Birthing A Story

It's 44 degrees and snowing, go figure. Five minutes ago the sun was out. Welcome to spring in the Northwest.

I recently sold a new story to Loose ID which has spawned a spin off and probably another after that. This fascinates me because I'm not known for tie-ins, but this particular process feels natural. Quite possibly no one gives a fig (my grandmother's term) about how Storm Howl came to be and what is happening to Wind Howl as I write it, but I'm intrigued so unless you click out of here, you're going to get to follow along.

As best I can remember, the muse woke up while I was reading a newspaper article about the return of wolves to Oregon. They are thriving in Idaho and it was only a matter of time before they started crossing the border. I've written nonfiction articles about the pros and cons of re-establishing wolves where they'd been hunted into extinction (and no, I'm not going to jump onto any soapbox here although I'm tempted). Between my professional need to stay on top of the situation and my long-running fascination with the predators, I put down the newspaper and started asking myself questions. The primary one was how could I incorporate the wolves' return into an erotica story. I wanted to steer clear of werewolves and shapeshifters because there are so many thus themed stories on the market. At the same time, I felt drawn to their mystique and larger than life reputation. How can I exploit those qualities, I pondered. On top of that came the vital question of where to set my story. Obviously it needed to take place in the wilderness, but I wanted the setting to resonate both with readers and myself. Well, as someone who lives within sight of the wilderness, that didn't take much work. I settled on a spot less than fifty miles from here that both draws visitors and provides employment both for Forest Service personnel and loggers. The river also does some incredible things there thanks to an ancient lava flow.

Wolves and setting dispensed with, I needed some characters. It was no stretch to choose a hero who has spent his entire life in the woods, an outdoorsman who understands its appeal and dangers. Ah yes, danger. Gotta have a spark of that. Because of something that happened in those woods, he has a love/hate relationship with the wilderness. Next I went in search of a heroine, setting on a woman I felt would initially be my hero's opposite. She isn't at home in the wilderness. This isn't her turf, and she doesn't believe she could ever understand it.

Enter the wolves. Okay, call them a plot device, but I've been having a ball putting my mysterious and mystical wolves in the role of facilators. Via them, my characters break down their emotional barriers. Not only to they confess their insecurities, even their fears and disappointments to each other, they learn more about themselves in the process. Bottom line, the Howl series is going to be about emotional journeys which I love.

And because this is Loose-ID and erotica, they're going to have a hell of a lot of fun along the way.
Vonna
www.VonnaHarper.com

Laugh and the world laughs with you

Cry and you cry alone.

My dad used to stay this ALL the time. He was a firm believer in the power of humor, and I've tried to take that approach to life.

While my books often have serious situations, I usually try to include some humor, be it a one liner or two or a funny situation. I don't know I'm witty enough to carry an entire romantic comedy novel, but who knows what the future will being when I start writing.

"Laughter through tears is my favorite emotion."--From Steel Magnolias

My family and I have often gotten through tough times with humor. My husband was outside the hospital room when my mother had just passed away. My sisters and I laughed over something. A nurse gave the door an odd look. He told her they deal with things this way. And we do, probably because of how we were raised.

I think that's one thing that attracted me to my hubby and has kept us together, that he has a sense of humor.

What are things that have made you laugh in the past week?

My youngest dressing up like "a ghost" with a paper bag costume and looking for a lightsaber made me laugh.

Mechele Armstrong aka Lany Of Melany Logen
http://www.mechelearmstrong.com
http:///www.melanylogen.com

Bad News Reviews

Bad reviews. We all get them.

Sometimes they're not even that bad. It's just...the reviewer didn't seem to get what we were doing, or didn't particularly like what we were doing. Sometimes they are really bad. Someone being deliberately cruel for laughs from the peanut gallery -- or a vicious, personal attack from someone who obviously has a thing about the writer and her work. It happens. We've all seen it.

What do you do?

You don't do anything. You forget about them. They don't matter. Listen to me. They. Don't. Matter.

Unless you're getting a string of bad reviews -- especially if they're coming from readers and reviewers who generally like your work. Then I think you might want to consider what's being said. When it comes to reviews, you want to listen for a consensus of opinion. One glowing review -- especially if it's coming from a family member or friend -- does not make you a genius. Nor does one terrible review mean the end of your writing career.

