Writing Contests

Over the last few months I’ve had the privilege of judging a few writing contests, some for published authors and others for unpublished authors. I had the preconceived notion that the quality and talent of published authors would be more consistent and even than those who aren’t published.

Hah! Another myth buried under tons of concrete. The best work I read, and I judged over twenty-one different entries, came from an unpublished author. Quirky, hilarious, romantic tension popping every page, the characters, particularly the heroine, so easy to relate to, complex, flawed, admirable, I can’t wait to read the final version.

I read entries with obvious spelling and grammatical errors. One where people start talking to a character in an empty bar(and no, they weren’t ghosts nor was he schizoid). Another where from paragraph to paragraph, I couldn’t figure if we were in the past, present or future, as the character’s age ranged from seven to nineteen to forty-five in less than twenty lines. One I had to force myself to finish. One where I read those wonderful words, “The end,” and I still didn’t understand what had happened.

If you have a dream of being author, wouldn’t you want to be the best?
If you dream of winning a writing contest, wouldn’t you want to make your entry perfect, polished?

All of the entries had to be in either .rtf or word format. So, I’m assuming most were written in Word, WordPerfect, or some other word processing program. I don’t know of any version of any word processing program that doesn’t have a spell or grammatical checker.

Why would anyone entering a writing contest not run spell check? And I’m not talking about one or two entries, no more like five or six. Of course, if spell check wasn’t run, the grammatical checker wasn’t either.

I volunteer to judge because contests helped so much in my career. I try to be as detailed, but as kind as possible in my comments. I try to balance my, hopefully, constructive criticisms with praise where due.

I can only begin to imagine what editors receive on a daily basis. Even if a work is not wonderful, but the author has taken the time to polish her words, learn grammar, I can enjoy reading the entry. It really ticks me off though when people are too lazy to even re-read their own words.

You wouldn’t expect to get a job with a resume filled with spelling and grammar errors, would you?

I just don’t get it.

I do love it when I discover a new writer whose voice and work I love. And I uncovered seven beauties this year. Authors I am adding to my To Be Read list (not that it isn’t growing like Medusa’s head minute by minute).

I hope no one interprets this as ranting. I just think when someone submits an entry to a contest they should do their homework. And I also believe when a publishing house allows its standards to slip, we all lose as authors.

I bless the fact I found Loose-Id. And Georgia (Georgia Woods, my editor) - you’re a gem!

Have a great rest of the week,

Jiannne

author Interview: Viki Lyn

Author Name: Viki Lyn
Year started writing for LI: 2009
Titles: The Tiger Within
Web Page: www.vikilyn.com


What genre do you write in, and why? : M/M Romance. This is a new genre for me. My past books have been historical romances but with edgier characters that live on the outside of society. My WWII Trilogy featured a gay triangle and was a strong secondary subplot, so writing M/M wasn't a difficult transition.


How much time do you spend writing every week? : I'm really a sporadic writer! I'm disciplined when I have deadlines, but other than that, I write at all times of the day. I don't have a set schedule so maybe if I did, I'd be able to write more. I average 3 hours a day, including weekends.

What was the first story you ever wrote about? (not nec. first published story) :

A short fan fiction piece in 2000. From there, I wrote numerous fan fics before attempting original short stories. My first novel was a fantasy that I never had published. Sometimes I think about going back and rewriting the darn thing. Some of the characters are worth resurrecting, but once my stories are completed, I like to move on to something new.

How do you judge the effectiveness of the sensual scenes in your stories? :

If I get turned on by reading them, then I've succeeded!

Do you ever try out the sexual positions you write to make sure of accuracy?:

Well since they are M/M sex scenes, no, but I do have a gay friend who reads for accuracy. And the more I write hot sex scenes between two men, the more comfortable I become in knowing what can be done. In the beginning, I went to the local adult bookstore and bought two gay sex manuals for references. They were a big help!

