As always, if you're a member of my newsletter, I'll give away a copy of Taming Tara to one commenter there - I know it's a busy holiday weekend so I'm going to draw the winner Sunday evening.
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As always, if you're a member of my newsletter, I'll give away a copy of Taming Tara to one commenter there - I know it's a busy holiday weekend so I'm going to draw the winner Sunday evening.
I finished It Had to be You by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. This story turned out better than I expected from the first chapter, with lots of fun and interesting twists and turns that I really enjoyed. Now I'm reading Cowgirls Don't Cry by Lorelei James, always like her books.
Sorry this is a day late - for some reason Blogger decided not to post it yesterday. I'm not sure how many words I wrote this past week because I don't always keep track of that. I don't think it was the most productive week ever, but I did do some work on my WIP, which I posted a little excerpt from last week. I also spent some time working on a couple of new ideas, getting them started. This time I'm using a little different planning process, thanks to the workshop I've been taking called The Big Question. In fact, in that workshop I've been working on yet another idea and planning it out. This process of starting with "the big question" that your story is about works the opposite of how I usually plan a story. Sometimes I have a story idea and sometimes I start with the characters, but I always start the planning process with the characters, developing them and then figuring out plot points that will challenge them and make them grow. With this other process, I have the story question and then come up with some plot points and THEN develop the characters, developing them to fit the story. There's no right or wrong way, but I'm going to try this and see how it works out.
Beth Kery is celebrating the release of her next book Explosive (can't wait to read it!) at her blog and I'm a guest there Monday/Tuesday - some time Tuesday she'll draw for a winner of a download of my book Power Struggle and she's also having an "Explosive" contest - so come by and find out what my next Ellora's Cave release Taming Tara has to do with Shakespeare!
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By samsfadil Flickr |
Here's a sneak peek from a work in progress, tentatively titled With Strings Attached:
“Hey if you guys are going to hang out in here, you can help.” Matt got Corey scrubbing the little potatoes he’d bought at the market and Dylan cutting up the vegetables he’d already washed.
Dylan held up a baby yellow zucchini, not much bigger than his thumb. “Hey, you know what this reminds me of?”
The wicked gleam in his eye told Matt exactly where the asshole was going with that, but Corey turned and looked and said, “What?”
“Matt’s dick.”
“Oh har,” Matt said. “Very funny.”
Corey snorted, though. “As if.” She looked over at the counter where Dylan sat on a stool, and picked up a large green zucchini. Really large. “I’d say more like this.”
Matt grinned and nodded. Dylan laughed. “Oh yeah, I almost forgot you two are friends with benefits. Of course you’d know all about that.”
“You must have been thinking of your own junk,” Matt said, nodding at the tiny squash.
Corey laughed again and so did Dylan. “Bullshit.”
“I can’t believe we’re talking about the size of your man parts,” she said, reaching for a towel to dry her hands, the potatoes all scrubbed and in a pot. “Men. You guys are all so insecure about your size.”
“I’m not insecure!” Dylan protested.
“Sure,” she said with patent patronization. “Uh-huh. The more you protest...”
“Hey. You want me to whip it out right here?”
“I dare you.”
Matt held up a hand. “Stop! Not in the kitchen, for god’s sake.”
Happy Wednesday everyone! Last week I finished off my Kristan Higgins marathon with Catch of the Day. I really, really liked it, but it wasn't my favourite, though I'm not sure I could say which one was - really loved Just One of the Guys. Also The Next Best Thing. My only complaint about her books is they end too abruptly - I'd like a little more satisfaction with ending, if that makes any sense at all.
Decided to switch conteporary gears and go with a Susan Elizabeth Phillips novel - and I chose It Had To Be You. Now I've already met these characters in a later book, but that's okay.The thing about this book that really struck me (and not in a great way) is the omniscient point of view in the entire first chapter. Which might also be called head hopping. Holy man, times have changed I think. That really just set me off. Into Chapter Two we seem to have settled into one character's point of view. We'll see how it goes.
