Age Brings Wisdom, Right?

Today's my birthday. I usually love my birthday, even if it does signify getting older and all that goes along with that. This year, I'm not as enthralled as I usually am, even if I am only 29! I refuse to divulge it even in my own home because my son is a blabbermouth - no chance of his learning my real age until he's at least to this point, so I will always ever refer to myself as 29. Though he's likely to remind me that now I'm 30.

I don't know if it's because I've finally reached the point that I don't care anymore, the day is no different than any other, or the fact that I'm approaching a milestone that I really don’t want to approach. Maybe it's because I still need to lose about 30 lbs. and start working out regularly, like I used to (curse you Curves, for closing all the damn locations near me!), because I need to start feeling younger again. Or maybe the fact that I now need glasses and will be getting them in a week or so is hitting home. The tests the doctor wants me to take. Hey, other than the standard female things, when did I start needing a doctor regularly, damn it?

Lately my 16 year old heart has been feeling more 30-ish and that can't be a good thing, can it? Somehow, it bugs me. I want to hold onto my youth and keep partying like I did when I was 19, and I find it's not so easy anymore. Not that I'm going to give that up – just have to get and keep my partying self in better shape, for better stamina! :D

One thing I've also noticed is that I've been making my heroines a little older than I used to, well, except for Marissa in Warrior's Vengeance and the heroine(s) to come in the sequel/prequels, the time period kind of needs them to be fairly young. Not sure why my more modern heroines are older, and the really odd thing is I find myself feeling more maternal toward my heroines rather than identifying fully with them. It's weird, how my perception of them has changed. There's less of "me" in them than there used to be, and they have complete personalities of their own. Maybe I've finally gotten to be old enough that I realize that fairy-tale ending ain't never gonna happen for me, so I'll give it to them.  Or maybe it's that I've changed so much over the years that the parts of me that are in my heroines are not parts of me that are still relevant to me today.

Maybe I'm just getting better at compartmentalizing and sorting. Though I would rather have this skill applied to my home and office, rather than the emotional and rambling train of thoughts, thank you very much. I find plotting comes a little easier – is that because I've garnered enough knowledge in my advanced years to be able to make sense of things that I used to just wing without any sort of reasonable explanation? (Is that last sentence even grammatically correct?)

Anyway, a lot of this has come to me over the last couple of days, as I approach my day, realizing how short the span is separating me from that horrifying number and fighting it as hard as I can. But there are positives, especially when it comes to writing.

I'm better disciplined (though not by much), and I am honestly secure in knowing what I put into words is thousands and thousands of times better than what my first attempts look like. I'm good, damn it, and it may have taken a while to get to that point, but every minute, even the depressing I'm-giving-it-up-can't-do-this-anymore ones, were worth it. I feel confident in giving advice and support to newer writers. I didn't have that confidence for a loooong time. I feel like I know what I'm doing, more often than I feel like I don't. Why the hell did it take so long to tip the scales the other way?

As for acknowledging today, I'm going to do my best to keep the day in general low-key, though I'm not past using it to my advantage when I need to. ;) But I want it to be a regular day amidst the insanity of all the others. We'll see how that pans out. Since everyone except me and the little guy have plans tomorrow, the odds of it being a quiet normal day are actually pretty good. I'm hoping, anyway!

And since it’s a birthday, it's time for presents! I'll give a few commenters a copy of any one of my titles, winners' choice.

Warrior's Vengeance - Available Today!

Today is release day for Warrior's Vengeance. I'm very excited about this book – my CP's know the trials and tribulations I went through. Lol 

This book is grittier and a bit darker in tone than other titles, It's what I like best about it – I didn't hold anything back (okay, maybe a little – gotta save something for another book, right?) and let Marissa and Ian go at it! I had fun with most of it, other times I was left a bit drained. Mostly I had a blast writing the book, though. I've mentioned before about the extreme reactions I've received. While the positive reactions were awesome, the negatives spurred me to think about using a warning for those who might not be comfortable with some of the scenes, and I've done so in a few places. Having said all that, I must also say publishing it is certainly the best validation. :D

Aside from the sexual content, another reason I enjoyed writing Warrior's Vengeance is because of its time period. I am a big fan of that time – I've written two other books that take place during the reign of Edward I, and I consider them the prequels to Warrior's Vengeance. I'm considering rewriting them, and I have a basic outline for a sequel, with the main character one of the minor ones from Warrior's Vengeance.