Ever been told, Um...sweetie, that's not how it works? :

No, but then, my sex scenes are not that 'way out' (not yet, anyway!) - and my characters don't use a lot of sex toys - LOL - that will be next...

What one word best describes your toy collection? :

Oh boy, boring! The usual shapes and sizes!

Favourite candy while writing?: Ice cream (to cool down!)

Where did your most unusual plot idea come from? :

From my imagination, and my interest in the occult, mythology and ancient spiritual philosophies.

What inspires you to write? :

My muse is fickle. I used to create abstract mixed media works of art before writing, so maybe some day I'll go back to my art. Writing fits my personality, because it's mutable. No two stories are alike and the possibilities are endless.


What music inspires your writing? :

I listen to my iPod which has a very eclectic mix from The Pet Shop Boys to Loreena McKennitt.


Plotter or a Panster? :

When I begin a story I'm a panster but once I get into it I mutate into a plotter.


Most challenging place you've ever written a spicy scene? :

Oh, I am boring...because none of my sex scenes seemed too challenging. I guess for my next book I'll have to change that. Maybe sex under water?

When you get stuck, how do you find your way back to the writing? :

Sometimes I need to take a break from writing. When I do, I try not to beat myself up with self-guilt. To get back into a writing mode, I just sit in front of my laptop and type, even if it's junk.


The Personal stuff:

Any outrageous liaisons in your past?

None I want to put down on paper!

Where's the most unusual place you ever managed to have sex? :

Golf course at night.

What was the most romantic meal you've eaten? :

A picnic in the middle of a rushing river as we lounged on granite boulders warmed by the sun.

What kind of books do you read for fun? :

Mysteries! I devour them.

Is your real life anything like your stories? What about your fantasies? :

No...and no!

Soulmates? Do you believe? :

Sure, I believe in soul mates and they can be either gender. I don't believe a soul mate has to be between a man and woman exclusively. I have two very wonderful girlfriends that are my soul mates.

Cake or Pie? Coke or Pepsi? Tea or Coffee? :

Pie, Pepsi, and most definitely coffee!

Too sexy

I've started several blogs but none of them seemed to say what I wanted to say. We'll see how this one does.

Have you ever read a book with too much sex?

*blinks* I used to think that wasn't possible. Really I did.

Until...I read a book a few years ago that was pretty much one sex scene after another. No character development, no plot to speak of, just a string of sexual exploits.

I couldn't get into it. At all. I'm sure some people did, but it just wasn't for me.

Then a popular author that I read got into sexual situations in her books. And I found myself again saying, "I think this has too much sex!" Shocked me. But the sex came off cold. Almost clinical. There was little emotion behind it and I didn't feel like it did anything for the characters. It just was filler in a way.

I've definitely come to realize, books can have too much sex. I need an emotional connection between the main characters. I like sexual tension.

A tv show disappointed me the other night with a bedroom scene. It really had little build up in the episode. Now this is a comedy, on regular network TV. But dang it, they had an earlier episode that was uber sexy with lots of sexual tension. This one, the current bedroom scene, seemed dropped in. I didn't feel it and trust me, with these characters, I wanted to feel that connection. Of course I think the point will be them recovering from this round of sex. But it still was a disappointment.

So what works for you in a sex scene?

Mechele Armstrong aka Lany of Melany Logen
Where Sensuality and Wonder collide
http://www.mechelearmstrong.com
http://www.collector-series.com
The future's never been so sexy
http://www.melanylogen.com

Vampires: The Good, The Bad, and The Sexy

 At first writing about vampires was hard for me. I was the child who sat trembling in front of the tv when Bela Lugosi lifted his cape and bared his fangs, even when it was Abbott and Costello running corkscrew crazy in circles around him. In my world, vampires were the villains.  So when I wrote my first vampire book, The Combat, vampires absolutely played the role of villain.