Decided to switch conteporary gears and go with a Susan Elizabeth Phillips novel - and I chose It Had To Be You. Now I've already met these characters in a later book, but that's okay.The thing about this book that really struck me (and not in a great way) is the omniscient point of view in the entire first chapter. Which might also be called head hopping. Holy man, times have changed I think. That really just set me off. Into Chapter Two we seem to have settled into one character's point of view. We'll see how it goes.
It's blogtastic Friday!
I'm at The Bradford Bunch today talking about Remembrance Day/Veteran's Day with a true story about my father-in-law that I hope will inspire you.
I'm also at the Nine Naughty Novelists and I want to know - where do you buy your ebooks?
For a Friday sneak peek, here's another little snippet from my upcoming Ellora's Cave release, Taming Tara:
“You want that,” he whispered, bending his head to her. She shivered in his arms. His hand slid lower on her tummy, over the corset, lower…Her pussy clenched hard.
“No,” she said. “That’s not what I want.”
“What do you want?”
“I…I want to be the one in control.”
“Why aren’t you with those submissive boys tonight, then?”
She blinked. “I didn’t…they’re not here.”
“There are others.” He nuzzled her hair.
She sucked briefly on her bottom lip. She didn’t want to admit to him last week’s scene had left her feeling let down; as though none of them had been truly satisfied.
“Remember what I told you—the best way to learn is to experience it. Come with me,” his voice cajoled, seduced, his hands caressing her stomach. “Let me show you.”
Heat raced through her, lust sliced through her. Everything inside her yearned to say yes.
The scene in front of them, the beauty of the woman’s submission, the thrill of the man’s dominance, combined with the hard strength of Joe’s arms around her made it so hard to say no to him.
“No.” The word came out like a whimper and he gave a soft laugh.
“Oh yeah, that was convincing.”
I'm at The Bradford Bunch today talking about Remembrance Day/Veteran's Day with a true story about my father-in-law that I hope will inspire you.
I'm also at the Nine Naughty Novelists and I want to know - where do you buy your ebooks?
For a Friday sneak peek, here's another little snippet from my upcoming Ellora's Cave release, Taming Tara:
“You want that,” he whispered, bending his head to her. She shivered in his arms. His hand slid lower on her tummy, over the corset, lower…Her pussy clenched hard.
“No,” she said. “That’s not what I want.”
“What do you want?”
“I…I want to be the one in control.”
“Why aren’t you with those submissive boys tonight, then?”
She blinked. “I didn’t…they’re not here.”
“There are others.” He nuzzled her hair.
She sucked briefly on her bottom lip. She didn’t want to admit to him last week’s scene had left her feeling let down; as though none of them had been truly satisfied.
“Remember what I told you—the best way to learn is to experience it. Come with me,” his voice cajoled, seduced, his hands caressing her stomach. “Let me show you.”
Heat raced through her, lust sliced through her. Everything inside her yearned to say yes.
The scene in front of them, the beauty of the woman’s submission, the thrill of the man’s dominance, combined with the hard strength of Joe’s arms around her made it so hard to say no to him.
“No.” The word came out like a whimper and he gave a soft laugh.
“Oh yeah, that was convincing.”
Yes I AM on a Kristan Higgins binge! This week I finished off All I Ever Wanted and immediately bought The Next Best Thing. This one has my heart aching for Ethan. Although there is no male POV in her stories (that I've read so far, anyway) I can see what's going on with him so clearly, which is really well done. Pretty sure I'm going to read another KH book after this...
This past week I've continued working on my two main works in progress, going back and forth between them, and it's been going great! I've been cranking out some great word count, though I did get a little hung up yesterday, so I went for a run and did some yard work. Today I broke through the little writer's block.