Back on point, romances from the period beginning with 1066 and the Norman invasion through about the time when Robert The Bruce defeated the English take up quite a lot of space on my bookshelves. I've read historical romance of all times - the entire range from pre-Viking England to the glory days of the American West (which is probably favorite #2 – how can anyone not drool over hot cowboys?), but always, my heart is drawn to this time, particularly the later Plantagenet years. I also have an extensive library of non-fiction about the period, which makes DH insane when I start pulling them out to research something! For some reason, all the romance books I read that took place in that period always seemed to draw me deeper into them, and I could picture everything so vividly, I was enraptured until the end, and at that point, probably a little disappointed it was over!

A couple of favorites are of course Kathleen Woodiwiss' The Wolf and the Dove. I can still see the scene where Aislynn is sure she's lost her son, and she's crying to Wulfgar. It still brings tears to my eyes. The Conqueror by Brenda Joyce. Rolfe is positively abominable to Ceidre but you can't help rooting for them, even during some of the most torturous interactions and events. Johanna Lindsey wrote some marvelous ones, and all the Catherine Coulter's Song series books in the house are rather weathered!

Anyway, here are the cover and blurb for Warrior's Vengeance, and the link as well, for those who are interested in checking it out. It will be on Amazon as well, I'll keep you posted. For those of you who enjoy this type of gritty sexual tale, I hope you like this book too! Leave a comment about some of your favorite historical romances, and I'll reward a random commenter with a copy.

Near the Scottish border during the reign of Edward I, Marissa Langley, daughter of a powerful English earl is captured by a band of marauding Scotsmen. Completely at their mercy, she is desperate to escape. When the leader of the group saves her from certain rape, she believes she will be freed.

But Ian MacCallum is no savior. He takes her for his own, seduces her then makes her a submissive. Her collar and chains are part of his vengeance on her father—the man Ian claims is responsible for the death of his beloved wife and son.

But her immediate death is not Ian’s plan. He subjects her to daily suffering and punishments and goes so far as sharing her with another clansman. Yet, her spirit will not be broken. He finds himself drawn to that core of strength within her; finding it most exquisite as it cannot be violated.

When danger from within his clan threatens her, Ian protects her, discovering at the same time that he does not want to lose her, ever.

Marissa makes her own discovery: she comes to crave Ian’s torturous touch. When she learns the source of his hatred, she is certain he is wrong. Her father would not commit atrocities. She waits for the moment when she can escape and prove her father’s innocence. But that would mean leaving Ian when she is no longer sure she wants to be free.

Includes: Bondage, collars, spanking, multiple partners and so much more!

Happy Mother's Day - and a New Release

To all of my wonderful family members and friends who are moms and are celebrating today, I wish you a lovely day filled with fun and relaxation. Let the men do it all today!

In other news, in case you haven't yet heard, Prince of the Universe was released this past Friday, May 11. I'm super excited about this book because it's my first sci-fi and super nervous because it's my first sci-fi! If that makes any sense. In any case, I really had a lot of fun with this tale, I love the characters, and I really got to stretch what I thought I knew about the skies around us and billions of miles away. On the other hand, while working on this book, I realized how lacking my knowledge is about the skies around us and billions of miles away!

I'm not a sci-fi buff, I freely admit it. So there's probably a lot in here that breaks rules of  physics and all that. But I suppose, when you think about it, we don't really know everything about everything, as advanced and knowledgeable as we are as a race. Any number of variations of living beings beyond our comprehension of the known universe is possible. So I hold tight to that for reassurance.  I just let my mind follow its path - if I like an idea, I can usually come up with some way to make it somewhat plausible.

