BOOK BIRTHDAY SURPRISE!
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Day 922
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Day 911
Women and Words Holiday Hootenany is going strong. Today a copy of The Fling is up for grabs with a bunch of other BSB books. Go now! Win things!
Also - On Friday Better off Red and Blacker Than Blue were put up for grabs over on Smuketeers.com. I didn't post about it because I was pretty much in fetal position all day. I'm pretty sure they are still available to head over there for a chance to win my vamp books as well.
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Day 907
Suzy and Pilar finally have a cover!
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Day 900
Lots of news! Events! Awards! News! News! News!
I'll go with the part where you can win free stuff. Though, it's all pretty good.
Starting today (DECEMBER 5th) the awesome ladies over at Smuketeers are kicking off their 12 Days of Xmas Holiday Extravaganza.
Head on over to check out holiday fun with 64 amazing romance authors, myself included. We're giving away books, too. I'll be tweeting when my day is up, but go over there now. NOW!
Starting Wednesday, December 12, 2012, Women and Words will be kicking off their 2012 Holiday Hootenanny. Everyday readers can enter to win a book from a list of great LGBT romance authors. I'll be featuredd on Day 5, giving away a copy of The Fling.
On Thursday, January 10, 2013 I'll be participating in Book'd in Burbank, a literary social event. I'll be reading from Better Off Red. If that doesn't bring you running, there will a comedy MC, drinks and desserts. :) The drinks and desserts are what got me on board. Check out more here, courtesy of Liz D.
And lastly, the news that has me super pumped.
Elisa Reviews announced the winners of the Rainbow Awards over the weekend and TWO of my books won awards.
1st Place: BEST DEBUT LESBIAN NOVEL/BOOK - Better Off Red
2nd Place: BEST LESBIAN EROTIC ROMANCE - The Fling
2nd Place (tie): BEST LESBIAN PARANORMAL/HORROR- Better Off Red
This is amazing because so many fantastic books were nominated, books I absolutely loved. I inhaled Meghan O'Brien's The Night Off and Awake Unto Me by Kathleen Knowles. I almost cried during Robin Silverman's reading of Lemon Reef. To be included is such an honor.
I'm particularly excited about Better Off Red's win for debut novel. An author can only win that type of award once in their career and to win it for a book and characters that are so close to my heart is both humbling and encouraging.
For the complete list of winners and honorable mention recommendations check out click HERE.
I'll post again soon. There is cover art for At Her Feet in the works... ♥
I'll go with the part where you can win free stuff. Though, it's all pretty good.
Starting today (DECEMBER 5th) the awesome ladies over at Smuketeers are kicking off their 12 Days of Xmas Holiday Extravaganza.
Head on over to check out holiday fun with 64 amazing romance authors, myself included. We're giving away books, too. I'll be tweeting when my day is up, but go over there now. NOW!
--
Starting Wednesday, December 12, 2012, Women and Words will be kicking off their 2012 Holiday Hootenanny. Everyday readers can enter to win a book from a list of great LGBT romance authors. I'll be featuredd on Day 5, giving away a copy of The Fling.
--
On Thursday, January 10, 2013 I'll be participating in Book'd in Burbank, a literary social event. I'll be reading from Better Off Red. If that doesn't bring you running, there will a comedy MC, drinks and desserts. :) The drinks and desserts are what got me on board. Check out more here, courtesy of Liz D.
--
Elisa Reviews announced the winners of the Rainbow Awards over the weekend and TWO of my books won awards.
1st Place: BEST DEBUT LESBIAN NOVEL/BOOK - Better Off Red
2nd Place: BEST LESBIAN EROTIC ROMANCE - The Fling
2nd Place (tie): BEST LESBIAN PARANORMAL/HORROR- Better Off Red
This is amazing because so many fantastic books were nominated, books I absolutely loved. I inhaled Meghan O'Brien's The Night Off and Awake Unto Me by Kathleen Knowles. I almost cried during Robin Silverman's reading of Lemon Reef. To be included is such an honor.
I'm particularly excited about Better Off Red's win for debut novel. An author can only win that type of award once in their career and to win it for a book and characters that are so close to my heart is both humbling and encouraging.
