Although I was sick for most of the conference last week, I did manage to stir from my room to meet friends. It’s the best part of conference, seeing old friends and making new ones. Here are some of my favorite pics.
Of course, I had to meet the man on my Moonstruck cover, Jimmy Thomas. This was his display at the booksigning on Saturday. You can see Moonstruck on the upper right corner!
I shot this after one of the panel discussions I participated in. In the picture are my BFF Kimberly Kaye Terry and the fabulous L.A. Banks!
More KKT and me! Doesn’t she look amazing?!
L.A. at the booksigning!
Just to prove it’s not all female authors at RT! I bought Jeremy’s book, Hungry for Love—what can I say? I can’t get enough of zombies!
The promo princesses themselves, Megan Hart and Lauren Dane!
I sat next to the very sweet and funny, HelenKay Dimon at the booksigning!
Richelle Mead is signing Frostbite for me!
Another very sweet lady—Taige Crenshaw!
You never know who you’re gonna meet at conference. Here’s my beta-buddy, Virginia E taking a pic of me while I’m taking a pic of her!
Story inspiration can strike in the strangest places. The other day at the nail salon, I saw a young Asian woman with the most gorgeous long black hair. I mean the kind of hair only seen in commercials. Almost blue-black, high shine, and down to her hips, her beautiful tresses tempted my poor fingers to reach out and touch. Just to see if her hair felt as sexy as it looked.
I couldn’t get the idea of the unbelievable beauty of her hair out of my mind. So of course, a story started forming.
Like a song you can’t banish from your mind, sometimes a flash of inspiration refuses to leave you alone. While the story isn’t complete, the basic set up is in my list of stories to write. Definitely another lesbian vampire story. *cackle*
Songs or music videos are another great inspiration for my stories. A Familiar Taste of Poison by Halestorm hit me several ways. First the title. I wish I’d thought of that one! Then there’s the lyrics—
I breathe you in again
Just to feel you underneath my skin
Holding onto the sweet escape
Is always laced with a familiar taste of poison
Finally, there’s the video. I mean…just wow. Fabulous visuals. Great film noir look and feel. An entire murder mystery in four minutes.
A lot of Halestorm’s lyrics strike a chord with me. No pun intended. I think I could write an entire series inspired by their music.
Friends are another source of inspiration, especially if they are also writers. I don’t mean writing about their lives. Although Delilah’s life would make for a very interesting book. *wink*
Brainstorming can start with a single word or a simple premise. Back and forth banter blossoms into stories. Delilah is one of the best at brainstorming. She’s pulled me out of several plot holes.
Then there’s the random stray thought, like the one that inspired my latest story, Consensual Infidelity.
What would you do if you found out your boyfriend were bisexual?
Would you run away as fast as your feet could carry you? Accept it but agree that part of his sexuality should stay hidden? Or would you actively pursue his fantasy of being with a man—then join in?
You can probably guess what Denise Wilder did in Consensual Infidelity. And boy, do they have fun!
Sometimes, a great story comes out of a combination of all of the above. For instance, a bisexual Asian woman murdered in the early 20th century who is resurrected as a vampire. Now I need a little help from my friends to fill in the plot holes! *grins*
Thanks, Delilah, for letting me ramble on about inspiration!
The big book expo was yesterday. Had a great time. I loved chatting with the folks who brought their dog-eared copies of my books, their Kindle covers, and their bookplates for me to sign. It made the whole week worthwhile. I’m flying back to Arkansas today, so I’ll be right back here tomorrow! In the meantime, give a warm welcome to Cathryn! ~DD
Aloha from Hawaii. My husband and I are vacationing on the Big Island—the one with the active volcano. Sadly for my dreams of watching molten lava flow into the turqouise sea, Kilauea is currently…not active.
However, today we drove up from the sunny, warm seashore high into the cool, misty clouds of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. With other tourists from all over the world, we viewed the huge caldera, with sulphurous steam venting from a crater and from the ground all around the park observatory.
