Six Sentence Sunday 3/13

BY REQUEST: This week's six continues where we left off last week. (although it still doesn’t answer your question, does it?) *evil grin*

Remember, last week ended with Justin asking Paige, 'Did you sleep with him?'

“Not recently.”

Cocking his head, Justin met her vivid green eyes. “Could you please clarify that?”

“I could. I won’t.”

"I see," he replied and his lips curved.

*from Not Without Risk

 Don't miss any of the fantastic posts! You can find the link to them all at the Official Six Sentence Sunday site:

http://www.sixsunday.blogspot.com

Until next time...



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Why I Write

Today marks my last blog post for Read an eBook Week, and your last chance to leave a comment in order to be entered to win an e-copy of my romantic suspense, Not Without Risk. For some reason, today’s post has been harder than normal for me to write. I’ve written and re-written it at least four times. Each time I came up with a topic I realized either (A) I’d blogged about that topic not that long ago, or (B) it was a straight up promotional post.

Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against posts promoting my books, why would I? But today I wanted to offer something different. After all, if you want to know more about my books, you can always follow the links beneath my covers listed to the right. So instead I chose to tell you a little about myself and why I write.

I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember. I have notebooks filled with poems, story ideas, and partial chapters from as far back as age five. Yes, thanks to my older sister, I could read and write by age five. And I did. I read everything I could get my hands on, usually re-writing the story in my head as I went. If you asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I always answered something different depending on the day. I couldn’t make up my mind. Then I picked up my first romance novel. Suddenly I had my answer: “I want to get married, have children and write romances.”

As a young girl, I always had a story to tell. At times they were funny, other times scary, but they were always, and I mean always, happily-ever-after. You see, I’m a romantic—a die hard romantic. I believe in love, not just as a fundamental part of human relationships, but as a force that really can heal emotional scars. I truly believe there is someone for everyone—the person they are meant to find.

Their other half.

Their soul mate.

Don’t you?

As an author you’re always told to write what you read. I read contemporary romance and romantic suspense, and that’s what I write. There’s nothing I love more than taking two characters, helping them fall in love, foil the villain and live happily-ever-after. It’s a natural for me, a no-brainer if you will. I mean, what else would a die hard romantic write, if not romance?

So what about you? What did you want to be when you grew up? Are you doing it?



Shed your inhibitions. ~ Pursue your dreams.

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Spotlight On... Jennifer Jakes

Today my guest is historical romance author, Jennifer Jakes. Welcome, Jennifer, can you tell us a little about yourself?

Thanks! I live in the mid-west with my husband of 18 years, our 2 daughters and several spoiled pets. Come to think of it, that kind of describes the girls too. Hmmmm.

Tell us about RAFE'S REDEMPTION, and where we can find it.

He rode into town to buy supplies, not a woman.

For hunted recluse Rafe McBride, the raven-haired beauty on the auction block is exactly what he doesn't need. A dependant woman will be another clue his vengeful stepbrother can use to find and kill him. But Rafe's conscience won't let him leave another innocent's virginity to the riff-raff bidding. He buys her, promising to return her to St. Louis untouched. He only prays the impending blizzard holds off before her sultry beauty breaks his willpower.

She wanted freedom, not a lover.

Whisked to the auction block by her devious, gambling cousin, and then sold into the arms of a gorgeous stranger, outspoken artist Maggie Monroe isn't about to go meekly. Especially when the rugged mountain man looks like sin and danger rolled into one. But a blizzard and temptation thrust them together, and Maggie yearns to explore her smoldering passion for Rafe.

But when the snow clears, will the danger and secrets that surround Rafe and Maggie tear them apart?

excerpt:

Maggie wanted freedom, not a lover…

Oh, Lord. He was going to kiss her. She shouldn’t want this. She was confused enough. Respectable women didn’t kiss men they barely knew, certainly not men who made them have wild, exotic dreams.

