Storytelling, Sarcasm and Steam

Now that I’ve been writing for a few years I’m discovering more and more that definitions are far too fluid to be able to set in stone. What one person considers terribly racy and suggestive barely makes another person yawn. With the recent increased exposure for erotic stories, I’m still thinking about this—what makes one person say that a book had “oh my gawd hawt sex” and the next person simply says “meh”?

Expectations have a lot to do with it. If I hear something is awesome, great, incredible, I’m going to compare to what I’ve already experienced that meets that criteria for me. And then I’m going to make a judgment call. Bottom-line, it still comes back to OUR expectations, and our past experiences. Which means the old axiom of “You can’t please everyone” still remains truth.

So, in a seemingly total change of topic—but not really—what do you think about paranormal stories? I ask because here too there are expectations and past experiences that colour our thoughts. I will admit it: I’m not a vampire fan. I’m also a wimp, and dark, frightening stories put me off. So for many years when people talked about loving a paranormal series, I didn’t pay any further attention. I’d TRIED reading a paranormal. Someone got killed in the first three pages, their soul sucked away to the eternal abyss of pain, and the hero was wiping blood from his mouth and—**shudder**

Okay, let’s think about rainbows and ponies for a while. Better? Me too.

Not that dark books are bad—they can be beautifully written, with exquisite plotting and character development. But they aren’t for ME. And that experience coloured all my thoughts of paranormal. Until one day…

I read a Shelley Laurenson book.

Paranormal? Yes. Well written? Yes. But most important to me, it was funny as spit. I got kicked out of bed for giggling so hard I was shaking the bed and woke my husband. That book changed the way I thought about paranormal series, because while some are dark and full of vamps, some are sheer out fun and full of people I’d like to meet in real life.

Just like the steam level in sexy books can will be judged on what you’ve already read, there are a wide variety of paranormal stories that have different elements. Darkness, sexy alpha males, complex world building. Or…there’s the Takhini Wolves and Granite Lake Wolves, my version of stepping into the ‘other’ side. Shifters with sarcasm and steam. Also powerful Alphas, but they’re more likely to be involved in a bar brawl after shooting moonshine than a bloodletting.

Next Tuesday SILVER MINE releases. If you’re not a huge paranormal fan… (because the darkness scares you? You’re not into weird world rules?) …this is a different kind of book to try.

Who knows? You might find something totally unexpected. You will find sex—although of what heat level, you’ll have to be the judge.

~~**~~

Silver Mine:
 Takhini Wolves, Book 2

If a tree falls in the forest, duck… Read the rest of this entry »

My Stiletto Collection vs. The Doctor…This Could Get Ugly

If you know me, you know my love of a sexy stiletto. I can’t count the numerous heels I own, but last time I attempted, it was around 100. I wore heels during both pregnancies, while I worked all day in the salon and even in high school. I cannot express my love enough for a sassy shoe.

About six months ago I noticed something on my foot…and it hurt. I put off calling the doctor because I just knew what he’d say. I didn’t want to hear that I would have to put my heels away for something more *gasp* practical.

Well, the time has come that I finally sucked it up and went to the doctor. Here’s a little piece of our conversation:

“Mrs. Bennett, great to see you again,” the doctor says as he walks in the door.

“Listen, I know you’re going to tell me I need surgery.” I didn’t even say hello back. “I know you’re going to tell me my heels caused my foot problem and I don’t care. Just schedule the surgery, let’s get it over with so I can get back to my shoes.”

After a moment of silence, he busted out laughing.

“Well,” the doctor said, still grinning. “I’m not going to talk you out of those shoes am I?”

I followed his gaze down to my black and silver stilettos and shook my head. “Nope. If I have to have surgery every few years, then so be it. I refuse to buy ugly shoes.”

He slapped my folder on the counter and smiled. “Well, then, that was easy.”

So, after I set him straight, he made me an appointment with a surgeon. I’ll be going there on Tuesday. I’m sure I’ll have to be as blunt with this new doctor. My other doctor knows how stubborn I am so he wasn’t wasting his time arguing.