Anyway, back to the book - here's the lovely cover:

Here's the blurb:

Merry Alexander found sanctuary in western Pennsylvania from a dangerous former lover, who turned out to be an alien from another planet. Prince Vega of Aldarra has spent several years journeying across the universe, fleeing the enemy who killed his father and invaded and conquered his planet. In the final stages of his plans to return and take back his home, Vega lands on Earth.

Merry's solitude and fragile sense of safety are shattered when another alien, Prince Vega, walks into her country store.  At first terrified, Merry soon finds herself attracted to the arrogant and sexy alien demanding her assistance. She realizes her enemy and Vega's are the same, and can't refuse the prince's request for help. Yet, when Vega goes so far as to claim her as his mate, she is determined to resist. Soon, she finds herself torn between wanting Vega out of her safe and quiet life and the desire to go to Aldarra and submit to him as his queen. But first, the battle of their lives looms ahead.


I really enjoyed getting to know both of these characters- Merry makes me laugh, and Vega is one of my typical arrogant alpha-males, but being out of his element puts him at a disadvantage. Not that it stops him from taking charge, but Merry certainly doesn't make it easy on him.

I have plans for at least one more tale in this world - the characters whose story I am planning to tell were introduced in Prince of the Universe. I have the basic bare bones of what I would like to happen - of course, my characters tend to do what they want, so we'll see how that goes.

In the meantime, enjoy Merry and Vega's story. You can get it directly from Renaissance Sizzler Editions, and also at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Title Trouble

Another month gone by, so I guess it's time for another post. I wasn't sure what I wanted to talk about – there's a lot going on, as usual. But then it hit me. One of the most important aspects of a book is the title. It's what the reader sees first. It should be intriguing, and make the reader want to look closer at the book, and it should also hint at what the book is about. At the very least, I think it should give a clue to the general theme or setting of the story.

And I am in a big title dilemma right now, which ironically enough, helped me with this post.

I am about 2/3 of the way through the next book in the Marchand series and I still have not been able to come up with a title for this one. I've set it in the equestrian field, and of course, like the other books in the series, the sexual relationship between the characters involves lots of BDSM fun.  I want something that gets at both of those factors, but many of the ideas that sprung up were just too… weird, icky, or plain old silly. Seriously, anything with the word "Riding" just came out so wrong! So I'm putting the task aside again until I have no choice to deal with it. I know, I'm a chicken, right? I should face this bump in the road head on and tackle it into submission. But I'd rather write the book at this point, and I'm hoping something will pop into my head before I get to end.

My sci-fi erotic romance, Prince of the Universe, will be out in a few weeks. That was a title I had no trouble coming up with. The theme song from the Highlander movies and TV show, as performed by Queen, always seemed to pop into my head from the moment I first started writing the book. After all, Vega is a prince, and he has traveled across the universe. It fit, perfectly, in my opinion. And as a nod to my love of all things Highlander, I couldn't resist.

Warrior's Vengeance was another title that came to me fairly easily. The funny thing is, when I first created these characters, way back in the late 90's, I wasn't writing anything remotely erotic. Sensual and hot, but without the intense, sexually charged (and kinky) love scenes. There were love scenes, and they were hot, but I don't think anyone would consider them erotic by today's standards. The book was originally called Passion's Vengeance, which kind of sucked, but I was way worse with titles back then. I've learned a bit since. Worst of all, hero and heroine didn't even come face to face until somewhere around chapter five! When I decided to dip my toe back into the medieval pool, I tossed everything I'd ever written about Marissa and Ian and started from scratch. The original title was always in the back of my mind, but once the story changed – drastically – the title just reworked itself. And I liked it.