It was crazy. He was making her want crazy things. Making her not give a damn about her reputation or her virginity. Or her long-awaited freedom. All she could think about was that dream, and the way his sinful mouth had felt. The table was only a step away, and honey was just as sweet as peach juice…

She swallowed hard and looked up into his hooded eyes.

“Maggie,” he groaned. “Don’t be scared. I’d never hurt you.”

Her mouth parted to object, but firm lips covered hers, hungry, demanding. She gasped, shocked at his hunger, but even more at the illicit response coursing through her. An aching heat unfurled low in her stomach, pulsed between her legs. Oh, yes. It started just like in the dream.

He deepened the kiss, coaxed her lips with his warm tongue. Long, languid strokes teased the inside of her mouth, encouraging, tempting before he pulled back to nibble the corners of her lips.

Oh, God. Is this what all kisses felt like? Hot, lethargic? Melting her like molasses over warm bread?

“Kiss me, Maggie,” he breathed.

Available through the The Wild Rose Press and their distributors both in print and e-book.


Wow, sounds great! How did you start writing?

Well, I was younger I had trouble sleeping. Instead of counting sheep, I made up stories to entertain myself. Then a dozen years or so ago when our oldest daughter was born, she didn't sleep. Ever. OK, rarely, but I started passing the late night "rocking chair" hours with my old habit of making up stories. This time I took notes. I carried those around in a file folder marked: The story I'll write someday. About 4 years ago, my husband and I sold our trucking business. I found myself with enough free time to write. And I figured it must be "someday".


How do you approach your writing, are you a plotter or a pantser?

I'm a recovering pantser. Once I saw all the revisions required of an ill-plotted story, I new I had to change.


'Recovering pantser', I love it!  Why did you choose your genre?

For me there could be no other. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE westerns. Dances with Wolves, Open Range, The Outsider, True Grit. I grew up watching Clint Eastwood movies, a favorite of my dad, and I guess I was hooked.


What is it about the romance genre that appeals to you?

I'm just a die-hard romantic. Always, always have been. Even when I was watching Clint Eastwood or John Wayne, I'd be "re-writing" the scenes or ending in my mind so that it was more romantic.


What are you passionate about?

Love! Oh, and chocolate. Oh, and really good fajitas.


What do you find is the hardest part of writing a book?

My stories have a suspenseful element, but I don't want that to overtake the romance/erotic element. So I think finding the perfect balance is the most difficult.


Where can we find you on the web?

My website/blog is:  http://www.jenniferjakes.com
I'm on FaceBook
and on Twitter:  http://www.twitter.com/erotichistory


Is there anything you’d like to ask our readers?

Yes, do you see a relation to the kind of movies you enjoy and the genre of books you enjoy?

Thanks so much for having me as your guest, Sarah!

Thanks for visiting with me today, Jennifer.



After trying several careers—everything from a beautician to a dump truck driver—Jennifer finally returned to her first love, writing. Maybe it was all those Clint Eastwood movies she watched growing up, but in her opinion there is no better read than a steamy western historical.

Married to her very own hero, she lives on fifteen acres along with two beautiful daughters, two elderly horses, two spoiled cats and two hyper dogs.

During the summer she does Civil War reenacting and has found it a great research tool, not to mention she has continued appreciation for her microwave and hot water heater.

Visit Jennifer Jakes at www.jenniferjakes.com

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Our Lovely Heroes and Heroines…who are they really?

Today's blog is by an author of all things romantic, the very talented Rachel Brimble. For more information on Rachel and her books, visit her WEBSITE. 

Yesterday, I started a brand new story. A novella. I have just finished my second Victorian historical and it topped out as being my longest novel to date at 91,000 words. Which is why I quite like the idea of a shorter story next, LOL! I write across the sub-genres of romance because after I finish one book or story, I like to write something completely different. I hope it keeps my writing fresh for me and my readers.

