Welcome fellow Wild Rose Press author, Laura Browning!

I am happy to welcome Laura Browning to my site for a visit today - she is author of The Silkie's Salvation. I read the blurb for this book before I posted the interview and it sounds great! Looking forward to finding out more about the author...

1) When and why did you decide you wanted to be a published author?

When it comes to being a published author, I’ve been a bit like the shy girl at school who has a crush on the most popular boy but is too afraid to tell him. I would write stories. I would even pick out target publishing houses or agents. Then I would do nothing. About two years ago, my husband actually gave me the mental push I needed. I’m not sure it turned out as he expected. I think he believed I’d simply say, “You’re right, honey. I will quit writing this very instant so that you may spend more time on the Los Angeles Dodgers website.” Instead, I contracted with The Wild Rose Press for The Silkie’s Call and won a contest with The Silkie’s Salvation, which TWRP also contracted. I am happy to say my husband and I are still married and have solved this dilemma by adding another computer and paying up for more sports programs.

2) What is the best and worse thing you have learned from an editor/agent?

Best: Lose the adverbs, baby, and hunt up vivid verbs.

Worst: Use fewer pronouns. HELLO? So I should keep naming the hero and heroine? Okay. That was flippant, and sorry to the editor who said it. I think this advice might have been better if it were more specific: quit using such repetitive sentence patterns and get rid of the reflexive pronouns.

3) Favourite author/s?

I am a J.R. Ward addict. I love her characters and the in-your-face writing style she uses. Out of curiosity, I read what I could find of her work as Jessica Bird, and it’s interesting to begin seeing that edginess develop. Now for the polar opposite – I also enjoy reading Catherine Anderson’s contemporary stories with heroes who are tough but tender, and not always perfect.

4) What is your typical day?

Well, like many writers, there is the whole day job, but I’m really lucky. I teach writing and literature all day. Okay, so it is to thirteen- and fourteen-year-olds, but most of them are actually beginning to develop into thinking human beings. They are fun and refreshing because everything in their lives is an extreme—either too wonderful for words or they are in the depths of despair. Ah, to have such emotional energy! Anyway, after I get home…I spend the evenings writing. If a story isn’t flowing for me, I either work on polishing something I’ve already written or I do something else. When I do write, I write fast enough that a short dry spell doesn’t worry me.

5) Share your blurb or short excerpt from your latest release with us:

“I owe you an apology,” she whispered, “for this morning. You saved my life and I-I overreacted.”
He smiled, his teeth white against the tan of his skin. “Then dance with me, and you can tell me how sorry you are.”
His voice stroked along her eardrums like satin sheets on bare skin. When he held out his hand, she placed hers in it and he helped her up. The dance floor
was crowded; he pulled her against his broad chest. The hand holding hers pressed it against his heart, while his other hand splayed across her lower back.
“Relax,” he told her, his mouth near her ear. “I won’t hurt you.”
She nodded, but still found it hard not to be stiff against him.
“Just listen to the music, Keeley, and let it go. Let it go.”
His cheek touched the top of her head. She closed her eyes and inhaled the warm, familiar scent of him. She hadn’t realized how accustomed she had become to it, and she wondered how he would taste. Oh God! What was she
thinking? She swallowed nervously. Her hand trembled in his. The music, the wine, and the feel of him moving gently, confidently around the floor were making her hot and lethargic. The urge to lean into him so she could feel the firmness of his body against her cheek, her breasts, and her belly nearly overwhelmed her. When his thigh brushed against her aching mound, Keeley

gasped.

6) Who would you cast to play your hero & heroine in a movie?

Matthew McConaughey and Kristin Kreuk. He has the sharp features and body I envisioned for Ciaran, and Kristin has the kind of fey beauty and expressive face that I imagine for Keeley

7) Did you plan this book? Or write it as it came?

