Apparently I have a kindle book

We’re home, and we had a terrific short break in York! We visited the gardens and the art gallery, and we had lots of good food and good wine. Oh, and we shopped :) The weather was glorious, which is always a bonus. We came back feeling refreshed, and I'm fired up about my writing. I’m working on my novel length called INESCAPABLE, and enjoying it immensely. More about that soon.

It’s amazing how much email 48 hours can accumulate, though. I’m still playing catch up. I had an interesting google alert -- apparently I have a kindle title! My futuristic novella, AGAINST THE GRAIN, is listed. There’s been a lot of talk about Kindle so it was fun to see something of mine listed there.

In reading news, I’ve just finished up Jina Bacarr's NAUGHTY PARIS, an exciting erotic romance time travel set in the Impressionist period of art history. Jina's writing style is dynamic and vivid, and I enjoyed the novel immensely. While I was away Cynthia Eden's HOTTER AFTER MIDNIGHT arrived, and I can’t wait to get stuck into this one. Cynthia is a fellow Red Sage author and a terrific storyteller. I’ve been anticipating this title for some time. (rubs hands in glee! :)

I hope you’re doing okay and enjoying summery weather, as we are here.

Away from desk

We're off an a short city break to York. Back on Friday. See you then!

Coming very soon in print: ALONG FOR THE RIDE

ALONG FOR THE RIDE will be available in print from Total-E-Bound around the middle of this month and is now available for advance order from Amazon in the UK! US readers will be able to get it Stateside, no overseas shipping. It's already listed on Amazon.com here, and should be ready to order soon.

ALONG FOR THE RIDE was my first longer publication and has been available as an ebook for almost three years. It's a ménage a trois story and it's probably still my naughtiest erotic story. :) If you'd like to read an excerpt and reviews, go here.

And just check out the cover flat, the colours are gorgeous!

Writer, growing and changing

I feel as if I've gone through a big change in my approach to writing over the last year and it's a good feeling, so I thought I would post about it.

During 2007 I made a conscious effort to spend more time on my novel-length ideas and a wee bit less on short stories. It was a hard transition, and after a while I realised that short stories had become a comfort blanket to me. Bit of a shock, tbh! I had to admit it to myself, though. I'd started out as a short story writer, and once I'd had a few accepted and published it felt safer and less scary than the novel-length world that also tempted me. :) Shorts also give a sense of achievement in a smaller space of time, and that can be such a lure when dealing with all the doubts and insecurities that crop up... But I *wanted* to spend more of my time on my novel length ideas.

Last year it was a struggle, a battle, but this year it seems to have happened, and I’m so pleased! How did I do it? I’m not sure. :) Perhaps it was a natural transition, or maybe it took me a year to rearrange my thinking..? I did spend a lot of time pulling together my novel-length ideas before Christmas, and drafting outlines. Perhaps that was it.

I’ll never give up writing short stories –- aside from anything I think shorts are the best possible promo a writer can do. In fact, I’ve been quizzed more than once by other writers as to why I write short stories for a small fee, and I always respond by pointing out it gets my writing in front of hundreds of readers, who might then go on to buy more of my work. Shorts are a terrific way to learn, and to gain a readership, but the only way I can learn and grow as a novelist is to keep writing longer work and keep challenging myself.

I’m excited, because when my mind has been idling, it's always on the bigger stories. I'm brimming with thoughts about the two novels I’ve got open right now: Inescapable (a contemporary erotic romance) and Rampant (a paranormal erotic romance.) So, wish me luck –- I truly feel as if I’m entering a new chapter in my writer’s journey. Exciting!


more cat pictures

WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS contest winner

Many congratulations to the authors of WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS on their publication day, and many thanks to all those who commented and entered the contest to win a free copy!

The winner is: bamabelle. Please email me (link on the menu) with your postal address. Thanks!

New publication: DIRTY GIRLS

The DIRTY GIRLS anthology is out! I know this because I have a copy in my hand :) It’s a beautifully produced book, with the cute addition of mucky fingerprints on some of the pages. Love that!

This anthology is edited by Rachel Kramer Bussel and published by Seal Press. It has an amazing line up of authors including Alison Tyler, Carol Queen, Marilyn Jaye Lewis, Shanna Germain, Madelynne Ellis and many, many more. My story, “Live Tonight,” is included. Yay!

Amazon.com
Amazon UK

Worst cover :)

KINK is one of bunch of covers up for the "worst cover of 2007" award!

Sasha and I were much amused by this news! We're both of the opinion that no publicity is bad publicity. LOL! Even so, I'm surprised. It wasn't quite right for the stories (or the market) but I didn't think it was all that bad, and it certainly alerted the reader what they were going to get. :) Someone must have hated it enough to nominate it, though. Whoever you are, we thank you. :)

Sunday smile

Win the next best thing to being in Vegas! Last few days to enter

Still a few days left to enter to win a copy of WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS.

Go here to enter!

Romantic Times convention, book cover models, and heroes

I'm being a bad blogger, I know. I confess that the time I've had on line over the past week has been spent reading news from the Romantic Times convention and ogling photos. Attendees have been very generous with sharing the good times and I for one appreciated it hugely! Some of the reports and photo collections I've been checking out: Gennita Low, Lauren Dane, Sasha White, Lillian Feisty, and Megan Hart. Thank you, ladies!

We’re seriously thinking about RT in Orlando next year, it looks like a fun meet. I read rumours of tiffs, but tbh it didn’t bother me. I’ve been to a lot of “special interest” events that involve booze and dressing up, and they invariably involve some drink-addled antics and a bit of a punch up. It’s human nature. The half-done hotel renovations and plaster dust worried me more.