I'm on so many discussion lists with so many writers, and hardly a week goes by that someone isn't whining about a bad review. Hey, bad reviews are a drag. They irritate, exasperate, and sometimes even hurt. But shut up about them. Seriously. And Do Not take the advice of those who tell you to get that review removed from Amazon or write that reviewer and tell her what you think of her lousy taste. Don't write and harass the review site.

Just. Don't.

I've been there. I've had fun at the expense of a sincere reviewer, and the one who felt like a fool at the end of it, was me.

Listen, you have to learn to laugh at this stuff. I've had a reviewer write me a lukewarm review and then request that I send her all my work (for free) because she loves it so. Now, you have to admit that's funny. But it also tells you that she had no idea she'd written a review I might not be thrilled with. Most of the time the reviewer is just sharing her immediate response -- sometimes they don't express themselves as well as they might, sometimes they feel differently about a work as time passes (I do that). Either way, they have a right to their opinion. Even if its SO wrong. *g*

Reviewers are human and the quality of reviews is as varied as the quality of published books. There are reviews that are badly written: reviewers who got their facts wrong or drew inaccurate conclusions or made grammatical mistakes, spelling errors, challenged content within the book without doing their own research.

Leave it alone. Do you think that challenging this reviewer, pointing out her mistakes is going to turn her into a fan? You think it's going to get you a good review from her next time? You think she's going to buy your books? You think the site is going to cater to you and match you up with someone who loves you from now on? Leave it alone.

I understand the desire to complain about bad reviews to fellow writers on writer lists. You want sympathy, you want reassurance -- and, hey! it's a chance for some free promo, right?

Yeah. But it's the wrong kind. Whining isn't attractive. And whining about reviews just seems...unprofessional. Publishing is a tough business. If you're going to go psycho or melt into tears every time you get a lousy review, you're not going to last.

I used to try and thank every reviewer for their review, good or bad, but I don't do that anymore either. For one thing, I no longer keep track of my reviews -- there are too many of them. Every so often I want my website updated, and I'll go through and collect the best quotes -- and I usually discover that a reader or two was disappointed with something I did.

I don't rejoice over that, and sometimes I puzzle over it, but hey. The reality is, not every book is right for every reader. It's so simple and yet we all have trouble believing it when it comes to our own fabulous work. WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU THINK I'M OVERRATED?!

I'm not saying you have to thank reviewers who don't like your work. It's a gracious gesture, but...pointless, really. I mostly stopped because if I thank ten reviewers and miss or forget two, the two are liable to think they've been dissed. So...easier just to think warm thoughts in my heart when appropriate.

As for numerical ratings or stars or whatever, the criteria varies and it's subjective. I don't pay attention to any of that. I go by the content of the review. What I like to do is collect a bunch of the best ones (meaning the ones with useful "sound bites" or the ones from reviewers I like and want to promote) and I post them to my website. Not the entire review, just the bits I find pertinent. I get five star reviews that have nothing particularly quotable in them, and I've had four star reviews that have some great comments, so I pick and choose and put them on my excerpt page like so.

The thing to remember about a bad review is most readers don't buy based on the reviewer's opinion of the book, they buy based on the description of the book, so the more mentions, the better. A bad review in People magazine is worth a thousand great reviews on the web, so instead of fussing and fuming over a bad review, be glad you got any review at all, and look at as a little bit of free promo. It all adds up.

Four Years

March 22nd will be the fourth anniversary of the release of Dark Elves I: Taken. Four years ago last summer, I finally bit the bullet, finished a story and sent it in to a publisher. Four years ago it was accepted by Loose Id. Man, it's been a wild ride since.

It's not all that I thought it would be. My fear back then were the usual: would anyone like it, would anyone hate it, would I be able to write another one. It turned out that a lot of people like it and still like it and I was able to come up with new stories. Not just new stories, I came up with two other new series while still developing the elves' world. I introduced myself to a kind of romance that I hadn't considered writing before (m/m) but I find that I'm rather enjoying. I finally cashed in on some of the many fantasies that I had back when I was a teenager dreaming about my favorite rock star. I got to finally write about elves, my favorite fantasy race. I got to write my take on witches and shifters. Fun stuff.

