Missing Guest - apologies!!!

Try as I might I have been unable to track down today's guest, Rebecca Dale in time to post her blog or interview - if anyone knows Rebecca, please ask her to contact me as soon as possible and I will do my very best to get her onto the site.

In the meantime, I thought I could use this opportunity to update you on my debut release 'Explicitly English'. The edits are complete and have been with my editor for a couple of weeks now so I am tensely waiting for news of a release date and most of all, my cover art, EEKKK!! I don't know if its just me but this is the most exciting part of writing books for me, LOL!!

As soon as I receive it, believe me, it will be post here!

Bye for now,

Rachel x

A writers struggle - but she's getting there! Welcome, Lisabet Sarai!

Confessions of a Clueless Newbie
By Lisabet Sarai

Let me begin by making my title clear. I've been writing since I was six or seven years old. I've been publishing for more than a decade. So I'm not a clueless newbie as an author. No, the area where I'm sadly clueless is the romance genre.

From reading author interviews, I get the impression that most romance writers started out as romance readers. Not me, I'm afraid. Before I began submitting to romance publishers, my idea of “romantic” fiction was Wuthering Heights, Gone with the Wind and Romeo and Juliet. Stories like these tore at my heartstrings, but you'll note that none of them has a happy ending. I read my first mainstream romance (some title by Danielle Steele) in my forties and to be honest, I didn't think much of it.

My earlier publications were basically erotica. I entered the romance world only three years ago, when the owner of Total-E-Bound contacted me about six months before the company launched to ask if I'd be interested in submitting something. I offered them two of my erotic novels that had gone out of print. The books really weren't traditional romance―in both cases the heroine has encounters with several individuals beside the hero―but they did both end with the hero and heroine getting together, and they were sexually intense, something TEB was seeking.

Since then I've penned more than a dozen new tales specifically targeted for the romance market. But it has been tough. I've had to learn new narrative conventions. For instance, much of my previous work was written in the first person, but my publisher made it pretty clear that she preferred third person. I wasn't used to providing detailed descriptions of my characters, but I came to understand that many romance readers want this. I've learned that I can give reign to my sexual imagination―the days of the closed bedroom door are over―but only if I keep the spotlight on the protagonists. I can't have the sexual subplots and the side scenarios that I used to include. One of the most difficult issues for me has been the apparent dislike that readers of M/M fiction have for including any female-oriented sexuality of any sort. I've also had to accept the relative unpopularity of F/F stories, even though I enjoy writing them.

Finally, one of the biggest adjustments for me has been always delivering a happy ending. I know that most of you reading this blog will find this strange. It's clear from the polls that I've conducted that romance readers insist on things turning out well for the hero and heroine (or hero and hero). But personally, I prefer more ambiguous resolutions to a story's conflicts. The problem with guaranteed happy endings (from an authorial perspective) is that they make it really hard to create any kind of suspense. No matter how impossible the obstacles dividing the protagonists, readers always know that everything will work out in the end. How do you make the reader care about the conflicts―how do you make the problems believable? --when a HEA is a foregone conclusion?

I'm still struggling with this issue. I've been reading my colleagues' work, trying to understand the dynamics of romance―what makes it work. I think I'm improving, but like I said, I still consider myself something of a clueless newbie. I hope that my readers will take that into account and be gentle!

My latest release is a M/M/F vampire ménage set in Jamaica called Fire in the Blood. Here's the blurb:

MADDY AND TROY HOPE THAT A CAREFREE VACATION IN TROPICAL JAMAICA WILL RE-IGNITE THE PASSION IN THEIR FIVE YEAR RELATIONSHIP. ON A SCENIC MOUNTAIN TRAIL RIDE, MADDY'S HORSE BOLTS AND CARRIES HER DEEP INTO THE JUNGLE. INJURED AND LOST, SHE IS SAVED BY A SEDUCTIVE GIANT OF A MAN WHOSE MERE PRESENCE KINDLES UNBEARABLE LUST. BY THE TIME SHE UNDERSTANDS HIS DARK NATURE, IT IS FAR TOO LATE FOR HER TO ESCAPE.

