A Martin Family Thanksgiving with Parker Kincade (Guest Post)

Hi everyone, V here. I recently had the pleasure of reading a heartwarming book about a one night stand that turned into something much more. One Night Stand by Parker Kincade is a deliciously sexy romp with big ol’ heart. And at the heart of One Night Stand is the Martin family. 

For me, Thanksgiving (my all time favorite holiday) is about family and love, and appreciating the wonderful moments in life. I am thrilled to have Parker as my guest today, sharing a Martin Family Thanksgiving. 

Life – all busy schedules and deadlines – seems to get away from me sometimes. When Amanda called to invite me to share in their Thanksgiving celebration, I was elated. Not only for the chance to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city, but also to spend time with a family I’ve grown to love so much.

Holiday travel being what it is, I am, of course, late. As I pull through the arch that signifies I’ve arrived at the ranch, I smile at the warmth I feel here. A vast difference from the all but abandoned property this had been not so long ago.

Joe waves to me from the paddock as I pull around and crawl out of my rental. Clad in his usual black T-shirt and jeans, I notice he’s traded his usual motorcycle boots for more appropriate footwear. In my mind, his mud-covered cowboys only enhance the sexiness that is Joe Sterling – a man not afraid to get his hands, or in this case boots, dirty.

“Hey, sunshine,” he calls, walking over to the split rail to meet me.

I step up on the bottom rail to make it easier to receive the hug I know is coming and I plant a wet, noisy, kiss on his dusty cheek. “What are you doing out here?”

He laughs, a deep, rich, and utterly male sound that makes me want to sigh with happiness. I don’t, of course.

“Avoidance, mostly. It’s a madhouse in there.”

“Ah, I’m the last to arrive.” Not a question. I already know the answer by the number of trucks scattered about. And I know exactly why Joe is out here with the horses. “Still overwhelming to go from a lone existence to this bunch, huh.” Also not a question.

Joe snorts, but I can see the love shining in his baby blues. He wouldn’t have it any other way. “Go on in, darlin’. Everyone’s inside. I’ll be right behind you.”

“You got it,” I say with a final squeeze of his neck, amazed that he can be covered in dust and still smell like hot chocolate on a cold winter’s night.

The house is decked out in the rich colors of fall, from the bright orange pumpkins on the porch, to decorations made from gourds, yellow and rust colored leaves, and pinecones.

“One holiday at a time,” Amanda said when I remarked on the lack of shiny reds and greens that so often intruded this time of year. “How can we truly enjoy Thanksgiving if we are focused on Christmas?” She shook her head at me then, sadness hovering the edges of her smile. “We have so much to be thankful for this year, Parker. Let’s not rush through it.”

I give her a quick hug before motioning her to lead the way into the dining area. The others are already seated (did I mention I was late?) and, as usual, talking over one another. Smiling, I marvel at Amanda’s skill in controlling this bunch. I experience a strange sense of pride, knowing she’s blossomed into a fierce matriarch with a keen eye for keeping the peace within her family.

Even her seating arrangement is done with purpose. Joe – astonishingly dirt free – enters behind us and wraps his arms around Amanda. He places a quick kiss on her neck, eliciting a giggle from her before he takes his place at the head of the table. Amanda takes the place to his right. Samantha is seated to Joe’s left, as far from Caleb’s place at the other end of the table as possible. Smart move, I’d say, since the two can’t stop glaring at each other.

Alec gives me a swift kiss on the cheek and pulls out a chair for me to sit next to Caleb, before taking his place between Amanda and I. Brandon and Joe’s brother, Jake, round out the other side.

Once we are all settled, Joe stands and clears his throat. Groans go off in a wave around the table.

“I’m not gonna get all sappy and shit, so just relax.” His gaze tracks around the table. “Hell of a year, huh? Before we dive in to all the delicious food my beautiful Mandy cooked up, I want to say something.” He hesitates a moment. “It’s been a long time since Jake and I had anyone to share Thanksgiving with. Hell, we’ve rarely spent it together.” He gives his brother a grin. “But today…today marks a new tradition for the Sterling and Martin clans. Today, we celebrate family.”

He raises his glass. “My brothers.” His eyes drift from Jake to hit on Brandon, Caleb and Alec. “My sister-in-spirit, Samantha.” He offers Sam a smile. “My…uh…Parker.” His silly grin makes us all laugh. “And my love.” He reaches out, taking Amanda’s hand and placing a kiss on her knuckles. “No matter where our journeys lead us, may we always remember the road home.”

A round of “hear, hears” erupt and I can only think one thing.

I couldn’t agree more.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

One Night Stand by Parker Kincade

Blurb:

Amanda Martin has the worst taste in men. After being cheated on not once, but twice, she’s lost all faith in men…and in herself. Determined to regain her confidence, Amanda decides to have a one-night stand. No relationship, no promises, no threat of being hurt again…just sex. What she doesn’t anticipate is meeting a handsome-as-sin stranger who will give her pleasure unlike any she’s ever known.

Joe Sterling has spent his life avoiding relationships, his former job as a military sniper not allowing for such commitments. Now he’s come home to Texas, to let go of the past and to prove he is more than the killer he’s been trained to be. When Amanda’s life is threatened, Joe’s killer instinct is tested while Amanda struggles to protect her heart. Will they succumb to their overwhelming desire for each other, or lose it all by letting the past dictate their future?

