A year ago at this time I was writing Fool Me Once. I had already written Amber's Muse and it had been in several slush piles, rejected, and revised by me several times. Then when my story was accepted by the wonderful Beachwalk Press, I got what I call ... the writer's rush. Write as much as you can, as fast as you can. Produce more and more stories. So in almost a years time, I have published a good deal of novellas. And I am very proud of my back list. I love each and ever story. But, I think its time to slow down. It isn't about quantity. Its about quality. It also about learning and growth. My word count is growing. Amber's Muse was just under 15,000 words. And my longest to date, Finding Home, is 30,000. My next goal is to make it to 45,000 and then hopefully soon hit full-length.
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Will one night with an older woman change everything?
After finding the love of his life in bed with someone else, twenty-six-year-old Seth Reynolds wanted a fresh start and found it in Jamaica. Being a bartender at one of the island's exclusive resorts has its perks...not the least of them being a very sexy, older woman: Sylvia Radcliff. While she's determined to celebrate her forty-fifth birthday, Seth is equally determined to seduce the most enchanting woman he’s ever met. Tropical Cougar is an Amazon Exclusive from Ruby Lioness Press Excerpt : Seth woke to the smell of eggs and coffee. Sylvia had ordered them breakfast. "Get up, sleepyhead, breakfast is here," she said, crawling up his naked body. "I would rather have you for breakfast, but you have a robe on." "I couldn't answer the door naked, could I?" "No, I guess not," he whispered, reaching to tug on the belt of her robe. "The food will get cold," she replied as she playfully pushed him away. Seth let out a laugh. "I don't care. I just need a taste. I'll make it quick; just trust me," he said as he hovered over her. He looked into her blue eyes and smiled when she nodded, giving him all the incentive he needed. He leaned down and kissed her lips before traveling down her body. He took each nipple in his mouth and sucked hard before he pushed her legs apart, and his tongue found heaven "Mmmm, you taste so sweet." He moaned into her warm flesh. About The Author Tamaria Soana is middle aged, but just feels like her life has begun. She resides in Western New York. Cuddling up with a good book under an electric throw has always been her way to escape the cold Buffalo nights. Growing up she always loved to write, mainly short stories and poetry. She's married with two beautiful young girls and one very spoiled lab mix. Connect with Tamaria on line: Website Twitter Facebook Goodreads Prince Severin has been brought up to put duty before all else. Now, his duty is to marry and produce an heir. He has his choice of princesses. Unfortunately, his passion is for princes.
Havyn has been a slave all his life. When his powers are discovered, he finds himself purchased and freed by a Prince and apprenticed to the royal wizard, Ildar. His duty is to stay chaste to keep his powers strong. Unfortunately, his passion is for Severin. With kingdoms at war, the throne hanging in the balance, and magic in the air, can the two men find happiness together, or is duty more important than love? Annette Gisby grew up in a small town in Northern Ireland. Being a very small town there were no bookshops and a small library. When she'd devoured every book she could get her hands on in the library, she started writing her own stories so that she would always have something to read. When not writing she enjoys reading, playing The Sims, cinema and theatre. She loves to travel, especially ancient castles and deserted beaches, great places for inspiration. She currently lives in Hampshire with her husband, a collection of porcelain dolls and enough books to fill a library. The library is diminishing gradually since the discovery of ebooks but still has a long way to go. Website / Goodreads Excerpt: “What is going on in here?” demanded Ildar from the doorway. “Severin? What are you doing with my apprentice?” “Iri and I were just sorting out Havyn’s new wardrobe,” said Severin, waving to Havyn that he could get dressed again. Havyn quickly pulled on the tunic and leggings Ildar had given him on his first night at the palace. A fierce blush heated his cheeks. “Havyn is my apprentice!” snapped Ildar. “He is my responsibility. Furs and velvets? Silks? A wizard has no need for all of that. I will ensure Havyn gets all the clothing he needs, not you.” Havyn wondered how the wizard could talk back so forcefully to a prince without worrying about execution. Maybe wizards had no fear of death. “He’s my responsibility,” protested Severin, his hands on his hips as he stared the wizard down. “I bought him. He’s mine!” I've always been an organized person. Typically I don't fall behind and I know what is going on. Well, then March 1st...everything changed. My house went on the market, a week later it was under contract. The scramble to find a new home started...finally offer number four on different homes almost two months later, we have a home. But then, it wasn't that easy. Our home was closed on sooner then we anticipated, so we had to move in with my parents for over a month. And finally, at the end of June, I am in my home again. But now...I have years and years of accumulated stuff to unpack. Ick!