I hate to be so stubborn, but there are just some things I will not budge on and my shoe collection is one of them. I only buy heels for special occasions (ie: when my girls were born, when I sell another book, when I have a release, when I hit a milestone, etc). So in my defense, each pair holds a memory.

Okay, that’s pushing it, but I seriously refuse to clear out my arsenal of shoes and switch to something like…tennis shoes! I do own tennis shoes, but they are strictly for workouts. 🙂

So, do you have something you’re just as passionate about? Is there something in your life you won’t budge on? I’ll give a signed copy of my latest Harlequin Desire release WHATEVER THE PRICE to one person who leaves a comment!

“Do-overs”

Thanks to Delilah for letting me guest blog on her site today! For those of you who don’t know me, I’m an author of lesbian romances. I’ve been fortunate enough to work with Delilah on two of her Cleis Press anthologies – She Shifters and Girls Who Bite. I’ve also had two novels, Harmony and Worth the Risk, published by Bold Strokes Books, and my third book will be released in January, 2013. It’s called Sea Glass Inn and it’s about second chances.

Have you ever wanted a do-over? A chance to revisit a conversation or career or relationship and maybe get it right this time? My character, Melinda Andrews, tries to do just that. Move, start fresh, gamble on a new life that is more aligned with who she is and what she and her son need. I love Mel. She brings a little bit of crazy and a whole lot of brave with her as she attempts to restore a dilapidated old inn on the Oregon coast. She’s not only my creation, but my inspiration as well, because – whether this is life imitating art or vice versa – I’m beginning a new chapter of my own. Starting over. Redefining myself. Mel bought a house to celebrate her newfound freedom, but I chose to get a new horse instead. (And new vet bills, feed bills, etc. But I’m pretty good at ignoring such practical matters.) So I – being who I am – listed and prioritized the qualities I wanted in a horse. And life – being what it is – tossed my list in the trash and sent Siena and Sunshine my way.

Siena and Sunshine. The Thelma and Louise of the horse world. Best buddies and refugees from a local animal shelter. (Their previous owner apparently wanted his own fresh start, so he simply abandoned his eight horses on a vacant piece of property. Nice, huh?) Frankly, except for the fact that they’re equine and have four legs apiece, they don’t fit the description I made of my perfect horse. For example, they’re not a gelding, aged six to ten years; they’re two mares, aged… well, it’s really not polite to ask. But they are gentle and wary-yet-friendly. Together, we’re going back to basics and beginning again. Trying to erase old pain while never forgetting the important lessons we’ve learned along the way. I’ve discovered that Siena and Sunny aren’t wrong for me because they don’t match my list. I simply wrote the wrong list.

We don’t get true do-overs in life. We can’t go back and change the past. But we can, and should, try to heal old wounds and revisit missed opportunities as we go forward. I suppose the best we can do is move toward the future a little wiser and kinder and more careful to protect ourselves and those closest to us. Siena, Sunshine, and I are definitely bringing some baggage with us on this journey, but who doesn’t? As my character Mel learns: new beginnings require hard work, patched-together dreams, and a determined (albeit shaky) faith in the power of love. New starts with old scars are always difficult. But the rewards? Definitely worth the effort.

website: kariswalsh.com

After a life of wrong turns and lost hope, can true love be more than a bittersweet fantasy?

Melinda Andrews arrives on the Oregon coast with a dream of running the Sea Glass Inn. Still reeling after an unexpected divorce, Mel believes she has missed her chance to find love. All she wants is to make her business a success and regain her independence. She locates the artist who inspired her move so she can commission more paintings for her new inn.

Pamela Whitford runs a gallery in a small seaside town, planning events and supporting other artists while neglecting her own talent. Since being deserted by the love she thought was forever, she refuses to let anyone close enough to hurt her again. But Pam can’t resist the struggling new innkeeper, and she agrees to paint for her even though it means opening herself up to creativity and the vulnerability that goes with it.

Can they learn to trust again and discover a second chance at love?

What’s in a Name?