Excerpt:

Joe couldn’t believe his ears. Did Amanda just ask him if he wanted to leave with her? Before he could recover his shock, she was hightailing it out the door. From the moment he’d walked into the bar tonight, he’d been captivated. First by the way she defended herself, next by the vulnerability he felt as he’d held her hand, and then by the way she looked at him as if he were a treat she’d like to eat.

Now he was just plain curious. He’d had women come on to him before. What surprised him was his desire to follow through with this one.

“Hold up, sweetheart.” He snatched her money off the bar. “Jake’s gonna cover your tab tonight, aren’t ya, Jake?” Joe looked at his brother expectantly.

Jake shrugged. “Sure, no problem.”

“Give me one minute.” Joe walked behind the bar and grabbed a full bottle of whiskey. “Don’t leave,” he added as he caught her looking between him and the door.

Jake wagged his eyebrows. “Someone’s finally gonna get laid,” he taunted.

Joe smacked him on the back of the head as he walked by. “Just for that, dickhead, you can pay for this bottle too.” He tried to sound irritated, but he just couldn’t keep the smile from his voice.

It had been a long time since a woman had caught his interest and it felt nice. He’d spent his life avoiding commitments. His former job with the military wasn’t really conducive to the white picket fence kind of lifestyle. He’d been alone most of his life, refusing to get attached to anyone or anything. But this woman…

Damn, she looked good. She dug her hands deep into the pockets of her low-riding jeans as she tapped the sexiest pair of cowgirl boots he’d ever seen against the concrete floor. Her blonde curls tumbled downward, teasing the lower part of her back where her T-shirt had ridden up. Imagining the feel of all that temptingly tanned skin under his tongue made his mouth water. He swore he could already taste her. He grunted as his cock swelled at the thought of licking every inch of her.

He was suddenly very glad he’d stopped in tonight.

Joe held the bottle up as he approached her. “Whiskey okay?”

Her vibrant green eyes latched on to his. “Sure.”

Smiling, he just barely resisted the urge to lean in and kiss her. Instead he trailed his fingers across the exposed skin on her back, resting his palm in the sexy little bend above her belt. The feel of her warm skin had his already engorged erection pressing painfully against his zipper. “Ready?”

“Sure,” she said again.

“Things are gonna go very well for us tonight, Mandy, if you stay so agreeable,” he teased with a wink. He chuckled at her sharp intake of breath as he guided her out the door.

The cool air hit them as they walked outside. Amanda was quiet beside him as he led her across the gravel to the only car left in the parking lot that didn’t belong to Jake. Joe had ridden in on his Harley and there was no way he was putting her on the back of his bike without the proper gear.

He glanced at her apologetically. “While I’d love to take you for a ride on my bike, tonight isn’t that night. Only one helmet,” he said at her puzzled frown. “I can follow you or…” He waited to see if she’d jump in, hoped she’d jump in. Anything to get her talking. “Mandy?”

She shook her head slightly. “No, no. It’s chilly out. Why don’t you ride with me?”

“You okay to drive?” He looked at her with mock sternness and gently raised her abused knuckles to his lips. That earned him a sweet smile.

“I’m sure I can manage.”

Joe sighed and let her hand drop. Maybe she was having second thoughts. He wasn’t sure what had caused her to close off all of a sudden, but one thing was for sure—he was going to play this out. He suddenly wanted to break down her walls and see what was there. He wanted to hear her laugh. He wanted her to cry out his name in pleasure.

He wanted her naked.

Oh yeah, he was going to play this out. “Lead the way, Mandy. I’m all yours.”

Parker, thank you so much for coming by and sharing a bit of Martin family love with us!

Parker Kincade is an award-winning erotic romance author and has been writing since she was a little girl. Her love affair with romance novels began as a teen and she dreamed of writing her own. She is thrilled to be living her dream.

Parker lives in the southern United States with her husband, children and beloved boxer sidekick. She loves reading, playing golf, spending time with her family and friends, ice cream from the ice cream truck, taking her dog to the park and watching old musicals.

You can find Parker’s book One Night Stand here: One Night Stand at Liquid Silver Books

Parker’s links:

Website: http://www.parkerkincade.com

Blog: http://www.parkerkincade.blogspot.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/parkerkincade

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/parkerkincade

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6475101.Parker_Kincade

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Featured Book: Zane’s Art by Sara Daniel

Hi everyone! Today I’m happy to introduce a recent release by my fellow Musa Publishing author, Sara Daniel!

Finally Ever After: Zane’s Art

by Sara Daniel

Early this year when Musa posted a submissions call for a series called Finally Ever After, I jumped at the opportunity. The stories were to be short, happily ever romances about lovers who have loved each other and lost. Now, they have a second chance to create the happy ending they didn’t get the first time.

I love characters with a past history, especially in a short word count. They have instant attraction and long-standing unresolved conflict—the perfect elements for a fast-paced, emotion-packed read. Zane’s Art had all these things coupled with a strong present conflict. The story flowed out of me so fast I knew it was meant to be!

