Release Day!

Liane was cool enough to let me pimp my newest release here today!! (Thanks Liane *g*) My alter ego, Savannah Stuart, has her first shifter novella releasing from Ellora's Cave today!! (Is it weird talking about myself in the third person??)

Unleashed Temptation – Available Now from Ellora’s Cave

After finding out her boyfriend has been cheating on her with her boss, Carly decides her life needs a makeover. She trades in her winter coat for a bikini and heads south to Miami, Florida. Almost as soon as she arrives, she falls in lust with the sexiest man she’s ever laid eyes on. Too bad he’s her new boss.

Alpha werewolf Nick gave up hope of finding his mate a century ago. When sexy redhead Carly comes to work for him, she disrupts his entire world. Although he desperately wants to come clean about what he is, he keeps running into problems. Like the fact that an ancient enemy has set his sights on Carly. Nick discovers he’ll go to any lengths to keep her safe. Even if it means losing her in the process.

Read excerpt here.

Purchase digital version here.

For more titles from Savannah Stuart, click here.

For a chance to win a copy of Unleashed Temptation, visit Sarai J’s Blog here.

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween! by Maree Anderson for Writers Gone Wild

It's Halloween on Saturday -- only 2 days left before all the little ghosties and ghoulies come knocking on our doors, begging for treats.

I've been to a couple of Halloween parties in my time. And I've even gone all out and hired a costume or two. I did the whole Elvira, Queen of the Dark thing one year, and DH went as Beetlejuice. His sister, the hostess, didn't even recognize us when she answered the door, so we reckon those costumes were definitely worth the hireage fee!

But the cheapest and most effective costume? Fake scrubs bought from The Warehouse, which we splattered with fake blood -- DH got very artistic and believe me, the back lawn looked like a bloodbath. Sure got some looks from passersby when we had to park the car way the heck up the street and walk a-ways, LOL!

I gotta say, living in New Zealand, we really don't tend to embrace trick or treating -- though it is becoming more prevalent. You're more likely to come across parties with Halloween themes than scores of kids in scary costumes wandering the streets. And in many neighborhoods, the kids are only allowed to visit the houses with a Halloween sticker on the letterbox or very visible decorations -- the households which are "in to it", in other words. We're so terribly PC, you see.

But my kids have always liked Halloween. In fact, for my daughter's 5th birthday party -- a "significant" birthday, as you can imagine -- she asked for a Halloween-themed party. Cue one harassed mom racing round half the city looking for Halloween decorations.... In August!

I managed to put on a good show, though -- spiderwebs, pumpkin candles, bats made from black balloons with black cardboard wings, and ghosts made from white material draped over white balloons. Then there were the biscuits which looked like severed fingers, the spider cupcakes, and the huge jelly with snake lollies crawling out of it. I also seem to recall mixing up a batch of black icing for the cake -- ick!

Anyway, many of those original 5th birthday party decorations have survived almost a decade of being touted out every Halloween. And this year will be no different. Tomorrow my kids will rush home from school and decorate our front window with artistically draped cobwebs and strategically spaced spiders. They'll hang up our Halloween Central banner, and stick glow-in-the-dark witches and familiars and ghosties all over the window. They'll blow up balloons and make them into ghosts and bats, and even add a teddy bear or two, complete with ghastly Halloween masks. Then they'll wander outside and gaze critically at the window to ensure that eveything looks suitably scary, while I take another mental snapshot of their huge grins at the change they've wrought upon our usually boring front window.

And on Saturday night, they'll argue about who gets to light the pumpkin candle and where it should go for optimum spooky effect. Then they'll fill a pumpkin basket with sweets and eagerly wait for the trick-or-treaters to arrive. Mind you, these days I'm not sure whether my kids are eagerly waiting to dole out the sweets to cute little monsters and vampires, or whether they're secretly hoping that our street will be missed so they'll get to scoff all the leftover sweets themselves! Regardless, it'll be a fun night for them and we'll probably top it off by watching some semi-scary DVD together -- thank goodness they're too old to have nightmares, LOL.

Note to self: don't forget to stock up on sweets and black and white balloons!!!

So what are you planning for Halloween? Is it a family tradition to go out trick-or-treating in your town/city/part of the world?

Oh, and BTW: HAPPY HALLOWEEN -- hope you get lots of treats and no tricks!

:-)
M

Happy Almost Halloween!

I love this time of year! Since I live in Florida it's not as cool as I think it should be in October, but Fall is definitely fun! You've got Halloween, then Thanksgiving, and then Christmas! One fun holiday after another! Halloween is one of my favorite holidays, probably b/c I love dressing up. Last year I was a gypsy, the year before I was a 'bachelorette' (like from the show), and before that I think I was a tiger. This year Halloween snuck up on me so I think I'm gonna have to improvise, but I have an idea for a cool female superhero that won't require me to purchase much :) Everything seems different this time of year, no matter where you live. The air is crisper, it's lighter later and it just smells 'happy' everywhere you go. Growing up, my mom baked a lot and while I don't bake as much as she did (good Lord, who has the time!) there are a few things I like to make this time of year. Pumpkin bread, pumpkin pie, basically anything with pumpkin in it, is okay with me!