Last week I also spent some time working on a plotting spreadsheet. This isn't as scary as it sounds. I've learned I'm not a plotter, or I shouldn't be anyway, because it takes all the fun out of writing when I know what's going to happen. But as I write (this is my own process) I have some looseleaf sheets that I jot down notes about each scene and chapter - the page numbers, whose point of view it's in, a few words about what happens. This helps me pace myself, so I know when I need a hook to end a scene or chapter, so I know I'm not writing too much in one character's point of view, and so I know when I'm getting close to a turning point (which I do plan out ahead). Lately I've been highlighting the character POV with different colour markers and adding in the plot, subplot or secondary plot that's in the scene also with coloured pens, thanks to the last workshop I took.
So I decided to try a spreadsheet instead of paper and it's been working well. I could use it to plot the whole story, but I just use it to do my scene notes as I go. It shows the word count for each scene as well as the TOTAL word count, and I've got colours for each POV and plot line. It has spaces for the scene goal (which I usually know before I write) and a short summary of the scene (which I don't know until after I write it - sometimes those darn characters just take over!) So I'm pretty happy with my plot spreadsheet!
Here's a little snippet from my upcoming Ellora's Cave release, Taming Tara - coming November 26!!
Also you can see the trailer here
They lifted the cups to their noses.
“Remember earlier I said the organoleptic properties were taste, aroma, feel?”
He nodded. “It smells like olive oil,” he said, wrinkling his nose and flashing those appealing dimples.
She laughed. “Okay. Now place a small amount of oil on your lower lip, and with the tip of your tongue, taste the oil for its degree of sweetness.”
Oh God. This might have been a big mistake. Watching his tongue come out and lick his full bottom lip was so sexy. She cleared her throat. “Now, sip the oil and taste for spiciness, using the sides of your tongue.”
She waited.
“First, what do you feel?” she asked him, watching his face.
“Mmm…” His dark brows drew down. “It feels smooth…oily.”
“How about thick? Sticky? Cooling?”
He shook his head. “Yes. It’s thick and smooth but…not cooling, it’s…warmer.”
Huh. How about that. “Good. And what do you taste?”
“I would say this is…kind of peppery.”
“Wow. I’m impressed. Here, try it with some bread.” She ripped a hunk off a crusty loaf and handed it to him. He dipped it in the oil and chewed on it thoughtfully.
“It’s peppery and warm, but not really biting.”
“It’s not making you feel like you have to cough? Not burning in the back of the throat?”
“I do feel it in the back of my throat, but not like I’m going to cough.”
“Good. It mellows over time. This is our Arbosana. It’s a perfect complement to traditional, rustic dishes such as bruschetta with garlic, pasta and beans, panzanella.”
Joe grinned. “Sounds like home. And it’s not pasta and beans—it’s pasta e fagioli.”
He said it with an Italian roll to the words that was so freakin’ sexy she felt herself melt deep inside.
Drawing in a deep breath, she poured more oil into a clean cup and they continued their tasting. Watching Joe savor the tastes, closing his eyes to get a deeper appreciation of the aromas and tastes and feel of the oils was a disconcertingly arousing experience. He was a sensual man, obviously enjoying the sensory pleasures of the olive oils. Her lower abdomen grew warm and achy and she squeezed her thighs together.
Except it's Thurday *hanging head with shame at being such a delinquent blogger*
I finished Mini Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella. Not my favourite book of hers either. It had a couple of funny moments, but for me there wasn't enough about Mnnie (cute name; get it?). I never sensed the maternal love Becky has for Minnie, in fact they didn't spend a lot of time together and when Minnie has "issues" they hire a professional nanny to deal with it instead of dealing with it themselves. That disappointed. me. I do sense another story coming, though, with Luke reconcilitation with his mother - any bets?? :-)
I then read another Kristan Higgins books, Just One of the Guys. LOVED this book! Chastity really stuck in my mind, what a great character. Since I liked it so much, I bought All I Ever Wanted, also by Kristan Higgins. Just started it last night. My third book of hers and I'm starting to see the pattern...