We drove down from the 4,000 foot summit to the wind-whipped south-east shore of Hawaii, where just last month, pahoehoe lava flowed down and hardened into black sheets like so much icing, covering mountainsides, verdant forests and even highways before it cascaded into the sea.
It happened. I was not there to see it. But, through the magic of video, maps, diagrams and dioramas that the Park Service does so very well, I was still able to experience the thrill. And I learned about the history of Hawaii, both geologic and how the people who settled here wove the volcanoes into their folklore and religion. The goddess Pele watches over her islands with a loving, jealous heart.
And, sigh…I suppose it’s safer this way. There are only so many roads on this gorgeous island, and I feel for the people who have lost their homes to the fury of Pele’s fire. So, if she chooses to stay her hand, I’ll enjoy the grandeur of her handiwork safely cooled.
And hang out at the beach. Snorkeling tomorrow! I have a date with a handsome husband, lots of tropical fishes and a turtle or two, out on the reef.
Posting from LA! I skipped the Fairy Ball last night. Allergies were driving me nuts (sneezing, wheezing), so I went to bed early. 🙁 Had a good day though. Met with my agent. Sat on a panel with the awesome, L.A. Banks, Kim Kaye Terry, Glenda Wood from Harlequin and J.D. Mason. The panel went very well! I attended the EC luncheon, popped in briefly to the late afternoon Samhain party, but again, I was tired and coughing, so I ducked out and hung with Vivi Anna and Kim (she injured her knee dancing, so needed the company!). That’s the best about conferences—cementing friendships. ~DD
Cougars…really?
Thanks to Delilah for having me here today!
My topic today is one I’ve done before but still fascinates me. Cougars. Why is a woman of a certain age (and that age is getting younger and younger—I’m thirty-five and I’d bet in some circles I would qualify) who’s interested in a younger man worthy of a derogatory title? Do older men get named for dating younger women? No, because that’s considered the usual way of things.
Women who take charge of their lives and their sexuality and go after what they want—whether it’s a younger man or a career or staying home with their kids—have earned my respect. I have a good friend who’s engaged to someone younger and she’s a beautiful, sweet woman. He’s lucky to have her! I think to insinuate that women dating younger guys is all about sex isn’t true. Just like people can have friends of any age, love blooms between all different age groups. And that’s the way it should be.
Even if it’s not about love, who cares? I say have fun. Go for it. What’s been good for the guys since the beginning of time is definitely good for us ladies.
I’m writing two very different so-called “cougar” stories right now and I’ve written one before, Full Disclosure. One of the reasons I love writing them is that I like an age range in my heroines and unfortunately, unless you’re writing women’s fiction, heroines above 35 don’t seem prevalent unless they’re with a younger guy.
I like writing about older women. They’ve usually got a better handle on what they want in their careers and sexually too. But they have a whole new set of vulnerabilities to explore.
What about you? Do you dislike the term “cougar”? Do you enjoy books featuring older heroines?
Visit Cari Quinn at www.cariquinn.com or at her blog: Cari’s Blog
I’m in LA! If you are at the Romantic Times convention, please look me up. However, I won’t be spending ALL my time hanging out at the bar. I have a book to edit and get back into my editor’s hands. What can I say? Time got away from me before I left. So much for a vacation. 😥 In the meantime, welcome my guest, Adele Dubois! Oh, and remember, the MOONSTRUCK contest is still running! See details in Tuesday’s blog! ~DD
What’s Your Fantasy
by Adele Dubois
All my life I’ve been fascinated by motorcycles and convertibles. The sensations of wind and speed thrills like nothing else. When the weather’s warm, I love to ride in my convertible with the top down, as do the heroines in almost all of my books. Though I don’t own a motorcycle, my law-enforcement heroes do, and they ride hard and fast when they need to solve a crime or sport the heroine away from danger.