Here's my recipe for Pumpkin bread (for 2 loaves). I really like this one b/c you don't have to use vegetable oil. Hope you can use it!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of softened butter
  
• 3 cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking soda powder
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp all spice
  
• 2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 (16 ounce) can solid pack pumpkin OR 2 cups of fresh cooked pumpkin
• Other optional ingredients: 1/2 cup raisins OR 1 cup chopped pecans OR 1 cup mini chocolate chips (my personal choice is the chocolate).
  
• NOTE: All spice mixes can be varied to suit taste, including adding pumpkin spice
  

Preparation:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, combine sugar and butter, then add eggs. Combine all the dry ingredients. Mix well until creamy. Add pumpkin and mix. Pour into two (2) greased loaf pans. Ovens will obviously vary but bake for one hour.


Enjoy!

In a slump

I'm in a major reading slump right now. I don't know if it's just the fact that I'm not letting myself enjoy anything because I know I have deadlines looming or if I'm just picking pu the wrong books right now, but I can't seem to find anything that grabs me. I will pick up an okay book and trudge my way through it, but nothing that really gets to me. Like I said, not blaming the authors. It could very well be me and some funky mood I'm in right now, but I can't find anything to read!

I hate when I go through phases like this because reading is my escape. Its the way I wind down the day, the way I forget about my monster pile of laundry or what to make for dinner the next day. I transfer into that other world with those hot as hell heroes and heroines who make me wish I was friends with them and get a way from it all. When I can't do that...let's just say that makes for a very upset, Madison! LOL.

So, today I'm asking for book recommendations. Have you found a new author you love? A gem of a book that you want to share with the world? Let me know! I need my nights of loosing myself in a good book and a hot bubble bath back!

Are Men Really From Mars?

ARE MEN REALLY FROM MARS? by Maree Anderson for Writers Gone Wild

I'm a bit pressed for time today, so I'm gonna cheat and base this post on an excerpt from my website and offer it up as a question for discussion.

If men really are from Mars then (aside from an obviously masculine author's name emblazoned on the front cover) is it really that simple to figure out whether the romance book you're currently reading is written by a man or a woman?

What if a male author uses a pen name? For example, I'm pretty sure I remember the incomparable Donald Maass telling us that he had published a number of category romances under a feminine pen name. I wonder, if I read them today, whether I would be able to pick that they're written by a man. Would there be any little behavioral clues, nuances, word-choices and the like, that might give the author's gender away?

Your thoughts please!

And I'm not making judgements here. There's a popular male author currently writing for HQN Nascar and I really love his books!

It's merely that enquiring minds -- namely me! -- are curious to know.

And just for fun, here's the except that I mentioned from my website -- posted back in 2006, I think?

It's a prime example of “Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus”, offered by an English professor from the University of Colorado for an actual class assignment.

The professor told his class one day:

“Today we will experiment with a new form called the tandem story. The process is simple. Each person will pair off with the person sitting to his or her immediate right. As homework tonight, one of you will write the first paragraph of a short story. You will email your partner that paragraph and send another copy to me. The partner will read the first paragraph and then add another paragraph to the story and send it back, also sending another copy to me. The first person will then add a third paragraph, and so on… back and forth.

Remember to re-read what has been written each time in order to keep the story coherent. There is to be absolutely NO talking outside of the emails and anything you wish to say must be written in the email. The story is over when both agree a conclusion has been reached.”

The following was actually turned in by two of his English students, Rebecca and Gary.

THE STORY (first paragraph by Rebecca).
At first, Laurie couldn’t decide which kind of tea she wanted. The chamomile, which used to be her favorite for lazy evenings at home, now reminded her of Carl. who once said, in happier times, that he liked chamomile. But she felt she must now, at all costs, keep her mind off Carl. His possessiveness was suffocating, and if she thought about him too much her asthma started acting up again. So chamomile was out of the question.

(Second paragraph by Gary)
Meanwhile, Advance Sergeant Carl Harris, leader of the attack squadron now in orbit over Skylon 4, had more important things to think about than the neuroses of an air-headed, asthmatic bimbo named Laurie with whom he had spent one sweaty night over a year ago. “A.S. Harris to Geost Station 17,” he said into his transgalactic communicator. “Polar orbit established. No sign of resistance so far…” But before he could sign off, a bluish particle beam flashed out of nowhere and blasted a hole through his ship’s cargo bay. The jolt from the direct hit sent him flying out of his seat and across the cockpit.