But as we grow up we learn that villains take many forms. And if there’s one thing the role models in our lives try to teach us about tolerance, it’s that you can’t lump one group into the good or bad category based solely on what they are. I learned there were good vampires too. One of my imaginary characters walked right across my gray matter and knocked on the front of my skull to get my attention. “I’m bad, but I don’t want to be evil,” he said.

So Guardian’s Realm became a series, and book two’s main character is a somewhat snarky bad boy vampire hiding a basically good heart. Fitch may want the world to think he’s a hard ass, but when you need him, he’s there for you.

Accidentally cast through a magical portal to an enchanted prison with a slave girl and a vampire fugitive, a Guardian warrior must come to terms with their situation, and the irrefutable past he shares with his vampire enemy.

To learn more about this series, visit http://www.guardiansrealm.info

Familiar Faces

I realized belatedly this morning that I had a blog due today. It's been a incredibly productive -- but exhausting -- month. So far I've written the Halloween Fling sequel to I Spy Something Bloody. It's called I Spy Something Wicked. About Fifteen thousand words of wicked.

It's the one about the British spy who wants to retire to Old Virginny with his skeptical lover the handsome, fiftyish doctor. But Mark's (that would be the spy) old enemies won't let him. (This time around it's his friends who won't let him be.)





One of the questions we writers get asked a lot is, is it easier to write series or stand alones? I think it's about the same. In some ways revisiting old characters is easy -- you've done the ground-work. But you've also got more to remember, especially if you put a lot of careful detail in about those characters. Like I gave Mark a love of waffles and classical music. But he starts the story out listening to rock. The boyfriend's influence, I expect.

It helps if you keep a character "bible" but I don't tend to do that with characters I only plan on using once. And that was initially how I approached all these novellas. They were supposed to be pleasantly complicated one-offs. The only series I planned on doing was the Adrien English series.

But these characters turned out to be more popular than I anticipated and readers wanted more of them, and I found myself curious about how some of the dynamics I had set up might ultimately turn out.

So that was the beginning of the month, and then last week I did a Christmas novella for Samhain, which I really, really like -- all new characters on that one. It's pretty much my first straight (as in no real mystery) romance. It's very...er... quirky.

And then this week I'm working on Old Poison, which is the sequel to Dangerous Ground. That's one of my all time most favorite stories (both with me and readers). It's my popcorn movie novella. Two special agents for the DSS are trying to salvage their relationship after one of them is shot following a declaration of his feelings for the other.



Er, I should hasten to add he wasn't shot by his partner. He was shot because his mind wasn't on the job -- or so his guilt-stricken partner thinks. Anyway, they go camping in the High Sierras to try and mend their friendship and partnership. But, as you probably know, NOTHING good can over come of camping.

Just kidding. Although I do much prefer hotels.

Anyway, they survived camping. This time it's trickier to write because there's a lot more about their jobs -- they're Special Agents for the DSS (which is a fascinating organization, if you've read anything about it) -- and because the first time around they were too busy running for their lives to put in a lot of details. Although I did manage to throw in a couple of complicating things like...Will has a dog.

Why do I do things like that?

Now do I kill that damn dog or do I drag it along through this story?

So that's this week. Next week I have a Halloween ghost story due for MLR Press. New characters for that one -- it's a historical about spiritualists and serials killers. It's going to be complicated, without a doubt. Because that, apparently, is what I do.

I don't even want to tell you how many sets of edits I'm working on right now. Let's just say it is a hellishly busy month. But, assuming I finish all this on time, it's a relatively sane ride back to the barn.

So that's it for me. That's my month.

What are you working on? And what do you prefer -- as reader or a writer -- series or stand alones?

Spend An Evening With Loose-Id Author Lena Matthews!

Spend an evening with the authors of Scribes Unleashed as we chat with multi published author LENA MATTHEWS on Thursday, September 17 @ 6PM EDT in the Scribes Unleashed Yahoo Group.