Here’s little from Zane’s Art for your reading pleasure.

A high school art teacher must choose between her students and the artist she never stopped loving.

High school art teacher Julianne Truman’s last chance to save her beloved art department from budget cuts is to sell the old sketches that her former boyfriend—and now famous artist—Zane DeMonde drew for her. But is she prepared to let go of his artwork and the last traces of him in her life?

Desperate to save his artistic reputation from the exposure of his early works, Zane returns to the home town he wanted to forget. He accuses Julianne of profiting from his success and demands she take his art off the market and cancel the auction.

Their high school attraction flares back to life, forcing Julianne to choose between the students who count on her and the man she never stopped loving.

EXCERPT:
“Cancel the auction.”

Julianne Truman’s head snapped around at the hard male voice. The stapler fell from her hand and cracked open on the floor, as she caught sight of the extraordinary face that went with the voice. Her knees shook as she climbed down the ladder. She hadn’t faced Zane DeMonde in nearly fifteen years. At one time she’d believed he’d be part of every single day of her future.

“Zane, I didn’t expect you to come.” She stepped toward him. His black hair was a little shorter than the last time she’d seen him, but at shoulder length it was still far longer than most men’s. Gone were the black hoodie and ripped jeans of his youth. Now he wore chinos and a sharply pressed blue button-down shirt, open at the neck.

The dark storms in his cobalt blue eyes were exactly the same as the day he’d walked away from her. “Cancel the auction. The sketches and painting are not for sale.”

She swallowed. “I own them. If I choose to sell them, that’s my business.” And it was breaking her heart to part with the only piece of him that she’d been able to hang onto all these years.

“When they have my name on them and you’re getting rich off me, it’s my business.”

Getting rich was so far from the truth Julianne would have laughed if her chest weren’t so tight. “It’s an honor to have you back in town.” At least her students would think so. Her brother would likely burst an artery. And she—well, she couldn’t even begin to process the mix of emotions she was feeling. “Do you have a minute to talk? I can explain what’s going on.”

“I know what’s going on.”

She hoped he couldn’t hear how hard her heart was hammering or sense how desperately she longed to wrap her arms around him and pick up where they left off fifteen years ago, as if he’d never left her. “Then you know that the arts are at the bottom of the school district’s priority list. To have supplies for the classroom, to restore the school mural, to give my students a chance to explore different mediums, the art program needs an alternate source of funding.”

“You’re the Dentonville High art teacher?”

She couldn’t help feeling defensive at his derisive tone. “Yes, and I love my job.”

“Do you? Or have you never moved beyond your high school life?”

BUY LINK

To learn more about Sara Daniel and her work, please visit her website and blog. Stay connected on Sara’s Facebook page and her Sara Shafer page.

Remember, Sara is also only a tweet away.

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Welcome Guest Author, Laura Hardgrave!

Hi everyone, V here. I’m very excited to introduce guest author Laura Hardgrave today! Laura’s book Captive by the Fog was released on Friday by Musa’s GLBT imprint Erato. I invited her here today to talk about “Aliens, dreams, and lesbians–Oh my!”

Jotting Down Dreams about Aliens

Dreams are important for writers. Dreams are the reason we write, the reason we yearn to get our messages out into the wide, open world, and the reason we hope our characters resonate in the hearts of our readers. Whether your dream is to simply share a vision, make a reader laugh and cry at the same time, or leave behind a legacy of words, us writers all share something in common—we’re all dreamers.

As such, literal dreams often voice powerful messages to us. Nighttime dreams are born from this wonderful, zany mix of our unconscious thoughts, our everyday lives, and an odd blending of both past events and hopeful futures.

I’ve always loved trying to remember my nightly dreams, even as a child. I used to try and write them down in the morning, which sometimes worked, sometimes didn’t. There’s something almost magical about opening one sleep-covered eye to the world and languishing in the feeling of your mind lounging in that other world your brain came up with while you were snoozing. That secondary world slips away ridiculously fast unless we write the dream down, and that’s also pretty magical when you stop and think about it.

Captive by the Fog, my debut novel that was released by Musa Publishing October 26^th, was originally based off a dream I had. I’m not ashamed to admit it. I dreamt about an alien invasion, and about being held captive by a species that refused to show itself to my dream’s narrator. It woke me up out of a sound sleep, my heart beating something fierce. Shivers rode down my spine. It was then that I knew I needed to stumble over to the computer and write that sucker down.

My dream’s narrator was terrified, but also hopeful, and busy basking in the sight of a young woman she met while held captive. The two fell in love and sought solace away from the situation’s dire circumstances within each other. It all sounds cheesy as I write about it now, but there was something very powerful in the dream’s message—love really can strike at any time. There’s always a way out, a way up, and a way through that darkened tunnel.

Some details needed to be untangled, naturally, but this is the case with most ideas derived from dreams. Dreams can be pretty wild, and that’s half the fun in using them as creative inspirations. I would have never even considered writing a story about aliens previous to this dream, because aliens always seemed kind of cliché. Eh. My dream didn’t care. Be damned with clichés, it seemed to say. So I took its advice—and wrote Captive.