For the complete list of winners and honorable mention recommendations check out click HERE.
I'll post again soon. There is cover art for At Her Feet in the works... ♥
Monday, October 29, 2012
Day 862
You'd think I'd forgotten all about this blog. Ha. I didn't. I've just been busy. I'll skip the details and jump right to the news.
Blacker Than Blue is days away from going to press. I had a hell of time editing it and I have to say I think I could write at least four stories for Benny and Cleo. I love them as a couple. :) In January, right before its release, I'll be doing a book/t-shirt giveaway, so keep your eyes peeled if you like winning stuff.
Once that was done and off to the magical land of paperbacks and ebooks, I finished my first/final round of revisions of At Her Feet. If you've been following my blog, you might be asking what At Her Feet is. Well, my publisher was happy to buy Suzy & Pilar off my hands, but after batting some ideas around, we went with a title change. At Her Feet should be out some time near fall 2013. I think. I'll report back when I know for sure.
And that's it, really. I'm working on some non-romance related things. I might take a class. You're never too old to further your education. When I get back to the romancing, I have two hetero romances I want to write and then there's the next Vampire Sorority Sister novel to research, write and then beg my publisher to buy. I'll report back when I have concrete plans. In the meantime, Happy NaNoWriMo for everyone participating. I'll leave you with Melanie Fiona's Stop My Heart. I heard it in Crate&Barrel last week and now I'm obsessed with her. ♥
Blacker Than Blue is days away from going to press. I had a hell of time editing it and I have to say I think I could write at least four stories for Benny and Cleo. I love them as a couple. :) In January, right before its release, I'll be doing a book/t-shirt giveaway, so keep your eyes peeled if you like winning stuff. Once that was done and off to the magical land of paperbacks and ebooks, I finished my first/final round of revisions of At Her Feet. If you've been following my blog, you might be asking what At Her Feet is. Well, my publisher was happy to buy Suzy & Pilar off my hands, but after batting some ideas around, we went with a title change. At Her Feet should be out some time near fall 2013. I think. I'll report back when I know for sure.
And that's it, really. I'm working on some non-romance related things. I might take a class. You're never too old to further your education. When I get back to the romancing, I have two hetero romances I want to write and then there's the next Vampire Sorority Sister novel to research, write and then beg my publisher to buy. I'll report back when I have concrete plans. In the meantime, Happy NaNoWriMo for everyone participating. I'll leave you with Melanie Fiona's Stop My Heart. I heard it in Crate&Barrel last week and now I'm obsessed with her. ♥
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Day 797
I love having guests especially when it means I don't have to vaccuum or do the dishes. Ruth Diaz is stopping by today to talk about sex and her new novella The Superheroes Union: Dynama. EVERYONE BE NICE!
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The Elephant in the Room: Sex in Writing and Cultural Baggage
I'll never forget telling my mother that I had decided to write romance, or possibly just erotic fiction. She didn't say anything supportive about it, though she was supportive of the attempt. Instead, she made a request.
She asked me to write under a pseudonym.
This isn't as harsh as it may sound. For one thing, erotic romances and other erotic fiction are often written under a pseudonym. I had already decided to use a different name for this type of writing.
For another thing, well, my mother was born in the middle of the last century in the middle of the Midwest in the middle of nowhere. There were only five students in her graduating class. She did not have what you'd think of as a cosmopolitan upbringing, and even if her attitudes toward sex don't much reflect that anymore, her brothers and sisters and parents send nieces and nephews have all grown from the same roots.
Sex is one of those subjects you don't discuss between generations, let alone in a coed environment. Probably not even in an all-female environment, not without blushing and speaking from behind a concealing a hand, or perhaps in the context of humor. It wasn't that she wanted to restrict what I might write. But she never wanted to be in the position of having to explain it to our extended family.
Sex is a part of life. Most of us admit it, even in my small-town, Midwestern, extended family. As a matter of fact, we're bombarded by sexual imagery in media and advertising on a day-to-day basis. We don't necessarily discuss that with other people, but most of us don't deny it. On good days, we aren't even embarrassed by it unless someone actually implies we're having sex. (Even if we are.)