Heroes and heroines are the subject of my post today. My writing process involves taking a premise or character that has been fermenting in my mind for at least a couple of months before and then sitting down to write a rough two-three page synopsis. I know this is not a common practice, writing a synopsis before you have written the book, but it works as a really effective tool for me.

It gives me my skeleton, my basis to keep me on track – I don’t stick to it rigidly by any stretch of the imagination, but having a summary of where I wanted the story to go when I started out stops me from the ‘middle sag’ that writers fear like the devil.

But before I write my synopsis, I write the hero and heroine’s character sketches. This is always a very revealing part of the process for me. Where does all that stuff come from? It never fails to amaze me how I start with a list of questions and all this history, hurt, happiness, complication and love comes pouring out. Huge internal issues this man and woman carry around with them, waiting to be fixed either by themselves or the love of their lives. This is the ‘meat’ of our stories, the stuff that the readers want more than the flowery romance and steamy sex…well, maybe not always ; )

Which leads to the question…doesn’t every character we create have a tiny piece of ourselves in them? I’m sure other romance writers will agree with me when I say I couldn’t write that three-dimensional vital ingredient without actually feeling what my characters do. Does that make sense? When I am writing what my characters’ are feeling I am usually drawing on my own experiences of hurt and disappointment, happiness and success to capture that all-important emotion romance readers expect when they buy our books.

Because the one thing writing across the sub-genres has taught me – whether our characters are living in 2011 or 1811, the emotion and feelings they experience are never any different. Why? Because we are human and it is that humanity we want to convey if we are to successfully pluck at the reader’s heartstrings, ignite their passion enough to fight with the hero and heroine to the end. Don’t you just love books? I do!

I’d love to know what you think!

In the meantime, here are the blurbs and buy links for my latest contemporary and historical novels…

Historical

The Arrival of Lily Curtis by Rachel Brimble
available from The Wild Rose Press
BUY LINK

At the mention of an arranged marriage, Elizabeth Caughley feels her life is over at the age of three and twenty….so she hatches an escape plan. She will reinvent herself as a housemaid. Overnight, Elizabeth becomes Lily…

Viscount Westrop wants nothing more than his legacy to be passed to his own son one day. Even though he feels insurmountable pity for the unborn child already, he knows how much pain a broken promise can cause and will do what is right. But with the arrival of his new housemaid, his plans are thrown into disarray. Lily is funny, feisty and the most beautiful creature on earth – Andrew is thunderstruck. But if anyone suspects how much he wants to ravish her and endlessly love her, Andrew’s lineage will be in peril. And he cannot let that happen…

Contemporary

Getting It Right This Time by Rachel Brimble
Available from Lyrical Press
BUY LINK

Two years after her husband’s death, Kate Marshall returns home a widow, seeking security and stability for her three-year-old daughter. But when her path crosses with ‘the one who got away’…her husband’s best friend, she has to fight the desire to be with him for the sake of further heartbreak for her and her daughter.
A tough, straight talking theatrical agent, Mark Johnston is dangerously handsome, exceedingly rich, irresistibly charming – and branded by the tabloids as one of the UK’s most eligible bachelors. So even though he lost the girl of his dreams five years before to his best friend, Mark finds no hardship is being single. Or so he thought…but now Kate is back and his heart is still hers.
Determined not to lose her a second time, Mark has to find a way to convince her they can work. But can Kate cope with the media interest and ruthless, money-hungry clients surrounding him being anywhere near her daughter? Or accept that Mark Johnston is really the family man he claims to be?

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Six Sentence Sunday 3/06

It's Six Sentence Sunday! First off, I want to thank everyone who stops by and comments every week. You really make my day. And how much fun was last week's Anniversary celebration? So great!


Here's a bit more from my romantic suspense, Not Without Risk. It's a bit out of sequence. This is long before what happened in last week's six. *grin*

“Why don’t you stop pretending an interest in my work and just ask me what you really want to know?”

Although she was wrong about his interest in her work, Justin admired her fortitude. He handed her the proof sheet. “What is it I really want to know?”