Now the above really wasn't to bad. What I am having a hard time with is the lack of organization. Boxes here and there. Stuff on the counter that doesn't belong there. Oh...and not meeting my deadline I set for myself with Opposites Attract (Hot Bods 4). I really wanted my series to be complete this year. But, life happens and things change I guess. I am halfway through...have been since April. I am hoping to work on it this week. My office is almost set up and I decided, the rest of the house can wait. Francesca and Randy's story can be told! The boxes can wait...as long as I don't see the house, I won't stress. Hopefully next Monday I can have a great writing update! If not...then my house should be well organized. To see other Manic Monday updates, stop by and see Carrie Ann Ryan and Lia Davis. Please welcome, Shonell Bacon as we learn a little more about her and her novel, Into The Web. 1. Tell us a little about yourself. Everywhere, I often write: Author.Blogger.Editor.Educator.Everywoman. This describes me pretty well, I think. I’m a published author of essays, academic works, short stories, and novels. I blog about the writing craft, faith, my personal life, and other women writers. I edit fiction and non-fiction and have done so for 12 years. I’ve taught in the university level for 11 years, teaching freshman and sophomore level English classes, mass communication courses, and fiction writing courses. And I do SO many more things that I have to add on “everywoman” just to save space! 2. What genre do you write? Genre is a hard word for me. I’ve always considered myself a LIFE WRITER. I write about life. My earlier novels were probably clumped into African American romance or contemporary fiction or contemporary urban fiction. Other writings of mine fit into commercial women’s fiction. Death at the Double Inkwell and my latest novel, Into the Web, fit into mystery. In the end, I write about the broken woman and if (and how) she’s able to overcome the circumstances that befall her. 3. Please tell us about your latest release (insert title) and how you came up with the idea. The minute twins and mystery novelists Jovan and Cheyenne Parham find their lives settling into a nice rhythm, all hell breaks loose – in their personal lives and in the latest crime they find themselves mixed up in. Jo is trying to build a relationship with Mark Brockman, but the deaths of her husband and Mark’s wife, and the sordid nature of their coming together keeps her from jumping into the relationship with both feet. Cheyenne is head over heels in love with former detective-now P.I. Ian Davenport, but unexpected news and Ian’s involvement in a new case causes Chey to second guess the deepness of their love. Trying to figure out their love lives becomes all the more complicated when Jo and Chey are thrust into a series of kidnappings and murders involving young girls who seem to make the wrong friends online. When a mayoral candidate’s daughter is kidnapped, Ian finds himself on the case, much to the chagrin of Chey considering he spends an awful lot of time holding and caring for the candidate’s wife. Bringing the girl home safely and finding the killer pushes the twins to the limits of their personal and professional lives. Going into a web of infidelity, lies, deception, and murder often leaves all involved in disarray. Will Jovan and Cheyenne find themselves, once again, trying to pick up the remaining fragments of their lives once this is all over? 4. Is it part of a series? Yes, Into the Web follows the debut book in the Double Inkwell series, Death at the Double Inkwell. Although ITW is a standalone book, it is DEFINITELY a smart thing to pick up DDIW to see how the main characters, Jovan and Cheyenne, came to be. 5. A must have snack while you write. Boring as all get out, but I love me some pretzels, particularly the honey wheat braided pretzels. I always keep a bag near the desk. 6. A fact that someone might not know about you. I played Max in a first grade production of Where the Wild Things Are. I always joke of how I was the first African-American female to do so. LOL 7. If you had to choose a favorite book that you’ve written, which would it be? It might sound corny, but my fave book is the newest release, INTO THE WEB. Before ITW, Death at the Double Inkwell was my favorite because it was the first story I wrote that went beyond the typical stories I wrote. It’s not easy to write a mystery, and I felt I had accomplished a lot in writing DDIW. With Into the Web, I went a step beyond, developing a strong mystery layered with really nice subplots and interesting minor characters. 