The Taste of Magic was thought up by the book's original publisher. I won't even share the working title, it really, really sucked. (Not sure if I meant that pun or not! lol). But it does what it should do - tells you a little of what the book is about. It is one of my personal faves - maybe because someone else came up with it! :D

The vampire book I'm revising, The Night Club, was a fairly easy title to come up with. A large part of the book is set in a nightclub, and of course, even though my vamps can function in daylight, nighttime is the real playground for the bloodsuckers. I'm also really excited about this book, another one I started way back when. I've made drastic changes to it, and hope to be getting that one on the submission rounds. The characters, while they have a sensual and steamy relationship, are pretty much vanilla, so this book is authored by my other alter-ego, Gina Rosavin.

How does everyone else come up with their titles? Is it easy, hard, somewhere in between? What titles have you found interesting – the ones that stick in your head, even if it's been years since you read the book. What books have you read, simply because of the title? I'm curious. And open to any suggestions :)

* Yes, I changed the post title. Guess the issue isn't just limited to book titles!

Read an E-book Week!

It's Read an E-book Week! There are all kinds of things going on to mark this event, you can find out more about them here:  http://ebookweek.com/index.html

I hadn't really planned anything for the week –last week was insane! Not only did I return to work after a wonderful week off, softball season started at the high school last week (daughter), the elementary school held their annual Theater Week (son). The day job was brutal - filled with webinar training on our new products. The significance of this week totally slipped my mind in all the mania. Until today, when thankfully, Twitter and a few other of my hangouts reminded me. Thanks everyone! So in honor of Read an E-book Week, I thought I'd talk about how to read an e-book.

I run into a lot of people who have no idea exactly what an e-book is. They ask me, "But how can I read it if it's not an actual book?" There's the first misconception – that because a book is digital, it’s not really a book. The old "if it doesn't have paper pages, it's not a book" argument. So I launch into my standard explanation: "Of course it's a real book. It has characters, a plot, and a well-written story. Just because it's in a different format, doesn't make it any less a book." And that 100,000 words I wrote – they're just as real as anything I'd submit to a print publisher.

The next argument I usually get is that without a reader, a person can't read e-books. Again, not true. Barnes & Noble has a free Nook application for your PC. If you have a computer, you can read any e-book – most are available in pdf format, which almost everyone can utilize, or there are, like B&N, applications to read e-books on your computer. If you have a smart phone, or a tablet, you can read e-books on those, as well. Seeing the comprehension clearing the blank stare is always an exciting moment. They understand! Hurray! lol

The conversation usually changes at that point – now they want to know what sorts of books are available in digital formats? The answer is - just about every single one. Almost every print book has an e-format counterpart available for purchase. Sometimes the digital format comes after the print release, sometimes at the same time. It varies – for lots of reasons. With publishers who are primarily e-publishers, obviously the focus is on the e-formats for the books, but many e-publishers also offer certain titles in POD (Print On Demand) format. The requirements for a book to be made available in POD vary by publisher.

The question I always get next is which reader I have. I prefer the Sony myself. The newest version is fantastic, has wireless functionality and so far, has an excellent battery life, loads fast and has lots of new features for notes and such. I actually do my editing/revisions on my books using the Reader. The pricing has gotten better as well – the Sony website currently shows a list price of $129. I know there are those who swear by their Kindle, or their Nook. I've never had either, so can't speak to that, but there are benefits to each device. It depends on what you want and what you need. But the biggest selling point for an e-reader always seems to be how many books it can hold. I hold up my slim pink Reader and proudly declare I have over 300 books on it at any given time. The understanding has now evolved into pure excitement. Telling a person who loves to read that they can carry that many books at the same time is like letting a kid loose in a toy store!

The portability of the e-reader is also a huge conversion selling point – you can carry it in your purse and read anywhere you happen to have a few minutes of downtime.  Hey, I've been known to read the back of a cereal box in a pinch and know many others like that. The evolution of e-readers has been a godsend to people like us! I am never without something to read anymore. On line at the inspection station, on breaks at work, waiting in a doctor's office, or to pick up kids. I pull it out and read a few pages where I can.

So tell me what reader you prefer and why. Do you have more than one? I know plenty of people who do. What turned you on to your reader of choice?  I'll be giving away a copy of one of my current titles to a random commenter – your choice of titles! You'll be all set to Read an E-book this week!