Now I have different fears. As is the case with so many things in life, it's a 'careful what you wish for' scenario. I wanted to write for a living and now I have that chance. I'm not supporting myself and my family fully, but I'm halfway there. Now, of course, I actually have to write. I've got to keep it up. I not only feel the need to think up brand new characters, I'm still playing with the old ones. Heaven Sent ended up being nine books in the original arc, and I'm adding another now plus planning a sequel series. The elves' sixth book is my next project. It's the end of the arc that I have planned, but I don't rule out the possibility of revisiting the world. The Leashed series has just reached a plateau but I've got more planned for Meg, Michael and Rudy. But I can't just lose myself in these alternate worlds. I've still got to live in this world. I still get distracted. I get tired. The family wants me to check in with them now and again. Besides, if I don't check into the real world once and awhile, I'll lose touch with it completely and my stories do draw on the real stuff from time to time.

So, I'm finding my balance. Wish me luck.

**************************

Free stories by Jet Mykles

Kiss Me, I'm Going to Be Irish!!!!

Hey all,

I'm so excited! Next month at this time, my very own hottie, Jonathon will be winging our way across the ocean to visit Ireland, Scotland and England. It is our 25th Wedding Anniversary and we wanted to do it up right.

So, we decided the best thing for an romance writer to do was to do something romantic! LOL. But what?

That's when we came up with the idea of renewing our vows in Gretna Green, Scotland, just like thousands of run-away couples did back in the old days.

We have always wanted to visit this part of the world and I just can't wait! We are going to spend a week in Ireland and the rest of the time in Scotland and England. I'll be doing double duty and doing some research for a book that will have parts set in the area of the Shannon in Ireland. And who knows what else will pop out when I get there. *grin*

In fact, some of the descriptions I'm using in my upcoming book, A Warrior's Heart, of our hero's homeland, is based on the highlands of Scotland. So I can't wait to see them in real life. I've always had a soft spot for Irish and Scot heroes, so now I get to see some up close and personal. WooHoo!

And if I'm lucky, I'll be able to talk Jonathon into wearing a kilt. LOL

Anyway, I'm having this terrific contest on my website about my trip and you are all invited to enter! Check it out at... http://cjengland.com and click on the contest button. You can win all kinds of great gifts from the UK!!!!

Oh, and one last thing... Don't forget to have a look at my FREE READ. Every Monday I put forth a new section of the story...What Happens in Mexico, Stays in Mexico.

To read this story from the beginning, you can go to my website http://cjengland.com/mexico.

Then catch up on the latest installments on my blog. http://cj-england.livejournal.com/

This hot contemporary story is being written just for those who come visit my blog. And each month, I will take the names of all those who've left comments and put them in the hat for a free gift of promo goodies.

At the end of the story, all those who have commented will be put in a drawing for a beautiful Mexican gift set, purchased at the Mexican pavilion in Disney World Florida. Value $25.00. The more you comment, the more chances you have to win!!!

And I invite all of you to join me on my Chatlist and Newsletter. We have a great time with HUNKS, Chatting and all kinds of mayhem. You'll be glad that you did!

Hugs and have a great February,

CJ England

Follow Your Dreams

http://cjengland.com

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

FOREVER, I DO: A Loving Dedication

For the month of February, Loose-Id will release titles with a wedding theme in support of those who want to love and marry who they want. Forever, I Do co-authored by myself and Taige Crenshaw is our contribution to a quartet of special themed releases called "Marriage For All".





When the call went out to submit a proposal for "Marriage For All" our publisher was looking for stories featuring everything from Bridezillas or Always a Bridesmaid but Never the bride, to a gay man who's planned his wedding since he was five, but finds society not as welcoming to his idea of eternal bliss.

Even though I didn't think we would get the contract, Taige Crenshaw and I submitted a proposal and to our delight and surprise they liked itour story of an interracial relationship set in the deep South. Although race plays a factor in Forever, I Do, the real conflict arises when the hero, Ashley Benedict, wedding planner extraordinare, accidentally takes a taste of his client's bewitched wedding cake samples.

Known for their good luck, Rosaline Fletcher's wedding cakes are infused with a loving spell, which produces long-lasting marriages where the men never stray, the women don't nag, and 99.7 percent never face each other on opposite ends of a court room. And as you can guess, after tasting the heroine's cake samples, Ashley suddenly becomes desirous of Rosalind's other "goodies" and won't stop until he has tasted all of them.

While writing the story, in 8 harrowing days no less, we had alot of fun and stumbled across a little irony. While writing the cake tasting scene. where Ashley becomes bewitched, we came up with a name for the room where the bride and groom are left alone in order for the spell to take affect. This room came to be called The Loving Room.

While halfway through the story, I realized that The Loving Room had the same name as an interracial couple who'd fought to remain married and raise their children in Virginia. And who won a ground breaking case Loving Vs. Virgina , which overturned America's miscegenation laws in 1967.