8. Advice to writers who have yet to be published. a- Write something you care about. If you don’t care, it will show in the reading of the story. b- Be a lifelong learner of the craft. Loving to write isn’t enough. You need to study the craft, read, and work to be better with each new story. c- Not only study the craft – study the industry and study effective marketing and promotional endeavors. 9. Is there a genre you haven’t written yet that you want to? Hmmm. I don’t know. LOL. Mystery writing, and the desire to write it, came out of an opportunity in a novel writing class. It wasn’t something I was thinking about doing in my writing career. I don’t necessarily write to genres. I write to the initial feelings I have about a character that came to me and won’t leave me. A genre usually comes later in the writing process. 10. Any quirky habits? Not really. Aside from my “push it the limit” writing jags where I sit, set my timer for thirty minutes or an hour, and then write like someone’s waiting to slay me if I don’t write a certain amount of words. 11. Have you written a character that most resembles you? All my characters, for the most part, resemble me in some way. It’s funny. When I pursued my MFA degree several years ago, I had a theory that every MFA thesis was really an autobiography of the student. Beyond the thesis, and for many stories afterward, we still wrote of the “self,” but there would come a time when we would exorcise the personal demons enough that we’d write stories that were not ABOUT us but were stories that mattered to us—there is a slight difference between the two. Now, eight years since graduating, I find that I’m blending the two. Some characters still resemble me, trying to exorcise demons, but more often than not, they reflect ideas, thoughts that are important to me. 12. What type of hero do you enjoy writing about? The broken hero. I like broken people. They are the most vulnerable and the most real. Especially the broken person (usually a woman) that still manages to do everything well on the surface, but inside she is falling apart. I like to see if ... and how she will overcome her circumstances. 13. What are you currently reading? Right now, my reading is academic as I’m working on my dissertation. However, I do plan to start reading some classics geared toward young girls, such as Pippi Longstocking, Harriet the Spy, The Secret of the Old Clock (Nancy Drew), and Ramona Quimby, Age 8. 14. What are you currently working on? Aside from dissertation? Well, a short work titled Between the Pages that will be released this summer about a successful erotica novelist that decides to break her anonymity in order to show her true self to the man she’s loved for nearly ten years. I’m in the process of organizing my writing schedule to decide what works I will continue writing for 2012. I know I will start the third novel in the Double Inkwell series, title unknown at the moment, during NaNoWriMo in November. About The AuthorShonell Bacon is an author, doctoral candidate, editor, educator–everywoman. She
has published both creatively and academically–novels, short stories, essays, and textbooks. She has had an essay of hers developed as part of a live theatre documentary production. In addition to her love of writing and what the future holds in her literary life, she is also an editor who loves helping writers hone their literary craft. Since 2001, she has edited for hundreds of writers who have gone on to pursue self-publishing careers and have been published within the traditional publishing arena. Her love for helping writers also moved her to begin writing articles and commentaries regarding the writing life and craft, and she publishes these articles on various websites. She is an educator, having taught English and mass communication courses in addition to fiction writing and other courses related to creative writing. And while taking part in all of those things, Shonell also finds the time to pursue her Ph.D. in Technical Communication and Rhetoric at Texas Tech University. Now a doctoral candidate, she is conducting research and writing her dissertation. Website / Facebook / Twitter / Blog Buy Into The Web AMAZON Today I have a very fun character interview from Eve Langlais. Eve: Hi folks. I thought you might be tired of reading boring interviews about my mundane life, so I thought we’d invite my two newest characters for a chat. Say hello to my hero and heroine from A Demon And His Witch, Remy and Ysabel. [wild applause erupts] Remy (stands and bows): Ladies, your response overwhelms me, and if I wasn’t