Hot New Blog!

Coming Soon! I'm so excited about a new blog I am participating in. Naughty Author Chicks will roll out on October 2 with authors of sex, hot romance. Check out posts by Savannah Stuart, Jina Bacarr, Calista Fox and me. Stay tuned for news on our impending journey.

Packing up and Moving

Catch me over at Romance Rules. I'll be spending most of my blog time over there from now on.

Time draws near for our vacation -- a family reunion of sorts. We're heading north to the hills and forests of the Shenandoah National Park area to commune with nature and far flung relatives. As much as I'm looking forward to spending time with loved ones, I'm also a tad nervous. As a family with lots of strong (read: controlling) women, we do occasionally clash. Our poor menfolk stand idly by praying no blood will spill. Last time we were together, one of my sisters and I had a bit of a disagreement (think: Clash of the Titans). Yet we always move past that sort of thing. And let's face it -- there's no replacing family. So, I'm packing up ten times the amount of stuff we'll need and have even purchased a good pair of hiking boots so I can work off all that comfort food I say I'm not going to indulge in.
I'm not bringing a laptop or even a notepad. Since I write nearly every day, including weekends, I figure this is a good opportunity to really get away from it all, come home with a fresh perspective. Then maybe I will come home with fresh perspective and a host of new ideas. Okay, maybe just a notepad.

So I was at the gym a few days ago, going through my usual routine, upper body that day. I often speed through a certain machine because although I work out nearly every day, I'm basically lazy. And it's so much easier to do all the reps if I do them fast. A man I see there all the time stops in front of me, shaking his head.

"What?" I ask.

"Slow it down," he advises.

"But it's too hard that way," I answer.

He gives me a solemn nod. "Bet your ass. But you're not getting what you could out of it. Won't do a damn thing for you unless it's challenging. And it'll only be challenging if you do it the right way, slowly."

Now, I know what he's saying is true. I've been at this for many years. But I forget that just going through the motions won't do me any good. My muscles have grown resistant. So I slow my pace. And the movements are tough. Really tough. And I can feel the burn. Now, I'm not wasting my time. Now I'm doing something.

Later that day I got to thinking how that truth in the gym also fits the craft of writing fiction. You can keep doing what's easy, never stretch those writing muscles. Or, you can grow and get better by putting in the time and the effort to learn, to better the craft. Falling into that comfortable rut is so tempting. But unless you push yourself, you're going nowhere.

I am over at Cynthia Eden's Blog today. Come over and say hi.

Cynthia Eden is Here!

I have a special guest today - Award winning paranormal romantic suspense author, Cynthia Eden. Cynthia has been racking up the awards and nominations all over the place lately!

Hi Cynthia and welcome to Slave To Romance. I’m a total fan girl so I’m really excited to have you here. I recently finished reading Midnight Sins, which is a finalist in the prestigious Daphne Awards, and I must say, I loved it. Cara, your heroine is a succubus, or sex demon and boy oh boy did she make for one hot heroine. And Todd, the hero was as Alpha as they come. Can you tell me about the other books in this series?

Hi, Dara! Thanks so much for interviewing me. J And I am very happy to hear that you enjoyed Midnight Sins.

There are 3 books in the Midnight trilogy. Hotter After Midnight is the first installment, and it focuses on Emily Drake, my “Monster Doctor” (she’s a psychologist who only treats paranormal patients) and Colin Gyth, a wolf-shifter detective. Midnight Sins is the second book, and I think of that one as Basic Instinct meets The X-Files. The last book (due to release on 6/30/09) is Midnight’s Master. The hero in Midnight’s Master is the powerful demon Niol, and he finds his match in a most unexpected heroine.

What are you working on now?

Right now, I am finished up a romantic suspense series for Grand Central. My editor is tentatively calling it my “Deadly” series. Next summer, the books will release in mass market form in June, July, and August (starting in June with Deadly Fear). These are very dark books, dark but sexy.

Did you always want to be a fiction writer? How old were you when you first started writing?

