Ah… Spring.

In my part of the country, it’s looking a lot like Spring has sprung. Flowers are blooming and people are sneezing left and right.

For me, spring means two things: soccer and cleaning.

I’ve already started my mad rush of cleaning. Yes, I’m sick, I know. This past weekend the floors were swept, scrubbed, and vacuumed. Even the corners, crevices and those icky places along the baseboards had a spotlight on them. Do you have any idea what hides there??? *shudder*

But my physical house isn’t the only thing that needs a good cleaning. I REALLY need to get through all those somewhat intangible things that float along the edges of my life. All those things-to-do that never quite got done. The projects that I started but didn’t quite finish. The list of goals I want to accomplish, but haven’t yet. New story ideas that I’ve been tucking away on random pieces of paper. I simply must find time to go through all of that STUFF and get it organized before I either loose the thought or it keeps getting buried and therefore, never done.

Surely I’m not the only working-mom who always seems to be chasing her tail?? What helps you guys keep up with everything? Other than a personal assistant, that is. That’s just not in the budget. LOL

While you’re thinking about that, take a much-needed and probably well deserved break and go check out my new Quickie from Ellora’s Cave, Down to Business. Find out about the bargain Leigh Templeton made with her husband John so they could have a work-free weekend getaway. Down to Business is available on Ellora’s Cave and Amazon Kindle.

Buy at Ellora’s Cave
Buy at Amazon

Stop by my blog – I’d love to hear from you!

~ Dena Garson
http://denagarson.com
https://twitter.com/#!/DenaGarson

If you don’t already know, there are two contests currently running on this website. Up for grabs? 8 books and 2 $25 gift certificates. Be sure to check out the rules on my contest page. Both contests end on THURSDAY!

I’m going to be deep, deep into my new story today, doing my best to nail a chapter. What am I working on? The sequel to A Four-Gone Conclusion. The two handsome twins have finally met their perfect match. So while I’m writing like my hair’s on fire, I’ll leave you with a question…

What author would you choose to write your memoir?

Drama and a Giveaway!

Thanks so much for having me, Delilah! Hi everyone 🙂 I’m Gillian Archer and I’m guest blogging here because my first story with Carina Press releases today.

Unlike my heroine in Wicked Weekend, I don’t have any sibling angst. Don’t get me wrong, my sister and I used to fight like cats and dogs…when we were little. My mom always says she knew we were really going at it when all the yelling and bickering would stop and it suddenly got quiet in our room—that was when she would yell down the hall to “knock it off in there!” Probably had a bit to do with our two year age difference. But we grew out of it somewhere around middle school.

Now as adults, my sister and I are completely different people. She’s an analytical hippy chick who is getting her PhD in Radiochemistry (of all things) and practically worships Bob Marley. Whereas I love everything George Strait and used to be a mining engineer (weird, I know!) but now spend my days writing steamy romance scenes. There’s so much we don’t agree about, but my week is not complete unless I talk to my sis at least once. What can I say? I love her 🙂

And yet I absolutely cannot get enough of family/sibling angst. Whether it’s in books or on television, I’m glued to the drama. The latest reality family spectacle that I can’t get enough of is American Chopper: Senior vs. Junior. My husband watches for the bike builds but I’m glued to the angst. The lawsuits and nasty comments about their own family members break my heart. Will they ever be able to mend fences and be a family again? How can anyone move past the kind of history that these guys have? These are the kinda questions that fuel my writing muse.

So when it came to writing my heroine, I just had to give her some family angst. There’s a history between the sisters that’s apparent from the first page, and they have a few run-ins along the way as well as the prerequisite sibling jealousy. Of course when she meets a hawt guy and has some naughty fun with him she realizes she has no reason to be jealous of her sister. It’s so much better being her. *grin*

Why did Lauren Vaughn introduce her sister to the man she herself was crazy about? Now Lauren is watching the happy couple at their combined bachelor/bachelorette party—while Lauren sits all alone at the bar. Until she spots a hot stranger with the telltale black handkerchief in his pocket: the signal for “seeks no-strings affair with sexy submissive.” Lauren can’t take her eyes off him. So when he comes over, she kicks her inner good girl to the curb and follows Jamie Forman to his room, where he makes her scream with pleasure all night long.

But Jamie is a complicated man. He can’t handle how desperately he wants her in his bed—and his life. It’s up to Lauren to teach him how to make all night last forever.

You can read more about Wicked Weekend at my website, or buy it today from Carina or other book selling sites like Amazon or B&N!

So do you have some sibling angst? Or a favorite book or tv show dealing with family angst? Leave me a comment and you’ll have a chance to win a book from my backlist.