mated, I would show you just how much. [A devastating smile spreads across his face. Ysabel kicks him and he winces.] Er, just kidding, my hot cougar. You know I notice no one but you now. Ysabel [snorts]: Pig. Don’t make me punish you. Remy [winks]: Please do. You know how I like restraints. Ysabel [a blush across her cheeks]: Would you stop that? We’re in public. Remy: I’ll behave, promise. Eve: You’d better or I’ll add a new scene to your story with Ysabel’s cat in it. I hear Felipe has a hankering for demon flesh. Remy [holds his hands up in surrender]: I give up. I’ll be good. Just don’t feed me to that hellspawn. Ysabel: Don’t talk about my baby like that. Remy: Baby? That overgrown feline is the size of a bloody car. And his fangs are the length of my forearm. Ysabel [crosses her arms over her chest and gives him a look] Remy [sighs]: He’s a wonderful pet. [mutters under his breath] Not! Eve: So Ysabel, tell us, what did you think of Remy when you first met him. Ysabel: He didn’t make the greatest impression. I thought he was a womanizing pig – Remy: Hey! Not anymore. Ysabel: -- and I accused him of being nothing more than a pole dancer. But, he grew on me. Once I got past his foul mouth, I discovered his good points. And he’s cute. [Remy renders her an affectionate smile and laces his fingers through hers.] Eve: I know your relationship got off to a rocky start, what with Ysabel hating men and all. How did you change her mind? Remy: I begged, on my hands and knees, for her to give me a chance. Ysabel: That was for sex. My heart he won simply by being him. Despite his ridiculously corny pickup lines, he possesses a big heart, a lot of courage, a mountain of patience and – Remy: A really big tool? Ysabel: Remy! Remy: What? Can I help it if my sword is so big? [He pulls it out of the sheath he’s got leaning against his chair and grins while Ysabel shakes her head] Eve: You just can’t help yourself can you? Remy: Nope. It’s a gift. Ysabel: Making everything into a sexual innuendo is not a gift. Lucifer [appearing in a puff of brimstone]: It is too a gift. One that I like to think he learned from me. Can I help it if my greatness rubs off on those who worship me? Eve: Er, no one actually worships you. Ysabel [raises a hand looking sheepish]: I kind of did before I got burned at the stake for witchcraft. Lucifer [a fond smile on his lips]: Ah, the good old days when covens would strip and dance naked around fires. Today’s witches are more into blood rituals and sex with warlocks to increase their magic. What a shame. Eve: I’m sure Mother Earth is happy for the change. Lucifer [casts a wary glance around]: Shhh. Don’t say her name. Ysabel: Are you hiding again? What did you do this time? Lucifer: Nothing. Remy [snorts]: Even she can smell the grog and perfume from here. You better shower before you know who catches you. Lucifer: When did you have the time to bathe? I thought you went straight home after our last mug of grog? Ysabel [not looking too happy]: You went to watch the strippers? Remy: The boss asked me out for a beer after work. How could I say no? [casting a glare at Lucifer, he mutters] Thanks a lot. See if I cover your ass next time your girlfriend asks where you are. [A flowery scent wafts over everyone and Gaia appears.] Gaia: What has he done now? Ysabel [pointing at the devil]: He is trying to lead my mate into temptation by taking him to watch hoes strip. Lucifer: You are so fired. Again. [Ysabel smirks.] Gaia: Our bedroom. Now! Lucifer [grumbling]: I can’t have any fun anymore. How can I be a proper Lord Of Sin when I can’t even sin a little? [Lucifer and Gaia disappear. Ysabel shakes her finger at Remy who grabs her hand and places a kiss on the palm. His lips move up her arm. They also disappear before he makes it to her mouth.] Eve: Um, I think this concludes the interview. Be sure to check out Remy and Ysabel’s lover story in A Demon And His Witch. And remember, even when Lucifer is fighting with his girlfriend, he’s watching, waiting for you to sin so he can call dibs on your soul. Thanks for coming everyone. More about A Demon and his WithWebsite / Facebook