Here was my plan: You know, I really hate that Ciaran ended up being such a jerk in The Silkie’s Call. I wonder if I can turn him into a good guy if I find the right heroine for him? Beyond that, I wrote it as it came. If I try to do a detailed plot structure ahead of time, it is the absolute death knell to that story idea.

8) What surprised you the most when you became a published author?

I guess it’s the awe with which people other than your family and other writers regard you. I had to have some surgery a few weeks ago and was chatting with the surgeon beforehand. Here was this highly educated, highly trained man—who I’m sure makes a whole lot more money than me—looking at me like I had accomplished some fantastic feat. Maybe it was to him, but personally, I’d rather type on a computer than be responsible for cutting into someone. I create imaginary people, so if I make a mistake, I can just delete and start again…enough said.

9) Do you have a dedicated writing space? What does it look like?

I’m lucky to have a small office right off the master bedroom. Of course it is made significantly smaller by the clutter that normally surrounds me. I swear I know what’s in every pile. Added to the clutter is a black cat, who believes sleeping on her back, on top of my feet with her feet stuck up in the air is the perfect place to spend those hours when I’m working.

10) What’s next for you?

Wonderful…I can tout two more books! I have a contemporary romance entitled Winning Heart coming out from Lyrical Press July 4, 2011, and another currently titled Bittersweet coming from Lyrical December 5, 2011. Both of these stories are set in North Carolina and deal with horses.

I have really enjoyed answering your questions! It is so much fun to be able to do what you enjoy as more than just a hobby. I love hearing from readers too. You can visit me on my website: www.laurabrowningbooks.com and you can find me on Facebook.

The Silkie’s Salvation is available from The Wild Rose Press’s Wilder Catalog on April 15, 2011.

Great to have you here, Laura! We have so much in common...one, for thinking about Matthew McConaughey when writing erotic romance ; ) and two, our love of J R Ward, fabulous writer!

Okay, Laura and I are waiting for your questions & comments...

Welcome Lyrical Press author, Liz Strange!

Hi Liz, great to have you here! I see that your books are part of a trilogy. I have never written a series but am thinking about one right now. Have you got any tips of how to sustain that level of conflict in a story to keep readers coming back for more than one instalment? Are you books written around the same characters or does each book focus on new characters?

Okay, enough with the questions! Well, apart from the interview ones, lol...

1) What is your writing routine?

I wish I had one! I work full time and I am a mom to four, so my time is precious. I write mostly in the evenings and on the weekends when I can find some quiet.

2) Which author/s inspire you to write?

I love horror, fantasy, paranormal and mysteries. Some of my favourite authors are Anne Rice, Michael Slade, Karin Slaughter, P.N. Elrod, Poppy Brite. I love vampire stories, and have read far too many to list.

3) Which is your favorite romance subgenre to read? To write?

I write almost exclusively in the paranormal romance sub0genre, which is what I also enjoy reading in. I have written a contemporary erotic piece that will be coming out soon, and that was a lot of fun.

4) How do you deal with criticism/rejection?

Oh the usual. First I feel bad (and a bit angry), then I step back and put it in perspective. I understand that my writing will not appeal to everyone, and I’m ok with that. Books, like movies and TV, are subjective. You have to take the bad with the good.

5) What do you expect from an editor?

I like someone I can really collaborate with. I like being able to discuss their suggestions and changes, and come to a mutually satisfying end result. I have been very lucky in that I’ve have the opportunity to work with some really great editors.

6) Tell me about your latest release

Well I actually have four new works coming out this year. The final book in the Dark Kiss Trilogy will be out this summer. I have an erotic fantasy, The Embrace of Life and Death, coming from MLR Press and two novellas (one paranormal, one contemporary) being released by captive Press.