(Rebecca)
He bumped his head and died almost immediately, but not before he felt one last pang of regret for completely ruining things with the one woman who had ever had feelings for him. Soon afterwards, Earth stopped its pointless hostilities towards the peaceful farmers of Skylon 4. “Congress Passes Law Permanently Abolishing War and Space Travel,” Laurie read in her newspaper one morning. The news simultaneously excited her and bored her. She stared out the window, dreaming of her youth, when the days had passed unhurriedly and carefree, with no newspaper to read, no television to distract her from her sense of innocent wonder at all the beautiful things around her.

(Gary)
Little did she know, but she had less than 10 seconds to live. Thousands of miles above the city, the Anu’udrian mothership had launched the first of its lithium fusion missiles. The dimwitted wimpy peaceniks who pushed the unilateral Aerospace Disarmament Treaty through the congress had left the Earth a defenseless target for the hostile alien emipires who were determined to destroy the human race. Within two hours after the passage of the treaty, the Anu’udrian ships were on course for Earth, carrying enough firepower to pulverise the entire planet. With no one to stop them, they swiftly initiated their diabolical plan. The lithium fusion missile entered the atmosphere unimpeded. The President, in his top-secret mobile submarine headquarters on the ocean floor off the coast of Guam, felt the inconceivably massive explosion, which vaporized poor, stupid Laurie.

(Rebecca)
This is absurd. I refuse to continue this mockery of literature. My writing partner is a violent, chauvinistic, semi-literate adolescent.

(Gary)
Yeah? Well, my writing partner is a self-centered, tedious, neurotic, whose attempts at writing are the literary equivalent of Valium. “Oh, shall I have chamomile tea? Or shall I have some other sort of F–KING TEA??? Oh no, what am I to do? I am such an air headed bimbo who reads too many Danielle Steele novels!”

(Rebecca)
Asshole

(Gary)
Bitch!

(Rebecca)
F**K YOU – YOU NEANDERTHAL!!

(Gary)
In your dreams, HO. Go drink some tea!

(Teacher)
A+ – I really liked this one!

LOL! I'm still laughing over this.

And incidentally, over at Romance University today, their He Said, She Said: A Tale of Two Scenes as part of their regular "Anatomy of the Male Mind" feature, highlights a scene written by a male author, and then the same scene written by a female author.

Very interesting.

Cheers!

:-)
M

What's in a Title?

What does a title do for you? Apart from a hot or exciting cover, a good title of a book can draw a reader in immediately. My first published book, City of Secrets, was originally titled Love in the Ancient City. My original title tied in with the fact that the story takes place in Saint Augustine, the oldest European-settled city in the United States. However, thanks to a wonderful editor who pointed out that not everyone would know that, and it wasn't as catchy/suspenseful as it could be, it was eventually changed and City of Secrets was born.


Sometimes if a book cover is only meh, but if the title is intriguing, I'll pick up the book anyway. I actually credit Linda Howard's All the Queen's Men with my love of romantic suspense. Thanks to my mom's not-so-hidden stash, I was reading category romance at the age of eleven or twelve. However, it wasn't until college that I somehow discovered All the Queen's Men (I think it was one of my roommate's books my freshman year). I found a hardcover without a book flap so the cover really was very boring (looking back, I think she was trying to hide her romance novels). But, I loved the title and once I started reading, I was hooked. I had no idea romantic suspense even existed up until this point. Ten years later, it's still one of my favorite books and John Medina will probably always be my favorite hero :)


Some of my favorite recent(ish) titles are:
Enemy Lover by Bonnie Vanak
Set the Dark on Fire by Jill Sorenson
Fear No Evil by Allison Brennan
Sugar Daddy by Lisa Kleypas (this title just screams to be picked up)
Chain Reaction by Rebecca York


Have you ever picked up a book because the title intrigued you? What are your favorite titles in romance novel?

Tambra's Upcoming Workshop and other news

Hi everyone,

Is characterization and plotting a problem? Does it make you want to toss your manuscript across the room? For a small fee you can get back on track.

Join me November 9-23, 2009 as I teach Characterization and Plotting for the Futuristic, Fantasy and Paranormal chapter of RWA.

This workshop has already received high praise from attendees from the Muse Online conference.

Here's the information from the FF&P Chapter:

Building Blocks of Fiction: Characterization and Plotting Presented By Tambra Kendall
Learn how characterization and plotting weave together to make your story come alive. Knowing how to blend together characterization and plotting is essential. Being weak in either area can keep you from obtaining the contract you seek. This course will cover character development using GMC which in turn leads us to plotting. Other areas such as scene and sequel and the architecture of a novel are discussed. Please join me as we journey through the development of characters, archetypes plus more. More class material may be added. Discussion/questions throughout class.

Syllabus
First Week:
Characterization: Character profile questions and interviewing your characters.
Character Creation: Point Of View, Archetypes
Creating Character Backstory and When to Use It
Plot : What is Plot? What does it do?
Where To Begin
Tension and Conflict
Characterization: Character is ActionPlot: Plot is Action
The Blending of Characterization and Plot
Characterization and Plot: GMC: Goal, Motivation and Conflict.
The Romance: Keep the tension.