BITTER AND ALONE, ETIENNE DE RÉMORCY HAUNTS THE FOREST AROUND THE RUINED PLANTATION OF FIN D'ESPOIR. HE HAS SWORN TO NEVER AGAIN TASTE TASTE HUMAN BLOOD, BUT WHEN SLENDER, RAVEN-HAIRED MADELEINE BEGS HIM TO TAKE HER, HE CANNOT RESIST.

TROY IS HUGELY RELIEVED WHEN MADDY MAKES HER WAY BACK TO THEIR HOTEL AFTER HER ORDEAL IN THE MOUNTAINS. BUT HE FINDS HER GREATLY CHANGED―FIERCELY PASSIONATE IN BED, RESTLESS AND DISTURBED AT OTHER TIMES. THE TALL, ELEGANT STRANGER HE MEETS ON THE BEACH HOLDS THE KEY TO HER TRANSFORMATION―AND SOON HAS SEDUCED TROY AS WELL. EVEN ETIENNE'S MOST POTENT MAGIC CAN'T EXTINGUISH THE FIRE IN TROY'S AND MADELEINE'S BLOOD.

FIRE IN THE BLOOD IS NOW AVAILABLE AT TOTAL-E-BOUND. YOU CAN READ AN EXCERPT AT HTTP://WWW.LISABETSARAI.COM/FIREINTHEBLOODEX.HTML. YOU'LL FIND INFORMATION ON MY OTHER WORK AS WELL AS LOTS OF FREE STORIES ON MY WEBSITE, TOO.

Love, love, love your honesty, Lisabet! We all struggle with this from time to time, I think. HEA is not always easy to achieve if the plot doesn't warrant it - I have had to stop myself several times and go back to rethink. What will guarantee the HEA without making it contrived or 'convenient'. So over to you guys, there must be other writers who want to share frustrations!

There's a steamy hot elevator situation going on...

Welcome, Marie! Great to have you here today to tease us with your latest release and to give my visitors a chance for a free download...

Rachel, thank you for having me on your blog today. My first book IN PLAIN Sight was released from The Wild Rose Press, earlier this year. Here is a blub and excerpt for the book.
Blurb: In Plain Sight
Bad boy businessman Joe Bradshaw has achieved almost everything he’s wanted in life, but his strait-laced colleague Victoria Collins is proving an elusive challenge. A steamy encounter in the elevator begins a wild journey of sensual discovery. Joe’s determined to break through Vicki’s barriers to reveal the red-hot woman hiding inside. But Vicki is stalked by her past—her ex-fiancé will stop at nothing to get her back. Falling in love and keeping Vicki safe could be the biggest challenges of Joe’s life.

Excerpt: In Plain Sight
"You’re too dangerous.” The words slipped out before she was even aware of voicing them.
His eyes widened, and another of those sexy devilish grins spread across his lips. “I’m not dangerous. I’m a teddy bear.”
Victoria gave a snort of laughter. He took another step into the room and suddenly her bedroom felt too small. Now the man invading her territory. “Grizzly bear is more like it,” she muttered.
“A man,” he said, taking two more steps. “A man who wants to get to know you better.”
“If we get to know each other any better, we’ll be arrested.” Her gaze locked with his. He stood less than a foot length from her.
“I got things a little backwards last night.”
“Backwards?” That was an odd word to use. She tilted her head to one side and stared at him.
“Yep, backwards.” His arm rose, and he caressed her cheek. “Making love to you in the elevator was impulsive.”
She opened her mouth.
“But,” he continued before she could get a word out. “I don’t regret one second of it.”
In Plain Sight is Marie's first book for The Wild Rose Press. Please visit Marie's website at: www.marietuhart.com and enter her contest. Marie also posts to her blog every Monday at: www.escapetoaneroticfantasy.blogspot.com, please stop.
Direct link to buy In Plain Sight: http://www.digibookscafe.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_24_25&products_id=318

I have an upcoming release later this year (check my website in Sept. for an exact date). Roped and Ready was a fun book to write and I'm hoping the readers will like it as well. Here is a blurb from Roped and Ready

Quick Silver Ranch is no ordinary dude ranch.