7) Tease us with a blurb or short excerpt

Here’s a short excerpt from The Embrace of Life and Death:

“I am the Angel of Death,” he whispered against my ear. His breath was fire, heavier than the air still humid from the earlier rain. I found his touch both pleasurable and draining, his words startled me with their fierceness.
My face now pressed to his chest as I responded. “What do you want with me?”
He lowered us to the ground. For the first time I noticed the complete silence of the world around us, as though time had literally stood still. The air had taken on the texture of molasses, and had I needed it to survive, I would have choked on its density. Azrael’s heart thrummed in his chest, steady and strong, a sound not to be found in my own immortal body.
“I need to understand why you are this way,” he answered, and the words made no sense to my racing brain.
“This way?”
He adjusted his hold on me, now cradling me in his powerful arms, and looking down onto my upturned face. A warm finger moved along the side of my face, and for one brief moment I thought he smiled. It seemed strange that I did not struggle, but I felt no need to. “We have been watching for a very long time, vampires I mean. For some reason, I find you different from the others of your kind,” he said. His voice shook the boundaries of reality the two of us existed in. “Though I have tasted your dark desires, witnessed your transgressions, I still wish to know you.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Nor do I Kieran, for I have never experienced a feeling like this before. I am greatly troubled and must think before I act further.”
Then the face came close to mine, pressing down until our lips met. His mouth was warm silk, and his kiss firm. He stayed against my lips for a long time. A light sprinkle of stubble rubbed against my cheek, startling me out of my reverie. My brain cleared enough to realize what was taking place. I had been returning the kiss with passion, despite the absurdity of the situation and the obvious dominance the creature had over me.
A throbbing, pulsing energy enveloped us, and a deafening, otherworldly wail broke the silence. The arms holding my body withdrew and I crumpled to the damp ground. Curling into a ball, I waited for the painful sound to end and reality to return.
When my eyes could focus again, I found that Azrael had disappeared. I was alone, with cooling tears on my cheeks, and his kiss still warm on my lips.

8) Which is your favorite character in the book? Why?

I love Kieran, who is one of the main characters. He was actually introduced in the Dark Kiss Trilogy, and I really wanted to explore his character in more depth, so this book was born. I just felt like he had more of a story to tell, and when the idea of a vampire and angel in a relationship together came to me, I knew this was for Kieran.

9) What are you working on right now?

I am actually trying my hand at a YA fantasy novel. It’s still in the early stages, but if it works out how I hope it will, I plan on it being a series.

10) Your biggest piece of advice to aspiring novelists?

DON’T GIVE UP! There is a lot of rejection, and it’s very competitive, but you can succeed. Keep writing and networking.

11) Where can readers find you?

You can find me at:

Website: www.lizstrange.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/LizStrangeVamp
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3360700.Liz_Strange
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=291798485838
Email: lstrange@cogeco.ca

Really enjoyed the interview, LIz and it's fab to 'meet' you! I'm not sure how you write at all working full-time and being mum to four kids. I struggle to get any writing done working part-time and mum to two!

Liz is waiting for questions and comments...

I'm stuck!!!!!!

Okay, this is a HUGE problem for me...but a nice one! ; )

Basically, I am ready to start novella number 3 but I have too many ideas rolling around in my head. Soooo, i'm opening it up to you guys. I am giving you a choice of heroine occupations, hero occupations and settings. The person who chooses the combination that kick starts a juicy (and erotic!) conflict in this muddled brain of mine will win a free copy of Explicitly English.

Hurry I make the choice on Thursday morning!!

Heroine:

Trainee chef, Personal Assistant or Cop

Hero:

Plumber, Pro bono lawyer or Mystery Shopper



Settings:

English City, Greek Tourist town or US small town

Good luck!!

Rachel xx

Welcome Liquid Books author, Kathleen Scott!

Welcome to my blogspot, Kathleen! Before I let you take the floor I have to say how in love with your book cover I am! It is amazing! I wish you loads of sales - who was the artist? Absolutely beautiful.

Okay, gushing over - take it away!