“You want to know whether I slept with Leroy.”

“Did you sleep with him?”

Interested in joining us in Six Sentence Sunday? See the site for information on how join in the fun. And don't forget to check out the master link list for more excellent snippets!

http://www.sixsunday.blogspot.com



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Spotlight On... P.L. Parker

Today my guest is author P.L. Parker. P.L. writes paranormal fantasy romances with a twist. Welcome, P.L., can you tell us a little about yourself?

I am a mother, a grandmother, married to my best friend and soul mate. I work full time as a legal assistant and writing is my emotional outlet.


How did you start writing?

I have always been a story teller and my husband kept telling me to write my stories down. So one day he went out, bought a computer and told me to get started. This was in 2006. I wrote Fiona that year and subsequently sold it to The Wild Rose Press in December of that same year.


What a great husband! How many books have you published? Tell us about them.

Fiona – time travel based on the discovery of the Urumchi Mummies.

Riley’s Journey – time travel based on the last great Ice Age.

Heart of the Sorcerer – time travel, kind of a late 1700’s through the looking glass type thing.

Aimee’s Locket – time travel, based on the Oregon Trail.

I also have two free reads at The Wild Rose Press, Prophecy’s Bride and Songbird.

Coming soon:

Absolution – a vampire story; and

Into the Savage Dawn (Willow Moon Publishing) – sequel to Riley’s Journey.


What is it about the romance genre that appeals to you?

The interaction between the hero and heroine, the “romance.” I am a romantic at heart. My husband and I have a very romantic relationship.


How do you think being a published author has changed you?

LOL! Doubled my workload. I think I need to add at least 10 more hours each day to keep up.


At least 10 more hours. LOL What advice would you give to the new/unpublished author?

Hang in there! Don’t give up. Keep submitting and one day you’ll find that perfect fit. Don’t despair over the rejections, we all get rejected. It hurts the first few times, but get over it and keep trying.


Great advice. What one thing about writing do you wish other non-writers would understand?

It isn’t easy and just because you might not like my story, others do.


Love that! What is something readers would be surprised you do?

I was a dancer/teacher/choreographer for a beledi dance troupe for 27 years. I still love to dance, but not in the capacity that I used to. I have to admit I also love short trips to Jackpot, Nevada, or the casino at Pendleton, Oregon.)

Can you give us a sneak peek of your next book?

Into The Savage Dawn: coming soon from Willow Moon Publishing

Sent back 40,000 years to the ends of the last great Ice Age, the time travelers embark on a journey of survival and discovery.

The brutal and cannibalistic Cro-Magnons discover the small band and attack. Forced to flee from their high mountain encampment, the tribe heads into the dawn, towards the Pacific Ocean and their dream of ultimately reaching North America.

Geena and Micah are left behind to lead the Cros away from the escaping tribe. When he is killed, she finds herself terribly alone. Severely injured and without hope or resources, she nonetheless is determined to survive and find the people.

Survival of the fittest - that is the law of primordial earth.


Absolution: coming soon from Eternal Press


The ancient tomb rested in the heart of the French Vosges Mountains. The over-eager research assistants had no inkling of the events they’d unwittingly unleashed when they found and released the young half-vampire—Chloe!

Zaccarius, greatest of all the Slayers, is sent by the Council of Nine to seek out Chloe, determine her worth and, if necessary, render justice. Enticed by the purity and goodness of Chloe’s mind, he becomes her protector.

“I came for you.”

“To kill me?” she asked, her voice breaking tremulously.

He laughed, a husky wisp of humor. “No, little one. Had that been my purpose, I would not be standing here.”

Zaccarius falls beneath the army of the Dark Master, Jochad, and to stay the death of her lover, Chloe allows herself to be taken. Ancient and dying, Jochad needs Chloe’s blood to reanimate—her blood for Zaccarius’ life.


Where can we find you on the web?

