor and I have made some changes that will solidify some of the confusing aspects of the first edition. POV is tighter and it's nicely polished. I was proud of the title before, but there were a few rough sections that bothered me. I still need a lot of growth as a writer, but I've been given a chance to smooth out those rough patches. I can only hope and pray that the reviews for the second edition will be as good as the reviews for the first edition.


Full Circle II: Changeling is in the writing phase. So far this one is darker than the last one, but not as violent and has less gore. Not sure if it will stay that way. Essentially, more mental anguish. Less disembowelment and impaling.

Full Circle III is in the planning and storyboard phase.

Tainted Past is still under contract with Freya's Bower.

Personal Demon (priest erotica) is out. E-book edition. Kindle Edition

About to Sin (priest erotica) is still being edited and hasn't hit submission hell yet. I'm so very proud of this title and I think I'm obsessing a bit too much about every last detail. That obsession is bogging down the progression of the title. At some point, I need to be pragmatic and stamp it done even though no title is ever really done.

Thoughts on Masturbation

I’ve recently gotten into a show called “Being Erica”. I’m playing catch-up via Hulu and I watched an episode the other day that got me thinking. Erica walked in on Ethan while he was masturbating and that was a problem for her. I read through the comments of other viewers and, apparently, many people feel that their partner masturbating is a problem.

I don’t get it. I don’t understand this at all.

Masturbation isn’t just for single people. For someone who is single, it might be a replacement for sex. For someone who is in a relationship, masturbation might be a way of seeking relief when their partner is unavailable or not interested, but masturbation is much more than that.

It’s not just a substitute for sex. It’s a form of self-expression. It’s a sexual outlet that can be fully self-serving. A person can “test run” fantasies or techniques before sharing them with their partner. There’s no performance pressure with masturbation. It’s also a way of reconnecting with one’s own body and one’s on tastes. If I can’t give myself an orgasm, how can I expect anyone else to?

I’m sure that in the whole history of relationships there have been moments where someone rejected their willing partner and masturbated instead of having sex. If that has happened, I suspect there are a lot more problems in that relationship than just masturbation.

Generally speaking, masturbation isn’t connected to rejection. It’s self-exploration. It’s a time to get lost in selfish desires.

I have walked in on partners who were masturbating. I stood there with a smile on my face and watched. It was hot! Very sexy. It gave me the chance to observe my partner and feel like a naughty voyeur. When I was noticed, I asked them to continue and offered to help or just provide an audience. One time it turned into a very hot moment that I will keep private.

Erica was also upset about Ethan watching porn while masturbating. I don’t understand this either.

There’s porn—a fantasy world. It’s ridiculous and campy. It can be raunchy and debauched or it can be soft and almost sweet.

There’s coupled interactions—this is real. It can play out a fantasy, but it is real people interacting in the real world. It can be everything from amazing to a clumsy comedy of errors.

They’re two different worlds and they serve very different needs. I don’t understand why someone would be upset that their partner is watching porn. I can understand if the behavior is unhealthy. If there was some kind of porn addiction or something like that. I can also understand feelings of rejection if someone is treated poorly because they lack a pornstar figure. If that is going on, then the relationship has bigger problems than someone masturbating while watching porn.

Am I unusual in thinking there’s nothing wrong with watching porn and masturbating regardless of one’s relationship status? I see nothing wrong with masturbation. If the relationship is good and if the sex life within the relationship is healthy, why would it be a problem?

It’s my body. I’m going to touch it if I want to.

OMG!

I was quoted on filmsinfocus.com! Proof that you should occasionally google your penname. ^_^

The link

Scroll over until you see the cover for Personal Demon and then click on it if you want to read the quote. I'm so thrilled!

Ahh...submission hell.

Well, I now have another title in submission hell. Let’s keep our fingers crossed as this particular publisher is high on my “do want” list. I have some work with Freya’s Bower (published and in editing), so I’ve decided to go for another publisher on my target list. I’m not sure if this is a good fit or not. I figure a short for an anthology is a good way to test the waters.