Speaking of dreams, there’s one other point that needs be hit on. Captive is modern day science fiction—but yet, its central love story is a lesbian love story. Is it lesbian fiction? Yes. Is it a pure lesbian romance? Not exactly, but romantic elements are present. The world needs more queer speculative fiction, and with this debut novel, I intend on helping change that. That’s one of my dreams.

V: Agreed! Thanks for visiting today Laura, and come back anytime!

Captive by the Fog by Laura Hardgrave

Captive by the Fog

Laura Hardgrave

Tagline:

In order to survive, a prisoner must confront the darkness or crumble with the world around her.

Blurb:

Sam is caught in a life she can’t escape as the caretaker for her terminally ill homophobic father, but what she wants more than anything is to find the courage to escape and live her own life.

One fog-filled evening, Sam, her father, and a group of strangers are captured by beings from another world. Held prisoner by this mysterious race, the band struggles to hold on to the hope of freedom.

As Sam finds herself unexpectedly falling into a leadership role, she also falls for the shy smile of fellow prisoner Kisana. But as freedom continues to slip beyond the reach of their prison, the group must find the strength to carry on, maintain their humanity, and most of all—survive.

Excerpt:

I needed a better look. I headed into the living room and to the front door. To my surprise, the door was wide open and the couch empty. I sprinted out the door and found my father sprawled out on the ground, half of his body on the sidewalk, the other half on the stairs.

“Dad!” I yelled, “What the hell are you doing? What’d you do, fall off the stairs?” I bent down to help him up, and then realized he wasn’t looking in my direction. He was frozen in place, staring directly at the sky. I followed his gaze, and I too, froze. My heart leapt inside my chest, scrambling to escape.

A huge, metallic, disc-shaped object hovered in the foggy darkness above the grass of a nearby park. Round portholes on the sides emitted silver beams of light that screamed soundlessly into the fog. Three large metal beams extended from the base and onto the ground. Landing pads. I didn’t see a door. Yet.

My breath caught in my throat. My vision almost glazed over, and I had an overwhelming desire to run and escape my body and what I was witnessing.

“I—it…c-can’t b-be…It’s…It’s a…UFO…” The words tumbled out of my mouth, rolling over themselves like a rock slide.

I averted my eyes from the object, and saw my neighbors all out on their front doorsteps. Their eyes and bodies were rigid as they stared up at the spacecraft. Some were in their robes and pajamas. One woman two doors down lay in the grass after having fainted, her hair in curlers.

Bruce still hadn’t moved or uttered a word. He swallowed hard and gave me a quick, terrified glance. His mouth gaped open as he attempted to find words. There were none to be found, and his jaw shook with tremors. His frail frame shuddered beneath my hands, and my insides felt just as shaky.

My gaze drifted back toward the spacecraft, almost in slow motion. My mind tried to force my body to look away as if I were watching a horror movie, and the zombie was about to jump out of the shadows. A garage door-sized hull opened on one side of the UFO, and a large, metallic cube floated out. It was about the size of an RV, but had no windows or wheels. Instead, it had discs on the bottom that emitted blue beams of light down toward the ground. It hovered in the air through the power of that light. A single huge, mechanical arm extended from the front, and next to the arm were two mechanical jaws clenched shut. It reminded me of a trash truck—only sterile, alien, glistening, and unquestionably life-threatening.

The door on the UFO snapped shut, and the smaller craft rotated toward us. It began to whirr, creating the revving noise I had heard. I could see what looked like a spotlight on the very front of the mechanical jaws. It twisted around and sent forward a bright beam of yellow light that cut through the fog like a knife slicing butter. The fog had little choice but to disappear in its path.

 

Laura Hardgrave

Laura Hardgrave writes science fiction and fantasy with a queer edge. Her current project is a four-part fantasy novel series involving the creation of life and magic, a GLBT host of characters, a talking rock, feline shifters, and lots of sake. She’s a bit of a self-proclaimed weirdo. By day, she’s also an MMORPG gaming journalist, avid gamer, reader, and animal lover.

Links:

 Musa buy link:

http://musapublishing.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=9&products_id=425

Amazon link:

 http://www.amazon.com/Captive-By-The-Fog-ebook/dp/B009X43QNW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1351292327&sr=8-1&keywords=captive+by+the+fog

Site/blog:

http://laurahardgrave.blogspot.com/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/laurahardgrave

Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/laura.hardgrave.5

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Guest Post: Rosanna Leo and the Selkie

Hi Everyone, V here! Today I am excited to welcome Rosanna Leo to the blog to talk about her newest release, The Selkie, costumes, and hot wet men!

I am so very happy to be here visiting with the lovely Vanessa North today! Thanks, Vanessa, for hosting me!

As we draw near to Hallowe’en, I thought it might be fun to talk a little about costumes. After all, I’m an author of mostly paranormal romances and clothing, or lack of it, can be very important when considering your characters.

Take the hero from my recent release The Selkie. Calan Kirk is a mystical figure. Selkies are seal shape shifters, whose mythology originates from Scotland and Ireland. Calan is a Scottish selkie from Orkney. No kilts for our boy, Calan, however! No, in planning his fictional life, I knew we needed something different for him.