Realizing this, I became fascinated with their story of how a quiet boy who grew up down a country road from a little girl and fell in love with her and decided to marry her. Unfortunately, Richard Loving was white and Mildred Jeter (yes, she's a distant cousin of baseball player Derek Jeter) was black. And at the time in the state of Virginia, their marrying would result in a felony charge and time in jail.

In order to skirt the Racial Integrity Act, Mildred and Richard drove 80 miles to Washington, D. C. to be married by a minister they'd picked out of a phone book. Upon returning to Virginia, the happy couple settled back into life with their marriage certificate proudly tacked to their bedroom wall.

However, after less than two months of wedded bliss, an anonymous tip sent the local sheriff to the happy couple's home in the middle of the night in hopes of catching them in a sexual act (another crime at the time).

Caught in their sleep, the couple were arrested and charged under Section 20-58 of the Virginia Code, which prohibited interracial couples from being married out of state and then returning to Virginia, and Section 20-59, which classified "miscegenation" as a felony punishable by a prison sentence of between one and five years.

After Richard spent one night in jail and a pregnant Mildred five, the Lovings pleaded guilty and were sentenced to one year in prison, with the sentence suspended for 25 years, if they left the state.

The Lovings packed up and moved back to Washington D.C. But after five years, the couple became homesick and wanted to move back to Virginia. So, Mildred sat down and on lined notebook paper wrote Robert Kennedy who referred her to the ACLU, who on their behalf filed a motion in the state trial court to vacate the judgment and set aside the sentence on the grounds that the violated statutes ran counter to the Fourteenth Amendment.

While preparing their motion, the couple's lawyer, Bernard Cohen, remembers Mr. Loving advising him to, “Tell the court I love my wife, and it is just unfair that I can’t live with her in Virginia.”

Of course, the state courts wouldn't budge, so their case went all the way to the Supreme Court. After eight long years and many setbacks, the U.S. Supreme Court decided unanimously in the Loving's favor.

Inspired by their great sacrifice we've dedicated our book Forever, I Do which released today to the Lovings, who weren't looking for fame or fortune just the right to love.

Click to read an excerpt of Forever, I Do

by Koko Brown

I HEART THAT CITY: Body Shots now available

Being an author can be a lonely business. Other than the characters in my head, I don't interact all that much. So when given the opportunity to participate in a multi-author series...it's a joy!

I HEART THAT CITY centers around a bar in Richmond, Virginia and will have books from the ever talenated Ally Blue, Willa Okati, Sierra Cartwright and Treva Harte. I'm rather excited to be a part of it. We had fun kicking around ideas and characters. You will find carryover of characters, especially those who work at the bar from book to book.


The blurb:

Joe and Daphne go to I Heart That City every Thursday night to celebrate being together one more week. They almost lost their marriage and themselves to a former lover, who only wanted Daphne.

When Amos sees the happy couple, he knows he must capture them on film. Only he really wants to capture them for himself. Inviting them to let him take pictures only makes his longing more intense. And he's not the only one feeling the sexual spark. Joe and Daphne find themselves attracted to the man who seems to find both of them desirable.

One problem: they've taken a break from threesomes. When they decide to try and see where things go, passions explode with body shots on camera, and on Daphne and Joe with tequila. But Daphne's past has her in its sights and it could ruin everything.

To read an adult excerpt.

I'm off to celebrate!

Mechele Armstrong aka Lany of Melany Logen
http://www.mechelearmstrong.com

IN NEED OF AN INTERVENTION

The mind of a writer can be a truly convoluted thing, completely out of touch with reality. Well, not out of touch so much as looking at the world through unique lenses. Even if we're in the middle of a crises demanding our full attention a part of us stands off to the side scribbling notes. Instead of just wanting to give the driver who rear-ended us a piece of our mind, we analyse what we're feeling and jot that down. Not only that, we do our darndest to sneak into the mind of the so and so who messed up our day and analyse what they're experiencing. As to whether that gives us added empathy, I don't know. I rather suspect we're so busy mining the potential for human understanding which can then enrichen our characters, that empathy stops.

So why did I come up with that topic today?