A stroll down my writing memory lane

It has been a while since I’ve done a public post. GracieMusica posted a long lost story of hers from the third grade. It’s adorable.

Her post got me thinking. I’ve often told people that my mother has always encouraged me to become an author. I never shared why.

I didn’t start writing until I was 12. At that time I was writing short stories on an old Brother word processor. Basically, a typewriter with a brain. I wrote a short fluffy story about two girls who discover an old trunk in their attic. The trunk teleported them back in time where they met their ancestors. I hadn’t read “The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe” yet. It was kind of like Back to the Future meets Little House on the Prairie. I submitted that to a contest and didn’t win.

I then wrote a script for a TV show that I loved. I submitted it to the Paramount and got a very polite rejection letter from an assistant explaining that they couldn’t even read the script much less accept it. She wished me the best in my writing endeavors. I still have my first rejection letter. LOL!

I didn’t give up, but for some reason my stories turned a bit darker. I think I’d discovered Poe by this time. This was also the year we got an IBM computer. I did some writing on WordStar 1.0, but still preferred to use the word processor.

I wrote a story about a woman trapped in an insane asylum. She wasn’t crazy, but wanted a break from life. The people who ran the asylum were corrupt and it turned into a story of the woman figuring out a few criminally insane patients had overthrown the staff. All the patients were doctors and all the doctors were patients. She connects with a man who is “less insane” than the others and they escape. After reading that story, my mother sat down with me and told me that I should write. She still talks about a few scenes like she read it yesterday.

After that, I wrote a story that one of my teachers found. This particular teacher and I had never gotten along. I had always gotten along with my teachers even when I struggled in the class. This teacher and I butted heads, I still haven’t figured out why. I don’t know how she got her hands on the story as I never showed it to anyone except my family.

It was written in first person from the perspective of a murderous old man who owned a huge house. He rented out rooms to people and killed them based upon their habits. Whatever habit annoyed him became the means of death. One tenant was fastidiously clean. He’d remove his clothes at night, fold them, place them in a dirty clothes hamper, and then push down on the clothes. After that, he’d put on his night clothes and go to bed. The old man (never named) was really bothered by that. It bugged the crap out of him. He hid a syringe filled with poison inside the clothing so that when the guy pressed down on the clothes, he’d be injected with the poison and die.
The old man never got caught and the story was his final confession of all his crimes. He wrote it on his deathbed. I remember a few lines from it.

So much blood is upon my hands. Coated and covered like a delectable sugary treat. I wash them and it remains. I lick them and I taste it. I’d bathe in it if I could. Such a beautiful shade of red. Glistening and wet.

Sorry, I got distracted. Where was I? Oh yes, the veterinarian.

After my teacher found this, she referred me for psychological testing. She thought I was insane and disturbed. I didn’t write again for a very long time. The school psychologist determined that I was creative not insane. That teacher never accepted that answer. We moved so I could change schools. (My brother wasn’t happy in his school either, but for other reasons.) My mother made sure my permanent record reflected the psychologist’s findings so I wouldn’t be haunted by a reputation. In the seventh grade, I had a new start and I didn’t write.

Lately, I’ve been toying with rewriting “This Old House”. I don’t think I ever will, but I will be incorporating elements of it into “Recovered Flotsam”. Nothing wrong with cannibalizing your own work, right? LOL

Writing Workshop: As

All writers have crutches. Editors help us see those crutches and provide us with tools to stand on our own 100k words. “As” is a common crutch and one that I have. Although I’m not as bad as some, I want to get rid of it. If you’re a writer or an aspiring writer (or a hobbyist or whatever word you use to describe yourself), I recommend you play along at home. To help you find common crutch words, use the find and replace option in your word processor. Find the word “as” (or any other word) and replace it with a highlighted version of the word.

Today, I’m going to take sample sentences and rework them to eliminate the “as”. After the first sample, I’ll be using sentences from Full Circle. I’ll be focusing on pages with more than one “as”.