The first time my heroine Maggie sees him in the flesh, he’s sporting only flesh! That’s right. Because selkies are sexual entities, I wanted that established immediately. Maggie watches that first night as this insanely gorgeous man arises out of the waves on a lonely Scottish beach. At first, she thinks he’s lost his shorts in the surf! Calan is nude, overwhelmingly so. And Maggie cannot help but catalog his immense attributes as she gawks at him.

When we see Calan at other times in the novel, he’s generally wearing biker gear. Leather jackets, boots, jeans that look as if they’ve seen better days. His long hair tied back carelessly in a ponytail. He looks like the proverbial bad boy.

But is he?

Maggie’s journey allows her to glimpse the selkie man beneath the bad boy garb, to say nothing of the killer abs and hard muscles.

Is there a character from romance literature who’s caught your imagination because of what he/she wears, or doesn’t wear? I’d love to know!

The Selkie

 

Blurb:

This was supposed to be her year. However, after losing her job and discovering her fiancé cheating, Maggie Collins has her doubts. When her grandmother dies, she hits rock bottom. Maggie travels to her grandmother’s home in Orkney, Scotland to sort through her gran’s things, only to discover the old woman has left her a seal pelt as her inheritance. She also learns that others are after the pelt.

To add to her frustration, Maggie’s dreams are filled with luscious images of a long-haired man, images that draw her to the magical beaches in Orkney. Although she’s lost her trust in men, this dream man inspires her with a lust she’s never known before.

Calan Kirk has also been dreaming. Dreaming of Maggie, the mortal woman who arouses him as no other woman ever has. Meeting her in the flesh when she arrives in Orkney is nothing short of spontaneous sexual combustion. But she is a human, and not to be trusted. He needs the seal pelt, not a red-haired temptress.

As a thief ransacks Maggie’s grandmother’s house, Maggie and Calan are thrust together. They must search for the animal skin, a mythical relic which once found, will either bring them together or rip them apart forever.

 

Excerpt:

She was attempting to stand on her wobbly legs, only to fall back down on her bottom, when she heard the sound of splashing water. Thinking it was her seal, Maggie turned to look.

Her breath caught in her throat. It wasn’t the animal at all.

It was a man. He was rising out of the waves, walking toward her. She froze. He was nude, utterly nude, and was staring at her with overflowing intimacy. As if they’d had, God help her, relations.

And she realized, with sudden panic, they’d had! In her dreams. He was the seal-man from all her sex dreams.

No. Impossible.

Her first instinct was to call for help, but there was no one near. And then she realized with frightening awareness that she didn’t want any help anyway. Glued to her spot, she couldn’t help but drink him in.

He was beautiful, if unnervingly wet and naked. He had long, shiny, brown hair that hung down past his shoulders. His face could have belonged on an ad for expensive cologne, and he had a body to match. Sculpted shoulders gave way to arms corded in muscle. His defined chest was blanketed by a smattering of sparse, brown hair that led tantalizingly to his rock-hard abs.

Maggie held her breath as her gaze traveled lower on his body, taking in trim calves and thighs a quarterback would envy. And, she noted with simultaneous hunger and horror, his penis was the biggest she’d ever had the pleasure of seeing. It was thick and long and glistening with the droplets of water that yet cascaded over his body. And it seemed to be reaching for her. She gulped, and forced herself to look back up at his face.

There was a faint glow about his skin, a shimmery aura. Dismissing it as a trick of the moonlight, she shook her head.

He was almost upon her, and his full lips were taut in a teasing grin. Maybe he was a surfer who’d lost not only his board, but his shorts in the waves. She knew she should be frantic, but wasn’t. There was something in his brown eyes that was so familiar, so soothing, even as they swept over her own body with lustful appreciation.

He stopped in front of her, and stood boldly, unashamed of his glorious nakedness. She managed to spit out one hushed word. “You.”

“You,” was his equally awed reply.

 

Rosanna Leo

Want more Rosanna? You can find her website here: http://rosannaleo.blogspot.com/

Find the Selkie at Liquid Silver Books, Amazon.com, or All Romance eBooks

 

 

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Guest Post: George Wilhite on the Power of Point of View

V here: Today I am welcoming horror author George Wilhite to the blog to talk about the power of point of view! George’s book Silhouette of Darkness will be published by Musa Publishing’s Thalia imprint this fall.

THE POWER OF POINT OF VIEW:

GREAT ADVICE FROM THE EDITORS OF MUSA FOR MY NEW COLLECTION SILHOUETTE OF DARKNESS

I am proud to announce that Musa Publishing will be releasing my second collection of horror fiction, Silhouette of Darkness on September 28, 2012. This is my debut with a publishing house and my collection is so much better due to their assistance.

I have learned a lot about writing during the editorial process, especially on the area of Point of View.

I chose to self-publish my debut collection of short fiction, On the Verge of Madness, through Lulu Press. After some success publishing individual stories, I collected eight of my strongest tales and began the long struggle to find a publisher. I found there is a lot of trepidation among publishers, especially the larger ones, concerning publishing collections. Everyone is looking for novels, especially ones that might begin a successful series.

I had many ideas for novels but was not ready for that commitment yet. In the meantime, I wanted to get my writing out there. After much rejection of the collection, I decided to take a leap and publish it myself.