Lena is the author of more than 30 books within multiple genres from interracial and mutlicultural to paranormal and contemporary. So, clear your schedule for tomorrow evening because as all of you know our evenings are always a lot of fun and always filled with suprise giveaways! To learn more about Lena before tomorrow's chat, visit www.lenamatthews.com/books.htm

To join the chat go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scribesunleashed/

The End of an Era

The Dark Elves series wrap up is available now.

Back in March of 2005, Dark Elves I: Taken was published. It's been a wild ride since then, both for the elves and for me. My stories have taken turns I didn't anticipate and I've taken some detours to other series along the way. If you'd asked me back then what I'd be writing most, I'd have said stories like the Dark Elves, in other words, high fantasy. I've been a fantasy reader since I was very young. But I'm glad I got into other types of writing. I think it's kept my stories fresh.

For those who read this sixth installment, I hope you like where there characters have taken me. I think it's a rather appropriate ending.

And, for those who ask, I don't know if or when I'll be returning to the world of the elves but I think I might. It would be a shame not to. I've spent lots of time there now.

Brain Dead

I don't do colds. Have no patience with them, no interest in pampering myself while going through a box of tissues. Nothing sexy about the croaking coming out of me and not at all understanding of those who give me a wide berth. Colds seldom venture near my skin, and I don't think I have one a year so why did this sucker come visiting when the weather's great and I just finished a story and its deciding what to tackle next time?

Now there's the real problem with a head stuffed with cotton. There's absolutely no room for IQ. I've read a couple of books in the last five or so days and hauled myself to our cabin so I could some repair projects followed by collapsing. The repairs were possible because how much intellect does it take to scrape paint? I tried to explain the plot of one of the books to my husband, tried being the operant word because truth be told I couldn't hold onto the twists and turns.

And there's no holding onto the plot of what I think I'm going to be working on once my IQ returns (please, please). Its a darn good thing I'd jotted down my main characters' primary goals and problems. I'll be creating a fictional world for them but know better than trying to go there right now. Mostly I'm being gentle with myself, not sweating what I can't do anything about.

But if anyone sees any of my gray matter, please kick it my way! This duh feeling is getting old.

Vonna

http://www.vonnaharper.com/

When do you call it quits on a series?

Like so many authors here at LI, I have a series. Two, as a matter of fact. Each of them had a planned 3 books. One has reached 3, one has the third still to come.

So I find myself faced with a few problems. Originally I'd planned them as trilogies. But somewhere along the line, things got out of hand. Books I hadn't planned on when I first set my fingers on the keyboard have haunted my thoughts, niggling around in my backbrain, poking through the thin membrane of concept to emerge as fully realized scenes.

Writing what was supposed to be the third and final book in my medieval historical series has only led me to two short stories. Do they count as part of the series? Some of the same characters are in them, but they are novellas.

And in my contemporary paranormal series, fans keep asking "What's next?" And my feverishly creative brain answered them, all the while my calm cool brain replied, "That was supposed to be the end." And I do have the idea, the plot and the first chapter for the next one fully formed.

So much for the plans of mice, men and me.

But I'm faced with the question many professional atheletes, actors and TV shows have been faced with...Do I quit while I'm on top? Can what I do from this point in my series be as good, as funny, as emotional, as moving, as the last book?

Should I move on to the next project simmering on my back burner?

I think, for now, here's what I've decided. I'm writing those medieval novellas - the guys in them demand it of me and who am I to deny them? I might regret doing the fourth paranormal book, but what the hell, I'll just have to make sure it's really really good, that's all.

That's all.

Just keep getting better. Sure. No problem.

After all, it's what we, as writers, unconsciously do everytime we write a new story. Make it better than the last. Up our game. Stretch our writing chops.

So, continuing a series shouldn't be a problem, right? Only time, and sales, will tell.
Oh, and the readers. Yeah. They're definitely going to tell me if I didn't get it right.

Talk about pressure.