I finished Mini Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella. Not my favourite book of hers either. It had a couple of funny moments, but for me there wasn't enough about Mnnie (cute name; get it?). I never sensed the maternal love Becky has for Minnie, in fact they didn't spend a lot of time together and when Minnie has "issues" they hire a professional nanny to deal with it instead of dealing with it themselves. That disappointed. me. I do sense another story coming, though, with Luke reconcilitation with his mother - any bets?? :-)
I then read another Kristan Higgins books, Just One of the Guys. LOVED this book! Chastity really stuck in my mind, what a great character. Since I liked it so much, I bought All I Ever Wanted, also by Kristan Higgins. Just started it last night. My third book of hers and I'm starting to see the pattern...
Okay - what happened to my picture! Look at the thing go! Do you realize I never knew until just now that it was animated? I wonder if everyone else has been seeing that? I think I may need to search out a new image! (Not that it's not appropriate for some of my stories!)
I've really been on a writing roll this week! I've been turning out between 2000 and 4000 words nearly every day, and man does it feel good after a long dry spell. Last week I mentioned I'd been working on Gabe's story and then switched over to With Strings Attached. I wrote and wrote on that story up until today, and then went back to Gabe's for a while. Gabe's story is at about 21,000 words and With Strings Attached is over 32,000 so I'm really happy with my progress. In fact, I was so busy writing I forgot to write this blog post yesterday. And now...cracking the WHIP...back to work!
Here's the cover I just got for my next Ellora's Cave release.
Tara Lockhart has had to be tough and in control to prove to her grandfather, and the rest of the world, that she can run the family business. But when Grandpa hires Joe Scaletta to help manage the business, her control is threatened.
At Le Château, Tara believes she’ll find what she really wants—men who will let her be strong and dominant and in control.
Joe is desperate to make a success of this job after his career tanked in a disastrous scandal. When he runs into Tara at Le Château, her Dominatrix act doesn’t fool him—he can see the submission inside her. He knows if he can show her that side of herself, it will make his new job a helluva lot easier. But teaching Tara to see inside herself becomes more than just a business strategy—it becomes personal.
I don't have a release date yet so stay tuned!
Tara Lockhart has had to be tough and in control to prove to her grandfather, and the rest of the world, that she can run the family business. But when Grandpa hires Joe Scaletta to help manage the business, her control is threatened.
At Le Château, Tara believes she’ll find what she really wants—men who will let her be strong and dominant and in control.
Joe is desperate to make a success of this job after his career tanked in a disastrous scandal. When he runs into Tara at Le Château, her Dominatrix act doesn’t fool him—he can see the submission inside her. He knows if he can show her that side of herself, it will make his new job a helluva lot easier. But teaching Tara to see inside herself becomes more than just a business strategy—it becomes personal.
I don't have a release date yet so stay tuned!
I finished Prince of Midnight by Laura Kinsale. It was a good book but not my favourite of hers. I found several times there was so much tension I had to put the book down. So many bad things happen! This story was mainly from the hero's point of view, which normally I like, and I did like this hero, Sophocles Trafalger :-), it was the heroine I had some problems with. She had a tragic past, certainly, but I think getting inside her head a little more would have made her more sympathetic. And I got frustrated because so many times they seemed so close to getting together but all that keeps them apart is their fear of expressing their feelings. Which is certainly a legitimate fear, except he'd told her over and over he loved her so I didn't quite get why she didn't believe him.
Now I'm reading Mini Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella. Am I in a bad mood lately or what? Because I love Sophie Kinsella and I love Rebecca, except she has a baby now and I don't have as much patience for her selfishness. When you have a baby everything changes. Maybe that's what Bex will learn by the end of the book, I'm still just in the early chapters.
Now I'm reading Mini Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella. Am I in a bad mood lately or what? Because I love Sophie Kinsella and I love Rebecca, except she has a baby now and I don't have as much patience for her selfishness. When you have a baby everything changes. Maybe that's what Bex will learn by the end of the book, I'm still just in the early chapters.
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| Okay so the picture is ropes not chains... |
I went back to Gabe's story. Sorry, I don't have a better title yet. I suck at titles. Sometimes they come so easy and perfect...and sometimes they just don't come. Did I tell you the story of titling my next EC release? No? Okay!
