Me and Sally Jessy

no one is as cool as SJR

Personal perspective is an odd thing. My sister and I chat on the phone sometimes and it's interesting to hear about things that happened when we were kids from her point of view. Most recently I was telling the Boyfriend about a pair of Sally Jessy, big red rimmed sunglasses my sister picked out for me in 6th grade to take to camp.

We were in Wal-greens and she was telling me that those sunglasses were cool. It was a day she had to take a her little sister to the store. For me that was the first time in my pre-teen life that my big sister, easily the coolest person I knew (she wore Exclamation! perfume after all) was trying to bring me to her level. I texted her about it the other night and we both had a laugh remembering those silly sunglasses that we quite a hit at camp.

What does this have to do with writing? I'm glad you asked even though you totally didn't ask. Something interesting happened the other day. I got paid. YAY! Let's hear it for money. This isn't about money though. Not really.

I think every author has their favorite stories and their favorite characters -- of their own. If a reader asks my what book of mine they should read, I automatically say Better Off Red. If they had little time I'd tell them to read Better Off Red, or The Fling if they ABSOLUTELY hate paranormal, but I always start with Better Off Red. I don't even know that it's my favorite of my books, but it is the first thing that comes out of my mouth. Funny thing is The Fling has been my best-seller since it's release around this time last year.

I've blogged about The Fling and the trouble it caused me.(Check out this post for my account of writing and editing while suicidal.) When I finished The Fling I hated it. Not, the work or the characters, I love both, but I hated my relationship to the book itself. Its creation reminded me of a very, very bad time in my life. But I sucked it up and went on with things, wrote some more, what have you.

At one point I told my live-in-lifemate that I had a feeling that readers would like The Fling the most. A few months later I saw my publisher and she confirmed that The Fling was doing very well indeed. Not that my other books were doing poorly, The Fling was just doing better. A year later, that's still the case.

My life just goes that way. When I don't like something, other people love it.

So what does this all mean? Hell if I know. Does writing while suicidal work? I guess though I don't recommend it and I'm sure I don't want to go down that path again. But I do know that as an author what I think about my work on a personal level will most likely not match up with what the readers think. In the fall my new short, Forever Yours, Eileen which I think is the best thing I've written so far, will be out. We'll see what readers have to say or if they even give it a chance. Here's my favorite review of The Fling to date.

By the way, The Fling is still for sale.

----

Misc. Update : Here's what I'm working on now/what's coming up from me.
Edits for At Her Feet which will be released in September
then I'll be writing a hetero novella
then I'll be writing a lesbian novella
AND THEN I'll be writing a hetero novel
Two lesbian shorts of my lesbian shorts will be released in September
Another lesbian short of mine will be released in October.
then I'll get around to writing the next book in the Vampire Sorority Series.

Sorry I'm taking my sweet ass time. Also take all the writing portions with a grain of salt. Sometimes I say things I don't mean. 

5 Favorites Blog Hop

Gimme 5!

Beverly Diehl cornered me at romance writers' meeting a few weeks ago, put me in a headlock and told me if I didn't do this block hop that she would confess awful secrets of mine to the whole world. She's so mean. 

Of course I'm kidding. We're hopping around the blogesphere (is that how you spell it) sharing our favorite books. Our 5 favorites to be exact. It was hard to choose, but I think I did an okay job.  Here my top 5(7)

Confessions of an Ugly Step-Sister by Gregory Maguire

This retelling of Cinderella was a pleasant surprise. This is a story of a family of women struggling to survive. It feels like the story is set in medieval (I think) Holland. The step-mother in this tale is left penniless with two daughters, one of which suffers from some kind of mental retardation. She remarries to keep herself and her daughters off the streets. Cinderella is somewhat of a spoiled brat. It's a good time.

I read this book right after a break up, when I was dead broke and about to move back to New Hampshire to live with my dad. I remember clearly sitting on my balcony one afternoon, because my power had been cut off and it was too dark inside my apartment, reading this book and completely forgetting about my troubles. I think that's exactly what a book should do, transport you to another place. I know Wicked is Maquire's most famous book, but this is by far my favorite of his. 

A Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon

This is the fifth book in the Outlander Series, I'll skip the plot summary because at this point in the series you're more following along with the family. This was the first book in the series that made me sob. Like raining buckets on my face. The first chunk of the book is brutal because it's almost a real time retelling of a single day, but the rest of the book tore my heart out.






Baby by Patricia MacLachlan

A Tale of a baby in a basket. Who doesn't love a little small town story about a baby in a basket. But really, I read this book in 7th grade and kept the copy that I "borrowed" from my teacher. I still have it. Sorry Mr. A. I loved Larkin's voice. She was a kid I could relate to, but what I really loved about this book was how it didn't sugar coat death and loss and trauma. Toward the end of the book Larkin's teacher talks about the death of her brother and reads a "Dirge Without Music" by Edna St. Vincent Millay to the class. I memorized this scene and recited it to make it to the finals of our school's oral interpretation contest. I think it was one of the few times I really applied myself academically. In hindsight, I think this was a time when my own family was really starting to change and as a kid, this was a story I could really hold on to.

The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty/Beauty's Punishment/Beauty's Release by Anne Rice writing as A.N. Roquelaure

Sleeping Beauty is awoken and swept off to a BDSM training camp in a nearby kindgom. There is a for real fairy tale ending. Uh... I'll just leave these here.

Always and Forever by Beverly Jenkins

Picking a favorite among Beverly Jenkins's books was hard. Really hard. I read a book of hers and I love it and then I move on to the next one and then I love it. Always and Forever for me is one of her most complete stories, not just a romance, but an adventure and a story of personal growth and love. Jackson and Grace come together as they wrangle a group of prospective brides to head out to the Kansas Territory. Jenkins writes hilarious interactions between the women and an amazing Western for Jackson and Grace once they fall in love. And it ends the way I want nearly all romances to end. You'll have to read it to see what I mean. It's corny, but I love it. 



And here's the reserve list because 5 books is just ridiculous.

Vows, Years, and Morning Glory all by LaVyrle Spencer 
She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb
Fledgling and Kindred by Octavia Butler
Witches by Raul Dahl
Night Song by Beverly Jenkins
Voyager and A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon
Lover Avenged by J.R. Ward
Split by Mel Bossa
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner

Now you! Tell me some of your favorite titles in the comments. I need more books to read! 


Next week check out the faves for some of my favorite author friends. 

Jeffrey Ricker
'Nathan Burgoine
A.C. Mason
Ambrielle Kirk
Felice Fox

 They'll keep this hopping right along. :)

Day 993: Crowd Participation: UPDATE!

Hey, I need opinions. I'm writing a short story about an existing couple, but I can't decide which couple to pick. What do you guys think? Should I write about Ginger & Camila, Benny & Cleo, or Annie & Oksana? I'm going to decide by Friday 3/ 8/1. Please help. Gimme your opinions in the comments below. Please. Help.

Update: I've gotten feedback everywhere (facebook/tumblr/twitter), but here. Was it something I said??

Here's the tally so far.

Annie & Oksana (The Fling): 9
Ginger & Camila ( Better Off Red): 8
Benny & Cleo (Blacker Than Blue): 4

Ginger and Camila took it!
Final Tally:
Ginger & Camila: 14
Annie & Oksana: 9
Benny & Cleo: 4
Looks like I have a sexy short about Ginger and her Mila to write. :)

Day 975: VAMPIRE BITE BLOG HOP

I'd like to say thank you to the amazing Jolie Du Pre for opening the invitation to join this amazing hop.

It's fitting that this hop would fall on Valentine's Day. So far my vampires are hopelessly in love. They kick ass when they need to, but the love their humans so much that some times they don't have time to crack heads and this is where I've run into a problem. Well maybe not a problem. Something to consider that would make my books even better.

I read my reviews. I most certainly believe that reviews are for other readers, so I don't and would never respond to them, but recently a reader left a review that got me thinking. Maybe my vampires are too nice. The other night, while up in bed this is how I pictured them with their humans.