Thanks for having me Delilah!

* * * * *

Gillian Archer lives in Northern Nevada with her amazing husband and two goofy dogs. When she’s not writing (but probably should be) Gillian is usually reading, baking or walking her very spoiled dogs. You can find her at her website, on Facebook or Twitter.

Psst! The winner of one of Myla Jackson’s (March 5) fabulously erotic books is…Leann! Leann, be sure to contact me to arrange delivery of your prize! Congrats!

Free Story!

If you don’t have this story, click on the cover now!

This offer won’t last long!

And since it’s for free, maybe you wouldn’t mind “tagging” and “liking” it on Amazon. A review would be nice too… 🙂

Thanks to you, it rose pretty quickly up the Free Erotica list at Amazon. Just maybe, I’ll find a few new readers. Your reviews help them decide to take the chance, and those reviews don’t have to be pretty. In fact, the less polished the writing, the more the reader will trust you.

Brand New Covers

The first four of the My Immortal Knight stories have fresh new covers. Take a look! I haven’t changed them on my website yet because they aren’t up on Amazon, but they are up at Ellora’s Cave! Click on the covers if you’re interested in reading more!

Contest Reminder!

Two contests end on March 16th! The 4x2x4 Contest (four sets of two signed books to four lucky winners) and The Promo Ho contest (up for grabs? TWO $25.00 gift certificates!).

And because I want to give more of you a chance to win, I’ll add TWO HOT to the list of eligible books for the Promo Ho contest! Check out my Contest Page for more details.

Sunday Report Card

What a busy-productive week!

1) I completed a short-short story entitled “Quick Draw” and submitted it for consideration to an editor!
2) I completed my part of Charmed in the Big Easy, a co-written story with Paisley Smith, and submitted it!
3) I put together three brief treatments for possible stories and shipped them to my agent for his opinion.

Not bad, huh? This week, it’s back to cowboys!

Next Week’s Guests

This week, I’ll have the following ladies blogging here:

Mar 12 — Gillian Archer
Mar 14 — Dena Garson

Be sure to drop by to say hello. You might just find another author you have to read!

A quick note! Be sure to get your free copy of TWO HOT this weekend: Link to FREE COPY

People protect themselves in different ways. Sometimes, it’s through silence—if you never attempt to connect, you won’t be hurt. Sometimes, it’s through a clever quip—something stinging or so clever it makes potential mates back away. In this scene you have have both.

“A FOUR-GONE CONCLUSION is a prime example on how a novella should be written; fast and fun, touching characters that pull you in and a story that is completely fulfilling.”
4.5 Cherries, Long and Short Reviews

One devilish night…or a chance at heaven?

Sam Logan’s foster sons have a bad rep in Two Mule, Texas. Most of it earned. When it becomes clear they don’t plan on giving up scootin’ after ever pretty pair of boots in town anytime soon, he issues the one thing he knows they can’t resist: a challenge. Find a wife.

The oldest, Johnny, is actually grateful. He’s had his eye on Mean Ellie Harker for a long time, and Sam’s challenge is the kick in the pants he needed to ask her out. Except before he can make his move, his brothers kidnap her right out from under his nose. Now, instead of being one question away from victory, he has to compete for the woman of his dreams.

Ellie thought she’d be a dried up old spinster before Johnny finally untangled his tongue long enough to ask for a date. But instead of teaching him better uses for that tongue, his brothers have whisked her away to the ranch. At first she’s furious…then intrigued when she starts to wonder what it might be like…

Warning: Four handsome cowboys. Four choices. Would it be a single sordid night or a chance at heaven as she savors every luscious inch of the Logan brothers?

“I could help you, you know,” Killian said, his tone casual.

Too casual. Johnny grunted. “With what?”

“Gettin’ you a wife.”

His hands tightened on the steering wheel. “Worry about findin’ your own.”

“It’s not how it works, bro. We’re brothers.”

“We’re not blood.”

“Blood’s not what counts.”

Which was a sorry damn truth they all knew too well. Blood had failed them all.

Johnny cussed under his breath. “How would you help? You gonna chat her up for me? You gonna tell her what a catch I am?”

“Well, you are. You stand to inherit a fourth of the Double Tree. And I’ve seen the way women look at you.”

Johnny snorted.

“You’re not a bad lookin’ guy.

Johnny aimed a blistering glare his way. “You gonna ask me out?”

Killian grinned. “Just statin’ the facts. You’re not hard on the eyes. And you’re tall. Girls like that. And they like your hair. They like you fine until you give ’em that thousand-yard stare like you’re sightin’ down a rifle barrel.”

