Tonight, I’ll be at Writerspace’s chat room from 7-9 PM CST, first with the Ellora’s Cave authors, then the After Midnight Authors. Take a look at the line up:

Delilah Devlin will chat about WILD WILD WOMEN OF THE WEST II and ROYAL BONDAGE; Mary Wine will talk about STILL MINE; Patrice Michelle is chatting about SCIONS: INSURRECTION; Shiloh Walker will talk about DRASTIC MEASURES, and Sylvia Day will tell you all about ASK FOR IT!

Don’t miss it! You know we will be there to answer all your questions and there will be some awesome prizes!

Also, I’m extending my blog contest (see details below) until tomorrow, so there is still time to enter!

I’ll be hosting Ellora’s Cave chat loop all day along with Myla Jackson and Shayla Kersten. As always, we will post sexy excerpts from your favorite EC authors and run website scavenger hunts with tons of prizes to give away. I’ll give away a signed copy of Royal Bondage and assorted RT convention “stuff” I still have.

Around 11:00 AM CST, we’ll run to FAR’s chat room (without permission—which makes it way more fun) to have a live chat with anyone who wants to come.

So, if you think you’d like to hang out, just stop on by. Here’s the email addy if you want to join the EC loop: ellorascavechat-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

TODAY’S BLOG CONTEST:

The Prize: I’ll give the winner two books from my RT stash (winner will be given a choice!), plus two sets of Ellora’s Cave playing cards and signed book cover flats.

To Qualify:
1) You must email the answers to the questions here: Email Me!
2) Enter a posting on my blog–any entry that interests you–I will see it!

The Questions:
1) What’s the title of my latest release (EASY)?
2) What’s the title of the book I’m giving away in my newsletter “for readers”, one chapter at a time (EASY)?
3) In Sin’s Gift, what police substation does the hero’s brother work in (HARD)?
4) In Seduced by Darkness, what waterway jumped it’s banks, flooding a cemetary and freeing a monster (HARD)?

I’m feeling tired, grumpy. Certainly don’t want to write. But I’ve watched all my TIVO’d shows and don’t have any Monk, Psych, House, Reaper, or Jimmy Neutron to watch that I haven’t already seen.

I think I’m wanting to get out, take a trip, snap some pics of something that could amuse me. That’s what I get for letting my social calendar fill up over the last few months. I’ve forgotten the joys of living like a hermit. Uh huh, there are too joys!!

Like never having to take a bath just to be polite around others. I prefer to take mine every other day—my hair and skin feel much better, I save water-soap-electricity (so its also good for the environment). But if I’m going to be around anyone else, I don’t want to worry about sniffing pits first. Gawd, can’t believe I just admitted that! Whore baths do just fine when it’s just me and computer.

Or like never hearing the jangle of an alarm clock. I can sleep whenever I’m tired—and if I never look out the windows, I won’t be able to judge when it’s daylight so my body will be totally in control. Heady thought!

The only problem with being a hermit is having to cook. Can’t. Won’t learn. Which means, my mom and daughter still have ways to lure me out of my cave every now and then.

Oh, before I forget as I sit here zoning in front of my screen, I’ll be playing at Ellora’s Cave all day tomorrow and will run a contest from this blog. So, be sure to come back tomorrow!

Thought you might like a peek at the novella I mailed to EC on Tuesday. If you’re not 18–CLOSE YOUR EYES now!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Jane’s Wild Weekend (tentative title)
Copyright 2008 by Delilah Devlin

Jane Emerson parted the blinds to sneak a peek into the yard next door. The lawn mower had finally fallen silent, which meant Bruno Martir had finished with that chore. Soon, he’d be moving along the fence as he turned to the next job.

She’d gotten accustomed to his afternoon habits. Knew he preferred yard work while Cord washed cars in the drive. Cord hadn’t finished working on his SUV, so there was still plenty of time to put her plan into action.

Her gaze slid covetously over Bruno’s lean body. His T-shirt had long ago been stripped away. Grass shavings clung to his broad shoulders and ripped abdomen. Sweat darkened the brown hairs that lightly furred his chest and thick thighs.

She licked her lips, already tasting the salt of his sweat and cum. This was it. One last shot at putting the topping on her vacation. Through with playing coy and dropping increasingly un-subtle hints, she was going for broke. If he didn’t take the bait this time, she’d have to assume she didn’t have the equipment to attract a stud like the fireman next door. Maybe his roommate Cord was more than just his best buddy, which would be a crying damn shame—at least for Jane’s plans.

