RedHotRomance

Drink champagne, eat chocolate and kiss the one you love. Have a wonderful, romantic holiday.

BJ

Drink champagne, eat chocolate and kiss the one you love. Have a wonderful, romantic holiday.

BJ

Thanks for the congratulations, but as it turns out I have TWO nominations for RT Reviewers Choice awards!

Fangs For The Memories by Cricket Starr in the category Best Erotic Romance & Erotica Novels 2006 - Paranormal/Fantasy/SciFi Erotic Romance.

Beloved Enemy by Janet Miller in the category Best Small Press 2006 Small Press Paranormal Contemporary/Fantasy/Futuristic.

So both sides of my split writing personality as well as two of my publishing houses, New Concepts Publishing and Ellora's Cave are nominated for awards.

I was totally stunned, thrilled, and honored by the news.

Cheers,
Janet Miller/Cricket Starr

Congratulations to Cricket Starr
RT Reader's Choice nomination for Fangs for the Memories - Best erotic novel 2006.

Congratulations to Cricket Starr
RT Reader's Choice nomination for Fangs for the Memories - Best erotic novel 2006.

January is half over and my To Do List has very few strikethroughs. I was feeling optimistic about what I planned to accomplish. Maybe a five-page list was a bit unrealistic. LOL At any rate, here's one thing I can cross off my list - my blog post here.

Just wanted to share a bit of exciting news ... I was invited to participate in a charity anthology, Dreams & Desires, which will be out in February. Not only does this anthology contain wonderful stories written by 18 other authors, ALL net proceeds will be donated to a battered women's shelter in Florida. Thus, none of us - including the publisher - will profit from this book. So please help us support a great cause - and read a bunch of great stories - by buying the perfect Valentine's Day book.

To purchase, please visit Freya's Bower or BarnesAndNoble.com. For more information on the book, as well as an excerpt from my story, "Romance For One", please visit my web site.

Wishing everyone a belated Happy New Year!

Best Wishes to all. Have a very merry holiday.

I was walking the dog this morning, which is something I do every day. It gives me time to think about the work in progress and what I'll write on any particular day. Today I got sidetracked (not unusual) and started thinking about heroes in romance--what makes them not only hot and yummy, but unforgetable? What makes you, as a reader, sigh and wish the hero had his shoes parked under your bed? Because I'm most familiar with the men I write, I went back through my "men of Wolf Tales." In order of appearance, I've got Stefan Aragat--brash and cocky but with a soft heart and a powerful desire to please his packmates. There's Anton Cheval, the most powerful of all my Chanku. A wizard as well as a shapeshifter, he's also one of the older characters, and, in Chanku Journey (fall 07) becomes a father for the first time, something that scares him spitless. There's Lucien Stone from WTII, Mik and AJ, and Tinker McLintock--all alpha males, but each with a character trait -- call it a weakness, if you will -- that gives them a softer side. Do you see where I'm going with this? Even Jacob Trent, my Chanku "bad boy" has secrets that make him vulnerable, and that, I think, is the necessary ingredient in creating a perfect hero. It's not how handsome he is, or even how good in the sack. It's that vulnerability that tempers all the tough-guy traits. If he's always hard-edged, always the tough guy without a bit of softness, he doesn't need love, right? But, if he's vulnerable in some way, a vulnerability he shares with the heroine, it gives him a sense of humanity the uber-alpha male lacks. At least that's my opinion. I'm curious about what you think? Do you want your hero to have at least one small chink in his manly armor? I'd love to know what makes a hero unforgettable for you, and if you disagree with me, do your best to change my mind!

Have you seen the "Britney" photos on the internet?

I'll admit to writing a scene where my heroine "forgot" to wear her underwear, but the act was intended for the "hero" never for the "public" at large.

I'll never create a heroine like Britney or Paris or Madonna and I really don't care what they do, but why do romantica writers take so much heat?

Now that I’ve moved to Pismo Beach I’m trying to squeeze my “stuff” into a house half the size of the Sebastopol home I sold. I have to throw or give “stuff” away. I gleefully tossed a lot of my “working” clothes and love spending the day in jeans and shorts. How many pots, pans and appliances does one really need?

I plan to toss out more "stuff" but I’m having a real problem getting rid of books.

My husband doesn’t understand why I keep books I've read. He doesn’t like watching a movie a second time either. If I had a walk-in closet I’d have a mini library. Space is at a premium in my small house and I have books tucked under my bed, in the truck of my car and in a bulging suitcase in the backyard shed.

Am I totally weird or do any of you have the same problem?

I am a writer in the business of writing, and writing is a business.

So what do I mean by this? I mean that just about every day I have to deal with being a professional writer in one way or another. Unlike most jobs there aren't really any days off. You are working most of the time.

