NaNo Day 12:
Viking-2—0 words
TW—0 words 😕

While I’m busy making up for the words I didn’t write yesterday, enjoy this excerpt from Bad, Bad Girlfriend. Here’s what happens when a desperate woman goes a little too far to get her man’s attention (with the help of a magical pair of stilettos).

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Jolie heard the music, tried to catch the beat, but she’d never been so scared, so embarrassed in her life.

She knew she’d made a huge mistake the minute she’d entered the stripper’s dressing room. Lexie had ushered her in after Guppy, the skinny, bespectacled manager of the strip club, let them in the back door and showed them to the women’s dressing room. She already wore her costume under a tightly belted trench coat, but getting her first up-close look at the other women awaiting their turns on the stage made her lose her nerve.

She turned back toward the exit.

Lexie stood behind her, her arms crossed over her chest. “No you don’t. Not after I paid him a hundred dollars to let you do this!”

“You paid him?”

Lexie shrugged. “He prefers professionals, but he’s not above a bribe.”

“Great. You had to pay him to let me take off my clothes. Get out of my way.”

Lexie’s chin firmed, and her eyes narrowed into the meanest look her friend could manage. “You talked me into this. You convinced me this was a good idea. No way are you going to chicken out now.”

“They’ll laugh at me,” Jolie whispered furiously.

The other women, even the curvier ones, weren’t as well-padded.

One the women nearest them, eyed Jolie in the glass as she applied a wide streak of eyeliner. “We’ve had big girls before. Some of the men prefer ’em. Give it a go, hon.”

Jolie didn’t appreciate the advice and straightened her spine, ready to walk right through Lexie if she didn’t get the hell out of her way.

Lexie lifted her chin. “You want a ring, remember? A commitment. You want him to notice you, know you’re desirable for more than your cupcakes.”
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NaNo Day 11:
Viking-2—2283 words
TW—0 words 😕

Yesterday, I got word that two short stories I’d written for Cleis anthologies are going to be published! So, I’m sharing pictures of the covers. [Click on the covers to head to Amazon and order them!]

Carnal Machines won’t be out until May 1, 2011, but it’s never to early to place a great collection on pre-order (hint, hint). My own contribution is called Dr. Mullaley’s Cure. It was my first attempt at Steampunk and so enjoyable to write, I’m thinking about doing more.

Remember the award-winning Lesbian Cowboys? Lesbian Cops is another such offering from editor Sacchi Green. I write about two small-town female cops who come together. My female protagonist was hard-edged, but with a wicked edge of humor. I completely loved writing her. This one’s coming April 1, 2011.

NaNo Day 10:
Viking-2—1671 words
TW—462 words

A Reader’s Top Ten Guide for A Great Romance

by Marie Harte

Thanks, Delilah, for letting me blog here today. I wanted to write something different, so I switched hats from writer to reader. And I was off and running…

As a writer, I like to know what readers want. I’m not so much into trends. I don’t like jumping on the vampire bandwagon just because those books might be popular. If I have an actual vampire story in mind, that’s something else. I’m talking about common threads that appeal to readers. Strong heroines, alpha males, sexual tension, that kind of thing.

Then I had a thought. Hey, I’m a reader. Why not list what I’m looking for in a story? I can read a three to four hundred page book in one sitting in a few hours, easy. I can’t say how many books I read in a month or year, but during my crazy (book-obsessed) days that fluctuate from month to month in between deadlines, I can easily read two or three in a day, especially if the stories are shorter. Of course, a lot of that depends on time, too, because I do have a family and a day job writing.

From what I’ve read and seen over the years, I have a lot in common with the average Sally Reader. So here’s my top ten list of what constitutes a great romance, in no particular order.

1. Likeable characters. The hero and heroine (or hero and hero, whatever floats your boat) don’t have to be the nicest people on the planet, but at some point they have to be likeable, and not ten pages from the end. There’s nothing worse than trying to read a book about people that are either whiny, annoying, or TSTL (too stupid to live) for 350 pages.

2. Sexual tension. I write erotic romance, and I like to read it. But when the characters hop into bed on page 3, it kind of takes away my enjoyment to see them struggle for it. Now a few authors have made this work by throwing in the requisite plot problems and angst, but by and large the easy hookup doesn’t appeal to me.

3. Gratuitous sex. Yes, I feel awful for saying this. Especially since for so many years I read stories where the characters could barely hold hands before the author cut to a new scene. Erotic romance has “erotic” in the title for a reason. It involves sex. But sex for sex’s sake shows. When the physical builds the emotional, it works. You can tell when it doesn’t.