Special thanks to Marci Baun for being a wonderful editor.

Sample: Stephanie’s mouth fell open as she stared at the size of his hands.

Changed: Stephanie’s mouth fell open. They’re huge. Her hands. Huge. The word huge repeated itself in her head over and over again. Before her eyes, they ballooned. Morphed into a roll of baloney with five fat sausages. What the hell was in her soda?

Original: His eyes grew wide as the crooked cross registered in his mind. Oh shit. Kendrick twisted around him as they lay in the baptismal tub. (Byron POV)

New: His eyes grew wide. The crooked cross registered in his mind. Oh shit. They lay in the baptismal tub and Kendrick twisted around him.

No as, but the short choppy sentences annoy me. It has poor flow and too much power has been given to inconsequential parts.

New: Through infantile wakefulness, the crooked cross registered in his mind. His eyes grew wide—oh shit. They lay together in the baptismal tub and Kendrick twisted around him like a child keeping a toy on lockdown.

That’s OK, but is “infantile” really a Byron word? The use of “lockdown” isn’t appropriate for the setting of the story. I added “like” in what feels like a gratuitous simile. I doubt anyone would call me out on that change, but I’m not happy with it.

New: Through the hazy fog of wakefulness, the crooked cross registered in his mind. His eyes grew wide—oh shit. They lay together in the baptismal tub and Kendrick twisted around him practically locking him in place.

Gonna use this.

Original: Dozens of ravens flocked into the room as Kendrick wept. Hour-long minutes passed, and he felt his body grow colder. His chest went hollow. A lump in his throat blocked his breath. Byron had left him—turned around and walked away as if the centuries upon centuries that they'd shared meant nothing. (Kendrick POV)

New: Kendrick wept. Dozens of ravens flocked into the room. Hour-long minutes passed, and his body grew colder. His chest went hollow. A lump in this throat blocked his breath. Byron had left him—turned around and walked away. The centuries upon centuries they’d shared, had they meant nothing?

I like this except the Yoda sentence at the end. I’ve had a penchant for Yoda sentences since my fanfiction days. The new shorter sentences are balanced with the longer ones. And, I’ve gotten rid of a “he felt” which is, in this case, a gratuitous phrase.

A half a cup of coffee later…I like this sentence. I like the flow. We’ve all been there, right? As it is, we can all relate to it. Maybe it was a doomed relationship, a cancelled project, or trying to save a historical landmark, we’ve all been there. We’ve all, at some point in our lives, had that crucial moment of realization [or moment of initial shock and doubt] that something we were passionate about meant nothing to someone else. There were three showings of as on this page. Maybe I can nix the other one and keep this one.

Original: Hissing and screeching, he arched his back as loneliness took residence inside his chest.

New: Hissing and screeching, he arched his back. Loneliness took residence inside his chest.

That’s good, but it can be stronger.

New: Hissing and screeching, he arched his back. Stark loneliness assaulted his heart.

Mmm...still not quite right.

New: Hissing and screeching, he arched his back. Stark solitude assaulted his heart.

We have a winner! And, I still have only one as on that page.

In this next section we have four incidences of as all on a single page.

Original: Kendrick’s talons gouged the wood as he prayed. (Keep)

Original: Kendrick smiled as best he could.

Original: Seth pulled off his shirt as he walked toward Kendrick.

Original: Seth was tantalizingly warmth as opposed to his corpselike cold.

(All Kendrick POV)

New: Kendrick proffered a, hopefully, believable smile.

New: Seth pulled off his shirt while walking toward Kendrick.

New: Seth removed his shirt and walked toward Kendrick.

New: Seth removed his shirt and approached Kendrick.

New: Seth removed his shirt while approaching Kendrick.

New: Seth’s tantalizing warmth contrasted with his corpselike cold.

New: Seth’s tantalizing warmth battled his corpselike cold. (Stronger, but too aggressive?)