I've kind of lost track of how many books I've written or contracts I've signed. The earlier part of this year I had three books go from ebooks into print. Then in August Rogues was released in ebook, in September Ellora's Cavemen Dreams Of The Oasis III came out in ebook and print, October was the print release of the White Hot Holiday collections, November 8th Tasting Nightwalker Wine was released from Cerridwen. Ellora's Cavemen Legendary Tails I was just released in Spanish. Next month I have a Wild Winter quickie on December 22, in January Memories Revised will be released.

I just finished edits on A Promise Made, a new novella for New Concepts Publishing. And then there are the works in progress... another collaboration with Liddy Midnight called Outlaws, and a new Hollywood After Dark tale, this time for Ellora's Cave.

So either the time is spent writing, editing, promoting, in other words something to do with the business. If nothing else there is reading what other people write to keep up with what the market is putting out.

Of course that latter is mostly an excuse...and my favorite part of this business.
Hey, read any good books lately?

Cheers,
Janet/Cricket

For the first time in ages, I’ve just listened to the CD of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Even though they're not in the same order as on the original album (yikes, an actual record to be played on a turntable), the songs struck me with as great an impact as the first time I heard them in the late sixties. So what if “When I’m Sixty-Four” is coming back to bite Paul McCartney in the butt? So what if I I could weep looking at the pictures of the young John and George -- and Paul and Ringo. The songs are as fresh and energetic -– I have to sing along and get up and move -– as they were then. Maybe more.

The other “album” that hits me in the gut the way much of the Beatles does is Simon & Garfunkel’s Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme. I’ll never forget the first time I heard their rendition of “Silent Night”. A friend who’d bought the record gathered a group of us and told us to shut up and listen. We did.

A flood of memories, 20-20 hindsight, and all that. Surely it all was as I remember it, right?

I feel as if I'm spamming the Internet but ... I'm so excited, as I FINALLY received the cover for my May 2007 book, Sex Lounge. With each thing I receive -- copy edits, cover flats -- my book feels more and more ... real! Since the lead time from contract to publication feels so long ... is it just me or do other authors worry that their editor is going to call one day and say, Gee, we made a mistake. We don't want to buy your book after all ? LOL

At any rate, here's the back cover blurb:

Manager of a San Francisco talent agency, Nichole Simms is poised, professional, and cool - but her private notebook reveals a much more daring woman who loves explicit, uninhibited sexual fantasies. Her dream lover is a secret. Until he finds her notebook …

Famous chaise designer Derek Mitchell can't believe his eyes when he stumbles upon Nichole's secret book - in which he stars. Derek is hot to explore each sinful scene and every red-hot obsession with this demure, quiet beauty … and fulfill her every desire.

And here are the quotes they used:

"A sexy page-turner. You'll love it!" --Lori Foster

"Rachelle Chase is the Goddess of Erotic Romance. The hot, steamy, and unforgettable romance sizzles in this page-turning novel." --Mary B. Morrison"

An amazing erotic imagination...the reader is simultaneously swept up in Chase's writing, drawn into the drama of her characters, and kept in a state of sexual arousal...takes you on a ride that is exciting and enlightening." --Dr. Michael Bader, author of Arousal: The Secret Logic of Sexual Fantasies

I am just too thrilled!

RedHotRomance

Ja, I’m sprechen German at you. Why? Because I’m in Germany this week.

Why? Well, that’s a long story involving the day job and the need to learn things best learned from those who have the most experience. One impact of working for an international company is that occasionally you have to go international to do your job.

Fortunately I rather like to travel as anyone familiar with http://26tickets.miramontes.com/ can testify to. Hey, at least I have enough time to do laundry on this trip.

Mmmm, clean socks tomorrow…

Traveling from a writer’s perspective is a little different. Your schedule is thrown off so even doing random things like working on a blog entry can become a challenge. Making progress on a WIP can be difficult because you don’t have the notes you left in your office at home.

Besides you used all your energy up just driving to and from work, coping with strange traffic signs, unfamiliar roads, and communicating with the waitress in German to order dinner.

On the other hand when you are staying alone in a hotel room, there can be nothing better to do than write. Last year I wrote most of Pleasure Maid, my Ellora’s Caveman story in Dreams Of The Oasis III, during a similar three week trip to Germany. This year I just finished up edits on my Christmas quickie, Perfect Hero.

I’ve got another week here and long evenings to work on stuff. Who knows what I’ll accomplish?

In the meantime auf wiedersehen!
Janet/Cricket

Learning Italian

As I’m required to take 150 hours of instruction every five years to keep renewing my California teaching certificates (Rant # 47, which I’ll spare you), I’m currently taking a class in Beginning Italian at Foothill College. Since I know lots of French and a little Spanish, Italian is easy for me. The instructor, a native speaker, is quite good. The mix of students has come as a pleasant surprise. Other than difficulties parking, I find the experience very positive—especially having the chance to learn this very beautiful language and to have the mental shake-up that getting into a new language demands.

One of the features of Italian that really impresses me is the sense of style that imbues the pronunciation and the construction of the words. In addition to being euphonic, Italian is molto elegante.

The question and challenge is, how to get the feeling of the language, like the feeling of being in Rome, into a story?