The editing process is always painstaking, but the biggest challenge was knowing when it was “good enough” to go to print. My wonderful and ever patient wife is always my first set of eyes and she went through several drafts of the stories with me, and then I found some other writer friends to do the same.

It was worth the effort to have an actual book to promote, though that is tough on your own as well.  I have received eight very good reviews, which are invaluable as blurbs to further promote my writing.

All that said — I am thrilled that Musa Publishing has decided to publish Silhouette of Darkness! It is exciting to have a publisher behind me providing a book cover, marketing and perhaps most importantly—editorial services!

I have to admit that, when I opened the manuscript sent back from my editor the first time around, I almost passed out looking at all that red! Here, I thought these stories were good to go after all the time I spent on them, and the collection was accepted for publication, and still –  all this red?.

But as I began surveying all the highlighted sections and editorial comments, I saw some patterns I never noticed my own. It wasn’t necessarily “bad writing,” just lapses of showing not telling, providing too much information at times, that sort of thing.

One major change Musa suggested was that I choose a character’s point of view for each story, and then stay with it throughout. Unless I chose first person, I had been “head-hopping,”  figuring: “Hey, if I’m the omniscient narrator, anything goes, right? I know what everyone’s thinking, so I’ll just tell the reader.”

Musa has taught me this cheats the reader. If someone is going to buy your book and invest their time in reading the stories (the goal being they read ALL OF THEM, not skim through) it is more effective to place that reader in one set of eyes, letting them sense everything through that one point of view.

When I followed their advice, I have to admit the stories really flow that way, and more importantly, there is a lot more emotional impact when a character must experience a horrible scene with all his/her senses vs. Mr. Narrator/God of the Text describing it.

This is just one subtle way Musa made my stories so much better. It took a lot of time and effort to go through them and make this change but I thank my Musa editor for the valuable advice. This practice in POV will make my novel in progress much stronger as well.

Please look for Silhouette of Darkness from Musa on September 28, 2012. I hope you enjoy reading the stories as much as I have writing them.

George Wilhite has been an aficionado of the horror genre since his youth, discovering Poe and Lovecraft at an early age while also spending many summer nights at drive-in theaters watching the contemporary scene unfold. His stories have been published in numerous anthologies, genre magazines and web sites.  He also serves as editor of Static Movement anthologies and reviews books for The Horror Review web site. For the latest information on his own work, as well as reviews of other writers and exciting guests, follow his blog “Long Intervals of Horrible Sanity” at: http://georgewilhite.blogspot.com/

Want more George? 

You can also receive updates at these sites:

www.authorsden.com/georgewilhite.

http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/george.wilhite.3

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Guest post: Becca Jameson

V here: Today I’m welcoming Becca Jameson to the blog to talk about “Lindsey’s Wolves” the much-anticipated sequel to her book “Kara’s Wolves.”  I asked Becca to tell us a little bit about her decision to create a sequel for “Kara’s Wolves,” and this is what she had to say:

So excited about the release of Lindsey’s Wolves! After I wrote Kara’s Wolves, I had no idea it was going to turn into a series. I hadn’t even considered the notion. But Kara’s Wolves was so well-received and fans started asking for a sequel, so I went back to the drawing board. It wasn’t hard. After all, Kara had two roommates, and there were plenty of wolves around! I hope everyone loves Lindsey and her wolves as much as they’ve loved Kara.

And yes, I am in the process of writing Jessica’s Wolves. And in a surprise twist of events, even to me, there will be a fourth book. While writing Jessica’s story, another character waltzed onto the scene and she is demanding her own book. The audacity of these characters. What can you do? I hope everyone enjoys the second as much as the first!

Tagline: Overcoming sexual inhibition can prove incrementally difficult when faced with not one, but two, wolf shape-shifters claiming you as their own.

 

Lindsey’s Wolves

 

Lindsey just finished college. She is supposed to start teaching this fall. At least that’s the plan, before she meets a sexy Spanish god named Alejandro and falls head over heels for him.

Alejandro just came to the U.S. to help out on the family dairy farm. He runs smack dab into Lindsey at the grocery store and immediately realizes she is his mate.

Add to the mix, Ryan. He lives on a neighboring farm and happens to stop by Kara’s where Lindsey is showing off her new man Alejandro.

Alejandro and Ryan are stunned and none too happy to realize they are both mated to Lindsey. Lindsey, who was raised in a fanatical religious sect, can’t even begin to wrap her head around a threesome, and that’s before she finds out they are shape-shifting wolves.

While the three unsuspecting lovers attempt to come to terms with their unexpected life changes, Lindsey’s childhood church amps up their attempts to bring her back into the flock. Why won’t they leave her alone and what do they want? The answers are shocking and the results could be life-changing for everyone.

Lindsey’s Wolves is now available at Liquid Silver Books.

Catch up on the series! The first book in the series, Kara’s Wolves, is also available from Liquid Silver Books:

Kara’s Wolves

Kara Shepherd is about to compete in her last gymnastics meet and graduate from college. A week before graduation, her roommates drag her out to a country bar to live a little before entering the real world. She has no idea the course her future is on is about to take a sharp turn.