The Beauty of the Series
By Kathleen Scott

I love a series.
The first one I remember getting my voracious eyes on was the intrepid Nancy Drew back when I still wore pigtails and pinafores. (Yes, back in the early to mid 70s our dresses did resemble pinafores.) There was just something about following along with Nancy and Ned on their various adventures that sucked me in and refused to let go. I loved the way the adventures never really ended, that if I went back to the library, there would be another book waiting to be read. Then I discovered fantasy fiction.
Let’s face it, no one does a series like a fantasy author. It’s written on their vary DNA to produce multi-book epics that stretch on long past the lifespan of the author. (Robert Jordan and Marion Zimmer Bradley anyone?) Is it any wonder then that when I started my writing journey it was on a road littered with the twists and turns of the plots that took several books to complete the arc?

My brain doesn’t seem to work any other way. I can come up with an idea for a one off and the next thing you know I have a notebook full of ideas for supporting characters to get their own stories. It’s a sickness really. Can’t seem to stop myself from plotting out the evolution of the characters/world/planets/political climates on into books four or five. This is sometimes good since there is always something to write. I never lack for new ideas. Sometimes it can make marketing a bit trickier, especially if the series doesn’t have a particular “tag” to them. This is the case with what I call my Scicia saga.

Technically all the books do not take place on the planet of Scicia, but the nexus of the plots did originate from there as do the characters, regardless of what planet the actual story takes place. But how do you go back and let readers who enjoy book two but haven’t read book one, know that book one is actually out there and waiting for them to download and enjoy? It’s hard, I’ll grant you. Not impossible though.

I know when I pick up a series to read, I always want to start at book one. Doesn’t always happen that way for one reason or another, but when it does, I do go back and read what I missed. Kind of brings me up to date. I did that recently with the Amelia Peabody Mysteries by Elizabeth Peters. A friend of mine suggested I’d love the series since it is set in my favorite historical time period – the Victorian Era—and deals with a favorite topic of mine, archeology.
Unfortunately, when I set out to read them, I could only obtain book three of the series and had to wait for books one and two. No sweat, says I, I’ll start at book three since they are mysteries and each one should pretty much stand alone. Right? Well, sort of.

The relationship between Peabody and her husband, Emerson, is so dynamic and hilarious I wanted to see how it evolved from the beginning. I was not disappointed when I finally got my hands on book one. As a matter of fact, I’m glad I went back and read it, as it made their relationship all the more endearing having seen the origination.

Which brings me back to the point of my own series: the stories are richer if you see where they all began. Unlike some of my other series where the books really are stand alones that are set in the same world but with different characters, the Scicia saga has one long underlying plot that unfolds the deeper into the series a reader gets. The actions and responses of the characters in Private Negotiations impact the lives of the characters in Intimate Weapons, which leads to the crises in Clandestine Alliance. Covert Operations’ story line runs concurrent with Clandestine Alliance, and the final book, Public Displays follows a few months after.
I’ll admit. I’ve had a lot of fun writing and imagining the worlds in the Scicia saga. Caught somewhere between the pageantry of the royal court life and the high tech exploits of inter-stellar travel, I had a blast with rules and governments and histories.
Why don’t you come along and step inside book one for a moment.

Private Negotiations by Kathleen Scott

For the past ten years, war has ravaged the planet of Scicia. The countries of Telesia and Vanden have painted the land with the blood of their people, neither side coming out the clear victor. The recent death of the Vanden Regent has brought his heir to the throne and with it a new chance for peace. That is, if the memories of an illicit love and a false identity do not derail the process first.

Vanden Regent, Loden Espacian has waited a long time to claim Rinalda D’Aubry as his bride. Four years before, on a mission to Presari Station, Loden attempted to seduce secrets from the Telesian Chancellor’s beautiful daughter. His quest failed when she did not divulge even so much as her family ties and Loden fell helplessly in love. Now, the war has taken a terrible toll on Vanden’s resources. With his country on the verge of collapse, Rinalda is within the walls of his palace as the Telesian peace emissary. The only chance for Loden to save his country is to find a way back to Rinalda’s good graces and once again win her heart.