Johnny gave him his meanest glare. “This isn’t gonna work.” Read the rest of this entry »

Some Like it Hotter

As the author of three romantic comedies, I was comfortable in my genre. I knew how to make my readers laugh with my characters and sigh at the most romantic moments. My romantic comedies are like a good Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan film. So what would possess me to leave my comfort zone for something different? The answer is…Some Like It Hotter.

At a writer’s conference, I was sitting at a table surrounded by erotica writers. We had an eye-opening conversation about the number of books they’d written, their loyal following and their sales numbers, which blew mine out of the water.

When I got home, I went online and purchased one of their books. I was pleasantly surprised to find their story wasn’t that much different from mine, just with more and hotter sex scenes. The writing was superior, the plot was captivating, the characters were believable and engaging. That’s when it occurred to me; maybe I could write erotica.

The thought was sticky and clung to my waking moments like a piece of tape I couldn’t get off my finger. Next thing I knew, my overactive imagination had come up with not one book, but a four book series: Hot PurSuits. Each book would have one of the playing card suits in the title.

My first attempt would be, Stealing Hearts, to be followed by Queen of the Clubs, Pay Back in Spades, and Not for Diamonds. Then, with the help of my brothers, of all people, we created a pen name to keep the genres separate. I decided to write under a pen name so that fans of Christie Walker Bos couldn’t accidentally read one of my erotica books. But I decided to link the two names for cross promotion purposes. I don’t care if people know that Susan Ashworthy is really Christie Walker Bos. I just wanted to make sure that readers knew there was a difference between the two lines. With titles ready, a pen name in hand, all that was left to do was write the first book. Easy, right?

Not as easy as I thought. Needless to say, the edits were extreme. I had a lot to learn about erotica. Which words you can and can’t use to describe certain body parts, what to leave in, what to leave out, (what to put in, when to put out?) I had this great idea to incorporate dripping hot wax on my hero in one of the sex scenes. My editor asked, “Have you ever tried that?” Well, no, actually I hadn’t. So I tried it and guess what…it really hurts…I mean hurts A LOT. So I changed it to painting him with warm liquid chocolate. The things you do for your craft.

One thing I did notice was my voice was the same. There is still a touch of humor in my erotica, and my characters are still “real” living people who just happen to have more frequent and hotter sex. Lucky them!

So Stealing Hearts finally was published and I held my breath until the first review came out. Holding breath, holding breath, holding breath…and, YES, my first review was a good one. Yeah. Now the real test…reader feedback. I sent copies to some of my Christie Walker Bos fans to see if they would like this new subgenre. Holding breath, holding breath, holding breath…and, YES, two thumbs up. But what I really wanted to see, the point of my whole experiment into the “dark side” was if royalties would be different. And guess what, they were. That first royalty check for Stealing Hearts was about 6 times larger than first royalty checks for my romantic comedies. So it’s true, more people really do like it hotter!

If you were to write erotica, would you use a pen name? Would you link your erotic line with your current genre?

Writers who pen articles for magazines understand this concept very well. They research a topic, write an article targeting a particular publisher, submit it, then turn around and repurpose that same article, just retargeting/repurposing that piece for a new audience and another publication.

Fiction writers don’t get that opportunity as often because, if we have an audience, how irritated would they be to read the same piece over and over, just repurposed for another release? Here are two examples of works I’ve recently “repurposed.”

Two Hot was previously “Hot Out Here” in The Mammoth Book of Hot Romance, however, I revised it, and added a better ending. Something I couldn’t do the first time around because of word count restraints.

All the short stories in Strokes, except for “Lily’s Last Stand” and “All About Me,” were previously published in Cleis Press collections.

Why would I want to republish them?

1) I like to make my work accessible to my fans and not everyone is willing to buy every anthology I appear in.
2) I like making a little money for my labor. The stories I sold to Cleis, for example, only earned me $50 apiece.

In this day and age when a writer can publish her own work, she has greater control over her own destiny. In the scary old days, there was only one way for a writer to go—straight to New York and a handful of big publishers. If you didn’t manage to catch the eye of an editor, then if your story wasn’t something the marketing department knew how to sell, you were toast. With more epublishers and self-publishing opportunities, writers can cut out the middle men entirely if they wish.

I wouldn’t ever want to cut out all of my publishers. You never know what the future holds, and it’s best not keep all your eggs in one basket, but there’s so much freedom now. I’m enjoying it. I hope you readers enjoy the result too—more books, more quickly, for a great price from writers you love.

Oh, and sometime late today or tonight, Two Hot will be offered for free on Amazon.com. Just my way of saying thanks for being along for the ride. I’ll tweet, FB and message you all when that offer goes live! *blows kisses* ~DD