This story has to have gone through the most titles ever. When I first wrote it I called it What She Really Wants. I didn't like it. In its first incarnation it didn't have the BDSM elements and when I rewrote it I didn't think that really fit. I then named it Taming Carina. I thought it kind of went with the "Taming of the Shew" thing I had going, but I didn't really like that either. When I submitted it to my editor at EC I titled it Power Exchange. PERFECT!!! I loved it, and it went with my last story, Power Struggle. The stories aren't really connected other than by Le Chateau, the club the characters belong to, but I thought having a series of names was good. BUT...that title had already been used. Pout. I had to change it. Not only that, I had to change the hero's name because I'd used an overused name. Now THAT was painful. I'd come to know and love Cole...and suddenly had to change his name. I suggested two other names to my editor and she rejected both of them, one already used, another she felt didn't really give a good sense of the story. Finally, I ended up changing the heroine's name too, to Tara, and naming it Taming Tara, which has a better sound than Taming Carina. But both characters' names had to change. My god it was like changing the names of my teenage children, I tell you.
A little side story.
Anyhoo...I wrote a lot on Gabe's story. Realized I'd screwed up a little on his background, based on what I wrote about him in Power Struggle. Have to fix a few things, but should be easy. Got to a point where I was "written out". I wonder if other writers experience that? I sometimes write and write and write and then I'm just....done. For a while. Like I need to refill the well of inspiration or something. Sometimes it only takes going for a run, or doing something else for an hour...sometimes a little longer. Just need ideas to strike me.
This time instead of going for a run (which would have been healthier, I admit) I went back to another WIP, With String Attached. I read through the 11,000 words I'd written, seems like such a long time ago. It felt so laborious when I was writing that, and I know I was going through a hard time, but when I read it...wow! It was sharp and fun and seemed really easy!
My lesson this week: Have faith in your writing. Even when it seems hard, DO IT. (Like Nike says, LOL). Just do it.
Yay it's Friday! I have a review to share from The Romance Studio, for Power Struggle. I got this while I was away on vacation last week and it made me SO happy! (Speaking of my vacation, I posted a little about it and some superawesome photos taken by my husband over at Nine Naughty Novelists today).
The Romance Studio gave Power Struggle 5 HEARTS!
"Power Struggle is a story that sizzles with its intense sensuality, deep-seated passion and extremely emotional pull that packs a powerful punch...a richly detailed story that is brimming over with sexual tension, intoxicating desires and intriguing carnal needs that is edgy and psychologically intense. The bold, daring and compelling plotline teases and engages reader's hearts and mind for a superb way to spend a few entertaining hours. The characters display a great depth of personality, moral fiber, emotion as well as attraction and readers will feel and believe Tori and Dev's passionate adventures... Kudos to author Kelly Jamieson for another fantastic winner!"
The Romance Studio gave Power Struggle 5 HEARTS!
"Power Struggle is a story that sizzles with its intense sensuality, deep-seated passion and extremely emotional pull that packs a powerful punch...a richly detailed story that is brimming over with sexual tension, intoxicating desires and intriguing carnal needs that is edgy and psychologically intense. The bold, daring and compelling plotline teases and engages reader's hearts and mind for a superb way to spend a few entertaining hours. The characters display a great depth of personality, moral fiber, emotion as well as attraction and readers will feel and believe Tori and Dev's passionate adventures... Kudos to author Kelly Jamieson for another fantastic winner!"
I finished Match Me If You Can by Susan Elizabeth Phillips last week. Loved this book! Great characters. I couldn't put it down. Then I read Burning Up by Susan Andersen, another fav contemporary author. I really enjoyed this story too - not a lot of angsty conflict, but some great characters, a great story and spicy heat!
Now I'm reading Prince of Midnight by Laura Kinsale. Just got into it on the plane yeterday after working on edits on my next Ellora's Cave release until my computer battery died. :-)
Now I'm reading Prince of Midnight by Laura Kinsale. Just got into it on the plane yeterday after working on edits on my next Ellora's Cave release until my computer battery died. :-)