After Becca Dalton finds her fiancé in bed with her boss, she ends the ill-fated engagement on the spot and quits her job. She heads to Quick Silver Ranch, looking to regroup before she can plan her next move.

Becca's best-laid plans are ruined when she discovers she's signed up to stay a week in an exclusive ranch where consenting couples spend their days and night exploring their most wicked fantasies. For Becca to remain at the ranch and take advantage of all the arousing activities, she needs a partner.

Her sexy college lover, Tyler Carson is willing to break all the rules, partner up and have her roped and ready for one week of unimaginable pleasure. If only he can keep this city girl from walking out of his life again.

Contest: For everyone reading the blog today, send me your name, mailing address and email addres to marietuhart@yahoo.com, put Rachel's Blog in the subjet line, you'll be entered in a blog drawing to receive a e-book copy of my book In Plain Sight, everyone who sends me an email will receive a post card and bookmark, and will be entered in a speical basket drawing to be held at the end of October. I will not share your information with anyone else.

How could you resist?? Leave a comment and email Marie right now!!

Bianca writes from as sexy sounding a condo as her work, love it!!

Welcome, Bianca! I am so happy to have you hear, I really feel as though we got to know each other through our exchanging of emails while I was on holiday, LOL! Shall we get on with the interview?

1) Who is your favourite author and why?

So many from which to choose! I guess my all time favorite is Oscar Wilde. I love his sarcastic wit, innuendoes and the lush language.

2) When did you first consider yourself a writer? When I won the Georgia Romance Writers Magnolia Award with a vampire romance before they were even heard of. Berkley called, said they didn’t publish vampire stories but asked if I had anything else to submit. That really dates me! Hindsight is 20-20—and regrets I have a few—I didn’t say what are you looking for.

3) Describe your writing space? Two months ago, I moved, so I’m settling into this new space. I bought a condo in town. Square footage is limited but the floor plan is open, and one of the bedrooms is the “piano room” (it’s painted red). In the living room,over the back of the brown leather sofa, my traditional inlaid desk faces a fireplace with a plain marble surround and the flat panel TV (which I rarely watch). The floor, too, are marble. The rug is Persian Meshad(got a great deal on Craigslist! Scented candles and the baby grand with a player system lend ambience. I love my bachelorette pad!!

4) What are you reading now? Angels & Demons by Dan Brown. I started reading the book on the plane to and fro a visit with my son in England. I found it very much like the DaVinci Code. I really enjoyed Sebastian by Anne Bishop.

5) How many books have you written? Four completed manuscripts—under a different name.

6) Which is your favourite? Hot Spanish Nights is my favorite. I loved writing about the sexy, brave men who fight bulls on horseback. For many years, I bred, trained and showed Andalusian horses. They are magical. The stallions are proud but gentle. The Andalusian has often been used as the unicorn in films (The Dark Crystal). I immersed myself in the story of a young woman who flew to Spain to buy a spectacular stallion—and found a two-legged stud who made her forget why she’d boarded that plane.



7) What comes first, plot or characters? Characters, always, they introduce themselves and tell the story. Granted, I toss a lot of pages by way of introduction.

8) Do you ever suffer from writer’s block? Constantly. I have the day job from HELL—I’m a legal assistant. I come home completely whipped. Life gets in the way of my fun and creativity.

9) What do you like to do when you’re not writing? Drive, hard and fast. I’ve always been a devotee of sports cars—top down and pedal to the metal. I also love piano, the theatre and symphony. I enjoy quiet evenings at home and going out with my friends. I have two spectacular friends—Lisa and Beda—who, over a bottle of wine, edit my scribbling. I no longer own horses but the love of them never fades.


10) Tell us about your latest book? The hero in Hot Spanish Nights, Damián Xeres, is hot, hot, hot on the surface yet a secret self lurks behind the mask of the courageous rejoneador and wealthy heir to a sherry empire. When he introduced himself, I fell in love with that other man as well as the façade the world sees. Erica, the heroine, has the single-minded focus that people who live and breathe horses bring to their sport, but when she meets the hero, her world—and her reason for rushing to Spain—spin ninety-degrees. Their parents are business associates. An affair between Erica and Damián spells scandal, but love—or lust—makes you feel like you’re dying if you deny the feelings.