Second Week
Characterization: Writing strong characters and character
viewpointPlot: Stimulus and ResponseStorytelling Structure
Characterization: Three Dimensional CharactersPlot: Scene and SequelNo
Sagging MiddlesPlot SketchesTechniques to Establish PacingKey
Elements in a Commercial Story (Swain)Marketing/Submissions
WHEN: November 9, 2009 through November 23, 2009
WHERE: This workshop will be conducted via a Yahoo! email loop. Email invitations will be sent 48 hours prior to the beginning of the workshop.
HOW: Just register for the workshop and complete the payment process via PayPal. The cost is $10.00 for FFnP members and $20.00 for non-FFnP members.
REGISTRATION: Click here to Register for $20 (Non-FF&P Member Rate.)

JOIN TODAY to take this workshop for only $10! If you are a current member of FF&P, please log into the website before registering for this workshop.


WHO:

Tambra Kendall loves writing paranormal romance. She is published with Red Rose Publishing, Aspen Mountain Press and Whiskey Creek Press Torrid. Over the years, she's taught online classes for various RWA chapters, other online writing organizations and has been an adjunct professor at San Jacinto College. Her most recent publication is "Cowboy of the Night" in "Legends of Loving Texas" series from Red Rose Publishing.

My other news:
Dark Diva Reviews has given Cowboy of the Night 5 Dark Divas.
This is a little snippit of what Deb said about my story:

This is a short story, but it does not lack in any way. Cowboy of the Night is an entertaining paranormal romance suspense story. Tambra Kendall creates worlds that just draw you in, and makes you want to stay.

Rated 5 Delightful Divas by Deb!

Please, consider taking this class if you're learning the craft of writing. The price is very reasonable and you'll get a lot of information.

Hugs,
Tambra

Light my Fire. Please.

I'm a little late in getting a post up this today, but I guess, as they say, better late than never!

Life has been a little nuts lately, and I find myself in the position of having to produce a lot of work that I'm not necessarily feeling inspired to work on right now. Let's just say life hasn't just kicked my will to create in the seat of the pants, it's all but taken it to the mat. My creative flame has dimmed to a flicker--proof being the number of lame methaphors I've peppered into the previous lines!

Point is, I need to light my creative fires, and fast, because no matter how I try lately,whatever comes out of my keyboard feels flat and lifeless. I guess, for lack of a better word, I'm having a hard time in getting in the mood for love, both in my life and on the page. And that has to change!

So I've spent a lot of time this week searching for those things that help me refocus what it is I want to do/say with my work, my life, and I thought I'd share some of them with you

Poetry:

Love,

Because of you, in gardens of blossoming flowers I ache from the
perfumes of spring.
I have forgotten your face, I no longer remember your hands;
how did your lips feel on mine?
Because of you, I love the white statues drowsing in the parks,
the white statues that have neither voice nor sight.
I have forgotten your voice, your happy voice; I have forgotten
your eyes.
Like a flower to its perfume, I am bound to my vague memory of
you. I live with pain that is like a wound; if you touch me, you will
do me irreparable harm.
Your caresses enfold me, like climbing vines on melancholy walls.
I have forgotten your love, yet I seem to glimpse you in every
window.
Because of you, the heady perfumes of summer pain me; because
of you, I again seek out the signs that precipitate desires: shooting
stars, falling objects.

--Pablo Neruda


Music:



Youtube:



Books.

Too many to share. :) But certain authors have a habit of inspiring me to create my best, such as Deidre Knight, Alice Hoffman, Elizabeth Berg, Isabel Allende, and lately, Gail Dayton.

Finally, beefcake! Vintage variety. ;)



So what do you do to renew your spirit, recharge, and stoke your creative fires. Is it working for you? Why? And if not, then what do we do about it? I really do want to know!

And the SHADOWFAE winner is....

And the SHADOWFAE winner is.... by Maree Anderson for Writers Gone Wild

Hi y'all,

Right! It's time to draw the name of one lucky person for our SHADOWFAE giveaway.

But before I do that, I'd just like to thank Erica for her fantastic post on paranormal heroes, and for generously offering to give away a copy of her debut novel, SHADOWFAE to a commenter.

Also, a huge thank you to everyone who stopped by to support Erica here at Writers Gone Wild -- muwah!

Okay, I've written down all your names on scraps of paper, popped them all in my Nike cap, closed my eyes and wished for the umpteenth time that I could enter myself in this draw -- wahhhhhh!

Fumbling round for one scrap of paper....

And the commenter I've drawn from the cap is:

NIKKI

Congratulations, Nikki. I'll be emailing you to put you in touch with Erica, so that she can organise to post you your copy of SHADOWFAE.

And that's it from me. I've got sore ribs from being kicked during a karate grading over the weekend, and I'm not feeling up to much right now. Hard to pretend to be happy and joyful when it hurts to move the wrong way. So much for non-contact sparring. Grrrrr.