Did you know that there are five thousand two hundred and twenty-three common Regency Era first names? Okay, I totally made that up. There are probably more like a couple dozen or so each for both males and females. But why do I care? You see, the thing is, unlike contemporary authors, historical writers have an unwritten code that you need to stay within certain parameters when naming your characters. If you call your heroine Cheryl, for example, the readers (and editors) will be all over you, and rightfully so. You should at least use a name that sounds historical, even if your British readers gnash their teeth at your end result. All you can do is your best. If it sounds too modern then it probably is. I’m pretty sure you won’t find a single Neveah, Caitlyn, or Alexis in any Jane Austen book. It’s a guess, but I’m pretty sure I’m right.

Using Cheryl for a Regency heroine would be like calling a vampire hero, Bob, Fred, or Wally. Those names, though awesome, just don’t have the same punch as Lucian or Dante do when naming a neck-chewing hero. Wally, Lord of the Vampires. Hmmm. You decide.

Then there are terms of endearment. Some affectionate Regency terms are Darling, Dearest, and Love. You won’t hear a historical hero calling his heroine Love Bunny, Snooky Bear, or Sugar Lumps. Again, just a guess. Can you imagine an alpha duke making kissy lips while calling his duchess Snooky Bear? Um, no. Nor can I imagine a duchess calling her duke a Hot Hunk of Burning Love. Though it would be pretty darn funny if she did!

I guess the point I’m trying to get to is that even a secondary character might be a hero or heroine in a future book. So choose their names wisely. When my readers started clambering for a redemption story staring Hortense from book two of my Brides series, I probably should have thought further ahead when I named her. Huh. Do you think I could have gotten away with calling her Sydney?

Notorious bad boy Simon Harrington, third in line for his uncle’s title, has finally conceded to settling down and finding a noble wife.  Then he stumbles across a courtesan in peril on a dark London street, and his life takes an unexpected turn.  Fearing for her safety, he brings the mysterious beauty to his cousin’s School for Brides, where compromised women are taught how to be suitable wives.  But he finds it impossible simply to walk away.

A poor country squire’s daughter, Laura Precott was promised in marriage to the shadowy Earl of Westwick.  Instead of making her his wife, however, he betrayed her and forced her to become his mistress.  When she learned of his plan to sell her at auction, she fled for her life.

Simon knows he must forget his feelings for such an unsuitable woman or risk disgracing his family.  But when Laura’s former lover turns out to have been murdered the very night of her escape, suspicion falls squarely on Laura.  Now it is up to Simon to prove her innocence even if it leads to his downfall…

Amazon.com   Barnes & Noble

Any Which Way You Like It

I’m starting this blog with a confession. I’m writing while impaired. No, not drunk or hung over, though it feels close. I’m goofy from a move which doesn’t seem to end. Three weeks, I’ve been packing and moving, then unpacking, then going back across town to do it again. Somewhere in the shuffle, the cord to my Kindle vanished, lost in the depths of an as yet undiscovered box. This of course means I can’t recharge my beloved Kinny and read. All my print books are still boxed, too. So not only am I exhausted and sore, I’m bookless.

Pity me.

Without books to read, the next best thing for me is usually writing, but with edits due, I have to settle for the not-as-fun fixing on my third angel book. I supposed fixing isn’t so bad. It gives me a chance to visit my characters again. And I do like the characters.

This book marks the first time in the series I’ve dealt strictly with a het couple… which is weirder when you know that when I started the first book, I had no plans to do anything except het. I’d never considered doing m/m in any form. I didn’t read it, didn’t write it, never had it even fleetingly cross my mind. Then boy kissed boy and suddenly I had no idea what I did and didn’t write. Calling me confused would be an understatement.

Well, that unplanned kiss opened me up to reading more than just boy meets girl. I picked up several books with m/m and what do you know, I did like it. I liked it a lot. But I didn’t fall head-first in love with m/m.

My why is pretty simple. I like men who are manly, and there is usually one partner who isn’t. By manly, I don’t mean an alphahole who is overburdened with testosterone. I mean the character comes across as a strong, purely male in thought and action. I’ve never been a fan of the effeminate guy.

