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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Tempting Adam by Jill James

TEMPTING ADAM
Jill James
The Wild Rose Press
BUY LINK


BLURB:

They both want the same thing – St. Eden Studios.

Corporate raider Yvette Giardino intends to bring St. Eden Studios to its knees. It’s a job. One her grandmother’s health depends on. That Adam St. Eden will suffer isn’t personal. Until he awakens her sympathy and stirs her body in ways she can’t explain.

Adam wants one thing and one thing only – to protect the dream his grandfather began. But when the board demands he work with stunning Yvette, a woman he’d mistakenly indulged with in a little after-hours play, his world turns upside down. Missed meetings, unhappy clients, and nights of intense pleasure – he can blame one person. Yvette.

With his corporation crumbling around him, can Adam rise above the fallout and see his sexy temptress for what she really is – a victim of manipulation and a woman who desperately needs his love?

EXCERPT:

Yvette pulled herself together with a jolt.

It’s a job. It’s a job.

She repeated the mantra in her head in an endless loop, gazing into deep, blue eyes. This close, she noticed the subtle lines near his eyes from his outdoor living. If he had grown up in Hollywood, he would have had a facelift or two by now, instead of the natural look he pulled off quite well.

Adam helped her rise, his warm hand cupping her elbow. A tingle shot from her arm, to her chest, and to regions much farther south. A sexual moan almost escaped her lips. Yvette shook her head to clear the mental images of her and him and the hotel room. It didn’t help. Memories of that night still had the power to stir her senses. They hit Yvette in a place she didn’t think existed—her emotions.

His eyes darkened to indigo, and he leaned nearer. His fresh, evergreen scent enveloped her. Her head swam, and she tilted on the heels of her shoes. She berated herself for her juvenile behavior, unable to believe the She-shark of business might have met her match. At least in the sexual arena.

Adam wrapped an arm around her shoulders, led her to the bench outside the door, and sat beside her. “I hope you’re doing okay. I would’ve found you a seat inside, but they were getting back to work. I didn’t want anything else to delay the work schedule.”

Disbelief flooded Yvette while she replayed what had just happened. She needed to get a grip on herself and this job. Adam was nice enough overall, and was great—make that fantastic—in bed.

However, he was no ruthless businessman and knew next to nothing about Hollywood. He wasn’t the first CEO she’d taken down, and he wouldn’t be the last.

It wasn’t personal.

A note from Jill:

When I started writing romances I was stuck on sweet romances - the whole 'behind closed doors' kind of love scenes. When I started seeing what was out there I knew I needed to write hotter. So Tempting Adam was an experiment of sorts to see how hot I could write. As I started writing, something magical happened. The love scenes wrote themselves. Adam and Yvette were hot from page 1, the love scenes even hotter. Hopefully you will enjoy reading Tempting Adam as much as I enjoyed writing it.

You can learn more about Jill James and her writing by visiting her website or blog. Also, catch up with her on Facebook.

Until next time,



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Six Sentence Sunday 2/20

This week's six is from my romantic suspense, 

NOT WITHOUT RISK. 

I was going to go with a sexy six but decided to save it for next week's celebration.

  Hopefully you won't be disappointed.

A little background: Justin is a detective, just back from medical leave after suffering a gunshot wound that punctured his lung. Allan, is Justin's partner on the job.

“Allan doesn’t think I’m ready to come back just yet. He thinks I need more time,” Justin admitted quietly against her hair.

“What do you think?”

His mouth opened, then closed. His body shuddered at the gentle scrape of her teeth across his shoulder. “I think if I hadn’t returned to work, I might never have met you.”

Don't miss out on more Six Sentence Sunday fun.

Find the list of all the participating authors at the

official site:

http://www.sixsunday.blogspot.com/



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Claire de Lune by Robert Appleton & Sloane Taylor

Sloane Taylor and I met many years ago at a writer’s conference in Chicago. I don’t recall much about that conference beyond sitting in the hotel bar with Sloane, sipping a drink (or two), and talking about all the books we wanted to write. And laughing. We laughed a lot. A lot.

Since that conference, Sloane has published 14 hot, erotic romances. For her latest, she hooked up with Robert Appleton to take us out of this world. Claire de Lune is a fantastic book (all of her books are wonderful, and if she isn’t already, I highly recommend you add Sloane to your ‘must read’ list). Seriously, check it out.
 