Will be posting as normal next Thursday. And hey, if you've got any suggestions regarding blog topics, then please leave me a comment and let me know. Getting somewhat jaded, here!

:-)

M

What do you do to Celebrate?

I finally finished the final round of (personal) edits on my current WIP. After another quick read-through (b/c I'm crazy) I'll send it off to my agent. I know I'm not done with it b/c I'm sure she'll have some input, etc. and if/when she sells it, I'll have even MORE edits. But for right now, I'M DONE! I've been hibernating while trying to finish this thing and now I feel so relieved, I'm not quite sure what to do with myself *g*


I technically finished the edits last night and instead of catching up on laundry, I ordered a pizza and the hubby and I had a movie night (something we haven't done in a while). When I first started writing, I used to celebrate every little thing, including rejections. Now I don't celebrate the rejections so much, lol. It's just too painful.


Today I plan to clean the house and actually cook dinner for a change. It's embarrassing to admit, but cleaning is one of the ways I celebrate. I'm a little like Monica from Friends when it comes to having a clean house but when I'm in the writing zone, dusting takes a back seat. It comes down to which voice screams louder in my head and my characters always win. Just so I don't sound too sad, this is what I also do to celebrate:

• Drinks or lunch (or both) with local friends
• Date night with the man
• I buy new shoes
• I buy a new book (though I don't really need an excuse for this)
• Call long-distance friends I haven't talked to in a while
  

So, writers and readers alike, what do you do to celebrate the small things in life?

Honey, baby, sweetie

Madison Scott....

I've always been a nickname kind of girl. I remember back when I was in high school I had my special nicknames for all my friends that no one else called them but me. It wasn't something I tried to do, but it always worked that way. As I've gotten older I've noticed I don't have as many nicknames for people in my real life. In my books...that's another story. I always try and think of something different for the hero to call the heroine. I try to stay away from the typical baby, sweetie, etc. It doesn't always work out that way of course, but I try. I have one hero that calls the heroine "slugger" because something that happened in a previous book. I also have a twinkle toes, feisty, and a bella.

Anyway, as I've said, I don't have as many different kind of nicknames for people I know anymore. My husband's name is Dominic, but I call him Dom. Not much of a stretch there. Its weird because we're a very affectionate couple and we've been together for over ten years, but we don't really use a lot of terms of endearments for each other like honey or babe. The other day we were on the phone while he was at work and when I got off the phone I said, "Okay, honey, I'll talk to you later". It was a little strange because the second I got off the phone I thought, hmm, that was a little weird. Not that it felt weird, because it didn't. It just wasn't something we really did.

Last night we were driving home from the gym and I was talking about my writing. I mentioned that I'm struggling to come up with a name for the hero to call the heroine. Then, out of the blue I said, "hey, you never use any kind of nickname or term of endearment for me". We have the kind of relationship where we can tease around with each other. We do it a lot. His response to me shocked me. He said, "Well you called me honey the other day for the first time in ten years".

It's funny because my heart did a little pitter-patter that easily. I was surprised that he'd noticed. He's so busy and works so hard that he almost never pays attention to little details like that and it made me all gushy inside that he notice enough to remember. I told him that it surprised me that he caught on and it's so funny because he said he thought the same thing I did. He got off the phone and thought, hmm, that was a little different. Then he turns to me and says, "but I liked it. Funny how something so small sticks out to someone and means so much". It was a special moment for us. The fact that he noticed and the fact that me using a little word like honey could mean so much to my manly, not so romantic husband.

Do you use nicknames or terms of endearments with your spouse? If you're a reader, do you like that touch in a book and writers out there, do you use a lot of nicknames or terms of endearment?

It's a DIVA-PALOOZA! (contest)

Join me at my other blog, Texting Between the Sheets as we celebrate our annual DIVA PALOOZA. We've got giveaways galore going all month long--books, critiques, gift baskets, customized/personalized erotic stories and of course, the grand prize drawing for your choice of a brand new KINDLE ebook reader or a professional editing package for a full manuscript done by a well-respected editor in the industry. (Details on that to be announced shortly!)

Introducing Erica Hayes & Shadowfae giveaway!

Introducing Erica Hayes & Shadowfae giveaway! posted by Maree Anderson for Writers Gone Wild

Hi y'all,

Please welcome our guest blogger, Erica Hayes, who's here today to talk about hot paranormal heroes.

Hot paranormal heroes.... Mmmhmmm! What's not to like about that subject?

And if that's not enough to get your Saturday off with a bang, then this should help:

Leave a comment for Erica and one commenter will receive a copy of her debut release, SHADOWFAE!

Welcome to shadowfae....

Imagine a secret world veiled in fairy glamour and brimming with unearthly delights.

A city swarming with half-mad fairies, where thieving spriggans rob you blind, beautiful banshees mesmerise you with their song and big green trolls bust heads at nightclubs.