Lynn Lorenz

What is it: A multi-stage contest to find the hottest stories with the hottest hooks. What's a hook? A unique premise, clever idea, or new twist on old trope. Who can enter: Anyone not employed by or working for Loose Id. Current Loose Id authors, however, may enter. Submit: - Title of your work - Author Name - Story Hook, in the form of a marketing blurb of 100 words or less - First 250 words of a completed or in progress story of 30,000+ words in any genre currently accepted under Loose Id's submission guidelines. Send: By email to: looseid.hothooks@gmail.com Subject of email: Hot Hooks Contast Deadline: Before Wednesday, September 30. Prizes: The Top Two hooks will receive a contract with Loose Id for the work and publication within the year 2010. The remaining three of the Top Five will receive a critique of their full manuscript. You may submit as many entries as you like, but no more than two for any author can make the Top Twenty, and only one for any author can make the Top Five Five. The Top Twenty will be selected by an in-house committee and notified by October 10. During October 26-29, Loose Id's readers will be given the opportunity to vote on the Top Twenty to select the Top Ten. Top Ten winners will be asked to submit the first 1000 words of their stories by November 1. The Top Five will be announced by November 19. The Top Five will submit their full manuscripts for judging by February 1, 2010. The Top Two winners will be announced no later than February 15.

Eldritch Legacy 2: Lessons Learned is out today!

Ever wonder what adventurous folks like Lord Byron and the Shelleys were doing behind the closed doors of the Regency drawing room? Me too! Hence my dark, twisted take on the classic "Regency romp" with Lessons Learned, book two of the Eldritch Legacy series. I quite like the brooding Regency rake, and had fun creating an Eldritch son who is just that. I derived equal enjoyment in creating leading lady Camille Rocheford to match Stefan Eldritch's intensity.

And I could not have asked for a better cover artist to capture the look and feel of the story. Anne Cain amazes as always.

Curious? Here's the blurb!

http://www.loose-id.com/prod-Eldritch_Legacy_2__Lessons_Learned-1007.aspx

Want more? Sample an excerpt, wherein Stefan Eldritch takes a love of reading to new heights:

http://www.loose-id.com/excerpt.aspx?ID=1007

And that's before they drink the absinthe! I hope my romp through the manor house with Lessons Learned gives readers a taste of decadence and some much-needed escape.

Tuesday Release!

It’s Tuesday and Guardian’s Realm: The Collision releases at Loose Id. What’s special about this book? In all the years I’ve been writing erotica, this is my first male/male/female story. I list it out like that rather than M/F/M because in truth, this is Balin and Fitch’s story. Gladiolas--that’s her slave name--is an innocent victim they are both sworn to protect. And they do it with gusto.

Other than that, the two men agree on little else. Balin is a Guardian, an ancient gargoyle warrior who protects innocents from evil vampires, and Fitch... well, he’s a vampire.

But not an evil one.

Not only is this my first threesome story, it’s my first vampire-is-not-the-bad-guy story.

I do enjoy a lot of male/male erotic romance. What’s not to love about two strong men who have the courage to follow their hearts? But I’ve often wondered, being one of many heterosexual females who write male/male erotica, are we getting it right? Or is that not really the point? I know when I write an erotic love story between a man and a woman, I’m expected to get it right. And I know from experience, I do.

So I’d really like to know, men who read my book: emotionally speaking--did I get it right?

Guardian’s Realm: The Collision is available today!

Accidentally cast through a magical portal to an enchanted prison with slave girl and a vampire fugitive, a Guardian warrior must come to terms with their situation, and the irrefutable past he shares with his vampire enemy.

Author Interview: Michelle CAry

Author Name: Michelle Cary

Year started writing for LI: 2008

Titles: For Better For Worse, Sophie’s Secret, The Price of Submission

Web Page: www.michellecary.com

What genre do you write in, and why? :

I have two genre’s that I stick to. My first love is contemporary romantic suspense. However, LI doesn’t take contemporary romance, so my suspense and contemp stories go to a different publisher, while I sent all my erotic stuff to LI.