When Sergeant Rinalda D’Aubry agreed with her father’s plan of going to Vanden as the emissary in a peace envoy, she had no idea she’d come face to face with the man she thought was lost to a wartime romance. Dreams of him have sustained her during some of her worst days and nights, fighting in a bloody war of her father’s making. The man she remembers was a common foot soldier, not the heir to the Vanden throne. Memories of their passionate lovemaking threatens to ignite the air between them, burning all who stand in the way. Betrayed and humiliated, Rinalda vows to rise above her broken heart to save both countries from destruction before it’s too late for redemption. But not before her father's secrets threaten to destroy the fragile peace and the new love growing between Loden and Rinalda, along with the promises of the future they plan to build together.

Available now from Liquid Silver Books

***** But the action and suspense did not stop there – here’s a blurb from book two*****

Intimate Weapons by Kathleen Scott

Jovita Rees is running for her life.
Infused with nanites to heighten her natural abilities, she has become little better than a weapon for her people. When used as a focus, Jovita can open wormholes at will. Not just in space, but in water or land. This ability has become a great asset to her people, the Celedons. Fearful her powers will be used as a weapon, she stows away on a transport ship to Presari Station. Once there, she tucks herself away on a ship bound for Scicia. – The Vanden ambassador, first-advisor to the Regent, Mallic Telonis, is taking his leave from the peace talks.

A known connoisseur of beautiful women and non-committed sex, Jovita hides in his suite aboard the vessel, hoping she can exchange sex for a passage to Vanden. Mallic is shocked to find a beautiful Celedon woman in his bed. Too bad that despite her offer of memorable sex, she is terrified at the very thought of his touch. He knows this by the color in her cheeks and the awkward way she moves. He is also troubled she would go through so much trouble and offer her body for a ride across the galaxy. When he gets out of her that she wishes political asylum, he tells her that she needed only to tell him that and he would have gladly taken her back to Vanden. There is no need to offer her body.

Mallic returns to the palace only to find it in an uproar. The Paladins want to settle the uninhabitable region of the planet to set up an outpost. They have called upon the Vandens and Telesians to assist in this endeavor and they aren’t being nice about it either.

Into the fray, word comes that a powerful weapon has been smuggled off of Celedon. It is a break-through technology that could change the balance of power in the known worlds. Mallic fears Jovita knows where the weapon is kept, but never dreams the woman he has begun to lust after more than any other he’s known, may be the weapon in question.

Available now from Liquid Silver Books.

****

Since starting the Scicia saga, I’ve had ideas for a few other series, two contemporaries and one more fantasy and sci-fi mixes. As I said, it is a sickness I endure and which I hope I never recover.

- Kathleen Scott

http://www.mystickat.com/books.html

Great post, Kathleen! It's funny you chose to blog about writing series as this is an idea I have had perculating for a while now. I worry that if I start it, I won't be able to stick to it. How do you stop that from happening? Do you plan the entire series before you starting writing?

Comments? Questions?

The lovely, funny & talented Sayde Grace is here!!

Sayde is visiting with a new take on the blog post today ; ) She's making you work for your book prize, LOL! Take it away, Sayde...

The Query Game

Most readers will never realize that the book they are so engrossed in went through a tremendous amount of marketing before it was ever put on the shelves. Usually when I guest blog somewhere I give a little story and post an excerpt of whichever book I’m promoting. Today I want to do something a little different. Today we are going to play the Query Game.

First I’ll tell you what a query is. A query is a one to two page letter describing your book and your work that make you stand out in the mist of hundreds of other queries. You want these to be snazzy and eye catching. Now, I don’t mean send in pages to editors or agents with glitter all over them but you want the writing to really sale your work.

I’m going to post several paragraphs from a few of my books. Three of the books have been sold while one has not. I’m not a marketing genus so don’t expect a whole lot J First person to pick the query that has not sold will win a copy of my newest release.