I write a tightly connected series with characters who appear and reappear throughout the ongoing storyline. This week I started a new book, Wolf Tales V, which is actually the ninth story in the Wolf Tales saga. The heroine is new but the hero has been around for a couple books. I realized, when I wrote his opening scene, that I felt like I was saying hello to an old friend. Bay hasn't had his own story yet. He's been an important yet peripheral character in the lives of other characters, but he's always been fun to write. Now, however, he's the star and I actually feel excited about finally giving him a romance of his very own.

For those of you who write series, do you connect with your characters as if they are real living, breathing people? I do. Baylor Quinn is at least as real to me as many of my friends in cyber-space, and almost as real as the ones I see every day in "real" space. I know his background, I've met his sisters and I sympathize with all of them for the dysfunctional upbringing they had. Most of all, I really like Bay. He's the kind of man I'd want to know--intelligent, warm-hearted and loving, yet with a streak of vulnerability, a sense of need about him that gives him an even greater appeal. I get to take all these bits and pieces of the man I've essentially created out of whole cloth and turn him loose. I've only written one scene with him so far. I can't wait to see what he's going to do next.

Ever since I had my second child 2 months ago, my brain has been brimming over with high concept book ideas. This happened last time I gave birth--I don't know if there's some kind of weird body-mind connection between birthing a baby and an idea? But I digress...

I've run several of my hooks by my agent and she loves them all. Okay, great. That means I can go ahead and write the proposal chapters, right? Well, sort of. I'm usually the kind of writer who just jumps right and works it out on the page. I love beginnings because anything seems possible. It's the end of the book where I tend to drag a bit. Very much a different process from many of my writer friends who slave over the beginning and then race to the end.

This time around, however, I feel like the hooks are so solid that I don't want to mess up and get it wrong. Of course, all this thinking does is mess with my brain, and I sit here worrying about the writing, rather than getting to the writing.

Yes, I understand that each book I write is supposed to stretch me as a writer (or are they really? can't we coast sometimes and still write good books? another digression...), but I wouldn't mind it if I get lucky and when I sit down to actually attack the first few chapters, they flow easily and beautifully.

I'd love your thoughts on being stretched as a writer and how you deal with ideas that seem too big to get down on paper.

;-) Bella

I'm quitting my day job. After almost fifteen years my last day is Friday, Oct 20th. Beginning Saturday, Oct 21st, I intend to only enter a bank as a customer.
I've sold my house and I'm moving to the beach!

Help me celebrate. Jump up from chair and dance around the room.

BJ

Where’s my muse gone?

Okay, on the cusp of winning probably the highest award an unpublished author can win, the RWA Golden Heart, I’ve suddenly lost my muse. Yeppers, I’ve become so frustrated that my book won’t sell--for whatever silly reason the editor of the day has manufactured—(which pretty much says EVERYTHING THAT CAN BE WRONG WITH MY BOOKS IS, despite the fact it’s won this highest award)--that I’ve completely given up. Yes, even after preaching to people, "don’t give up, follow your dream, keep writing," I’ve fallen to the dark side… and given up, been defeated by this fickle industry.

Now, what does a writer do when her muse has run off and quit? I wish I had all sorts of eloquent advice to give you here; maybe use the Nora Roberts quote, plant butt in chair and just do it, or the Nike Slogan, JUST DO IT, and all sorts of profound things to share to motivate you… but I can’t. It’s not in me. I’m broken. You’re seeing the breakdown of a frustrated writer who has no desire to write. Will I pull out of it? Oh, probably, but it is my blog day, and since I’ve lost my muse to write, I just thought I’d ramble about why I’m so frustrated, and why this post isn’t full of inspiration. ;)

Now that I've completely depressed you with my whining, go get some chocolate! I give you permission! And give me some cheese to go with this post.

The end was in sight. My plan was for my Heliotropic series for Changeling Press to be complete at the end of the third story, To the Light. Wrong. It turns out the villain, Ideg Retkove, is not ready to ride off into the sunset. The two heroes, Val Cutter and Paul de l'Astre, are more than happy to do so and have waved good-bye. But Ideg is now demanding his own story. Since he's a vampire with a nasty disposition and a track record for wreaking havoc when he doesn't get his own way, I may have to pay attention.

So now I've got to think about how in the world to find Ideg a lover, a, gasp, soul-mate for the soulless villain. Ideg does point out that his character has undergone an arc of development, that he's no longer the vicious, manipulative scum he was (or people thought he was!) when Val and Paul first got together. Ideg also points out all his accomplishments, including the development of the serum that enables him and other vampires to enjoy the sunlight. This serum makes it possible for him to voyage anywhere in the universe in search of Mr. Right.

Ugh. Does Ideg care that I have other projects penciled onto my calendar? That he is not, in fact, the center of the universe?

Advice is needed here. What do you, my fellow writers, do when a character just won't let go? Should I just let him down gently and tell him to divert his energy to Solitaire? Or do I need to devote my energy to Ideg Retkove's quest for love?