How much time do you spend writing every week? :

As much as I can. Though, between the demands of two children, a husband and a ‘real job’ I’m lucky if I can average two hours a day during the week. I try to get in more time on the weekends by getting up before everyone else and working on my MS.

What was the first story you ever wrote about? (not nec. first published story) :

My very first story was years ago. I was a teenager and wrote a short story with a friend about our favorite band. It was horrible, but it was fun to write and dream. I think the first line of the story was something like. ‘Once in a town, there were five guys…’ LOL

How do you judge the effectiveness of the sensual scenes in your stories? :

I’m a firm believer that sensual is just as much about the emotion of the moment as it is about describing the play by play. The more the characters care about each other, the sexier the scene is when they finally come together.

If I can re-read a scene and know that even if I took all the graphic descriptions out that the scene would still be sexy, then I think I’ve done a good job.

What one word best describes your toy collection? :

Lacking! LOL Because I have small children, who do watch television in my bedroom sometimes, I’m always terrified that they’ll start snooping and come across something. I’m certainly not prepared to explain to them what a butt plug or nipple clamps are for, so I go without instead of risking it.

Favorite candy while writing? :

Anything chocolate!!!!

What inspires you to write? :

The sense of accomplishment I get at seeing my work completed.

What music inspires your writing? :

It depends on what I’m writing. Most of the time the radio is on and tuned into the local rock station, but if I’m writing something specific that I need a mood for, I’ll play anything from country music to classical.

Plotter or a Panster? :

A little of both. While I like to have a loose plot of how and where I want things to go, the actual story writing is all done by the seat of my pants and my characters have been known to change direction on me mid story.

Does your cat insist on sitting on your keyboard like mine does? :

Don’t have a cat. I used to have two, but we had to find them new homes after we discovered my son was allergic to them.

What is your most embarrassing moment as an erotic romance author? :

Telling my 72 year old grandmother what I write and then having her say to me ‘Well you never know, I might enjoy reading something like that.’ ACK!!!!!

When you get stuck, how do you find your way back to the writing? :

I clean my house or go read a book and give my muse a rest. Usually after a day or two I have a breakthrough and can return to my writing.

The Personal stuff:

What kind of books do you read for fun? :

Mostly romance, though I will get on kicks where I want to learn about other stuff (ie: witchcraft, crab fishing, the origin of music).

Is your real life anything like your stories? What about your fantasies? :

Not really. My life is pretty normal. I mean I have my moments of drama, but thankfully, they’ve never been as dramatic as what some of my characters experience.

I don’t really have any ‘fantasies’ of sorts. Stuff I dream up usually ends up in a story, but I don’t normally fantasize about being with another man. Boring I know.

Soulmates? Do you believe? :

Absolutely! I totally buy into that one look and you’re in love thing.

Cake or Pie? Coke or Pepsi? Tea or Coffee? :

Cake (chocolate)

Coke all the way!

Ice tea during the day – hot coffee in the mornings

Chat!

Join Author Michelle Cary and Amanda Young for a chat tonight from 6pm to 8pm est at Whip Cream's yahoo chat group. Michelle and I will be giving away books as well as other fun prizes.

You can join in on the fun by clicking on the link below...

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/whippedcream2/

Ted Bundy

Have you ever wondered if you’d have had a drink with Ted Bundy?

I have.

By all accounts, the man oozed charm, he had boyish-next-door good looks (go figure), was highly intelligent and witty. Now why would God deal him five Aces?

Okay, I’m sure you’re frowning - why on earth this topic?

The Sun-Sentinel a couple of days ago had a tiny report about a man, one “Angel” (nickname, dontcha marvel as to whom gave him that one?) who’d murdered two of his girlfriends and had tried to kill another.

