Friday, July 31, 2009

4.5 Cherry Review and Civil War

Fabulous review for Murder & Magick at LASR (AKA Whipped Cream Erotic Reviews) 4.5 cherries! Read the whole review here.

Excerpt: But there are two terrific twists thrown at you, the reader, that make this a much more compelling story than just a good murder story with sex and magick thrown in.

And today's the release day for the Northern Roses and Southern Belles Civil War anthology! Join us August 1-6 for our anthology blog tour!

Calendar:

Saturday August 1: Isabel Roman is at Night Owl Romance

Sunday August 2: Jeanmarie Hamilton is at Petticoats & Pistols

Monday August 3: Susan Macatee is at Love Romance Passion

Tuesday August 4: Caroline Clemmons is at Slip into Something Victorian

Wednesday August 5: Mary Ann Webber is at Arkansas Diamonds

Thursday August 6: Jennifer Ross is at Romantic Crush Junkies

Everyone who leaves a comment on the day of the post for each of the six days will be entered into a drawing to win a copy of Northern Roses and Southern Belles signed by all six authors!

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

4 Nymph review!

Temptations and Treachery received a 4 Nymph review from Literary Nymphs!


Isabel Roman has done a wonderful job telling of the treachery by the characters that felt they needed the control. There is a joint effort of council to staunch the problems that arose so they could try to live peacefully. I am hopeful that this is not the last in this series, and I am looking forward to other books written by this author.
Read the whole review here.

Monday, July 27, 2009

Back in...never mind

Several things this morning as I struggle to wake up and get my mind focused:

I plan on updating my blog more than I have bee in July. My Russian story, retitled Kiss of Scandal, is finished, sent out, and hopefully other than some minor edits, done. I need a break. A couple days, maybe several, but my brain needs to recharge. And I need some sleep!

Angela Cameron's vampire series, Blood and Sex is half price today! Get all 3 books for $7.47. I've read book one and loved it...waiting for a free moment to read the rest of them.

Susan Macatee has given me the One Lovely Blog Award. Hmm, now to pass it along! According to the rules, I have to pass it on to 3 blogs. Must think on this when I'm awake. I'll post the 3 tomorrow whenn I can think again. :)

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Erotic Book Junkies!

I'm interviewed over at Erotic Book Junkies today, talking about everything and anything, even my NCIS obsession.

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Sticky days of summer

July and August. The hot sticky days of summer. There’s something magical about them. Lazily dipping your fingers along the water's surface, running on the hot sand after an errant ball, exploring some new or ancient city on foreign soil. There’s nothing like hot summer days.

As a northeasterner, I believe I appreciate summer in the unique way only a northeasterner can. Basking in the summer sun after a long long winter and too short spring, then cursing the heat as we reach the depth of the summer months and spouting the old saying, “you can fry an egg on that sidewalk.” I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard that!

What I truly love about summer is the romance. Sure, it's hard to best Paris in the springtime, but try New York at 102 degrees when your AC is kaput...never is a soft kiss and a cool breeze so welcomed.

Story settings are often dictated by the kind of mood the author wishes to set. A big city like New York sets a fast paced, gritty tone, while a small town setting like Madison County has that laid back, simple life tone. The time of year you set a story in can also be a character: like say summer.

I'm a big movie buff, so let me pose the question: would the movie Body Heat have been as effective if it was set in the depth of winter or even during the cool, oft times chilly breezes of spring or fall? Of course not. The summer heat was just as pivotal a character as Kathleen Turner. The heat was part of the mix that drove the characters mad with lust.

Oftentimes writers use the heat of summer as an irritant to their characters or a catalyst to emotion. Think Cat On A Hot Tin Roof. The sweltering heat in that movie affected each character in a different way. Maggie is horny, Big Daddy’s health is affected, Brick was irritated, then that escalated to anger. The title itself is a symbolism for summer; how the cat is scorched with the intense heat. The characters are scorched as well, fighting the heat of the summer as well as the conflicting personalities of the family.

Weaving that environmental aspect through a story and around your characters, and retaining its effect throughout, can make for a rich, erotic, and realistic tale.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Great news!


I'm thrilled, honored, excited, and rather giddy today! Romance Junkies chose Dark Desires of the Druids I: Murder and Magick as one of their Debut Titles That Rock! Snoopy dance!
I'm also over at Unbound today, talking about Suspension of Disbelief.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Monday, July 13, 2009

Contest winner

Some great answers to my contest about what sort of contest to have. I really liked them all and plan to use them in some way, some how, in the future.

I liked what Hagelrat said about the contest, plus she's a Princess Bride fan-Cool! But Joy from Arizona emailed me:
I like the kind of contest where I have to read about the book, either in a review or an excerpt, and find the answer to a question. I like this kind of contest because I get to read about the book and see if I want to purchase it.

Hmm, food for thought! Not only will I NOT have to add a lot of content to my site I don't have time to do this month, but by reading what's there, and looking at a few other places I've posted, someone can read about the book, see if it's something they'd like or not, and easily play the contest also without going crazy and combing through my site.

Joy is the winner! I did like Hagelrat's idea of the Druid icon postcards as prizes, though, very different and unique. I'll have to see what I can find. Joy, I have your email and address: Would you like a Victorian purse or a box of Godiva chocolates? (Keep in mind July and I'm on the east coast and you're not!)

Details of contest to come!

On another note, Russia Aristocracy is half finished! I'm pretty excited about that, even more so given the direction it's heading. :)

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Guest Blogging today!

I'm over at Fang-tastic Books today! Talking about paranormal and vampires, druids, and other fun-filled stuff.

Monday, July 6, 2009

Practical

Today I thought I'd blog about something different: sleep. The necessity of getting enough and the need to balance life. I had the worst time writing this weekend despite the time I set aside for just that. Why? I was exhausted and pushed myself to do more. I wanted to get at least 25,000 words done in 3 days. What happened was that by Sunday night I was asleep by 9, and over all finished only 8,000 words. Which I HATE!

The moral of the story? Despite looming deadlines and a plot you know like the back of your hand, there's no point writing if all your writing is junk. So tonight (after a ridiculously early start) I'm going to take it easy, go to bed early, clear my mind, and start fresh tomorrow.

Goddess Fish Blog Tour Partner

Goddess Fish Blog Tour Partner
Goddess Fish Blog Tour Partner