When I wrote the second book, I knew going in that it would be an m/m and that both men would be on even ground in size, intelligence, and in in that elusive manliness scale. Equal partners in all ways… well, except one of them was a college professor and the other an angel on a mission from the Most High. That bit kinda blew the curve.

Even though I loved Ren and Adam, I will still say my heart is with het romance. What about you? Do you read gay romances? Do you like m/m, m/f, f/f… or a little bit of everything? What do you like or hate about them?

One lucky commenter will win a copy of Forsaking Eternity, the second book… that’s the m/m one… in the Heavenly Lovers series, now available from Ellora’s Cave. The third book in the series, Embracing Eternity, will be available this fall.

You can find Voirey online on her website, voireylinger.com, or on Twitter as @voireylinger.

Her books can be found at Ellora’s Cave, Amazon, Barnes & Noble and wherever ebooks are sold.

Excerpt from Forsaking Eternity

“Is it too bright for you? I can close the blinds if you’d like.” Adam took a stack of books from a battered chair and set them on his overfilled desk. He began shuffling papers, straightening the desk. “I like the light so I keep the blinds up most of the time. Natural light is much better for working, at least it is for me, but if you don’t like it…”

Adam stood still as a statue for a hesitant second. “I’m rambling, aren’t I?”

“Perhaps a little.” Ren ducked his head and smiled.

“Please, make yourself comfortable. I don’t have much time, unfortunately.”

Ren didn’t move. He couldn’t. His feet were firmly planted on those aging boards, held captive by this man, this simple human. After an eternity of living among wonders beyond this or any man’s comprehension, how was it that Adam, in all his base humanity, could fascinate him so?

“I don’t really wish to sit.” He peeked up at Adam and his gaze caught on the expression on the human’s face.

Adam slowly circled the desk once more until he stood close in front of Ren, closer than socially acceptable, closer than comfortable. Something deep in Ren’s chest responded. It pulled at him, tugged him toward Adam until he swayed.

“Why did you come, Renatus?” The words were a whisper, their speaker so close Ren could feel them ghosting over his own lips.

“I wanted to be with you, if only for a few more moments.”

Ren couldn’t say which one of them moved, or if maybe they both had. He just knew that in the next moment his jacket brushed against the tweed of Adam’s, the near-contact of their bodies so overwhelming that he could feel every fiber as they caught and clung. Adam’s breath fell hot and fast against his face. Ren’s lids grew heavy, his head tilted and he began to lean in.

Never Judge a Book by its Cover

Gosh, how many times have we all heard that expression? Used in relation to just about everything? And sometimes even about actual books? 🙂 With the explosion of self-publishing, there are a lot of books out there these days and getting your book noticed is becoming more and more difficult, I think. There are also a vast range of covers. Some professionally done and others…not. Some done really well and others…well, not so much O.o. Of course, that’s just my opinion.

I really do buy into the ‘never judge a book by its cover’ sentiment, but the reality is in this climate, a book’s cover has become even more important in the increasingly competitive world of attracting readers. A cover is often the first impression someone has of an author’s work. It has to be eye catching as readers are scanning the many hundreds of books at the online sites or on a bookshelf, give an idea of genre at a single glance, and it has to entice the reader to want to take a second look. And a third. And ultimately buy it. Of course, not all readers buy new authors simply on cover, but I do think for most, it plays into the decision to some degree.

