Vixenwriter

I’m involved in a really fun project with some really fabulous authors - together we put out a monthly newsletter,The Samhellion. The website is now live so you should go check out this month’s newsletter which just came out and also sign up for next month’s as well. Just an FYI, this isn’t an “official” Samhain project but it’s written and edited by Samhain authors. JC Wilder, Managing Editor, Beth Williamson, Anne Cain, Ciar Cullen, Lauren Dane, Carolan Ivy, John Karr, Isabo Kelly, JL Langley, TJ Michaels, Ashleigh Raine, and Gia Dawn

Here’s the Official Announcement

The Samhellion!!

Come one, come all - join the reader list for the most amazing newsletter ever created, THE SAMHELLION - a newsletter created entirely by Samhain Publishing Authors.

Each vitamin packed issue will contain articles about, life, liberty and the pursuit of cheesecake! (otherwise known as articles on writing, health, fitness, cooking, book reviews, book previews, exclusive excerpts and a wide range of other topics along with short fiction stories from your favorite authors!) Just reading this newsletter is guaranteed to decrease your bad cholesterol and you’ll lose ten pounds with the first issue!

Oh, and we’ll have contests, lots of contests.

And speaking of contests, when you sign up, you stand a very good chance of winning a book (either download or paperback) from one of your favorite authors.

Sign up for the newsletter here.

The Editors

I finished To Do List last night. This means in the Sven 70 Days Challenge which ended on Saturday - I wrote 107K words. This makes me very happy because during this time I had a writerly wallow and crisis of faith but I kept writing. In the last 70 days I also edited four books and did print galleys.

Oh lookie here! Well when I look at the Sven site, it tells me the Challenge doesn’t end until the 20th. So wheee, I’m actually at 111K! I don’t think I’ll be adding words though, I’m letting TDL sit and working on my revisions for Stripped this week (although it shouldn’t take me an awfully long time)

After revisions, I have some options but firstly I’ll probably do some sample chapters for a project Megan Hart and I have planned. If I don’t have to do the chapters on that, I want to revise and expand Second Chances once I get my rights back (later this month) and then finish up Standoff, the last Cascadia Wolves book which is due at the beginning of next year but I’d rather just get it done and not have the deadline hanging over me. I prefer to finish things early if I can, it’s a thing, I know.

I have a sore throat and Morrigan appears to be snotty (not just her normal attitude) and I had to give her cold medicine last night because she was coughing and feverish. Every year like clockwork, the beginning of school plague. I’m determined to resist so I’m chugging tea and taking all 800 of my vitamins and trying to eat as healthily as possible. My middle kiddo resisted it thought I was worried at the end of last week, he broke through this weekend and D is happy and healthy and chattering about Pokemon.

I picked up, and then tossed down three different books this weekend but did love the Mandy Roth books I read on my laptop. I also read a few Michelle/Mandy books and it gives me hope that dual author books can work. They work really well together.

Ironed eight million things for all my charges and there’s still more laundry. Good lord I hate laundry. However, there’s something about the mindless repetitive movement that helps me plot and get past story blocks so that’s always a good thing.

I’m all registered for RT in April and I’m talking to Frauke about designing some stuff for me to promote the Spice anthology. It’s all very exciting. We’re planning a fun workshop/reader appreciation party with swag and snacks - me, Anya Bast, Cynthia Eden, Megan Hart and Ann Aguirre. It’s on Friday so keep that in mind.

And cripes! I missed Rock of Love last night!! Writing comes before television of course and I wanted to finish the book. But now I don’t know who got sent home. Was it crazy Lacy, questionable taste in clothing Heather or One S Jes? Did anyone watch? I need to know.

Oh and to brighten those Monday blahs,

I heart Dominic Purcell.

So it’s Saturday and I spent several hours today writing, most likely I’ll be finishing To Do List by the end of the weekend so yay for that! Right now the kids are playing Sly on the PS2 and I’m sort of thinking about dinner. I need to deal with laundry, sigh - GLAMOROUS!! Wheee!

A quote I saw today and wanted to pass along:

People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don’t believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and, if they can’t find them, make them.
George Bernard Shaw

In other words, sit your ass down and write. Even if it’s five minutes every two days. Stop making excuses. Stop saying how you don’t have time, stop bemoaning other people who have all day to write or who have better deals than you. You will never be anyone but you, so deal with what YOU have instead of what you haven’t.