One of the things that interested me is how all these lovely ladies know the names of the cover models for the romance novels. So much fun! It’s another world I haven’t even thought about. Well, that’s not entirely true. Timothy Lantz, who does the Juno covers, is very good at attributing his models, so I know that the lovely lady who modelled for both my Juno covers is Mira Noir. She has a portfolio online but it’s down right now, otherwise I’d link.

However, what occurred to me over the past few days is that someone might recognise the models on my forthcoming RECKLESS cover, which I LOVE to bits. It’s just perfect for the book. Should I know who this hunk is? :) Is there anyone out there who can name the bare chested guy sweeping my heroine into the almost-kiss here? :)

Oh and talking of heroes, happy St George’s Day everyone! :)

Missing out on RT?

If you're like me and wishing you were at the Romantic Times convention right now, you've got to go check out these super video diaries by Liz Maverick and Marianne Mancusi. They're just wonderful! A big thanks to the lovely ladies for sharing with us.

Just cos...'s funny

Posting one of the best ones from the vault!

Knee-deep in html

Friends and readers, is there anything else you’d like to see on my website? There’s a new site in the works, so if you have any requests now is the time to send them my way!

My job at the mo is to freshen and tidy up all the internal content, check links, and so on. We're getting rid of some pages and adding a few new features, such as a printable book list. The new design is going to be much more streamlined and user-friendly, with more of a focus on the stories. I’ll be able to add bits of info about the places I’ve set the novels and so on.

Meanwhile I’m writing in my head (no honestly, :-) It’s always this way with short stories for me, I work the entire thing out in my head then sit down to pour it out. And we’re off to see the wonderful Omid Djalili tonight, live at Leeds City Varieties. I’ve heaps to do before then, yikes.

Have a great day!

Fun with banners

Where do you get your ideas? Problem girls to the rescue

"Where do you get your ideas?" is a popular question to ask an author.

Many years ago (around about 1995, yikes,) I went to a horror reading where an author sent up this question in a very amusing way. I actually went to the reading to hear Kim Newman, a fave of mine (and I confess to having a bit of a crush on him at the time. I was in my intellectual-Victoriana-goth phase, and I have to say he was perfectly adorable about my starstruck approach for a book signing, bless him.) One of the other authors (whose name escapes me right now - hey, I had eyes only for Kim, remember ;-) told this story about how he got his ideas from the "horror bag" of sweeties/candy you can get at the fairground. He opened up a bag and explained how each item related to one of his books. It was a very amusing anecdote.

Anyway, I'd long forgotten this event, until I was browsing for something on the net the other day and came upon THIS image. It made me giggle, cos it struck me that it was packed with ideas for the naughty erotic writer! Take a look, you've got it all... bad girls, BDSM, deviancy, bondage, knife play, men(!) fire AND water sports... all that and she has money, too! I think I might have to print it out and put it on my notice board. :0)

Review plus book giveaway!

If you’re an erotic romance reader you'll have heard of Lauren Dane. Lauren is not only a prolific e-book author, but she’s recently had work signed by Harlequin Spice, Berkley Heat, AND Black Lace. That sort of acquisition list gives a girl a reputation, one that demands you take notice. When I had the chance to get my hands on an advance reader copy of Lauren's forthcoming novella, STRIPPED, I was delighted.

STRIPPED is part of a four-author anthology called WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS, published by Spice in May. Along with Lauren, there are stories by Jodi Lynn Copeland, Kit Tunstall, and Anya Bast.

Right from the start I was hooked. Anyone who knows me will know how important the setting of a story is for me, and I loved that this anthology is themed around a place. Mark has visited Las Vegas (and LA) but, alas, I haven’t. (I’ve visited San Francisco before, though, so we kind of have a set between us.) I also really liked the cover of this anthology, because it’s playful and fun, and it says so much about the place as well as the spicy contents of this book. I would also add that the book is different to what I’ve previously read on the Spice line. There's a lot of diversity on this erotic line, and the covers work really well to indicate the contents – this one is no exception.

STRIPPED is a kind of across-the-tracks love story about Dahlia Baker and Nash Emery. Dahlia is studying for her MBA and to make ends meet she’s working as a burlesque stripper. I really enjoyed Dahlia's character. She’s intelligent, sexy and strong, and yet soft and feminine at the same time. Her role made me reminiscent about an old movie favourite of mine, Gypsy, starring Natalie Wood as burlesque icon Gypsy Rose Lee. Dahlia's story is a different, modern-day take on that and if you enjoyed that movie, you’ll love this book. Dahlia is doing just fine when playboy Nash comes into her life. She tries to resist, but she can only do so for so long, and then a compelling combination of conflict and desire is unleashed between them.

Nash is just to die for. Yummy, sexy, strong, and increasingly smitten with Dahlia, he’s a hero who has a few lessons in store during his pursuit of this lady! :) In fact, they both do. I don’t want to give too much away about the plot, but I do want to say that when I finished reading this novella I had the satisfied feeling I usually only get after reading a full-length novel. The story also features great supporting characters who are cleverly portrayed, even if they are only onstage in the story for a brief time. That takes talent.

Lauren Dane is a really good writer. If she were a wine I’d describe her work as full-bodied, :) because of the richness of the story and the depth of the characters. STRIPPED is both hot and touching, it’s a true erotic romance, and I know that readers are going to love it.

To help Lauren and the other Las Vegas ladies celebrate the release of this anthology, I’m giving a copy away to one lucky reader. Just leave me a message here in the comments section. If you are a Lauren Dane reader, you can tell me which book of hers I should read next. Or you can tell you something about Las Vegas, if you have visited. Or you can just say hello, and I’ll add you to the draw. I’ll keep this contest open until the first of May, release day for the book. Please come back then to see if you’re lucky winner.