I am sex-positive. I respect and understand the choices of people prefer not to consider themselves that way. But I, personally, am sex-positive. Writing sex scenes does not automatically reflect sex-positivity, though, any more than admitting that sex is perfectly natural means my relatives are comfortable discussing it. One of the challenges I faced in writing The Superheroes Union: Dynama was writing from a sex-positive point of view while staying true to my heroines...neither of whom considers herself sex-positive.
In the end, I decided the most sex-positive thing I could do for the story was address sex as realistically as possible, despite some of the underlying wish-fulfillment that makes romance what it is. My heroines talked to each other about safer sex--maybe later than they should have! They didn't use sex toys, not because they had any reason not to, but because Dynama's twins found the one in her underwear drawer when they were four, with predictably bad results, and she decided to do without until they were old enough to understand privacy.
Both my heroines see their bodies as flawed, because body image in Western culture tends to be so artificial right now, very few women measure up to their own expectations. But they see each other as beautiful, each taking joy in the other's body, even if neither is sure she takes joy in her own. Dynama's superhero costume covers her from neck to ankles, and the only character who runs around with a superhero emblem on her boobs is the Invincible Woman, who deliberately put it there as a target.
In the end, I didn't break any new ground for portrayals of sex in fiction in The Superheroes Union: Dynama, and my relatives still mostly don't ask about that romance they knew I was writing. But I've refused to pretend there's no sex in it; and I've managed to give both my heroines full ownership of their bodies, their sexual preferences, and their sex lives.
In a dreadful social moment in the US where everything from men's hair product commercials to the Republican Party's 2012 platform is trying to take women's sexuality and place it firmly in the hands of men, that may just be the most sex-positive thing I could do.
How do you feel about sex in romance, and does that have any relationship to how you feel about sex in the rest of your life? And seriously, has any woman seen that Axe commercial with the dismembered boobs and disembodied hair and not wanted to throw something at her television? Visit my blog for the swag giveaway! Comment to win a Superheroes Union totebag or T-shirt.
What if your evil ex really was evil? TJ Gutierrez used to be a superhero. But after the birth of her twins seven years ago, she hung up the yellow spandex. Until the day her archenemy and ex-husband, Singularity, breaks out of prison. When it becomes clear he’s after the kids, she’s forced to call the nanny helpline—and once again become...Dynama! Annmarie Smith doesn’t have a superpower. She saves the world by keeping kids safe while their parents fight evil. She temporarily moves in with TJ, and the way the magnetic mama puts family first captures Annmarie’s respect, and maybe her heart—even though she knows better than to fall for a superhero. Still, it’s hard to resist their wicked chemistry. Kapow! But they can only hide from the world for so long. When Singularity’s quest for custody puts the kids’ lives in danger, can the two women conquer the evil villain and save TJ’s family—all before their first date? The Superheroes Union: Dynama is available from Carina Press. You can read an excerpt here. Carina Press store | Amazon.com | BarnesandNoble.com
Ruth Diaz writes genre romances about non-mainstream relationships. She hides a number of publications in a different genre under another name, but The Superheroes Union: Dynama is her first romance publication. For more information, you can subscribe to her blog, like her on Facebook, or follow @RuthDiazWrites on Twitter (where she is most active and, well, opinionated).
--
The Elephant in the Room: Sex in Writing and Cultural Baggage
Sex is one of those subjects you don't discuss between generations, let alone in a coed environment. Probably not even in an all-female environment, not without blushing and speaking from behind a concealing a hand, or perhaps in the context of humor. It wasn't that she wanted to restrict what I might write. But she never wanted to be in the position of having to explain it to our extended family.
Sex is a part of life. Most of us admit it, even in my small-town, Midwestern, extended family. As a matter of fact, we're bombarded by sexual imagery in media and advertising on a day-to-day basis. We don't necessarily discuss that with other people, but most of us don't deny it. On good days, we aren't even embarrassed by it unless someone actually implies we're having sex. (Even if we are.)