Tomorrow morning bright and early (like 5:30 a.m.) I'll arrive at the local hospital and begin the process of becoming bionic woman. I've worn out both my hips and will start with getting the worst replaced. People keep asking if I'm nervous which kind of surprises me. Are you kidding, anything has to be better than more hobbling around. I've researched and researched, gone through the hospital orientation, looked at my Xrays, talked to the dr, picked up more Internet 'knowledge' than is probably good for me. Now, in addition to getting an appliance that will set off airline detection systems installed in my body, I'll spend several days in a new to me environment. I'm all but a surgery virgin. Now, once my mind clears, I'll get to study medical personnel, other patients, family members, in short anyone who comes close enough for me to train a writer's magnifying glass on. I'm actually going to bring along my notebook.

On that note, its time to do some packing. See you all on the flip side.

Vonna

http://www.vonnaharper.com/.

If You Like It - Ask for More!

For me, writing is all about new discoveries, mostly about myself. Sometimes a character says something completely unexpected and I have to stop and wonder, "Where did that come from?" Or a plot takes a dark twist -- or a funny one -- and I think, "Wow, how long has that been simmering on the back burner?"

Other times it's a more mundane discovery -- like learning that I actually can write a steamy sex scene sitting in the corner of the playground at the burger joint. (But remember in grade school, when you used to have a second sheet of paper to cover your work on tests? That's a good thing to have handy in Playland.)

The most important thing I learned while writing my new release, First Taste, is that I take requests. Or at least suggestions.

After The Flavor of Summer was released last year, I got a lovely e-mail from a fan named Deb. Among other things, she said that she thought bossy Ellen could be more human "if someone took her in hand". Hmmmm ... now there was an intriguing idea.

From there, it was all about learning/inventing the character. Why was Ellen so bossy? Why, at 28, was she such a sexual wet blanket? We knew that Ariel had slept with Ellen's boyfriend back in high school; what was all that about? How would someone as stiff and stuffy as Ellen celebrate Valentine's Day? Or would she just try to ignore it?

What would it take to break through Ellen's icy shell and let her enjoy herself?

They were all questions I've never thought twice about when Ellen was just a background character in someone else's romance. But once she came into focus, Ellen turned out to be just as interesting as Ariel. My reader had led me to a whole new story. (And now that I'm re-reading her e-mail, she had a lot of other intriguing ideas, too!)

Learn about your character, learn about yourself. Thanks, Deb!

First Taste by Lyra Marlowe is now available from Loose Id!

Lonely Hearts by Adrianna Dane - Now Available

You're off to the jewelry store this month, Who's that lovely man behind the counter? What kind of secrets does he have? What sort of life does he live?

Or maybe you're getting ready to plan a wedding to take place this summer. He's the man who knows how to take color and make it come alive. The wedding planner who takes your life in hand to make your wedding the best in the world. Who is he? He gives you your dream--but what about his own?

My latest release, Lonely Hearts, is now available. A bit of romance and love, some angst and some sparkle for the month that calls to lovers. Caleb and Jim are two lonely lovers, for different reasons. One dark, one light. Read more about these men. The dream of love will always find a way.



Title: Lonely Hearts
Author: Adrianna Dane
Publisher: Loose Id
ISBN: 978-1-59632-865-5
Purchase Link: http://www.loose-id.net/prod-Lonely_Hearts-878.aspx
Author Website: http://www.adriannadane.com
Genre: Gay Erotic Contemporary Romance
Length: Novella

Synopsis:

Caleb Wilson creates happily-ever-afters for a living. But he’s never found a man who wanted the same things out of life that he did.

And then he’s given a task by his father that takes him through the doors of Morgan and Sons Jewelers. And it’s an errand that may change his life.

James "diamond Jim" Morgan inherited his father’s knack for working with fine gems. And even though Jim is surrounded by the glittering symbols of long-term commitment every day, Jim continues to pay penance for sins of the past, leaving no hope of a future.

When Caleb Wilson walks into his store suddenly every gem in the display beams brighter. Caleb is everything Jim wants and nothing he can have. Can Caleb help to heal Jim’s past? Their passion burns bright, but will the searing fire of desire last? A shocking revelation may be the key that changes everything for these two lovers. But will it forge their love or destroy it forever?

Purchase this story: http://www.loose-id.net/prod-Lonely_Hearts-878.aspx

Read an excerpt: http://www.adriannadane.com/lonelyhearts.html

Adrianna Dane
Passionate Stories With Adventurous Heart

Website: http://www.adriannadane.com
Blog: http://www.adriannadane.blogspot.com/
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/adriannadane
Twitter: http://twitter.com/Adrianna_Dane