And while I’m at it, I’m just going to heave a tired sigh and say some authors need to stop showing their ass in public. Really truly. Your blog is public. Author loops are public, comments you make at blogs are public. Guess who is part of the public? Editors, your fellow authors, readers, reviewers and agents. So you got rejected. Doood, welcome to the club. Guess who else got rejected? EVERYONE.

Another quote:

Don’t fear making a mistake; fear failing to learn and move forward.
Pilip Humbert

You put yourself out there, you open yourself up and it’s difficult. People who don’t do it tend to pooh pooh how hard it is, but those who’ve done it understand. Those who survive? They know your skin better be thick and you have to want this more than anything because it’s not easy. It hurts. You feel intense hope and gutwrenching, abject fear and disappointment. Sometimes within hours of each other. There are times when you are sure you won’t make it. When the story you’re writing is drek, when you can’t pull off the edits, when you fear readers will hate the book you’re putting in front of them. And sometimes, the story you’re writing IS drek, sometimes those edits take longer than you thought and yep, sometimes readers don’t connect with what you tried to say. Writers who sell right away and never hit a bump are very rare. Yes, they exist but most of us have hit delays hard enough to consider quitting.

But do you want it? If so, how bad? You gotta work. No doubt about it. You have to write when you’re exhausted, when you just don’t want to write that damned story, when you hate your characters, when your kids’ teacher has a talk with you when you pick him up, when you’ve had a fight with your spouse or your best friend. You have to deal with people all around you getting deals when you get rejected and also, getting deals when your friends who are terrific writers don’t.

Pull up your big girl panties, stuff some chocolate in your gullet and write because if that’s what you want to be, that’s what you’ve got to do. When it works, it’s the best thing in the world.

I’m all about contests this week but why not? Who doesn’t like to win books?

So the very generous Michelle Pillow has offered up an ARC of her upcoming Along For The Ride (reviewed below). Entering the contest is totally easy - just email me with “ALONG FOR THE RIDE” in the subject header and I’ll choose a winner at random from all the entries next friday the 21 of September.

Good luck! (by the way, you can also enter the contest at The Dynamic Trio as well as this one. I won’t pick the same winner twice, but there’s no harm in entering twice for this fab book!)

Patti O’Shea’s In the Midnight Hour - I’ve been a fan of Patti O’Shea since I read Ravyn’s Flight many years ago and she continues to write great stories! In The Midnight Hour is no exception.

In her first TOR paranormal romance, O’Shea introduces a whole new universe. This story features Ryne, a gineal (magical law enforcement of a type) and a cursed PI - Deke, whom is freed by Ryne’s magic.

The heart of the book is really Ryne’s struggle to deal with the responsibility of her power and the need to rely on gray areas to do her job. Her attraction to Deke is complicated by her own personal issues and past abuse at the hands of her former mentor.

O’Shea handles the complicated pasts of both characters and the seriously fabulous villian really well and the story is quite engaging.

A great opener to what promises to be a (another) wonderful series from O’Shea.

Michelle Pillow’s Along For the Ride - I was fortunate to have Michelle send me an ARC of her second book in the Matthews Sisters series and features Megan, the cop who is outwardly solid, sure of herself and set in her ways. But inwardly, that’s not so true and Pillow gives readers a nicely flawed, but very realistic heroine. Ryan, the hero is smitten from the moment he first sees her but he’s got such an uphill battle! Not just to gain her romantic affections but mainly to open herself up to him emotionally. The struggle between them is an internal one, a refreshing change from romances where the threat is external. The chemistry is good and the sex is fabulous!

The Matthews family is wonderfully quirky and I love books that feature families - both parents are lovely opposites and all the sisters are interesting and I definitely can’t wait to read about the remaining single Matthews sisters! You need to grab this one and the first one - Bit By the Bug (featuring Kat, another Matthews sister)!

Elizabeth Vaughan’s Warlord - the third book in the series and I think, my favorite! I loved how Vaughan takes the reader on a totally unexpected journey. I don’t want to give spoilers but I highly recommend not just this book but the entire series. I love fantasy romance that really sweeps the reader into somewhere she never expected to to. Lara is an amazing heroine and her connection to Kier is beautiful. Her character arc over the series is fantastic.

Lauren: You all should know up front how much I love Michelle Pillow. She’s one of the people I think consistently makes romance authors look professional. She works hard, she always conducts herself like an adult in public, she’s not prone to oversharing or acting like a tool and she also happens to be a great writer. On top of all that, she quite often shares what she knows with other authors - proving time and again, what community really means. So, it’s not a surprise really that I read her books and thought interviewing her here would be fun. Without any further delay….

LD - Where to start? You’re such a jack of all trades, woman, it’s sort of intimidating!