Query 1.

Waking up tattooed, mated and a werewolf would shock most people but for Siddalee Brighton it’s just another day.

Sidda has always held a burning hunger for her best friend, werewolf Jasper Gandillion. But she never realized what belonging to the animal within him would mean until he marks her in a show of passion and dominance proving he’s the only Alpha who can tame her. The intense mating awakens the werewolf inside her who is determined not to submit to any male and takes nothing off anyone, not even Jasper.

Sidda’s awakening as Alpha female alerts the father she never knew, that she is alive. Sidda happens to be the first of many illegal breeding experiments that Luna Werewolf Nation Alpha, Dane Velham has created. Can Sidda stop her father from creating more experiments and free the ones he’s already made? Can she trust Jasper to stand by her side after he finds out she’s an experiment herself? Or will Sidda be forced into a life of servitude to the man who created her.

QUERY 2:

Being the Alpha female of both the werewolf and vampire species has given half vampire/werewolf Josephine Wade a problem--two actually. The first, Etienne Bordeaux, her former vampire lover is on his way to her plantation in hopes of seducing her back to his side. The second, her estranged Alpha Werewolf husband, Braxton Wade, wants to show his mate that although she may be dominant, he’s even more so, especially with her under him and his teeth marking her. Both powerful males want her back, but only one can have her heart, body and soul.

As Josephine tries to control the situation between her former lover and her husband, her world begins to unravel. What was once the truth, is now fiction--what was fiction is now truth. Only she can be the one to unite both truth and fiction to save those closest to her, and take her place beside her true mate in both the Werewolf and Vampire worlds.

QUERY 3:

Tattooed, pierced, and smart mouthed, Harper Dailey thinks she’s tough enough for whatever life has to throw at her. Unfortunately Harper isn’t ready for the trouble that the ghost of legendary gun fighter Luke Short will bring into her life. Harper’s life has always been intertwined with the ghost world but none of her experiences have ever consisted of deadly wooing.

If having one over blown male ego around isn’t enough, Harper’s drop-your-panties-sexy ex, Colt Bryan shows up wanting her back. Harper is about to turn him away but just can’t resist a night of smoking hot sex with the cowboy. As things heat up between Harper and Colt, Luke finds out about it and decides to prove he’s the only one for Harper even if he has to make her a ghost to have her.

Harper tries to hide from Luke in her one horse, population twenty-five, podunk home town in north Texas. What she doesn’t know is there’s no hiding from a ghost, even under the sheets of your ex’s bed.

QUERY 4

On the verge of selling her Rodeo Production Company, Billie turns to young bareback rider Chet Haskins for a night of fun. She expects to get her mind off her business and her bull rider ex-fiancée, Bo Bennett. What she get’s is a night of pleasure with Chet and Bo.

Billie finds herself quite literally between two hot cowboys and can’t decide whether to move forward with Chet or start over with Bo. After several hot sinful nights with both men, she’s convinced she belongs with Bo.

But with good comes bad, and just when Billie has fallen in love with Bo and his one year old daughter, Lana, things get complicated. Lana’s mother wants Bo back. Good doesn’t always tromp evil, but a badass cowgirl like Billie will always get the cowboy.

All right, now no cheating. No going to my website and reading my list or googling my name. Which one hasn’t sold based on the queries above?

For more information about Sayde and all her books please visit http://saydegrace.com or follow her on twitter at http://twitter.com/saydegrace/

Fun! Love it ! Can't wait to see the responses....over to you, good people!

Ellora's Cave author, Kathleen Lash is here!

Today I am interviewing Ellora's Cave author, Kathleen Lash - who, I must say, has landed some very HOT covers! ; )

Take it way, Kathleen!

A huge thanks to Rachel for letting me drop by her blog and introduce myself.

1) Who is your favourite author and why?

I have too many “favorite” authors to name. I find a new one every time I download an e-book. Although my best friend for more than thirty-five years is an author, would she count? If so, her name is Jennifer Schmidlin. She writes romantic suspense.