Http://www.plparker.com/

http://www.plparker.blogspot.com/

I am also on Twitter and Facebook


Is there anything you’d like to ask our readers?

What draws you to a story?


Great question. Thanks for visiting with us today!



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I just take dictation

Ever try to explain to a non-writer what it’s like to write?

How about how you come up with your story ideas?

If you’re like me, your attempts have been met with a blank stare. Or maybe one or two ‘What you talkin’ about, Willis?’ looks.

Yeah, I’ve been on the receiving end of a few of those. Especially when I tell them that my characters talk to me, or more accurately, they talk to each other and my job is to take dictation.

Honest. That’s what it’s like for me to write. My characters (usually the hero and heroine) start talking and I frantically try to get it all down. If I’m not near a computer, that means scribbling in a notebook. I even have a notebook in my car because you never know when the characters are going to start talking to each other. Nothing is worse than characters having revealing, heart felt conversations and you don’t have a pen and paper. Don’t worry, I pull over. I swear.

Then I go home and the real work begins. Taking multiple conversations and turning it into a story. I mean, it’s not like character conversations take place in chronological order or anything, right? Sometimes it’s the very last scene, where everything comes together and all question and doubt is worked out, that comes first. This is how it was with my work in progress, MIDNIGHT HEAT. The hero and heroine told me the final scene before anything else. I then had to wait until they clued me in as to how and why they were where they were, before I could start putting together what led to that moment.

The really interesting thing—and most confusing to those people who give you ‘the look’—is when a character from a book is not acting right in the follow-up. Are you asking yourself, “What is that supposed to mean?” I’ll tell you…

Picture it, I’m plugging along on my WIP, transferring all the conversations into a word document, when suddenly I stop. Isabeau, the heroine from AFTER MIDNIGHT who is now a secondary character in MIDNIGHT HEAT, is ‘off’. She’s not herself. Why? I ask. What’s going on with you?

At first she is silent, not revealing anything. Then, in a conversation with Dominic, the hero of this tale, the reason is revealed.

Are you serious?

Turns out she was. All of a sudden this story has thrown me a curve, gone off in a direction I never saw coming. Sure, she’s a secondary character so it’s not a HUGE curve, but…I tell, you, I never saw it coming.

And that, for me at least, is what it’s like to write. It’s interesting, fun, not always easy, and sometimes when you least expect it, surprising. I love it. Even if I never published another story, I would write. It’s something I’m driven to do. How else am I going to quiet the voices in my head?



"Writer's block: when your imaginary friends won't talk to you." ~ Anonymous

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Spotlight On... Linda Morris

Today I have fellow TWRP author Linda Morris with me at the keyboard. Welcome, Linda, can you tell us a little about yourself?

Thanks for having me. What can I say about myself? Most times, I can be found hunched over my computer, like the ink-stained wretch that I am. If I'm not writing or blogging, I'm working at my day job as a freelance technical writer/editor. And if I'm not doing those things, or even if I am doing those things, I'm usually being begged by my young son to play with him.

Tell us about FORGET ME NOT, and where we can find it.

It's a romantic suspense, with an amnesia plot. (I love those!) My heroine leaves Chicago and moves to a remote cabin to lick her wounds after some things go awry in her personal and professional life. When a handsome stranger from Chicago has a serious car wreck near her house, it raises a lot of questions. Was he looking for her? Why? Can she trust him? The questions are only exacerbated by his head injury, which causes him amnesia. The hero and heroine team up to investigate his past and find out what he was doing in the wilderness of Minnesota.

Here's the blurb:

Lara Crosby left Chicago when her career as a big-time political fundraiser went sour. Determined to put the past behind her, she envisions a peaceful new life at her cabin in northern Minnesota. Everything changes on a dark night when a mysterious stranger suffers an accident outside her cabin.
Jacob Sumner awakens in the wilderness after a car accident with no idea who he is or why he is there. Lara is beautiful and kind, but she's a world away from the gritty world where he makes his living as a private investigator . . . or is she?