I am sex-positive. I respect and understand the choices of people prefer not to consider themselves that way. But I, personally, am sex-positive. Writing sex scenes does not automatically reflect sex-positivity, though, any more than admitting that sex is perfectly natural means my relatives are comfortable discussing it. One of the challenges I faced in writing The Superheroes Union: Dynama was writing from a sex-positive point of view while staying true to my heroines...neither of whom considers herself sex-positive.
In the end, I decided the most sex-positive thing I could do for the story was address sex as realistically as possible, despite some of the underlying wish-fulfillment that makes romance what it is. My heroines talked to each other about safer sex--maybe later than they should have! They didn't use sex toys, not because they had any reason not to, but because Dynama's twins found the one in her underwear drawer when they were four, with predictably bad results, and she decided to do without until they were old enough to understand privacy.
Both my heroines see their bodies as flawed, because body image in Western culture tends to be so artificial right now, very few women measure up to their own expectations. But they see each other as beautiful, each taking joy in the other's body, even if neither is sure she takes joy in her own. Dynama's superhero costume covers her from neck to ankles, and the only character who runs around with a superhero emblem on her boobs is the Invincible Woman, who deliberately put it there as a target.
In the end, I didn't break any new ground for portrayals of sex in fiction in The Superheroes Union: Dynama, and my relatives still mostly don't ask about that romance they knew I was writing. But I've refused to pretend there's no sex in it; and I've managed to give both my heroines full ownership of their bodies, their sexual preferences, and their sex lives.
In a dreadful social moment in the US where everything from men's hair product commercials to the Republican Party's 2012 platform is trying to take women's sexuality and place it firmly in the hands of men, that may just be the most sex-positive thing I could do.
How do you feel about sex in romance, and does that have any relationship to how you feel about sex in the rest of your life? And seriously, has any woman seen that Axe commercial with the dismembered boobs and disembodied hair and not wanted to throw something at her television? Visit my blog for the swag giveaway! Comment to win a Superheroes Union totebag or T-shirt.
What if your evil ex really was evil? TJ Gutierrez used to be a superhero. But after the birth of her twins seven years ago, she hung up the yellow spandex. Until the day her archenemy and ex-husband, Singularity, breaks out of prison. When it becomes clear he’s after the kids, she’s forced to call the nanny helpline—and once again become...Dynama! Annmarie Smith doesn’t have a superpower. She saves the world by keeping kids safe while their parents fight evil. She temporarily moves in with TJ, and the way the magnetic mama puts family first captures Annmarie’s respect, and maybe her heart—even though she knows better than to fall for a superhero. Still, it’s hard to resist their wicked chemistry. Kapow! But they can only hide from the world for so long. When Singularity’s quest for custody puts the kids’ lives in danger, can the two women conquer the evil villain and save TJ’s family—all before their first date? The Superheroes Union: Dynama is available from Carina Press. You can read an excerpt here. Carina Press store | Amazon.com | BarnesandNoble.com
Ruth Diaz writes genre romances about non-mainstream relationships. She hides a number of publications in a different genre under another name, but The Superheroes Union: Dynama is her first romance publication. For more information, you can subscribe to her blog, like her on Facebook, or follow @RuthDiazWrites on Twitter (where she is most active and, well, opinionated).
Saturday, July 21, 2012
Day 758
Updates!!!! Here's where I've been. Here's what I've been doing.
- The Advocate Magazine asked lil old me to contribute to this month's I Advocate section. Seeing myself in a magazine period is amazing. Being featured in The Advocate is just mind blowing. Pick up a copy on newsstands now. :)
- I was also featured over at Romance Cooks, sharing a recipe that always makes me think of my vampire queen Camila from Better Off Red. Check it out. Make some cookies.
- I'm taking FOREVER to edit Suzy & Pilar. I'm not under a deadline with it so I'm taking my sweet ass time. Eeeep.
- Next week (July 25, and 26) I'll be loitering at the annual RWA conference in Anaheim. If you're there and you see me, say hi. I'm wicked nice. Really.
- I also realized that I missed the two year mark for this blog. Ooops. I'll do a big TWO YEAR post soon. Feel free to listen to my new favorite song while you wait.
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