2) When did you first consider yourself a writer?

Probably in fourth grade. I loved to take the written word and make it mean something. I was a strange child.

3) Describe your writing space?

I have a cozy office with cherry notch and groove paneling. I love listening to the birds or the wind. It’s clean, organized and the only room in the house where I can tell you where everything is.

4) What are you reading now?

Moby Dick. Again. It’s a keeper for me. I don’t know why, but it’s always been a favorite.

5) How many books have your written? Which is your favourite?

Over the years, I’ve written more than forty. I’ve sold five. My first book was published November, 2009. Since then, I pay a great deal more about what’s hot in the market. Prior to that, I simply wrote what I felt.

As for a favorite, I really don’t have one. Each one speaks to me in a different way. It depicts a certain period in my life.

6) What comes first, plot or characters?

A single scene, maybe some dialogue. The idea normally comes from something in everyday life. I thing about it here and there and a story begins to form. I start asking, why was she there? What’s her past? What does she need, and so on. Before I know it, I have a book.

7)
Do you ever suffer from writer’s block?

Not normally. I suffer from time thieves. Everyday issues take time away from writing. I usually don’t get writer’s block – I get blocked from writing.

8) What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

I love going to the races (stock car, demolition derby, drags). Seeing new places definitely trips my trigger. I love taking road trips with hubby. We have the most interesting conversations.

9) Tell us about your latest book?

I just contracted “Punishing Rose.” It’s for the Ellora’s Cave “Ahoy” series slated to come out in June. It’s a pirate theme.

Argh! Jon Paul Black were looking for vengeance and found his old flame, Rose on a neighboring planet. He takes her to his ship for interrogation. Aye, he likes to play a bit on the rough side, but only to test a wench’s boundaries. The whip, paddles and other play-pretties lining the wall of his cabin are mostly for show and to set the mood. Mostly. Argh.

Well, you get the idea.

10) What’s next for you?

I’ll keep writing what moves me and makes me laugh and hope an editor finds it worthy to share with others. I have a few spicy contemporaries in the wings along with a five book sci-fi erotic romance series.

Lovely to 'meet' you, Kathleen and I must say, you are the first author to say their dedicated writing space is tidy! Most of us work in organized chaos, cafes or the end of the kitchen table is often a favorite.

Kathleen is waiting for your company and comments...

Excited to welcome K D Grace to my site today!!

I am so happy to be able to welcome my first UK erotic/erotic romance writer to my site. As a fellow UK writer myself, we are not getting ourselves out there on the promo circuit as much as the rest of the world, so this is great!

Welcome, KD, loving you write for Xcite books - I have heard lots and lots of great things about them! Take it away...

Raising a Ruckus

K D Grace

A friend of mine tells me that my erotic romance, The Initiation of Ms Holly, has raised a bit of a ruckus in a ladies’ reading group in the town near where he lives. When he ordered his copy of The Initiation of Ms Holly, the goddess of sexy novels smiled down upon him, and miraculously he received two copies in the post. Wanting to spread the good news, he gave the extra copy to a friend of his, a friend who was a member of said reading group. The book got passed around among the other members of the reading group. The end result was that some very worthy literary tidbit got temporarily neglected for a steamy sweaty sexy read through Holly.

I would be withholding important information if I didn’t say I was near bursting with pride at Holly’s ruckus-raising abilities. The way I see it, if an erotic novel doesn’t raise a bit of a ruckus, then what’s the point?

Back when The Initiation of Ms Holly was first accepted for publication by Xcite Books, I remember Adam Nevill, who was the editor at the time, telling me that most people writing erotica wrote it to make a statement. Back then I didn’t care about that. I barely paid attention. What I cared about was that my baby had a chance to go out into the big wide world.