Always! Yes, even when I was a kid, I wanted to write. I wrote my first novel when I was 18. That book was SO not ready for publishers. After college and a few years of teaching, I settled back into writing and focused on my dream again. And I am very, very happy that I did.

I always write my longer stories with an outline, but I wing it with the shorter ones. What about you? Are you a pantser or a planner? Does the length of the story change how you approach it?

I’m a pantser and a planner. Sometimes, I’ll start a book with only the glimmer of a plot idea. I’ll write and just see where the story takes me. Other times, I’ll sit down and plot out the entire book before I type a single word. Just depends on the story. Although, with my novellas, I think I’ve been a panster on all of those. With the short length, it’s fun to see the twists that pop up!

Do you use a critique partner or group or are you a solo player?

I’m a solo gal, always have been. Some people work really well with crit partners or groups, but I only let my agent and editor comment on my work. Just a different strokes for different folks situation. Each writer just has to find the system that works best for her.

How do you juggle all your writerly responsibilities with your family responsibilities? Do you write on a set schedule or when you can?

I’m generally a very late night writer. I have a 3 year old, and he keeps my days pretty busy. As soon as he sleeps, I go to work. It’s quite normal for me to still be up after midnight because I set daily page goals (usually 10 pages a day) and if I’m on deadline, I won’t sleep until I meet the goals. Hmmm…that sounds more hardcore than it actually is! LOL.

You recently won the prestigious Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence in the paranormal category. Did you enter many contests before you were published? Do you think they are worthwhile?

I was thrilled to win the Gayle Wilson Award for the paranormal romance category—actually, I’m still excited about that. I did enter several contests before I was published, and I did think they were worthwhile. I was able to win a few of the contests and build my writing resume, and I was able to catch the attention of some of the judging editors. If you’re looking for feedback or want to build your writing resume, contests can be a good way to go.

Please dish about your road to publication.

Oh, it was a bumpy road! Okay, I wrote my first book (for the now defunct Silhouette Yours Truly line) when I was 18. Talk about a fast rejection! I dabbled with my writing during college, completing one YA story and a couple of romance partials. Then, real life got in the way. Yeah, I’m sure folks know what I mean. The day job. Marriage. Responsibilities. Then one day (as I was reading one of my beloved romance novels), I realized I’d almost let my dream slip away.

So I started carving out time to write. I entered contests—one of the big writing contests I entered was the Writer’s Digest Writing Competition. I was lucky enough to win first place in the feature article category and this win really rejuvenated me—it was validation that I *could* write. So I kept writing. I sold two paranormal romances to the small press, ImaJinn Books, and then I sold several novellas to Red Sage.

Armed with those writing credits, I decided it was time for me to attack New York. J So I wrote the novel that would eventually be titled Hotter After Midnight. I queried a few agents and found an agent match in Laura Bradford of the Bradford Literary Agency.

Since signing with Laura, I have contracted nine novels with Kensington Brava, three novellas with Kensington Brava, one novella with Avon Red, and three novels with Grand Central Publishing. Sometimes, I can’t believe it, but I finally attacked New York!

Are there any genres you’ve never written, but would like to try out someday?

I’d like to try everything. Well, okay, to narrow it down a bit, I’d like to try my hand at sci-fi/futuristic romances and horror. I’d also love to write a screenplay one day—a screenplay for one of the Sci-Fi Saturday night movies. I am such a horror movie fan!

Any advice for aspiring writers and/or newly published authors?

Yes, don’t give up your dream. Others may not support you, you may receive rejection letters that make you doubt yourself, but don’t give up. If you want to write, keep writing. Keep honing your craft and learning everything that you can about the industry and never, ever give up.

Thanks for interviewing me, Dara!!

A New Contract

For two months I struggled with a novella. It changed and morphed and stretched and shrunk. But now it's done. And it's under contract - my second with Red Sage. I love this story. Set in Savannah, it's waaaayyyyy hotter than anything I've put out before. It is the story of a divorced couple who are both chefs competing for a job. My hero is deeply flawed and was so real to me that I thought about him nearly every day. I'm hoping it will be released later this year. So be watching for Can't Stand the Heat.