I found several links out there that profess to have the worst covers of all time and I thought I’d share just a few of them:

http://www.2spare.com/item_93579.aspx
http://sobadsogood.com/2012/06/15/10-worst-book-covers-in-the-history-of-literature/
http://www.boredpanda.com/worst-book-covers-and-titles/
http://gizmodo.com/5905986/the-worst-book-covers-of-all-time-have-destroyed-my-faith-in-humanity

Did anyone spew anything onto their computer screens looking at some of these LOL? Yes, some of those covers were horrid. And downright terrifying. And yeah…extreme. The thing is, these are more the exception. There are a lot of good covers out there. And many really great ones. As an author who publishes through a publisher, covers are something I have little control over, but I’ve been fortunate so far. I haven’t shuddered at any of my covers—far from it—and I think I really lucked out with my most recent release, Rise of Hope from Carina Press. I do think it’s eye catching with the color scheme, I think it screams ‘paranormal’ and the hero…well, he’s not half bad to look at, right? Some might even say it channels a young Ryan Reynolds. 😉 And of course, I hope that it will be intriguing enough to new-to-me readers that they’ll go that extra step. Perhaps read the blurb. Check out the excerpt and let the writing sway them.

So..what do YOU think? How important are book covers in the buying decision process for you?

I’ll choose a random commenter through Monday 11:59 pm Eastern, to receive a book of their choice from my backlist J.

About Kaily

Kaily Hart, a seemingly straight-laced mother of four, left corporate America and a high-powered, lucrative career to be a stay at home mom. Right… That lasted about four weeks, during which time she realized she had a deeply repressed dream—to write. And (gasp) romance at that! Who knew? By day, Kaily plays conservative wife and soccer mom, but at night crafts hot and steamy tales of romance and love with gorgeous heroes who wouldn’t dream of leaving the toilet set up. Ever. She’s smart and sassy, at least in her own mind, and is creating as many happy ever afters as she can, one hot story at a time. Kaily never would have thought she’d be doing this, but now that she is? Well, you couldn’t pay her enough to do anything else.

Kaily’s books, PICTURE THIS, PAY UP, PLAY ME & POINT BLANK (yeah, she has a thing for book titles that start with ‘P’), are all currently available from Ellora’s Cave. Her latest release RISE OF HOPE, book 1 in the Fabric of Fate series, is now available from Carina Press. You can find out more information about all Kaily’s books here and read more about RISE OF HOPE here.

If anyone would want to contact me (which I would love by the way) or just keep up with what I’m doing, you can find me all over:

Web – www.kailyhart.com
Blog – http://kailyhart.blogspot.com/
Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/kaily.hart
Twitter – http://twitter.com/kailyhart
Pinterest – http://pinterest.com/kailyhart/

IF I WERE YOU is released everywhere in all formats and I have a fun announcement to celebrate!

To celebrate the release of IF I WERE YOU I’ve partnered with  Tokii  the first ever self-help relationship management platform, specifically designed to deepen and strengthen all types of relationships—to create an interactive game based on her sexy novel. The game will allow couples to discover each other’s innermost desires and fantasies in a fun new way! Lisa will also be giving away a $200 Amazon gift card via THE GAME at the Tokii website.

So today if you go and play the game and enter to win $200 and then come back here and tell Delilah you did it I’ll enter you to win a $10 gift card, a Yankee candle, and a signed arc of the print version of HOT SECRETS!

How cool is it to have a game to go with the book and a chance for you to win $200? I hope you will give the game a try and I’ll leave you with the details on IF I WERE YOU! The $200 contest starts tomorrow so be sure to check out the game then too!

I can’t wait to hear what you think of the game!

About the book…

He is rich and famous, and dark in ways I shouldn’t find intriguing, but I do. I so do. I don’t understand why his dark side appeals to me, but the attraction between us is rich with velvety promises of satisfaction. Chris is dark, and so are his desires, but I cannot turn away. He is damaged beneath his confident good looks and need for control, and in some way, I feel he needs me. I need him.

WHAT READERS ARE SAYING…

…. I was enthralled from the moment I picked up the book.

….I devoured this book

….I loved it, loved it, loved it!!! I can’t wait for the next book to come out!!! Two thumbs up!!

….Sexy, enchanting, and mysterious are the best words to describe the characters and this story. If I Were You is an extremely suspenseful, captivating story.

….My, my I loved this book!

Want autographed goodies?

Send postage and your shipping information to the following address:

10623 Ouray Creek Point, Colorado Springs, CO 80909

You will receive bookmarks and special journal of Sara’s thoughts.