4. The right angst. I am drawn to tortured heroes and heroines. I think we all are. It’s normal to want to see people build themselves back up after being thrown down a peg or two. But when the characters suffer page after page after page, it takes away from the joy to be had in the story. And real or not, rape scenes do nothing for me. I don’t like reading about it, and I don’t even like references to it with the main characters. Then again, that’s a personal pet peeve, but we are talking fiction, a place where anything normally goes. And hey, this is my list.

5. Character growth. I find it common anymore to read a book where one of the two characters grows but the other remains stagnant. It’s like the author puts so much into making the heroine a strong woman, she forgets that the hero is more than a foil for the heroine, but an actual part of the story. Let him grow too, damn it!

6. Humor. Just because a book is dark doesn’t mean it can’t have funny moments. Fiction mirrors reality, right? Well, people do laugh at funerals. Life isn’t all one shade, but a rainbow of emotion. Throw it all in there, I say.

7. Believable conflict. There’s nothing worse than reading a story where the hero and heroine don’t get along because of a simple misunderstanding. One short conversation between the pair would eliminate all problems and make the whole story crumble. That’s not believable conflict. Layer stuff in there, make us, the readers, want to see how they solve their problems. A phone call where the heroine admits she threw out his favorite shirt, and she’s sorry, and why can’t they all just get along, doesn’t cut it.

8. Chemistry. The main characters have to have it, or the story won’t work. Just because an author creates the pair or threesome or group involved doesn’t mean they fit. And yeah, I’ve read romances where the hero seems better suited to a secondary character and the heroine should be lesbian. It’s like the author doesn’t know her characters.

9. If everyone’s special, no one’s special. One author I used to love and now can’t read anymore gives all her characters god powers. Yeah, all of them. They’re all immortal, so where’s the scare factor? Why should the characters worry when they can snap their fingers and have an HEA whenever they want? And seriously, is every character really that handsome, pretty, white, skinny-with-boobs or tall?

10. Don’t break the rules. Authors create worlds and a set of rules that go with them. So when I read about a hero who can’t do X, then thirty pages in does X, it annoys me, especially if there’s no explanation as to why he can do X. It’s like the author has forgotten her own rules. Sure there are exceptions to the rules, but if there are too many, why have the rules in the first place?

I love to read and always will. But as my budget gets tighter, my choices in what I read narrow. I might chance a new author when all my favorites have nothing out, but burn me once, and I probably won’t be back to read more. Even my favorites have only so much leeway before I’m moving on to someone new. And with the sheer breadth of choices out there, thanks to epublishing and our friend, the Internet, I don’t have to search far and wide for a new and temping read anymore.

Happy reading!

Marie
www.marieharte.com

NaNo Day 9:
Viking-2—2075 words
TW—0 words—new project, and stalling!

Psst! Yesterday’s winner is located at the bottom of this post.

I took a sleeping pill last night because I wanted to be in bed at 6 PM to catch up on rest. I was feeling dizzy and had a headache. Usually, I take a pill and I’m awake about three hours later. This time, I slept 10 1/2 hours straight. Now, I have a back ache.

I have been hitting the keyboard hard these past few weeks. NaNo is just a support. I started a week before that after scaring myself silly with a glance at the word count I had to make to finish everything on time.

So far, one of four things is done. The short story for the Girls Who Bite anthology. The Viking story is well underway—I have about 130 pages to go. I’m at page 73 of Girls Who Bite. I have to keep reading through submissions to piece together the rest of the 260 pages, but I see no problems there. Today, I MUST start the last story due by end of month. It’s intimidating me because I like to take time over openings, but I have to jump right in this time.

It’s 5:30 AM. As you can tell, I’m a little dull-headed still. Hopefully, I can nudge Mr. Muse from the ether where he sleeps and we can get started soon.

Yesterday’s winner of a free download of Unleashing the Tiger is…Ilona! Ilona, congrats! Email me to let me know what addy want the story sent to.

NaNo Day 8:
Viking-2—2286 words
GWB-Me—1049 words–and complete!

If you post a comment today, you’ll be in the running
for a free download of this book!