I find my writing is evolving lately to the hotter side of things. The two short stories I'm currently working on are scorching, but my CP tells me they're just what the publisher I am targeting is looking for. Since I'm temporarily taking a break from writing full-length novels, I plan to crank out a lot of these short, hot escapist stories. I find alternating the type and length of stories I write keeps it fresh for me. What do you think?

On Fathers

On the hundredth anniversary of Father's Day, I want to wish all the dads out there my best on their special day. I've been so fortunate to have both a truly wonderful father and a husband who is an awesome dad to our children as well.

My father is the smartest man I know. When I was growing up I would roll my eyes every time I saw him reading the encyclopedia for fun, or when he'd spout off some historical fact hardly anyone knew. But he isn't just intelligent, he's also kind and honorable. Everyone who knows him knows this about him. My son has inherited so many of his traits. How lucky is that?

My husband is what a friend's guy referred to as a "man's man." Yeah, I've got to say, I've based more than one of my fictional heroes on him. Now, he's not perfect. We often joke that he's a "work in progress." He still does things like leave peanut butter fingerprints on the cabinet, but when it comes to the big stuff, he's pretty terrific.

So today is a really special day for me. Although it's fathers who should be celebrating, I get to reap the benefits of their awesomeness!

Political Voyeurism

I can't help it. I'm glued to the TV, switching between channels to catch the latest installment of a captivating reality show. Only it's not about some spoiled celebrity or a family with a gazillion kids, it's the gripping struggle of the Iranian people to make their voices heard. As the violence escalates and the stakes grow ever higher, we get up to the minute reports from ... where? Twitter, of all places. I search #IranElection and the updates are coming so fast -- up to 50 every few seconds -- and I realize we live in a changed world.
Over the last few years we've morphed into the soundbyte generation. That byte was just pared down to 140 characters. I wonder where those soundbytes will take them. I hope, to the freedom everyone deserves.

Coming in July!

Summer Lovin' Young Adult short story collection is released in print July 10. Stay tuned for a contest to win your own copy!

Award winning paranormal and romantic suspense author Cynthia Eden drops by for an interview!

Romance Divas Workshop

Please hop over to Romance Divas and check out my workshop on The Ins and Outs of E-Publishing. Mention something you read in Part 1, 2 or 3 in the comments here and I will enter your name in a drawing for a download of any of my e-books. Your choice!

New Time Suckers

I've been diligently trying to stick to a writing schedule for the last few weeks, and for the most part, I've done a good job. Until this week. Suddenly I have doctor appointments and medical tests galore! Nothing earth-shattering, just things that will require some time draining intervention. It seems like when I have an appointment, it burns up a big chunk of my day and I have to forgo part of my daily word count.

In addition, DD is out of school, not yet gone to camp. So she's begging for rides to the mall, to her friends' homes and the like. But there's light at the end of that tunnel - she leaves for camp for a week on Sunday!

We've been having problems with our router lately. Until our tech support (aka DH's best friend) returns from a business trip to fix it, we only have Internet on one computer, not mine. The silver lining there is that one particular time sucker is a little further removed. I have to get up from my desk and go to DH's to check email. I find that alone has boosted my word count! Problem is, I'm writing a story that requires lots of research, so every time I hit a wall, I have to get up and hope no one else is using that computer.

So what about you? What drains your time more than anything?

In Praise of Editors

I've been working all week on revisions for my next erotic romance novella. This story required a lot of reorganization to make it more of an arc, rather than leaning to the episodic side. This is something my very talented editor, Alicia Rasley caught. She also asked me to change a few other details that when finished, really made the manuscript shine. I love working with such a talented editor. Aside from making my work better, I learn so much. Alicia is no ordinary editor, though. She's a teacher and a talented writer herself. If you've never heard her speak, pick up her book, The Power of Point of View.