MP: LOL. People say that, but I hardly feel intimidating. Though, I’ve been told I have a pretty mean growl—gerrrrrr… See, as fierce as a baby kitten.

LD: Let’s see – how about you give us a few details on your upcoming Cheek release, Along For The Ride?

MP: I can do that. *wink*

My books for the CHEEK series are just fun, light contemporaries with lots of erotic romance thrown in.

LD: This is book two in a series about the Matthews sisters – how many books planned in the series?

MP: There will be 5 total, one for each sister, so there should be three more after Along for the Ride. The next, book 3, is contracted — Recipe for Disaster and will release Spring 2008. It’s already on preorder at Amazon.com. The other two aren’t contracted yet, but I do plan on writing them soon.

LD: What’s on tap for you in 2008?

MP: I keep on a pretty busy writing schedule, though I did take somewhat of a break from this year as to the amount of books I put out. Even so, it’s a pretty fast pace. I plan on stepping it up next year and completely a few series I have out there—Space Lords for NCP, the Matthews Sisters for Virgin Books, and hopefully the last of the Call of the Lycan series will come out from EC. We just contracted it there.

I’ve got a few submissions floating around I hope to hear back about soon, but I tend to go where the muse tells me to.

LD: What’s your writing schedule like?

MP: Ever changing. It has to be with my lifestyle. I’ve always got three things going at once. Normally, I try to write every day, sometimes all day with a few interruptions. I tend to do best late at night, but my schedule doesn’t always allow me to stay up until four in the morning.

LD: When you’ve had a crappy day, do you reach for salty snacks or chocolate?

MP: Coffee. And if I can trick my husband into cooking, it’s a bonus. He makes the best pasta.

LD: I know you write across several genre lines – do you have a favorite?

MP: My first love was historical romances. It’s what I originally started out writing. Now I love them all—paranormal, futuristic, fantasy, ect… But historicals have a special place in my heart. Maiden and the Monster was one of the books I wrote pre-publication and it ended up winning the RT award. That is one of those first-love futuristics. I have several more just like it waiting for the right home.

LD: What are five comfort reads?

MP: I tend to comfort movie watch, lol, but normally only because my eyes are so tired from working. Some of my favorites of all time are Pride and Prejudice, Amanda Quick’s historicals—Rendezvous, et all, Mandy Roth’s books (plus I can call and bug her for what happens next in a series if the next book isn’t out yet), nonfiction books… I love nonfiction. Sometimes I read them for fun.

LD: What are you reading right now?

MP: Funny you should ask, Lauren. I’ve got your new EC one here, lol. (and I’m so not lying and playing kiss-up) I’m also reading NJ Walters Tapestry Dreams and Kelly St John’s Ghost and Roses— I tend to go on binges and read several at once. Oh, and I hope to get to Kootz’s Velocity soon. It has the best opening paragraph ever—guy gets killed by garden gnome. That alone won me over on the book. (Lauren here - see what great taste she has )

LD: Are you superstitious or do you have writing rituals?

MP: Does requiring offerings of coffee, cabana boys massages and the whole “Michelle is a Goddess” chanting/fire dance count? Then, no, no rituals. LOL

LD: How do you balance your family life with your professional life?

MP: Family has to come first. Period. But, they know I work at home and know to leave me alone so I have time to work. I really don’t have it all that hard.

Anything else you’d like to add?

MP: Thanks for having me, Lauren!

If readers want to learn more about me or get in touch, here is me on the web:
LINKS
Blog - www.michellepillow.com/authorblog/
Website- www.michellepillow.com
Press Kit - www.michellepillow.com/press_kit.htm
Newsletter - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/michellempillow/join
Myspace - www.myspace.com/michellepillow
Email – michelle_pillow@yahoo.com
The Hussies™ Website - http://www.thehussies.us/
THE RAVEN
Free Ongoing, Online Paranormal Story http://www.ravenhappyhour.com/raven.htm
Paranormal Blog- http://ravenvampireclub.blogspot.com/
Podcasts - http://www.ravenhappyhour.com/raven_podcasts.htm
Raven Reader Yahoo Group (chatting)
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/The_Raven_Vampire_Nightclub/join

This weekend I finally got around to reading the most recent issue of the RWR and aside from my annoyance at the continued condescension of the letters from the president, I read the letter to the editor and found myself scratching my head.

For those who don’t know, someone wrote in and complained at the language used in romances these days. Apparently, it’s okay for a hero to say bad words but when a heroine does, she sounds like a gang member.

Sigh.