Grabbing up her boom box and sunscreen, she tightened the belt on her robe and headed down the stairs, not even trying to stem the flow of excitement dampening her short curls. She’d promised herself an elicit adventure. Something to wear like a badge of courage when she finally returned home. She might have been dumped for a fitness instructor, but she was still attractive, still sexy. To prove it to herself today, she’d be shameless.
Read the rest of this entry »

I know. I should be writing. But the red-headed hellion came by for a visit and we had to play with one of my new toys—the cute little Canon Elph. I snapped pictures of her in my office until she gave me the shot I wanted. She never reads my blog because she says she’s afraid to open an excerpt that will make her queasy. Sometimes, I’ll hand her pages and ask her what she thinks just to see her gag. She just can’t imagine her mom writing this stuff—I never had sex, right? This pic is my little revenge.

Then I handed the camera to her. Oy! I so hate to see my own photos, because in my mind I’m still 25 and built like a brick house. I think I have the opposite of anorexia.

Revised and shipped Jane’s Wild Weekend to The Cave!

Before I get to the rest of the lesson…
Interesting day. I had a work crew in the front yard all day sinking a very large hole for a pool. Granted it was warm, in the upper ’80s, but did every one of them have to go shirtless? A couple had handsome faces, but the rest I never noticed. Niiiiice chests and arms. I was a teeny weeny distracted, but still managed to write the rest of the quickie for Ellora’s Cave and started on a short story for a try at one of Black Lace’s upcoming anthologies. Maybe I was inspired.

2) PREMISE or HIGH CONCEPT
A premise is your “germ” of an idea fleshed out a bit. Think of it as the back cover to your story. This is the blurb. It’s also a very helpful thing to have when preparing your query letter and synopsis, because you can plunk it right into both documents as a starting point.

Here’s a nifty way for you to start in building this thing!! Try these steps:

Line 1: A sentence to describe where the main character (who’s book is this really?) is at the start of the story.
Line 2: A sentence to describe the main-main character’s goal. (You may have a hero and heroine in your story—but only one really owns the book)
Line 3: A sentence to describe where the second main character (if you have one) is at the start of the story and his/or her goal.
Line 4: A sentence to describe the essence of their adventure.

The point is to give a snapshot of the conflicts between the characters–external and internal–and identify the genre/setting in as few words as possible.

Examples:
INTO THE DARKNESS
Escaping from a tragic past, the virginal beauty arrives in New Orleans and falls victim to a series of strange, unearthly attacks. But soon she will be powerful and magnificent in ways she could never have imagined. A ruggedly handsome Cajun policeman, Detective Rene Broussard has come to rescue Natalie in her time of greatest need. And when he inexplicably wakes in bed beside her, he doesn’t care that a dark and vengeful enemy has brought them to this moment. All that matters is the irresistible curve of her body, the heat of her passion…and the forbidden pleasures of the night.

SEDUCED BY DARKNESS
For nearly 800 years, Revenant Nicolas Mountfaucon has dedicated his life to ensuring an immortal monster never walks free. When a terrible storm unleashes the beast, Nicolas’ past rises to haunt him and he turns to the only person who can provide him solace, Born vampire Chessa Tomas, sure she will join the hunt for the evil creature. Only Chessa wants nothing to do with hunting the “Big Bad”—he’s Nic’s and the Ardeal coven’s problem, not hers. She shed her responsibilities as a Born, refusing her seat on the council because she doesn’t trust their leader. However, Nic isn’t easily dismissed—he appeals to the secret side her nature that needs to be dominated.

DEMON EYE
Mercenary warrior, Magnus, has no memory of his past after being pulled from the rubble of a conquered Saxon keep. For gold and the use of her body, he agrees to aid a female warrior, Sybell Moyaux, in her quest for revenge against the man who destroyed her family and stole her home. Sybell’s special gift enables her to see otherkin—and she knows Magnus is more than he appears, but she will risk all—first for revenge, then to save her sibling. With Sybell, Magnus will face the wrath of demons over a stolen treasure, a dragon, and his true nature to discover his destiny.

Almost done with Jane’s Wild Weekend!

This past Saturday (after the cemetary field trip), my sister and I taught a short class on developing pitches. I thought the information might be helpful to other writers, so I’m repeating it here with samples!

When I’m developing a project to pitch at an editor or agent, I find it helpful to put together two short descriptions. Let’s start with the logline. I’ll talk about developing the premise/high concept later!

1) LOGLINE

The logline should accurately convey the essence of your story as well as a sense of why the public should rush to buy your project. Think of the “one-sheets” (giant posters) that advertise movies, or the Readers Digest summations of movies and TV shows. Loglines are great when you’re pitching to an editor. A good one will catch her interest and make her want to look at more!

Examples:

NATIONAL TREASURE
Logline: An adventurer teams with a curator at the National Archives to stop a group of fortune hunters from stealing the Declaration of Independence, which may have a map to a hidden treasure encoded on it

SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE
Logline: A young boy’s call to a radio psychologist sets into motion a series of events which could unite his widowed father with a magazine writer. Only a couple of things stand in the way – the boy and his father live in Seattle and the writer is already engaged and lives in Baltimore.