Aside from Alicia, I had one editor at another publisher who really made me work! And my books were better for her suggestions. She didn't sugar-coat anything. In fact, when one of my characters had a reaction the editor didn't buy, her comment was bullsh#*&! Conversely, when she loved something, she told me so, and that was like the gods were smiling on me!

I've also had the misfortune to work with a very novice editor who had hardly any changes at all on a 300 page manuscript, and those were mostly line edits only. Needless to say, I'm not terribly proud of that book. In fact, I'd kind of like to forget it! But even my experience with that editor taught me something - it taught me when to cut bait!

I can honestly say that each and every book and story I've written and revised has been a learning experience and hopefully, I'm getting better with each book. What about you? Do you always follow editorial suggestions? Do you buck all suggestions, take it all to heart or something in between?

Kidnap this Logo and You Could Win!

To celebrate its Fifteenth Anniversary in June, Red Sage is throwing a party! Every party needs presents, and here’s a gift that could win you the July Secrets anthology and Calista Fox’s new novel, Object of Desire!Here’s how to play the party game.Anyone can play! All you have to do is “kidnap” this logo and post it on your blog or website.

Copy and paste the jpg image of the anniversary gift to your own blog or website to kidnap it. Be sure to include these instructions so people know how to play!

Invite your readers and friends to send an email with the subject line “Ransom Note” to eRedSage@gmail.com. Inside this email, they must include a link back to your kidnapped logo.

Then you and your friend will both be entered into a drawing to win free trade paperbacks! Every time one of your readers sends a ransom note with a link, you will be entered again! Each Ransom Note is worth two entries in the drawing -- one for the person who sends the Ransom Note, and one for the linked blog or website. And you both can win!Want more chances to win? Invite your readers and friends to kidnap this logo, and then you can enter again by sending a Ransom Note linking to your friend’s blog or website!

The more times you enter, the more chances you have to win! But get your entries in by June 30. We'll be drawing the winners on July 1!Group blog or website? No problem! Just be sure to sign your post so we know who the winner should be!Good luck, and have fun!

Terms of Endearment

I just finished reading a book that was a little on the disappointing side. I'd heard so many great things about the author's writing, so I was surprised. Basically, the book was a string of very long, involved sex scenes with a little plot, a little intrigue thrown in to break up the erotic stuff. But one thing that got me thinking was the pet name the hero used for the heroine - "Sweet." It didn't feel natural, and every time I read it, it pulled me out of the story.
I starting checking my books, my works in progress for the pet names my characters called one another. Imagine my surprise when I found I'd only used three! Apparently, my favorite terms of endearment are, "Honey," "Baby" and "Darlin'." My alpha heroes throw in an occasional "Woman," but only when they're bemoaning some annoying facet of the heroine's personality.
Next I started checking my collection of romance books, which is quite extensive. I randomly looked in twelve books and guess what -- those books used my favorite three terms as well, although one added "Sweetheart" to the mix. Now I don't feel so bad!
Each of these words elicits a slightly different reaction from me. Baby is more sexual than the others, while Honey speaks of emotional commitment. Darlin' sounds like a western hero's line and Woman, well, that one always gives me a little zing of excitement! (TMI, I know!)
I remember in my high school French class, our native of France teacher told the class of one particularly amusing French term -- Mon petite chou chou. (Excuse me if I spelled any of that wrong, it's been many years since HS French!) Literally translated, this means, My little cabbage. Strange, huh?
What about you? Do you have any unusual terms of endearment either for your significant other or that you use in writing?

My First YA Anthology

Today is release day for Summer Lovin' Anthology in ebook format, which will release in print on July 10.