Roasted at the stake as a witch, while her lover watches, Ysabel sells her soul to the devil in return for revenge. A fair trade until her ex-boyfriend escapes the bowels of Hell and she’s forced to team up with a demon to fetch the jerk back. Remy’s seen a lot of things during his tenure in Lucifer’s guard, but nothing can prepare him for the witch with the acerbic tongue--and voluptuous figure. Her mouth says ‘Screw you,' but her body screams ‘Take me.’ What’s a poor demon to do when his heart makes things even more complicated by goading him to make her his, forever? Before he can decide if his demonizing days are done, though, he needs to catch the bad guys, save the girl and then find a way to convince her to love him and not kill him. Looking for something just a tad different then the usual romance? If so, this is one to check out! Two is enough, but three could be everything. Kit and Adam Jacobs know what their marriage needs—Gavan Karik. He's the one man they both want and the only one who can make their relationship complete. Making Gav part of the family comes with a price. Family, infidelity and self-worth issues plague Gav, but Adam and Kit are willing to tackle those issues if Gav is willing to commit. For every problem they conquer, another one pops up. Not only are the three adults working to meld a broken family into one, they're also struggling with a blackmailer threatening to out the two men's sexuality and issues with the kids being mistreated at school. With each battle all three have to decide if the vision each sees for the future can match and if the reward is worth the fight. Content Warning: Strong language, graphic sex, and explicit incidents of laundry washing within. Available in print and digital Beachwalk Press / Amazon / Allromance / B&N Excerpt"And the sleeping arrangements?" Gav asked. Adam knew this question had been weighing on the other man. Gav had played thirds in relationships before. Usually, the third was a plaything, in for pleasure, out for the intimacy. "You'd be in our room. The 'our' would include you," Adam told him. "I'll steal your t-shirts to wear to bed, and we'll share the task of warming Kit's cold toes every night. We'll have amazing sex when we're all in the mood together. We'll have nearly as amazing sex in pairs if the third is in the mood to watch or sleep. There won't be favorites, but, because we've been together so long, Kit and I might slip up there on occasion. You'll have to be patient with us, Gav." "And once our open relationship includes you," Kit said, "it turns into a closed one. We don't cheat or lie, and we tell each other if our needs change." Adam watched to see what Gav's reaction to that big rule would be. It was one he supported wholeheartedly. Within the terms of their relationship, he and Kit had never once cheated. They were open, honest, and made the decisions and compromises needed to keep them happy. But his heart was hers. Always. If Gav decided to take the plunge, Adam's heart would grow to include him, and he would never cheat on him either. Loyalty and faithfulness in an open relationship seemed like oxymorons, but not the way he and Kit worked. They were a unit, a family. If Gav chose, he could be the piece that had been missing from the start. Gav covered his face and rubbed much harder than Adam would have rubbed any place on his lover's body. He didn't like to see Gav being so rough with himself. He hated when the other man treated his body harshly. It was because no one else had cared for him. He saw himself as worth less than most and acted on that vision. If he'd quit being stubborn, Adam would try every day to prove him wrong. There would be fabric softener for Gav's clothes and something sweet for him when he wanted a treat. It was the little things Adam knew he and Kit took for granted that would make the most difference with Gav. "I don't know." Gav didn't look past his hands at either of them as he spoke. "I'll think about it. There's nothing in there I don't think I can do, I just…I need to think." "That's fine, Gav," Kit said gently. "Time is something we have, and we'd never rush you." "I know that." His sigh was heavy and haggard. "I know all the good things about you guys, and Kit, it's nothing in you that's missing. It's me. You have to know that. No matter what happens, it's not you. It's me." "But I love you just the way you are," she replied. "So that means there's something amazing in you if you'll let it out." About Stephanie BeckEven before she understood what all the thrusting meant, Stephanie Beck loved reading romance. When the stories didn’t end the way she wanted, writing her own was the perfect solution. From ridiculous humor to erotica, Stephanie loves being transported within a story. When she’s not elbow deep in words, her husband and three children command her attention. After they are sleeping she knits or bakes cookies…or squeezes in more writing.
Stephanie loves to hear from readers. Contact her at stephaniebeckauthor@gmail.com Website / Twitter / Facebook |
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