This Week's Update

A lot's happened in the last few weeks, much of it writing-related, some of it not. The timing couldn't be better either, as my day job has a shutdown this coming week, and the best part of that is my kids will be in school most days! So I get to work on various writing-related tasks, as well as catch up on a couple things around here I just haven't been able to squeeze in, despite the fast-reaching-desperate need to get them done. But I made progress on some cleanups for Warrior's Vengeance, and I got a lot of new stuff written for the current Marchand book I'm working on.

But the biggest news of the week is that Prince of the Universe, my first stab at a sci-fi, has been contracted by Renaissance Ebooks Sizzler Editions! I am super excited about this, because as much as I love this story, and these characters, I really don't know a lot about sci-fi. Seriously. I never even saw the first three episodes of Star Wars (which, BTW, I can't help thinking of as the second three, since the others I saw in the 70's and 80's were the FIRST THREE I saw. Still come first in my head). That's how bad it is.

Here's the thing – one of my favorite TV shows EVER is "The Universe" on the History Channel, followed closely (really, really closely) by "Through the Wormhole" on the Science Channel. The idea of other worlds out there fascinates me, and I do find it hard to believe that we are truly alone in this vast universe. So I watch those shows as much as I can (marathons are like a drug overdose! lol), and my writer's imagination goes to work after that.

I was able to incorporate some of what I've learned into this book, the rest - I kind of just winged it. Prince Vega, of the Planet Aldarra, is a human-like person who lands in Fair Ridge, PA, home of Meredith (Merry) Alexander, who just so happens to have had a really bad previous encounter with another Aldarran. There are a lot of reasons Merry fears Vega, but her compassionate heart can't completely abandon him. Even though she wants and decides to let him fend for himself, she can't cut him off, and once she makes her first move to help him, she's doomed. But Vega isn't like the other, and proves it, sometimes in a very arrogant and I'm-better-than-you-cause-I'm-royalty kind of way.

These two were fun to write – Merry, while she possesses a very legitimate fear of Vega, still has backbone and won't completely back down. She's funny, not afraid to speak her mind, and that compassionate heart of hers makes her a sucker for someone in need of help. Vega was a bit more complicated. He's a prince, in line to a throne, he's a warrior, and he has the capability of transforming into a hybrid man/feline creature with incredible amounts of strength and power.  Yet, he just wants to share his life with someone, just like anyone else. His goal to be king requires he have heirs. The Earth woman confounds him, but he can’t resist her. His perception of too many softer feelings for her is that it could weaken him, make him vulnerable. But he also discovers the motivation such feelings give him. Not that he ever loses that arrogant edge – he wouldn't be one of my heroes if he did!

Anyway, as I get more details, I will share them – such as a release date, a cover, and all the fun stuff. This week – getting down to editing. Part of me is dreading it a bit, the process is sure to induce quite a few groans and head-shakes, with thoughts of "What was I thinking?" but it'll be fun to work with these two again.

I've Been a Bad Blogger

I'm a terrible blogger. If you even half attempt to follow me here, you know, I am a HORRENDOUS blogger!

The thing is, time is at a premium for me – I work full-time outside the home, I have two children in school – one in high school, one in elementary. My day job requires me to travel 3 to 4 times a year. I don't really mind (a week in a hotel room all to myself is still one of my favorite travel perks! lol). One of the best things about the job is that I get to be online through Twitter and other places during the day (but Twitter is best, I can get in and out quick, and still keep up with my friends and such and it's not a huge timesuck on my job hours). 

At home, it is a very different story. With the exception of Friday evenings, most of my time at home is spent preparing dinner, picking up or dropping someone off, overseeing homework, bathing and various other tasks and chores, so by the time I'm done, it's nearly 10:00, I'm beat, but everyone's in bed, and the house is quiet.