Here’s the deal, everyone is allowed preferences. I have no issue with people who don’t like their characters cursing. But for me, as an author and as a reader, realism is important. My heroines, for the most part, are harder edged and while I take issue with the idea that cursing makes one sound like “a gang member” I do believe a hardened warrior or vampire hunter would tend toward harder language. That’s just basic story accuracy and being true to a character. For instance, Tate Murphy, my heroine in Making Chase has a slight problem dropping “F” bombs when she’s stressed. She’s not a gang member, she’s pretty darned wholesome all in all, but it’s part of who she is. Also? A vagina does not make one exempt from excited utterances of bad words when faced with a demon bearing poison teeth or an uzi in your face, or even walking in on your boyfriend with your best friend on the kitchen table.

I take issue with the idea of needing yet more ratings and explanations on books. We’re talking about adults here. If I pick up a dark paranormal I’m absolutely going to expect to find harder language in it. That’s sort of common sense. Also, over time, I’m going to know what lines and authors write what. Nocturne for instance has darker paranormals but the cursing is at a minimum. Most Harelquin and Sil lines (except Blaze and Spice) keep the cursing to a minimum. But in truth, if you’re reading a contemporary or a paranormal - just like in modern day life, people curse. It might not be what *you* do, but to call someone vulgar or a gang member for saying “shit” or even “fuck” seems, well, quite an overstatement.

To a certain extent, I sympathize with readers who find it hard to find what they like on the shelves. I’ve been there! But I’m an adult and I don’t need anyone else rating what I read to enable me to be a big girl and do my own research.

Yes, it’s that day of the week again and there are new excerpts at my messageboard for Reading Between the Lines (my October release from Samhain) and something from Vengeance Due as well!

I’m over halfway done with To Do List and I’m really loving the story and I’ll definitely have it done by deadline (whew!)

Lots of truly fabulous stuff - SO - I’m doing TWO contests (and I’ll even tell you about a third one!)

First of all, I’m going to give you all a week and choose TWO winners  - one will win an ARC of Michelle Pillow’s really excellent ALONG FOR THE RIDE, her October release from Cheek and the second book in her Matthews sisters series (you all need to also read Bit By The Bug, the first book - it’s fab!)

The other winner will receive a copy of any of my available titles in whatever format they’re available in (including my paperbacks!)

All you need to do enter  OVER AT THE DYNAMIC TRIO BLOG!  Click the link and get the details!!! I’ll draw the winners next Tuesday the 18th of September!!

Another contest? Don’t mind if I do! Megan Hart is running a contest and the winner gets all sorts of goodies including a 100 dollar GC to Amazon! Go to her website to check the details!!

Hey, what a great Tuesday! Y’all enjoy your day!

Not a poem today, instead, an excerpt from Witches Knot: Vengeance Due - which as a matter of lovely fact, is out today in paper!
18 and over only please, some adult content behind the cut…

“ Read the rest of this entry ?

Oh and let me add my Red Garnier festival, LOL. I’ve been meaning to talk about her books for ages so here you go.

Spin Devil - this is a raw, hard and fast novella from EC and I quite enjoyed it. The beginning had me a bit on edge and as I say, it’s very raw but Red smooths it out and makes it all right if you just hang in there. I dug it and of course I wanted it to be longer, LOL. However, that’s the nature of a novella, it’s short and if you’re left wanting more, wanting to know more about the characters, the author did a good job. Garnier gives the reader a short time on a beach with some friends and a little devil doll. She makes every very naughty word count.

Divine Assistant - SO far, every single Torrid Tarot offering I’ve read has been fab and this one is in my top three! I loved this novella! I have a thing about the power of certain cliches and office sex is one of them (and I used it in Sudden Desire because I love it so). Garnier gives us Lucy Divine, smart, well educated MBA who gets what she thinks is a dream job with uber business god Patrick Holden. But Patrick is an arrogant ass who doesn’t like blonde hair, her body and seems to want to fill her day with meaningless errands. She’s come all the way to NYC for this job and it’s so not what she envisioned and why does the jerk have to be so damned hot too?

But of course, Patrick is actually arrogant and used to getting his own way but his behavior isn’t distaste, it’s his inner battles to keep from laying one on Miss Divine.

Garnier does a fabulous job here with the small details that make characters work - personality quirks and great dialog. The sex is, wheee, whoo, guh, hot! The back and forth is clever and you can see the two drawing ever more inevitably toward being together.

Add bitchy secretaries, a stuffy butler and a hilarious mother in town to visit and Divine Assistant is a really engaging story! Go Red, you kick ass.