I live vicariously through my strong, sexy characters in the novella REV ME TWICE and it’s stand-alone novel REV ME UP. These e-books will be combined in trade paperback as REV ME this fall.
Though I’m not fearless enough to ride a motorcycle in real life, I can live out the fantasy with my story characters. Isn’t that the best thing about fiction? We can go where we want to go and do whatever we please, including having the most amazing sex imaginable with a hot guy who looks good on a Harley.
I’m on my way to LA for the RT convention. I won’t be back until Sunday. In the meantime, I have some fun guests lined up to keep you entertained. Don’t be shy about commenting! ~DD
I’ve blogged about Cowboys before and had so much fun with the Cowboy conversation starters, I thought I’d do it again on Delilah’s Blog.
First, what’s not to love about cowboys? Having lived in Texas, on a small 100-acre ranch outside of San Antonio, I know a little about cows—they’re dumber than dirt. I know a little about horses—just waving at them doesn’t stop them from running over you. I know a little about building fences—100 acres takes 9 months of weekends to completely fence, almost as painful as having a baby. We had the fortune of raising some exotic animals for a while in the form of ratites—I know, what’s a ratite? Think Ostrich, Emu and Rheas, those really big, flightless birds that are almost as dumb as cows. I learned a lot from the big birds. Ostriches can kick the crap out of you, Emus have a six-feet vertical jump and it hurts when they land on your head, and a Rhea male sits the eggs and doesn’t like it when you rob his nest.
I no longer live on that ranch—it was killing me to re-fence after every rain storm. After 14 years working it, we decided to try our hands as business owners in Arkansas. I miss the Texas hill country and the cowboys that came along with it. I always wanted my daughters to marry cowboys, but so far that hasn’t happened. And since I was already married when we moved to the Texas hill country, I didn’t get the opportunity to marry a cowboy myself, not that I mind having married the computer geek husband I have. He’s tough when it comes to trying his hand at ranching and he doesn’t give up.
However, IF I was single, here a few conversation starters I came up with for an encounter with a cowboy. Maybe one of you can use them since I’m already taken. Tell me what you think and if you have a few of your own, I’d love to hear them. Leave a conversation starter for a chance to win a download of FIT TO BE TIED or HONOR BOUND.
10. Bull riding or team roping?
9. Felt or straw cowboy hat?
8. Ever tipped a cow?
7. Skinny-dip or suit?
6. Saddle or bareback?
5. Where did you get your first kiss?
4. Candles or stars?
3. Ride much?
2. Do you sleep in the nude or with your boots on?
1. Do you own a pair of chaps?
I love to write about contemporary cowboys and cowboys of the old west. Check out SEX ED on Amazon. He’s a cowboy caught between a promise and a request he can’t ignore.
Myla Jackson, aka Elle James, aka Delilah Devlin’s little sister. Woot!
Twenty years of livin’ and lovin’ on a South Texas ranch raising horses, cattle, goats, ostriches and emus left an indelible impression on Myla Jackson, one she likes to instill in her red-hot stories. Myla pens wildly sexy, fun adventures of all genres including historical westerns, medieval tales, romantic suspense, contemporary romance and paranormal beasties of all shapes and sexy sizes. or spending time with her family. She lives in the tree-covered hills of Northwest Arkansas with her husband of 20+ years and her muses— the human-wanna-be canines—Chewy and Sweetpea. To learn more about Myla Jackson and her stories visit her website at https://www.mylajackson.com.
First! Thank you to everyone who bid on my two auction items during Operation Auction in support of Fatin and her family! My bootcamp+ sold for $202.50 and the totebag of books went for $122.50! Congratulations to the winners!
Now, doesn’t the title of this post sound like one of those Ginsu knives commercials?! What’s this all about? Ellora’s Cave is running a sale. For a limited time only, you can purchase books from the ten authors listed on this ad at online bookstores like Kindle and B&N for a greatly reduced price. The list of my particular titles affected by this sale is at the bottom of this post!