A subculture at war, lorded over by demons and factions of sadistic bloodsucking gangsters.

Seduction and oblivion consume you. Chaos reigns.

And once you're in, there's no escape...

If you'd like to know more about Shadowfae, then please check out my recent Writers Gone Wild post or go directly to Erica's website.

I'll announce details on my regular Thursday slot next week, so please stop on by to see if you're the lucky commenter.

So get comfortable and get ready to be entertained. Oh, and just before you start reading, one warning: I'd advise you not to be holding a drink in your hand while you read this, because you might well end up spilling it all over your keyboard ;-)

Enjoy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Erica Hayes on hot paranormal heroes:

Hot paranormal heroes. Kind of an oxymoron, isn't it?

I mean, show me a paranormal hero who isn't the most gorgeous hunk of man this side of Hugh Jackman…. Actually, show me a girl who doesn't think Hugh Jackman is hawt. That might be more of a challenge…

Anyway. It's not only looks. Your paranormal man-candy has everything a woman could want. And if he doesn't… well, yur doin it rong.

For starters, he's powerful: everything and anything from super strength and volatile senses to vampiric hypnotism or sexy werewolfin' action. He's usually got an alpha streak, whether it's total 'me-Tarzan, you-weak-at-the-knees', or that he will kick the collective asses of all and sundry to keep his heroine safe, or just that he won't take I'll-go-on-top for an answer in bed. And what girl doesn't want a guy who'll start a bar fight in hell's nightclub to Defend Her Honnah! and then whisk her home for some hawt paranormal lovin?

Speaking of which. He's probably immortal – or at least has lived for centuries – during which time he hasn't exactly lived like a monk. He's learned a thing or six about how to… ahem… pleasure the ladies. Author wish-fulfilment, anyone? Abso-lute-ly. Let me tell you, Stephenie Meyer (god love her) has nothing on us writers of steamy paranormals. His own special brand of heroin? Meh. I'll take the guy who shags like a Greek god, cooks me breakfast and feeds the cat on the way out.

And even if Our Hero has lived like a monk – y'know, the poor tortured soul who Isn't Worthy Of A Good Woman's Love – he's probably spent a lot of time brooding. Which seems to do wonders for a guy's libido. Oh, yeah. If he hasn't done it for six hundred years, wait till he sees me! He's gonna be all over it up and sideways, baby. And no romance hero – let alone a paranormal hero – ever ever ever has… shall we say… over-excitement issues. Nope. Nada. Not once. I don't care how long he's been saving himself (heh!) for the right woman. Premature ejaculation just ain't romance.

Sigh. Do we live in the best imaginary world, or what?

And the best thing, from a writer's point of view? No one can say it ain't real. No one can say, 'Now come on, he can't do it that many times in one night.' Or, 'No guy is that scorchin' hawt that he can bring a woman to multiple climaxes (that's what they're called, doncha know) merely by using his eyelashes.'

Or, in the case of Maree's scrumpalicious demon book, with his ten-inch boy parts. Or was it twelve?

Because it's magic, folks. And we'll cast whatever spell we want. That's why they call it romance.

So tell me: who's your favourite paranormal (or urban fantasy) hero? And what makes him so hawt? Is it the Dark Hunters' Acheron? Raphael from Angels' Blood? Sookie Stackhouse's Eric? (I mean, come on. What a waste. What does he see in her anyway?) You tell me.










:-)

Erica

Shadowfae Giveaway!

SHADOWFAE GIVEAWAY (and other announcements) by Maree Anderson, for Writers Gone Wild.

I've been promising short posts for a while now, but it never seems to happen--I wonder why? However, this week might be the week!

I have some announcements:

First up, I'd like to introduce a hot new author from my neck of the woods--in this case, across the ditch in Australia.

Her name is Erica Hayes and her debut release, Shadowfae, is being released on 13th October (St Martin's Press).

I first met Erica on Twitter, and then personally, at the RomAus Brisbane conference. She's witty, extremely personable, and she has the most amazing wardrobe of party clothes! Not only that, but even though Shadowfae hasn't quite been released yet, I already know she's a wonderfully talented writer -- check out her free download of Hellcursed, a prequel to Shadowfae!

SHADOWFAE by Erica Hayes

Steal souls.

Live in hell.

Never die.

In a city infested with psychotic fairies and run by sadistic vampire mafiosi, life as a soul-sucking succubus rarely involves lacy lingerie, hot guys or great sex.

Enslaved by a demon lord, Jade must spend her nights seducing vampire gangsters and shapeshifting thugs. After two hundred years as a succubus, she burns for freedom and longs to escape her brutal life as a trophy girl for hell's minions.Then, she meets Rajah, an incubus who touches her heart and intoxicates her senses.

Rajah shares the same bleak fate as she, and yearns just as desperately for freedom. But the only way for Jade to break her bonds is to betray Rajah—and doom the only man she's ever loved to a lifetime in hell.