Excerpt

Erica didn't need to close her eyes to picture the man riding behind her. His white shirt was open at the neck, the sprinkling of dark hair on his chest visible. For just a moment, she leaned back against that muscled chest, pretending the strong arm lightly circling her waist hugged her tight. As she rocked with the cadence of the horse's canter, she imagined Damián's firm, hot cock pressed to her butt. When she visualized how his erection would look in the tight riding breeches, a pleasant shiver glided over her.
Mustn't let my imagination run away like this.
"Sit deep," he said, and her fantasy became a reality as he slid closer.
His long legs molded to hers, moving ever so slightly to the three-beat thud of hooves. Sweat broke on her brow. Her heart pounded in her ears, resonating in her core. She should inch away from the hard pressure on her ass, but he felt too damned good. Images of turning around and doing him on the horse scrolled through her mind. She lost the rhythm of the stallion’s smooth gait and slid to the side.
Damián's arm closed around her waist, steadying her. "We must work on your seat, Erica. You look beautiful on a horse, but you must become one with him."
Thinking of becoming one with him—the man not the horse—had caused the problem.


11) What’s next for you? My second erotic novella has been submitted to The Wild Rose Press as well as other publishers who publish shorts. Eden is the story of an angel, injured in the Second War in Heaven, who plummets from the sky into a woman’s arms and wants to stay there—despite the consequences.

Bianca lives in Texas with her baby grand piano and is very fond of her snazzy little convertible. She still believes the power of love—and the power of lust—and enjoys delving into the soul of both of the L-Words, bringing to life hot men and the hot women who love them on the sizzling page.

Phew!!I LOVED the excerpt, Bianca! In fact, I am to do a little Wild Rose Press shopping right now, fantastic. Bring on the comments and questions, Bianca would love to hear from you!

Back from my break in Wales and thrilled to welcome my first August guest, Emly Forrest!

Welcome Emly! I am thrilled to have the chance to interview you...let's get started!


1) What is your writing routine?
Oh, I hate that word—routine. In fact, I do my very best to not get caught up in routines if I can. Of course, I am a creature of habit in some ways. Mornings are structured somewhat with dog duties and chores, and I have my favorite rituals before turning in for the night. For writing, however, I eschew the routine. While I almost always write in the afternoons, I don’t have a specified time or place. Often I’ll listen to music: Miles Davis or another jazz great, classical, or for romantic sections I might be working on, Luis Miguel does the trick. The only rule I impose on myself is that I must write a minimum of five hundred words a day. I strive for a thousand, but I don’t thrash myself if some days just don’t work out that way.

2) Which author/s inspire you to write?
Barbara Kingsolver, James Lee Burke, Stephen King (yes, really—my editor and I think he is one of the most underrated authors in recent times), Pete Hamill (Forever is one of the most amazing books I’ve ever read), Dennis Lehane, Amy Tan. Yes, I know. None of them are romance writers. Nonetheless, I consider them all fine, readable authors whose talent I can only dream of attaining someday.

3) Which is your favorite romance subgenre to read? To write?
I’ll let you in on a big secret: I don’t read much romance of any kind. Is that sacrilege? It’s not that I don’t like it. I do. It’s more a sense I have that I’ll be too heavily influenced by established authors of the genre and (if unconsciously) imitate them. I’d rather find my own voice and character development.

If I had to choose one romance sub genre as a favorite to write, I suppose it would erotic romance. It rather ignores a lot of the “rules,” which I appreciate.

4) How do you deal with criticism/rejection?
I yell, kick, and scream for a few seconds, then I get depressed for a few seconds. Then I let it go. I’ve been a copywriter, an editor, and a copyeditor for more years than I like to think about and have been reviewed by the best and the worst. I don’t take it personally any more. I think it was James Lee Burke (who holds the record for most rejections by an famous author—something like 117 no-thank-you’s) had a rule for rejections. When he received one, he committed to submitting to a different publisher within thirty-six hours. Look where that got him. Can you imagine how those first publishers who rejected Burke’s manuscript felt after he became so wildly popular?