Camila and Ginger

Cleo and Benny

I need less of this ^^^ and more of this. -->

 

Camila and Cleo are bad ass. Both would throw down in a heartbeat, but I think I love them so much and I love them SOOO much with Ginger and Benny that I forget sometimes that they are vampires. This is the tricky part about writing paranormal romance. I'm turned off by violence, but it's different when it's being committed by the undead. I've never been courted by a violent vampire before. I mean I have violence in both Better Off Red and Blacker Than Blue. One college student didn't live through it all and there was mention or rape and suicide and other violent acts. People get choked. Benny and Cleo have a rather unpleasant and scarring run in with a very powerful demon, but there wasn't enough carnage. WELL THIS STOPS NOW!

My vampires are blood thirsty and better yet, they do live in a world, our world, that is speckled with very evil humans. In my next book, Soul to Keep, I'm turning things around. The body count will rise, IN DETAIL. People will be killed. There might be a possession and an exorcism, even though I hate exorcisms. Feelings will be hurt and not to spare my own. There will be a vampire fight scene. Maybe even a throw down between a vampire and a human (not maybe. definitely. i already outlined it).

I have mixed feelings about Tokyo, my next vampire. She's a total dick. But she is also bad ass and this time I am determined to let her crack some skulls. Well, more skulls that Camila and Cleo have thus far cracked. 

The Vampire Sorority Sisters Series is for sale now from Bold Strokes Books.

 

ps. i looked for a picture of a demonic looking vampire and was hit was 1000 results of Edward Cullen and the guys from Vampire Diaries. What a world! :)

Day 934: NEXT BIG THING BLOG HOP

It seems I've been tapped for The Next Big Thing Blog Hop. YAY!

The purpose of the hop is to find out what an author is working on and next and maybe get linked to authors you aren't familiar with to hear about their next project. Yvonne Heidt and Jeffrey Ricker.  I feel special :) So here's what I'm working on next. 

What is the working title of your book? 

Soul To Keep: Vampire Sorority Sisters: Book 3

 

Where did the idea come from for the book?

Vampire Sorority Sisters: Book 1 and 2 :)

 

What genre does your book fall under? 

Erotica Paranormal Romance

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

Jill in my head is Fefe Dobson and Miyoko/"Tokyo" is model/actress Sayaka Isoyama

 

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

What would you do if finding the love of your life meant sacrificing your soul?

What is the longer synopsis of your book?


Oh, I haven't written it yet. I hate synopsisessss. Essentially, after seventy years as a vampire, Tokyo meets the one human who only wants her for her body, with out the aide of a blood bond. In order to win over college junior, Jill,  Tokyo must face her past and the crippling PTSD she suffered as a human during World World II. She must show Jill her true personality and expose herself to an evil that could kill them both.

 

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?


Hopefully my publisher, Bold Strokes Books, will be into it.

 

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

Uh, eight weeks? Let's go with eight weeks.




Who or What inspired you to write this book?

Jill popped up up in book two as such a vivid character. She's sweet, but so annoying and I love her. I knew her and Tokyo could be an amazing couple if they could get over some crucial issues. Throw in some vampire sex and well, you know.

 

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?


Murder? I'm going to kill some people in this book. :) There will also be some fun sex.

That's all I got.

 

Next Wednesday check out Zoe Archer's blog and read up on her next big thing!

Day 933

It's my favorite time of the year. The Lesbian Fiction Appreciation Event is here! Katie Babs over at Babbling About Books and More has invited folks from around the publishing world to talk their love of lesbian fiction. My post will be up tomorrow. Eeek! I'll do my best to update this post everyday with each new link, but here's what's up so far.

Storm Moon Press
Lucy Felthouse
Elizabeth Thorne
Leigh Ellwood
Julie Du Pre
Rebekah Weatherspoon <---- thats me!
Jill Sorenson 

Day 922

BOOK BIRTHDAY SURPRISE! 

 

Blacker Than Blue is now available in paperback and ebook from Bold Strokes Books. Go ahead, spend your holiday money. Load that ereader. :)