Why have I given you the blurb for Shadowfae? Well, it's a teaser for the announcements!

ANNOUNCEMENT #1:

Erica will be joining Writers Gone Wild this coming Saturday, 10th October, to talk about hot paranormal heroes.

And...

Writers Gone Wild will be giving away a copy of Erica's debut release, Shadowfae, to one lucky commenter!

So make a note in your diary, and don't forget to stop on by and chat with Erica. One commenter will be drawn at random, and will receive a free copy of Shadowfae! I'll announce details on my usual Thursday spot the following week.


But wait, didn't I say there were announcements, plural?

Yep. And this one's very short, but for me, oh so very sweet ;-)


ANNOUNCEMENT #2:

It's official: I'm no longer a one-book wonder.

My second Demons novella, Let Sleeping Demons Lie, will be published by Red Sage in the next few months.

See? I told you this was gonna be a short post!

:-)

Maree

How do we find the time?!

Madison Scott for Writers Gone Wild....


I was on the phone with one of my friends last night. She's not a writer, but is very supportive and genuinely interested in what I do. We got on the subject and she was asking what my day is like. For people who don't write, and I include myself in this group from before I started writing for publication thinks you just write a book and voila you're done. It's not as if people mean any hard by their assumption. My whole family believes I sit around the house watching soaps and eating Bon Bons all day, but its hard to understand something you don't know. Just like I know I couldn't go to work and do my hubby's job, he has a hard time understanding mine. Anyway, I digress....I was chatting with my friend and she asked what's involved in being a published or pre-published author. What do we have to do besides sit down and write a book?

So, I went through it all for her. From plotting and character sketches to writing and self editing. To sending it to betas and revising when need by. Researching not only our book but editors, agents and learning each specific submission process. Then when we sell it's a whole different set of edits...the story goes on and on. Then, you'd think it would end, right? No, because once your book comes out comes the big wide world of promoting. We have to try multiple methods and find out what works. Then we have to be consistent with it. Blogging, networking, yahoo groups, newsletters....

I realize how much time I actually spend promoting. I mean, I enjoy the networking aspect. I would go crazy without talking with other writers and readers, but it makes you wonder: how do we have time to write?

I know this can be said for any profession. We all have our job to do and no matter what goes on in our lives with family, friends, etc we have to find a way to get it all done! So, my question for you is...how do you do it? The plotter or pantster reference can be used in regards to our daily life to. How do you manage it all? Do you plot and schedule your days and jump right in and just know somehow you will find a way to get it done?

Quirky Characters

Today, I wanted to get out of the house and treat my dog, Sparky.
We drove to McDonald's and I bought him a cheeseburger. He loved the ride and going through the drive-thru.

I fed him a few french fries on the way home and folded the bag until we reached the house. Bad move on my part.
His little brown nose kept nudging the end of bag. This dog seriously wamted more french fries. Being the terrier he is, he continued trying to open the bag. I'd stop and re-roll it back.

We got home and I cut his cheeseburger up and put it on a plate. (It had ketchup, mustard, onion and pickles on it, too) He ate it all. It was tail-wagging approved.

This little adventure got me to thinking about quirky characters.
I mean how many other people take their dogs to the drive-thru for a cheeseburger besides me? I guess this puts me in quirky territory.

I'm almost afraid to share the other stuff I do.

I'm probably going to have a heroine that does this. I had a great time and so did Sparky. (Hey, he's been a good dog lately and I wanted to do something special.)

What quirky things do your characters do or if you're a reader what's the most memorable quirky thing a character did?

Hugs,
Tambra
Cowboy of the Night
Wicked Pleasures
Goin' Down Two Anthology

What Color is the Sky in Your World ? (Twilight Again)

Vampires don't sparkle in the sunlight.

They burst into flames and die.
My daughter has a tee shirt that says that on the back, and yeah, being a bit of a vampire purist, it never fails to draw a cackle from me, mostly because it thrills me that my daughter doesn't jump onto the pop-culture bandwagon just because everyone else has hopped on board.

But for the longest time, my daughter wouldn't wear that shirt to school for fear she'd get beat up in the girl's room.

Wow. Really?

What's up with that?

While I personally have issues with sparkly vamps, it's not like there's anything in inherently wrong with that. I'm just not down with it. But that's just me, and I'm an each to his/her own kind of girl. :)

Others, not so much.

What is it about the idea of sparkly vampires that inspire such divided opinions? I mean, it's Stefanie Meyer's world. If she wants her vamps to sparkle, fine by me. If her readers are cool with it, then why not? If I don't go for sparkle, I won't read them.

Didn't read them--tried, just couldn't get into it.

But I gotta tell you, my hat's off to Stefanie. Anyone who can sell that many books gets my kudos whether I personally enjoyed the book or not. And while it was probably blind luck, Stef's move to dump body glitter on Edward Cullen was brilliant in a marketing sense. Anyone who is under twenty has a very strong opinion about it, and they aren't afraid to defend their stance.