5) What do you expect from an editor?
First and foremost, honesty. Second, a sense of humor. Third, a little experience and good sense. I’m fortunate to have an editor at Lyrical Press (Piper Denna) who has all these qualities and a bunch more. We connect on so many more levels than just writing and editing. From what I’ve seen and heard, this is not always the case.

6) Tell me about your latest release
The Last Resort follows the literal and figurative journeys of Margaret Murphy Ryder (known to most at Murph), who is newly divorced and searching for personal and sexual identity. She takes to the road in her motorhome (one of the spoils of her settlement), only to find that she was really escaping to a place she would call eventually call home. She entertains a few lovers along the way, but ultimately finds serendipitous passion where she least expected or looked for it. She also winds up as the owner of a failing but potentially profitable RV park. The bulk of the story takes place in a fictitious Gulf Coast town in Louisiana—an area I’ve spent a lot of time around and have come to love, so I included a lot of regional bits for those who may not know much about this part of the US.

7) Tease us with a blurb or short excerpt
Sure! Here’s a little piece from near the end of the story:

I learned to speak a few words of Cajun. Learned that cher is pronounced sha. That “T” before someone’s given name is short for petite and is used much like junior: T-Maurice was likely the son of Maurice, and not necessarily a small man. I discovered that I liked crawfish better than shrimp and became adept at picking the bit of fat out of the head that Cajuns love to eat. I came to recognize zydeco artists and their different styles. In short, while I might never be completely as acculturated as a native to this part of the world, I became accepted.

I also got mail from Lee during his absence. Not cards, but actual handwritten letters. In some, he included photos he’d taken while at the Beach. A few of our photo shoot on the beach. He’d made me look much more beautiful than I am.

One envelope had no letter, just photos. The top photo was a picture of Lee holding a long sign that read “Hi, Maggie. Wow! I love you.” Lee clearly had nothing on and held the sign in a strategic spot to cover the good stuff. The second photo was the same, but the sign had been shortened to “Wow! I love you.” The third only said “Wow!” And the fourth, well, no sign. I hung all four photos in a row along a wall in my tiny bedroom. Some nights, I danced a slow sensuous dance in front of the photos, pretending I danced for Lee. I could hardly wait until he got back and could dance for him in the flesh.

8) Which is your favorite character in the book? Why?
Definitely, Lee Soloman, Murph’s ultimate love interest. He’s modeled after someone I knew years and years ago, so I guess this book was a way for me to renew my fantasies about him. If I knew how to get in touch with him, I’d love for him to read the book and give me his thoughts.

9) What is next for you?
Lyrical Press has graciously consented to publish a romantic novella I’ve written with an Irish theme, just in time for St Patrick’s Day, March 2011. The story, titled Irish Ice, takes place in Boston and includes a suspected (and possibly dangerous) IRA operative and an unsuspecting woman who is falling hard for him while on a business trip to the city. Per my editor’s request, Jessica (the unwitting protagonist) is some years older than her Irish paramour.

10) What are you working on right now?
Lots of stuff! Mostly, though, my focus at the moment is a paranormal romance set in the wilds of Montana. Think hiking, werewolves, steamy sex, and Big Sky rolled into one.

I’m also plugging along on a story told exclusively through exchanged emails and a mainstream novel about a woman who reaches middle age to find that no one really pays much attention to her (well, almost no one—the plot develops nicely in her favor, eventually).

11) Your biggest piece of advice to aspiring novelists?
Work hard to make your manuscript the best it can be and don’t give up on the possibility of it being published. Sometimes it takes a few tries (or even several) before you find the perfect match for your work. Also, be sure to follow the submission guidelines of publishers to the letter. They put them out there for a reason.

12) Where can readers find you?
I’d love to hear from readers at emlyforrest@gmail.com. Due to a procrastinating husband, my website is still in the works, but will soon be accessible at www.emlyforrest.com.

In the meantime, readers can find more information at www.lyricalpress.com/emly_forrest

Fascinating how little romance you read/watch, Emly but how wonderfully you can write it! I can't help wondering how many other romance writers are the same whereas I read more romance (across the sub-genres) than anything else. This is a great talking point - or comment on anything you'd like to pass on to Emly, she'd love to hear from you