Forget Me Not is available at The Wild Rose Press


Describe your writing in three words.

Can't. Do. It.


At what age did you discover writing and when were you first published? Tell us your call story.

I wrote a short story here or there as a high schooler, but I made my first attempt at writing a novel in college. I guess I technically finished it: I typed for about 250 pages and then stopped. It was a mess, however, and I was too discouraged to go back and work on it. I had neglected important factors such as including a plot, for example. I made a lot of abortive attempts at a novel in my 20s, most of which fell over and died after about 5 chapters or so. Forget-Me-Not was the first novel I ever finished that I thought, "There's something here that's worthwhile." So I worked on it, polished it up, and sent it off. It was accepted (after some revisions) by the third publisher I sent it to.



Congratulations! Have you noticed your voice has changed as you’ve gained experience? If so, how?

After being scolded for it repeatedly, I use the word "was" less! It's a sign of passive writing, and one of the words I search for during revisions. I've also been scolded for telling instead of showing. An editor gave me a tip that if two people are in a room together, the information divulged in the scene should come out in dialogue between those people, not in narration or interior monologue. Although I don't think that's 100% accurate (after all, sometimes people withhold information, lie, or repress their true thoughts or feelings), it's true more often than not. I've rewritten a lot of scenes because of this tip, for the better, I think.


That's a good tip. Where do you get your ideas?

Anywhere and everywhere. I usually start with a setting and character, and maybe a tone: funny, somber, or suspenseful. Then I plot out from there. I can be inspired by another book, movie, something I see on the news, a memory from the past: The list is almost endless.

Is there someone in your immediate family or a friend that reads your material as you write? A sounding board?

My husband is also a writer and editor and is my best critic. He helps with plot brainstorming, my biggest weakness. He also reads my manuscripts and makes suggestions after I've taken them through a couple of drafts. He was a big help on my novella, Montana Belle. I kept getting encouraging rejections/revision requests from the editor. She felt that my revisions improved the manuscript, but then she would show it to another reader or editor who had different concerns. He really helped by reading the manuscript and explaining clearly what he thought the problems were--he's very analytical that way. And lo and behold, it sold the next time around. He doesn't even complain (too much) about having to read romances. But I don't complain about reading his horror stories, so fair is fair.


True! Do you have any 'must haves' with you while you're writing?

Coffee! I write relatively early in the morning, after I put my son on the school bus. Caffeine is a necessity for the writer's mind, in my view.


What is something readers would be surprised you do?

I've always been a political junkie. I spent some time each day reading the blogs. I used to follow my favorite pundits and journalists on Twitter too, but it just got to be too time-consuming, so I stopped. Not enough hours in the day as it is. My husband is pretty apolitical, so he thinks I need to have my head examined, but I can't help it! I'm a history buff, and I think of politics as history in real time.


Where can we find you on the web?

Sure, I blog at  http://lindamorriswriter.blogspot.com/
I try to blog a couple of times a week, but again. . . not enough hours in the day.

I also have a Linda Morris, Writer, page at Facebook.


Thanks for visiting with us today, Linda! 



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Six Sentence Sunday 2/27

Welcome to Six Sentence Sunday's first anniversary party! Have you seen the list of prizes up for grabs? Wow, some awesome stuff being offered up today! I've offered to give-away an autographed copy of my 2010 Best Book nominee from LASR, Not Without Risk. All you have to do to be eligible to win is comment. Winners will be chosen by our Six Sentence Sunday host site.
To view a list of all the fabulous prizes, go here.

As promised, here's my sexy six from 
NOT WITHOUT RISK.

Justin watched her, eyes closed, breath panting, drawing out the pleasure she gave to him so freely. He’d never seen anything so erotic in his life.

“My God, you’re beautiful,” he murmured against her mouth. Clamping both hands on her hips, he pulled her harder against him even as he thrust up until he was as deep inside her as he could get. “Come for me, Paige. I want to watch you.”