SUMMER LOVIN’ is a collection of love stories by six Climbing Rose authors about life on a ranch, summer jobs, sandcastle competitions, the tragedy of a flood, and falling in love with a rock star. From a rich Southern country club to a Midwest ranch and all the way to the cool beaches of the Pacific Northwest, this sweet collection of summer love stories revels in the magic of first love. You’ll enjoy stories by:
Dara Edmondson, Laurie J. Edwards, Mona Ingram, Kimberlee R. Mendoza, Sydney Shay, and June Sproat
Get ready for some Summer Lovin’.
WIN A FREE COPY! from Laurie Edwards:

Anyone who comments at her blog http://lje1.wordpress.com/ or friends her on MySpace, Facebook, or Twitter from now until May 31 will have their name entered to win a copy of Summer Lovin’. Winner will be announced at noon on June 1, so stop back to see if you've won.
Laurie J. Edwards
http://lje1.wordpress.com/



http://www.myspace.com/lauriejedwards

Happy or Sad?

My novels are kind of like my children. Can't say which I like more. They're different and each has its own special qualities. At a recent book signing, a reader was reading the blurbs and asked, "Which one will make me cry? I love a good tear-jerker." Well, the answer was simple - The Kitten Club. I even cried every time I edited one particular scene and that is the book that gets me more fan mail than any other.
So, I started asking readers when they approached me - "Do you want to laugh or cry?" You see, Compromising Positions is pretty funny. My third book, Falling Star is somewhere in the middle. You want sexy? That would be my Red Sage novella, Captured. But this got me thinking about what I like to get out of a read.
My favorite books are those that make me laugh, but also touch me deeply. I've been reading books I collected at RT for the past couple weeks. So far, I've finished Lora Leigh's Maverick, which was very sexy, although it didn't make me cry or laugh. Then I read a craft book, Angela Knight's Passionate Ink, which was very worthwhile. I'm now a couple chapters into Cynthia Eden's Midnight Sins, a paranormal, which so far is very suspenseful and well written. Next I will delve into some of the Red Sage Secrets Anthologies, hundreds of which publisher Alexandria Kendall so graciously gave out at RT.
So what about you? Do you stay in a particular reading rut or do you venture out there into different genres? What good books have you read lately?

Congratulations to my fab crit partner, Katie Reus on the release of Dangerous Deceptions from Ellora's Cave. I've read this one and it's loaded with suspense as well as some scorching sex scenes. Check it out!

Blurb
Two years ago, Sage Miller’s life changed irrevocably with one violent act. Longing for anonymity, she relocated to the coast of North Carolina. Just when her life is settling down, a sexy man from her past shows up and wants to pick up where their explosive relationship left off. And this time, he’s the one calling the shots.

Trent Takoda spent a week with the most intense woman he’d ever met—before she disappeared in the dead of night. Now that he’s found her again, he’s not letting go. When a vicious stalker with ties to her past tracks her down, all bets are off. She belongs to him and it’s about damn time she realized it.

For all you mothers and mothers-to-be out there, enjoy this day and try not to do the stuff you don't want to - at least for today. I'm allowing myself a few extra indulgences since it's also my birthday - something that happens every 4 or 5 years. It kind of sucks to have to spend time with the in-laws on my birthday, but such is life. Maybe DH and the kids will make me feel extra-special today. Honestly, DH treats me like a queen every day of the year. (Yeah - I have an awesome guy).
Yesterday was a great day. I participated in a book signing and sold lots of books. I even got a really sweet note from one of the other signers, my former mentee. After, we went out to a fabulous Greek restaurant with DH and one of my closest friends. Then late night red velvet cake with DH and the kids.
Here's a shout out to my mother, who didn't give birth to me, but has always loved me as her own. I love you, Mom.

Release Day

My first Red Sage EBook was released today and I'm really excited. Red Sage is a terrific company that I'm so glad to be a part of. I'm offering a gift certificate to Fictionwise for one lucky winner who can answer the contest questions on my website. I'll draw a name on Thursday, May 8. Until then, here's a little about Captured:

When Audrey Brookstone meets a handsome foreigner at a Broadway show, she's instantly taken with his good looks and charming demeanor. After an evening of passion in his limousine, he whisks away to be his courtesan in Cazbekistan, where he is a crown prince. Prince Milo agrees not to force himself on her, but rather to make her fall in love with him in only eight weeks, or he must set her free with a king's ransom. Can Audrey resist his charms or will she give in to his lavish seduction?