For the last several months, I have made a deliberate point to spend my evening computer time devoted to writing. Well, except for Fridays. I am OFF from Everything on Friday nights! But for the most part, that's exactly what I've been doing at night, writing and editing. To the point where I missed the last couple of new Criminal Minds eps, and I'm kicking myself over it!!! I'll catch up on Youtube one of these weeks (months, years, etc.)

Anyway, I think many of my writing goals have been attained, though perhaps at the expense of being more promo-oriented and interactive than I am. But I have another full-length novel due out this spring or summer, and a lead short story in the very-soon-to-be-released Sizzler Editions anthology, Bound for Love (edited by the fantastic Sascha Illyvich). I'm on the verge of wrapping up edits on my sci-fi romance ms, have another lined up for editing, and am halfway through the next new Marchand book. And I keep telling myself the readers would rather have more books from me, instead of listening to me blabbing about the current hot topic of the day.

Although, again, on Fridays, it might not be a bad thing to steer clear of me – on many Fridays, I quote lots of song lyrics. And I'm a huge Bruce Springsteen fan – he shows up a LOT! Lol

So forgive me for being such an infrequent blogger, and while I intend to work on getting better at it, in the meantime, here's a snippet from my upcoming short story, Fantasy Unbound:

This could not be happening! Emily blinked back tears, and prayed she would wake up from this horrible dream. But the cold metal cuffs around her wrists assured her this was no dream.

"Okay, Ms. Valerian, come this way."  The female officer motioned Emily to follow.

Finally. Emily stood, her shoulders aching and numb from the length of time she'd been handcuffed.   "When are you going to tell me what's going on? You haven't explained the charges. I'm a police dispatcher in Tyrrell Gardens. I know you have to tell me why I've been arrested."

"Yeah, right. Nice try, lady. Come on."

She'd been kept cuffed and on the bench for far too long. She tried to insist further, but the officer merely told her to shut up. The uniformed woman was no better than the male officers, with their frightening sneers and muttered comments, such as "it's about time," and "it's all over now." Clearly they thought her to be someone else. But who? And what the hell had this person done to warrant such loathing? When she got out of this mess…

The female officer stepped behind her and unfastened the cuffs. Emily dropped her arms to her sides and they exploded into pins and needles. She dully obeyed the officer's orders and was fingerprinted, photographed, all on equipment so old, she'd never even seen the like in photos. And then, finally they allowed her to make her call.

She dialed the only person she could think of.

***

Devon slammed the car door shut and started the engine in one motion. He could still hear Emily's frantic cries, her sobbing voice rasping over the line as she tearfully explained her predicament.

"Devon, they arrested me! I think they think I'm someone else!"

The words echoed in an ominous loop, and his heart wrenched to think of his Princess being mistreated. Not that she knew he thought of her that way - they worked together on the small police force a few towns away from where she'd been booked.  Any relationship between them was impossible. He was a detective, she was a dispatcher. They'd worked together for two years now. A grim smile curved his mouth as he recalled anxiously awaiting any and all communication from her while in his car. But he'd never acted on his longing, for several solid reasons.

First and foremost, the department could fire them both. He wouldn't risk her job for his own selfish wants. So he'd spent the last couple of years being Emily's friend, though he wanted so much more from her. Hell, even if he had the balls to risk a relationship, once she found out about his sexual tastes, she'd run screaming from him as fast as she could.

Still, the notion that tonight's events could be used to his advantage wouldn't go away. He made a left at the next light and headed toward the highway that would take him to her. His gut twisted to think of how afraid she must be. Once he spoke to the idiots at Fair Valley PD, her ordeal would end. Or maybe not. He recalled his last encounter a few years back with the police force in this ultra-conservative, rural area. They had made their disdain for updated technology clear, and even then, they'd still been using equipment that had to have dated back to the Forties. Didn't matter, he'd get her out of this mess, and put an end to her anguish.

Why did he have the feeling his ordeal was only beginning?

Keep an eye out for the release date for the Bound for Love Anthology. I'll be sure to post the info here, as well as out on Twitter. Here's the sizzling hot cover. Enjoy!