CLAIRE DE LUNE
Robert Appleton & Sloane Taylor
ISBN-13: 978-1-61124-011-5 (Electronic)
ISBN-13: 978-1-61124-995-8 (Paperback)
Amber Quill Press – Amber Heat

Genres: Science Fiction / Futuristic / Action / Adventure / Mystery / Detective / Voyeurism
Heat Level: HOT
Length: Novel (70k words)

Buy The E-book
Buy The Paperback

You are invited to the galaxy’s most prestigious beauty pageant. Swimwear optional.
Romance and danger...fully provided...

Cocky young detectives Gerry Rappeneau and Sebastian Thorpe-Campbell arrive at the premier lunar resort expecting a week of eye candy and long massages. With a half-billion-credit purse up for grabs, this year’s pageant is the focus of a hundred worlds. And beauty isn’t the only thing in the eye of the beholder.

One contestant, Evelyn Lyons, is attacked and her assailant killed. Surely a simple case of a stalker gone mad, as nothing bad ever happens at the Selene contest. So the brochure says.

The closer Gerry gets to Evelyn, the more he is convinced she’s hiding something. His meticulous character sparks with her wild, sassy nature, and they embark on a torrid affair. Their forbidden romance isn’t the only thing set to ignite in Pont de Reves.

Sebastian’s infatuation with demure Claire Villiers, another contestant, threatens to put all four of them in harm’s way.

A deadly trail of corporate conspiracy, monstrous assassins and hot bikini wax is more than anyone bargained for in this incendiary erotic mystery. Get ready for some serious heat on the dark side of the moon.


EXCERPT:

Gerry raised his hand, then dropped it back to his side. Nervous as a teenager on his first date, he scrubbed his sweaty palms down his pant legs. A few deep breaths proved another fruitless attempt to calm himself. He stood straighter, ignoring the giggles from farther up the corridor, and cleared his throat. A few ahems later, he managed to find the balls to knock on Evelyn’s door.

His pulse quickened at the click of a switch inside the room. A trace of exotic perfume. The jingle of a purse chain. All familiar, but never old: the details preceding a first date.

A double beep signaled the door unlocking. Evelyn flung it open.

“Hey, thanks for being on time.”

Her greeting wasn’t the most romantic he’d experienced, but, Christ alive, her dress more than made up for it. A deep purple Aeon evening number, off-shoulder, the kind all the hottest policewomen wore to the annual ICLA social on Io.

He’d…um…encountered it before on a few occasions, but never on such mouth-watering curves. When she turned to lock the door, her pert ass and shapely hips, accentuated by a waist-hugging belt, roused his dick to Mach 9.

She wheeled around and flashed him a hungry glance. Her red lipstick, dark eyeliner, and blonde hair tied back, exposing her swan-like neck, conspired to steal his breath.

“You look lovely,” he whispered, ashamed it was the best he could manage without panting like a Labrador in heat.

“Thank you. Love that shirt.” She spun too quickly and almost clashed heads with him, before dropping her keycard into her purse and wrapping the chain around her wrist. She offered him her free arm and added, “Shall we?”

The touch of her soft white skin on his bare arm ghosted him for a moment as they walked to the elevator. He noticed her lip quiver—the girl inside the goddess—and it settled him into his old confident self. Charming, some might say. At the very least, a smoother groove from which to guide the evening.

“Where are we going?” she asked. “Not too far, I hope. We’re supposed to adhere to a strict curfew.”

“Farther than you’ve ever dreamed.”

“Goody. Rules are for wimps anyway. And you are my official bodyguard.” She squeezed his arm to her supple body, her soft breast pressing into him. “Is it expensive? Not that you should spend the Earth on me or anything, but—”

“It’s obscenely expensive. You’ve no idea.”

“Really? And a secret, I take it.”

“And a secret.”

At the elevator, he held the door open and gestured for her to go first. He then followed and pressed the button for the tenth floor. They were alone in the small space, which seemed to shrink as they climbed higher. He watched her reflection in the mirrored wall while inhaling the full body of her delicate honey scent. Delicious. He swallowed hard, mustering all his strength not to wrap her in his arms and kiss her senseless.

The doors pinged open and he led her across a beige carpet and into an elegant tunnel. Pastel murals of strange, exotic landscapes, encompassing all colors, morphed and blended into one another in a rolling three-sixty display that dizzied as much as it dazzled. Evelyn appeared fascinated as she brushed her hand in front of the imagery, wanting to touch those wild alien locales.

Gerry grinned to himself. So far, so good. If she liked this swirling intro, she’d flip for the full service.

LINKS:
Robert Appleton www.robertappleton.co.uk

Sloane Taylor www.sloanetaylor.com

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Happy Hump Day

Because last week's hottie was so popular, 
here's another for your viewing pleasure.

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Guest Blogging

I'm guest blogging at Desiree Holt Tells All today and talking about my road to publication.

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