Justin Masters and his lifelong friend, Trevor Shields, share everything from their home to their women. At twenty-eight years old, neither has met their mate, nor are they in a hurry to find a woman who will end their long-standing arrangement with each other. Their dairy farm, a few miles outside of town, allows them the luxury of shifting to their wolf form any time they want in relative seclusion.

Justin’s world tips when Kara walks into the bar on a random Friday night. Immediately recognizing her scent as that of his mate, he is drawn to her by forces beyond his control. Nervous about sharing the news with Trevor, Justin is relieved to realize Kara is also his best friend’s mate. Now all they have to do is convince Kara she belongs in a permanent ménage and track down a stalker who seems hellbent on taking Kara for himself. Contains: ménage, mfm, wolves

Want more Becca? Find her at www.beccajameson.com and  follow her on twitter: @beccajameson

 

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Guest Post: Rhea Rhodan “Spinning a Yarn – Knitting as a Writing Tool”

V here! Today we are welcoming my fellow Musa Calliope author, Rhea Rhodan, who is going to talk about knitting as a writing tool. Y’all may not know this, but I knit almost every day, so I was thrilled to hear about the subject she chose for this post! Welcome Rhea!

 

While thinking about how to write this blog (and knitting on a pair of socks), I kept coming back to metaphors. There is so much about life that reminds me of knitting. When it goes smoothly, all the little stitches line up on the needles like appointments on our calendars, steps to accomplishing our goals, sentences that make up stories. Then there are the tangled yarns: disruptions to our orderly schedules, mistakes that we can undo, and those we can’t (I dare you to try ripping back brushed mohair). And the projects we’re better off abandoning—think ponchos, and some marriages. You get the idea.

It’s not just the metaphors, though. The physical act of knitting (simple knitting, not to be confused with heirloom shawls or entrelac) engages one’s attention, but not their thoughts. It’s a soothing, rhythmic activity that has been called Zen-like. Which just happens to be the perfect state of mind to work out elements of a plot, a stuck bit of dialogue, the most satisfying—or most suspenseful way—to end a scene. Again, you can see where I’m going with this.

There are a couple of important considerations which happen to mirror each other (like knit and purl). Getting caught up in the knitting won’t further your story, so the project has to be something that can be picked up and dropped frequently, and without worry. Which is exactly the kind of knitting that is conducive to writing. For myself, this is socks knit on two circular needles, two at a time, toe up. I work on another pair when the first pair needs heels or toes, because that part of it requires more concentration. For you, it might be a stockinette scarf, or any project with a large swath of mindless knitting. It’s also a great excuse to have multiple projects on your needles, as you’ll always need to have simple knitting available.

The first story I wrote developed while I was knitting. I finally had to put the needles down and write the story before we all starved to death and I ran out of yarn. It’s no accident that a large number of my heroines are knitters, either, including the one in my recently published, slightly paranormal romance, Finding Grace.

If you’re more of a reader than a writer, you might enjoy knitting to audio books, bearing in mind that they are as different from the written word as movies are. For example, slower passages are difficult to skim (as are gory details), and love scenes that read great in print may sound painfully cheesy on audio. Much depends on the narrator and your tastes. I listen to different genres than I read. Mysteries, thrillers, fantasy, sci-fi, and young adult stories are my cup of knitting and listening tea. For print, I prefer mostly romances (of many genres), an occasional horror, a rare book of “literature,” and regular doses of non-fiction—not that I don’t mix it up now and then just for fun. Of course, you can make the knitting more challenging when listening than writing (and definitely more challenging than when watching TV), but be careful. A really good audio book can make for some severe knitting disasters.

Rhea Rhodan resides in Minnetonka, Minnesota and has been telling herself stories since long before she could write. She attended the University of Minnesota with a focus on Journalism, then Brown Institute for Broadcast Journalism. After many adventures, misadventures, and a couple of short marriages, she found the love of her life in Regensburg, Germany, and has been living happily ever after since.

She welcomes feedback and fan mail :>). You can join her on Facebook, too. Rhea is always happy to meet new friends.

http://www.rhearhodan.com

http://www.facebook.com/rhearhodan

Her current release, Finding Grace is available from Musa Publishing, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, All Romance ebooks, and other fine e-tailers. You can find an excerpt of the first chapter on her web site.

Finding Grace by Rhea Rhodan

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Guest Post, Emilia Mancini: Confessions of an Erotica Author

V: today I’m welcoming fellow LSB author Emilia Mancini to the blog, where she talks about the inevitable questions asked of an erotica author. 

I’m always a little hesitant to tell people I’m a published author of erotic fiction.  Not because I’m embarrassed or ashamed. Actually, I’m quite proud of my work. I feel I bring class and romance together with some really hot sex in a way that isn’t cheap or slutty.  Or so I like to think.

I’m hesitant because I almost always get the same question: How do you find inspiration?

Which, in itself isn’t a bad question, writers get inspired by an immeasurable amount of things—a song, a news story, watching a couple walk down the street.

It’s when the question comes with a smirk and crooked brow that it causes me to heave a sigh of disappointment in the lack of maturity of my fellow man.