Often with their fists if need be.

So, tell me about the vamps in your world. Do they sparkle? Should they?

If the world building is there, is myth stretching a case of anything goes? I guess what I really want to know is this--has the time for my Mulholland Drive were-yorkies finally come to pass?

Are the pink ear ribbons stretching the boundaries of a culturally treasured myth just a tad too far?

***
And here it is, the obligatory one-each call for votes you'll be seeing from me for the next month or so! :)

I'm currently bouncing between 1st and 3rd place in the Dorchester Publishing contest @ textnovel. Should I actually, *gasp* win, my book would be contracted by Dorchester Publishing.

If you read and enjoy Muse Struck, I would truly appreciate your "thumbs up" votes. You can go to the site by clicking the book cover below. Then just register, read and vote "thumbs up".

Any winnings from the contest will be donated to advance meaningful autism awareness.

Thank you!

Resolutions For Writers

Resolutions For Writers by Maree Anderson (for Writers Gone Wild)

For me, it's been a week of doing nothing much in the way of writing. I've got heaps of very good excuses--among other things school holidays and DH taking a week off work--but this post isn't about excuses. So ya'll can breathe easy, LOL.

I waded through my emails this morning and out of the blue, there was a request to submit three chapters and a synopsis to an agent -- nothing like that kind of kick in the pants to get the old motivational juices flowing again. And it was a bonus to be able to advise the agent that the manuscript had since finalled in another contest, too. But my warm, ever-hopeful fuzzies were somewhat deflated after I opened up my query tracking spreadsheet to update the status of this original query, and realized that I had a grand total of one query outstanding... this one.

Yikes!

What this means is that I have no other submissions out there at the moment. Nil. Nix. Nada.

What this means is that although I recently finalled in a contest, I haven't yet sent out a single new query for that particular manuscript. I'm the self-proclaimed Query Queen, so this is not my usual modus operandi. And, way to waste a great opportunity to plug a manuscript. Duh!

What this means is that I've been a total slackass and I've been neglecting a very important part of The Business.

Note to self: Maree, there is no such thing as the magical "You just kick back and relax, honeybun, coz I'm gonna work my tushie off to get you the agent of your dreams!" fairy.

Obviously there is something up with me at the moment and I require some serious motivitation from a reliable source. And what better reliable source than my own website? I kid you not. I found an old post from January 2008 about resolutions for writers. It's definitely worth repeating, so here goes:

RESOLUTIONS FOR WRITERS
(Note: These resolutions were originally posted to the RWNZ loop by Clare Scott - thanks, Clare!)

• I will write every day. Whether it’s an e-mail or a short story, I will write carefully and well, and I will take my writing seriously

• I will accept that which I cannot change. I will accept the rejection that comes with the submission process. I will graciously accept other writers’ successes without whining about my own frustrations. And I will accept where I am in my writing career.

• I will always have a certain number of submissions circulating while I work on still more pieces.

• I will master the query letter, the synopsis, and the book proposal. Period.

• I will set manageable and attainable goals... and stick to them. I will break down daunting tasks into realistic goals and enjoy the satisfaction of checking them off my list.

• I will try different types of writing and explore new markets. Experimenting in new genres will make me a more well-rounded writer, and I may discover a new talent!

• I will read more. I will pay careful attention to character development, plot, and dialogue, and I will emulate those traits in others’ writing that appeal to me as a reader.

• I will finish unfinished projects and revise old work. In the process, I may find a gem of a piece that risked languishing forever unread.

• I will attend a writers’ conference and make new contacts. I will find a conference that showcases one of my favorite authors, and I will make the most of the experience.

• I will get organized. I will create a workspace that lets my creative juices flow, and I will organize the business side of my craft. If I set myself up as a serious writer, others will treat my writing as a serious endeavor as well.

• I will claim my dream of being a writer... and I will not let anyone take my dream from me. I will take criticism into consideration, but I will not let it define me.

• I will extend a helping hand to at least one other writer. It’s not a competition, after all, but a road we’re all traveling together.

• I will treat myself kindly. I will celebrate my successes and view rejections as a learning experience. I will remember that writing is my passion and not necessarily an easy path, and I will treasure the process as I go.

Okay. No need to tell me which resolution(s) I need to be taking notice of right now *offers butt for cute little Submissions Fairy to kick*.

Conversely, there's a few I'm pleased to be able to say I've fulfilled this year. Yay me! Uh.... Do ya'll reckon those successes might cancel out the ass-kicking I'm due? (I'm still negotiating with the Submissions Fairy, BTW. She might look cute but she's a real hardass!)

So, let's cut to the chase: Which resolution hits a note with you right now?

Any particular resolutions you'd like to share that you've successfully completed, and are particularly proud of?

And finally: Any resolutions that you'd like to add to this list?

I'm definitely feeling somewhat "resolute" right about now.

Cheers,

M