But Adam was right. I see that now. Erotica writers write to make a statement – well that and because it’s just a whole lot of fun. The more erotica I write, the clearer my statement becomes to me, and the more loudly I want to proclaim it -- particularly in light of the disturbing attitudes about sex we’re confronted with on a daily basis. My statement would have something about making love not war as its core message. But it would look more like this: MAKE LOVE!!!!! (not war).

Make love, oh yes! That’s the ticket. Make lots of love. And let the world know we’re making lots of love. Don’t even think about keeping it a secret. Secrets generate gossip, gossip generates lies, and lies, where sex is concerned, are very, very dangerous. Lies, where sex is concerned, are what got us into this disturbing mess in the first place. So let’s proclaim it loud and clear. Sex is being had, oh yes indeedy, and it’s a good thing, a very good thing, and I’m gonna write all about it. There. That about sums it up, I think.

So what does any of that have to do with raising a ruckus? Well, just try talking about sex openly and honestly with people who aren’t other erotica writers and the ruckus won’t be far behind.
Sex, by its very nature raises a ruckus. It won’t be controlled, no matter how hard we try. We’re not all that far removed from our animal cousins when we’re having sex. Logic goes out the window, instincts, drives and physical need take control. That disturbs us. Sex is about the loss of control, it’s about the giving in to parts of our unconscious that frighten us, make us uncomfortable, makes our bodies feel things we don’t know how to deal with in civilized, dressed-for-proper-company ways. Sex makes us vulnerable, open for the take-over, exposed in the rawest sense of the word. We can’t really remain in a state of denial for very long where sex is concerned. Because we need it. Oh my, my, how we do need it! If we deny it for too long, it can turn ugly in ways we don’t even dare think about. And with all of that conflict, all of that loss of control, all of that vulnerable, raw exposure, of course sex is a fiction writer’s dream come true.

For the most part, we do our best, as a society, to keep sex locked away in the basement, the exotic pet gone feral. But it has ways of sneaking out. And one of the best ways is in between the covers of a sexy novel. It’s our job as erotica writers to let sex out of the basement, let it run rampant, let it writhe and fondle and seduce. We give folks a safe, open way to encounter full-frontal, mind-sizzling, dancing-naked-on-the-table sex. And with all those nasty naughty, yummy encounters hidden away in the words between the covers of a book it’s sometimes a quiet ruckus we raise, but we raise it all the same.

And let’s face it, in the deepest, most secret, most intimate parts of ourselves, we all want to let sex out of the basement. We all want to counter it full-on and totally lose control to the archetypal power of it. If we could only do it in little doses. If we could just have maybe a little bit of control.

So, we write hoping that if enough of us write to raise a ruckus, maybe more people will pass around copies of those ruckus-raising novels. And if enough people pass those copies to enough other people, the message will get out, the message that a world where sex is talked about, celebrated, honored, and embraced is a better place. Then maybe sex will be let out of the basement for good, and we can all raise a ruckus together while we MAKE LOVE!!!! (not war.)

***

K D Grace was born with a writing obsession. It got worse once she actually learned HOW to write. There's no treatment for it. It's progressive and chronic and quite often interferes with normal, everyday functioning. She might actually be concerned if it wasn't so damned much fun most of the time.

K Ds erotic romance novel, The Initiation of Ms Holly, published by Xcite Books, is now available everywhere.

Her erotica has been published with Xcite Books, Mammoth, Cleis Press, Black Lace, Erotic Review, Ravenous Romance, and Scarlet Magazine.

Her second novel, The Pet Shop, also published by Xcite Books, will be available in October 2011.

You can find out more about K D on her website, http://kdgrace.co.uk.

She's also on Twitter and Facebook.

Great post, KD! I think you are absolutely spot on as to why we write erotic romance and why we read it. Sex, I think, will always remain a closeted conversation - no matter how we move on in technology, prejudices, spriritual growth...our sex lives is still a subject no one wants to discuss around a drink in the pub. But let me tell you, if you do, you'll be the most listened to person around the table...I know!

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