Obviously there seem to be a few misinterpretations of what I do as an erotic writer, so let me try to clarify some things:

• Contrary to what I may have written in a book, I have never discreetly taken off my panties and masturbated in public for the sexual gratification of my lover.
• I don’t write while wearing leather, lace, or latex.  Nor do I write in the nude.
• The only time I will ever flash my breasts or spread my legs at the doctor’s office is when it’s required for a medical examination.
• I don’t carry condoms, lube, handcuffs, or nipple clamps in my purse.
• I don’t have sex on a whim with whatever man, woman, or mythical creature may be around.
• I’m not a swinger.
• I’ve never slept with my boss (any of them).
• My neighbors are pretty safe from my overwhelming need to fornicate, even when they are swimming in the pool and their bare rippling chests are reflecting the sun.
• I don’t have an uncontrollable need to flash my voluptuous cleavage at every man (or woman) I see.
• I don’t fall into the throes of orgasm with every touch.
• I don’t have sex (oral or otherwise) in movie theaters.
• I don’t wear stilettos and a French maid outfit while vacuuming.
• When I eat, I prefer to use a plate and silverware rather than lapping up my dessert off the sweaty six-pack of a man I just met.
• I never have and never will consider semen a delicious treat or a regular part of my skin care regimen.
• I don’t wear crotchless panties on the off-chance I may meet some sex starved co-worker in an elevator.

I hate to bust all those bubbles in one swoop, but the truth is I’m actually pretty normal.  I usually write in house pants and a tee. I go swimming with my bathing suit on.  I cook, clean, and vacuum like everyone else; fully clothed.

I have one lover, my husband, and while we make a point to keep things interesting in the bedroom, what we do is private. I don’t write books about it.

And if I did…I wouldn’t tell you.

V again! Want more Emilia? Click the cover below to find her book, “The Rebound” at Liquid Silver Books

The Rebound by Emilia Mancini

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Lillian Grant: Breaking Up is Hard to Do

V: Today I’m welcoming Lillian Grant to the blog. Lillian writes erotic romantic comedy and is sharing some thoughts on writing her “Reigning Men” trilogy with us.

When I first started writing I was in awe of people that could write really long stories, and people that could manage a series amazed me. How did you do that? How did you make one story, into two or three or four?  It turns out love is the answer.  You fall in love with the characters and you just can’t let them go. Their lives become so real you just have to know what happens next. However, like in real life relationships, sometimes you know it’s time to say goodbye.

I have just typed the words “The End” for book three of my Reigning Men series. The story is done and it’s time for me to move onto something else.

I still remember the idea that sparked book one; what would happen if a girl who had never enjoyed a mutually fulfilling relationship accidentally became a pimp for a stripper who wanted to try being a prostitute? And so were born Meg Riley and Irishman and male stripper Michael Monaghan. Now, you might think okay so we have our heroine and hero, but alas no. Michael had a long way to go to become hero material. No need to fear, in steps Sam Stephens, Meg’s flatmate and a man who starts out wanting to show her how good sex can be and ends up falling in love with her. Meg and Sam needed more to work with if I was going to have a plot big enough for a full length novel.  I had the brilliant idea to toss in Meg’s mother, a woman who appears to have a pathological fear of sex, especially if it involves her daughter and any male of the species. Just for shits and giggles, I invented Great Aunt Maud. The octogenarian who thinks every man she meets wants to lay her. Voila, Male Order, a romantic comedy was born.  The plot grew and grew and when I got to the end I had fallen in love with the crazy people now living in my head.  The star of Book One was undoubtedly Sam. The man was put through things that would test the patience of a saint but he never gave up on Meg even when she thought he would.

Not able to shake off the story I got to work on Book Two, Male Review. My crazy cast all get involved in a BDSM themed Male Strip club that Maud buys into. Maud and Meg’s mother move into the poor girl’s flat and Sam moves out. Now my lovers have to sneak sex in where they can. However, deciding to use the club after closing opens them up to a whole new world; a world of submission, spanking and inadvertently providing entertainment for voyeur Michael Monaghan. The club isn’t just the backdrop for the story it also provides the solution to getting the crazies out of Meg’s flat. The star of this story is Great Aunt Maud. She causes most of the mayhem but proves to be more astute than you would imagine if you were to ever try to have a sane and sensible conversation with her. I absolutely love Maud. She is one of those old ladies that says whatever comes into her head, appropriate or not.

I thought I was done, but one cast member wanted his moment in the spotlight.  Michael was ready to step up and show he had grown enough to be a hero. Unfortunately he had already chosen his heroine, Meg. Now how do I get him and Meg together without upsetting lovely Sam? A ménage perhaps?  Although Michael would need to do something pretty spectacular to convince Sam to let him get into bed with them. Does he manage it? Well you’ll have to wait until I get book three contracted and published to find out.

V: Thanks, Lillian, for sharing the story behind Reigning Men with us! Readers, you can find buy links for Male Review below, and don’t forget to check out Lillian’s website: www.lilliangrant.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.amazon.com/Male-Review-ebook/dp/B0086WCFES/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&qid=1338242528&sr=8-16

http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-malereview-804339-149.html

http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/b133570/?si=0

http://www.liquidsilverbooks.com/books/malereview.htm

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