And we’re not talking about strangling with a pillow, no this guy bludgeoned one girlfriend with a sledgehammer. A sledgehammer. Sadly, her 9-year-old and 6-year-old children discovered her body.

Angel immigrated to the U.S. after slaying his wife in Columbia and being sentenced to 32 years in prison (only 32 years?). He found his way here via Venezuela and entered the country with a passport from that country.

Reading that gave me the heebie jeebies.

I refuse to think about suspected terrorists and South American visitors. I live in South Florida -- if I seriously considered that, I’d never leave the house.

According to the authorities, Angel moved to New York, acquired a girlfriend, slit her throat, and left her for dead. She survived. What I can’t get over is they had a child together?

There’s a happy, well satisfactory, ending to the tale. A tip to America’s Most Wanted led to Angel’s arrest. U.S. Marshall’s arrested him while he was walking out of church.

Reading that last sentence prompted my musings. Angel sat in a church, listened to sermon. Did he shake hands with the person next to him? You know the symbolic handshake of peace.

Suppose he had shaken your hand? Thought you were attractive? Asked you to share a cup of coffee?

Would you have said yes?

Cheers,

Jianne Carlo

Author Interview: Taige Crenshaw

Author Name: Taige Crenshaw

Year started writing for LI: 2009

Titles: Forever, I Do

Web Page: http://www.taigecrenshaw.com

What genre do you write in, and why? :

Paranormal, Contemporary, Interracial, and others.

How much time do you spend writing every week? :

Every day for at least 4 hours or until I meet my word count.

What was the first story you ever wrote about? (not nec. first published story) :

I used to write fairytales as a kid. Made up my own bedtime stories.

How do you judge the effectiveness of the sensual scenes in your stories? :

If I get hot reading it when I am writing it. LOL.

Do you ever try out the sexual positions you write to make sure of accuracy? :

Falls in the Too Much Info Category. I plead the fifth.

Ever been told, Um...sweetie, that's not how it works? :

Yep. Then I do it and proves it does. (grin)

What one word best describes your toy collection? :

Again I plead the fifth.

Favourite candy while writing? :

Caramel

Where did your most unusual plot idea come from? :

While watching this man sing terribly on the subway.

What inspires you to write? :

To many to mention

What music inspires your writing? :

It depends on the book. I have eclectic taste in music.

Plotter or a Panster? :

Both. Depends on book.

The Tiger Within

The Tiger Within
Genre: Paranormal M/M Romance
Length: Novella
Author: Viki Lyn

Now available from buy link

When shapeshifter Le Tigre steals a kiss from Jack in a dark alley, he knows he's found his khalid, his lifemate. But the enhanced soldier hates his blatant homosexuality. Can the tiger snare his prey or will the soldier elude him for eternity?

About a year ago, I went through a writer's block, tired of writing historical romances. I've already had six published and my muse decided to take a hike, leaving me with no inspiration or will to write. When I finally went back to the keyboard, it was with a renewed sense that I had to challenge myself. Write something I haven't done before and do it well.

I made the decision to try my hand at writing paranormal romance. I've always enjoyed the genre, and my interests always stemmed towards the mystical. And, there's just a real fascination I have with shape shifters. A cultural phenomenon that spans the globe. I decided on a white tiger for my character, Antoine, because of the animal's intelligence, power, courage and sleek muscular beauty. Antoine is a sleek beauty who uses his to disarm his enemies.

Setting The Tiger Within in 1948 - post WWII - added another interest of mine. History. I'd just completed a three book series set during the war years, and it's such a complex era, especially as the decade slips into the 50's and the cold war. An era rife with secret agencies and spies fighting the Red Scare, it was a perfect set-up for my shadow organization - Sentinel. If the series continues, I'd have all sorts of stuff to write about!

Now, back to shape shifters. I'd like to be a bird of prey, being able to take flight, but powerful enough to protect myself from predators. How about you? What animal would you like to be?