NaNo’s kickin’ my ass, but I’m slogging forward. I wrapped up my contribution to the Girls Who Bite anthology, and I’ve started playing with the order of the stories. I’m not nearly through all the submissions, but a few standouts have made the cut so far. I’m 132 pages from the end of the second Viking story. I’m writing wildly, and hoping that something wonderful is waiting under all that mess for me to polish into gold. Tomorrow, I begin a new story, also due at the end of this month. Is it really the 9th! Frick! Have to up my daily dose of caffeine.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“…Delilah Devlin packs a powerful punch with ALTERED STATES: UNLEASHING THE TIGER…Ms. Devlin creates a beautiful romance with a paranormal twist that gives the readers what they are asking for and so much more…”
5 Angels, Fallen Angels Reviews

“…I thought [the choice of hero] was a brave and unusual choice for the author to make…It was definitely worth the read…”
4.5 Stars, Just Erotic Romance Reviews

“…I really liked this book for its very sensuous love scenes…I loved how Khalid’s character was portrayed as very alpha yet he was so tender with Casey…This short story moves along swiftly with a mixture of military action, intelligent yet amusing dialogue, and red hot sex to keep the reader thoroughly entertained.”
4 Hearts, The Romance Studio

An analyst in a secret government agency, Casey McTaggert’s professional life has been dedicated to the capture of one suspected terrorist. Even before she’s abducted by Khalid in the midst of a firefight, she’s completely fascinated with the man they call the “The Tiger.” But what began as a professional obsession quickly becomes lust as his dark, Persian features and harshly hewn body awaken a forbidden passion.

Khalid Razeh can’t fight the genetic programming that makes him shift into a tiger any more than he can resist the sensual allure of his lovely hostage. While forcing her to accompany him on one last mission, he fights the overwhelming attraction, knowing that he is walking into a trap that will end in death. Casey’s tender lovemaking and growing belief in his innocence are a sweet balm to his wild, savage soul.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Khalid watched the woman’s mobile mouth curve into a mischievous smile. She had no idea how close he was to pouncing. Her scent beneath the sweat and dirt teased his nostrils like the flick of a cat’s tail, tugging at his cock, which jerked against the smooth leather case he’d perched on his lap.

Never had he been so distracted from his purpose. Just another thing he hated about the changes in him. He seemed to have lost control over his ability to shut out physical needs. His mind was no longer the captain of his body.

It was just an added irritant that he really did need her to accompany him. The woman obviously spent too much time in a sheltered cubicle—far from the harsh glare of reality. Her unshakeable enthusiasm and curiosity contradicted the image of the stale, world-weary analyst he would have conjured. She was almost…innocent…in her wonder.

His instinct for self-preservation reared up, reminding him not to relax his guard in her disarming presence. She was a woman—an attractive one despite the wire-rimmed glasses sliding down her nose and the messy knot of blonde hair pulled tight at the back of her head. The prim suit hugged slender curves, almost boyish in their lack of definition. Her legs, however, were extraordinary.

Neat, slender ankles, long straight calves and smooth round knees.

His cock approved, straining against the case.

“Do you know how?” she asked, her eyes shining in the moonlight with a hopeful glitter.

Most assuredly, he knew how. But he did not think he was responding to the correct question. He shook himself and looked around. The truck. “Yes. I can…hotwire it. Cut the engine.”

With the M-19 he’d “acquired” back at the wall strung over his shoulder, he bounded from the vehicle, supremely aware of the wag of his rigid cock. He didn’t bother to turn away from her. Better she should know her affect on him now. Perhaps it would curb her enthusiasm.
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NaNo Day 7:
Viking-2—1688 words
GWB-Me—384 words

Just a little something to give you a lift. Wonder what he’s thinking.

Ouch, this hard bench hurts my back?
I’m too sexy for my shirt, too sexy for pants, so sexy it hurts…

What do you think’s running through his mind?

NaNo Day 6:
Viking-2—1819 words
GWB-Me—603 words

Since this time last week, I’ve written 70 pages of Viking story and am smack in the middle of chapter 14; I plotted and wrote 13 pages of my short story for Girls Who Bite; and I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about a new BDSM story—hey, thinking counts as progress!

I’m not fried yet, but I still have 3 weeks to go. Wait and see if I’m still sane or babbling and drooling on my keyboard by then.

I hope to keep healthy and focused for another week. I want to be done with the short story, I want to be done with chapter 17 of the Viking thing, and I want to have started a new story. Why do you ask? Okay, so maybe you really don’t care enough to wonder, but I have to have something new started before I finish the Viking thing or I’ll wallow in “what do I do now?” and not make any progress at all. When I’m pumped about one book, it’s time to start the next.

All you fellow NaNo’ers—let’s have another awesome week!

What can you readers do to help a girl out? I do need a cheering squad. Lots of “Rah-Rahs” and pretty pom-poms shaking. And if you’ve read a book lately, be sure to post a review, tag it, or star it. Those little things do count.