And so on for the rest of the manuscript. This is why editing takes forever; however, it’s the only way to grow as...err...ummm...

This is why editing takes forever, but it’s the best way to hone one’s skills and to promote author growth. Awkward.

Editing can be a long and tedious process, but it’s an invaluable learning experience.

Hmm...yeah, I still have a lot to learn. Hopefully the next manuscript will contain fewer crutches.

New Fetish

Here's a fetish I never saw coming. O.o

Stuck in the sticky

I'll never view a grown man chewing bubble gum with the same eyes again.

Do Something

Warning: this blog post might come across as snobbish or elitist. It might enrage or offend.

Edit: This turned into a lengthy and interesting conversation on my LiveJournal.

When I learn about things like Playing for Change, I’m reminded of what art is supposed to be. Writers aren’t supposed to crank out drivel to make a buck. Visual artists shouldn’t slap just any crap on a canvas. Musicians shouldn’t belt out soulless sounds.

I think that’s why “selling out” hurts so much. Art is a gift to the world. Even if it doesn’t suit someone’s personal tastes, it’s still a present. A little treasure that should move people. It should “strike a chord” inside the audience.

By all means artists should be paid for their work. “Feel goods” and “Warm fuzzies” aren’t accepted as currency at the local grocery store. But, I watch some people work their craft and I wonder if they’re cheating themselves and their audience.
Not all art needs to move people to tears. Not all of it needs to initiate a moment of deep reflection. There’s nothing wrong with producing something for the sole purpose of entertaining. It saddens me and cheapens the art world when people produce work solely for the commercial value.

Grandpa Elliot’s voice sends waves of chills down my arms. I listen to him and there’s so much more there than just a talented voice. There’s some unknown, untouchable, unnamable special quality to him. An endearing charm hitchhikes upon his voice and reaches into my heart. If I could, I’d hug him and thank him for the gift he and Playing for Change has given the world.

Playing for Change also reminds us of the power behind art. (Perhaps the power that serves as the impetus for art?) Artists hold within their talents the ability to bring about change. We can speak for peace or war. We can hold a mirror up to the world and ask the audience, “Is this what you really want? No? Then do something about it.”

Some may say that such things are easy when one is a photojournalist covering a famine or a journalist writing a story about the victims of natural disaster. Some may say that I’m a hypocrite for writing this blog post. After all I’m just an erotica writer.

Erotica writers still wield this power. Can we not address social issues in our work? Can we not show the ugly faces of war and oppression? Can we not reveal the joy of love and the fecundity hope? Can we not do work like Coming Together With Pride and produce work for charity? Entertaining for a purpose.

Furthermore, can we do it without preaching?

We all start with the same tools: words, color, sound. Now, what are we doing with it?

Indie Book Awards, Full Circle, Personal Demon

I’m approximately 2,000 words into Full Circle II: Changeling. I’ve often said that writing gets it down and editing makes it pretty, but accepting that as I’m writing is difficult. I find myself staring at sentences and thinking, “Is something really missing or do I just think something is missing; and thus, cause something to be missing?” That’s the kind of logic that sends me to coffee pot or laundry room for a little bit.

I need to remember to just write when I’m writing and edit when I’m editing. There’s a lot of truth in what Oscar Wilde said, “I was working on the proof of one of my poems all morning and took out a comma. In the afternoon, I put it back in again.”

I’m sure my pace will pick up once I’m into the meat of the story. The establishing scenes sometimes feel a bit tedious during the first go through. What do you mean I can’t just jump to this scene and then *poof* magically jump to another scene and expect the reader to follow and understand?




In other news, Personal Demon is on All Romance now with reader reviews of 4 out of 5 on overall enjoyment and 4 out of 5 for sensuality. ^_^



Coming Together: With Pride is a finalist for the 2009 Next Generation Indie Book Awards. Interestingly, not in the erotica category, but in the anthology and e-book fiction categories. Woohoo!

On a personal front, I’m totally addicted to the song “Boom Boom Ba” by Metisse.