Don't forget to check out all the other authors participating today. The more comments, the better your chance of winning! 

http://www.sixsunday.blogspot.com



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Twitter for Writers

A while back I followed the advice I’m sure you’ve all heard and signed up for Twitter. I was told it was a way to help to get my name out there, to build a following and connect to readers. I was told it was fun. Hmmm…


Before I continue I have to confess that I fought signing up tooth and nail. “Why?” I kept asking. No one cares about what a lowly romance author in Michigan has to say. (And if I’m being honest, there’s still a part of me that feels this way.) ::sigh::


But I signed on. Then I spent months watching other people tweet and did nothing. I was lost. I was overwhelmed. Hell, I still am. But I jumped in with both feet. I caught on a little, then a little more. Why does this stuff not come with a ‘For Dummies’ manual? Seriously.


Here are a few things I’ve learned, and am still trying to master:

Twitter isn’t just for connecting with readers. It’s also a great way to connect with other writers, agents and editors. You can connect with people who write a similar genre, keep your eye on publishing tips, and even get yourself noticed by others. How?

One word: Hashtags

Hashtags are a way of categorizing your tweets by using certain words prefixed with the pound (#) sign. Some of these hashtags are as easy to understand as #WIP (a tweet about the authors work in progress), while others may leave you stumped as to their meaning. Also, new hashtags are invented daily, so there’s really no way to keep up with all of them. However, hashtags are ‘clickable’ and doing so will bring up a list of all of the tweets that contain that hashtag, meaning you can usually discover it’s meaning fairly easily.


For now, I’ll share with you the ones I’ve noticed that may be important to you as writers. Yes, the ones I’m still trying to remember to use.

#amediting or #amrevising (posts from people who are editing/revising)
#amwriting (posts from people who are or about what people are writing)
#askagent (agent questions and answers.  Usually at a scheduled time)
#askeditor (editor questions and answers, again, usually at a scheduled time)

#author

#authors

#ebooks (when you want to target ebook audience)

#editgoal

#editing

#novels

#novelists

#pubtip (publication tips)

#publishing

#selfpublishing
#sixsunday

#storystarters (the first line of a new wip)
#vss (very short story)
#wip (work in progress)

#wordcount

#writegoal (how much people are writing or struggling with)

#writer

#writers

#writetip (writing advice)
#writingtips (writing advice)


That’s all I can remember for now. BTW, it is fun. Although I’m still not convinced anyone really gives a hoot about what I tweet. But hey, I’m a writer, I’m pretty darn good at talking to myself.  #amadork

Follow me at:  http://www.twitter.com/@SGrimmAuthor



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Question of the Day

Lately I've been spending a lot of time playing on the internet. Searching author websites and blogs, looking at how they're promoting themselves and their books. Not only have I seen a lot of great promotional ideas, but I've found a lot of new books and authors to add to my TBR list. Bonus!

One thing I did notice a lot of authors doing is offering free reads. I'm not talking shorts; unique or individual stories offered by the publisher, but a few pages offered only by the author. Specifically a free read that revisits characters from the author's published works. I've seen prequels, sequels, scenes that were deleted from the book before it went to press, and even hot little bits that appeared to be nothing but another look into the character's bedroom.

Which brings me to my question:

As readers, how do you feel about these types of 'freebies'? Love 'em? Hate 'em? Do you enjoy that peek at what is happening in the hero and heroine's life after their story ended? Or do you prefer to be left with your own imaginings about what happened after you closed the book?

I'd like to know. No judgments. No right or wrong answer. I'm simply on one of my fact finding missions. Will you share your thoughts with me?

Oh, and if you're an author, do you offer these types of free reads on your site? What type of feedback do you receive?



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Guest Blogging

I'm chatting at Judy Jarvie's Jottings today and tomorrow, answering a few questions she threw my way. I'm also giving away a PDF copy of NOT WITHOUT RISK to a random commenter.



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