Thanks for having me today Delilah.

We do crazy things as authors, and we get our inspiration for our stories from just about anywhere. I am working on my 5^th book in the SEAL Brotherhood series, called Cruisin’ For A SEAL. It’s the first time I’ve taken a long, extended vacation to write a book, and wrote nearly 1/3 of it onboard a cruise ship traveling from Italy to Brazil. This is where my story takes place.

First, I had never been to any of the ports we stopped at: Marakesh, Casablanca, Tenerife, Cape Verde, Sao Paolo, Rio, Santos. The crossing took us over the Equator, taking us from Winter in the Northern Hemisphere, to Summer in the Southern Hemisphere. There was a ritual in crossing this line we fully participated in. Salsa and flour and egg in the hair, jump into the salt water pool. A memorable experience.

My story follows the same itinerary: several members of SEAL Team 3 are on a vacation together with their wives and girlfriends, when terrorists take over the ship. Of course they save the day, and nearly everyone on board. Being the only Americans on this particular cruise, I met people from all over the world, and got a good cross-section of peoples and cultures to use in the story. I wrote late at night, early in the AM. Anywhere and everywhere. I wrote when I couldn’t sleep.

My hero and heroine meet before the cruise sets sail, in Savona, Italy. They spend a night together and expect they will never see each other again, which of course doesn’t happen.

Here’s the excerpt from Cruisin’ For A SEAL:

She was a pretty brunette with skinny legs, wearing high heeled camo boots, which is what got his attention originally. Waiting on a street corner, he thought perhaps she was a working girl. Marc decided to sit, have a cappuccino and watch the passers by.

She was joined by an older woman who could have been her mother. The two took a table next to him and the Italian flowed all over his body like a gentle rain.

The coffee was delivered to him and he nodded without speaking, not wanting the ladies to identify him as American. Not that it would make any difference, of course, because he had no intention of talking to them.

The heart-shaped design in the foam floating on the top of his cappuccino put a fishhook to his heart. He stared down at it with a wince, but welcomed the creamy taste. The shot of caffeine gave him the jolt he was seeking.

His eyes drifted from the cluster of pigeons trying to dodge scooters and pedestrians to the table next door. The younger woman was slipping off her
black raincoat, revealing an ample chest delicately restrained in a stretchy black dress that came down low in a dangerous V. She held her water glass with long delicate fingers and short red nails. A colorful charm bracelet encircled her small wrist.

He followed the glass she was holding until it mated with her full red lips. Her large brown eyes darted in his direction, then she repositioned them on the face of her companion across the table. But then she smiled. He knew that smile was intended for him as such as he understood his dick was interested for the first time in three months.

The Italian was luxurious. No other way to describe it. An Italian love ballad was playing somewhere down the arched tunnel between the piazza and the homes of the locals above.  He didn’t know the words, but loved the feeling it imparted to him. He understood some of the words, like Amore. He’d not have tolerated this sappy show or sensual drifting until tonight, but he was fantasizing the lady was rubbing the glass against her bottom lip for him, sucking the ice cube she held in her left hand as she flipped it inside and out of her lips, wrapping it in her pink tongue.

She smiled at her companion, and he wanted to lick the dimple that dared to show itself on the left of her cheek. He knew she’d taste good. He knew just a drop of her juices on his tongue would send him places he’d missed. His little brain had the pompoms and the little cheering section. Was already nekked with the young lady with the big tits and the beautiful full red lips. His fingers had found how her silky inner thighs quivered under his touch.

What are you doing?

She was a pleasant fantasy, and if he was completely honest and felt she would understand him, he’d thank her. But he was a dog. He was a dog about ready to embark on a cruise out of port with some of his best buds. He’d never come back here to Savona, and would never see her again.

I will reward a free audio book to one person who leaves a comment, chosen at random. Here’s your question: If you were going to go on a cruise with your favorite author, where would you go, and what story would you want to read/write?

Enjoy the sample audio clip from this book, which is on Preorder until March 1st.

https://youtu.be/TVeT8IbV6ZU

Sharon Hamilton
Life is one fool thing after another.
Love is two fool things after each other.
Author Page ** Sharon’s Blog ** Sharon’s Website ** Facebook**Twitter

Writing more than one book at the same time?

So, call me a glutton for punishment, but I often write more than one project at a time. Sometimes they are the same genre, sometimes they’re different. I just can’t help it. Sometimes a character will stand up and wave at me. They don’t like it when I say “Sit down and shut up.”

Sometimes I just dabble in one while concentrating mostly on another, or sometimes I work on both (or more) consistently.

And any writer knows that characters can be obnoxious. That’s how I got myself in my current predicament—but my 2^nd predicament in a row like this.

I finished the third book in my romantic suspense series, Calculated Collision (Crossing Forces Book Three) and jumped right into book four. I was so proud of myself because I tend to procrastinate.

The hero of this book, Jared, had interrupted my writing flow when I was working on book three, so perhaps what happened next was Karma? (For him, or me?)

I had started book three (Nate and Lee’s story) and everything was going well. I had a plan of attack, so to speak, and hit the words hard. But then, out of the blue…I had a dream. Now that might sound cheesy, but it’s true. The dream was of the opening scene of book four of this series—Jared’s book.

The hero stood up and hollered, “Hey, what about me?” He didn’t appreciate or heed my answer, which went something like, “Wait for your turn.” Jared is stubborn like his partner, Cole (hero of Collision Force—book one), so I actually wrote great chunks of book 3 and 4 together, but ended up breaking off and finishing book three like a good little author.

So then of course, Jared gained all of my attention. Things were going well, and I got to 40k quite easily.

Then what happened? BAM! I had one of those sit-up-in-bed-gasping and scramble for the notebook moment to jot down this idea for this time travel story.

That little idea was supposed to be a 15k short for an anthology and turned into a trilogy. The Tartan MP3 Player ended up being about 33,000 words and the first of the Highland Secrets series. It will be out in March, 2014. I also did something I NEVER do: plotted the next two books. I am excited, and they should follow book one and two rather quickly in release.

So Jared pouted as I worked on Claire and Duncan’s story, but then I got back to him. My best-laid plans don’t always work out, but I really hope it doesn’t happen again. (Note to my characters: this is not a challenge for you.)

The writing process is different for every writer. The more I write, the more I realize there is no right or wrong ways to write. As long as we do just that: WRITE.

It also seems the further I go, the more stories swirl around in my head. I guess that’s great, I won’t run out of stories to tell. It’s just about having the time to write them all down. Writing a book is hard work. But it’s something enjoyable, and something that’s so much a part of me I couldn’t imagine not writing.

There’s nothing better than writing a good book…or two.

Vowing to protect her had nothing to do with feelings.

Detective Pete Crane catches a new shooting case and considers it business-as-usual. But when the lead witness is the Chief of Police’s fiery assistant, he never anticipated she’d challenge him—personally and professionally. Especially while under his protection.

Little do they know, the shooting she and her grandmother witnessed was anything but random.

Thrown together, their attraction sizzles, even though she’s squarely in the no-fly zone. She makes him break every rule in his little black book.

Nikki Harper has been attracted to Pete since they met two years ago. Witnessing a brutal shooting throws her into a stigma that’s always been her greatest fear: a victim. She has no choice but to accept his protective custody and let him help save her and her beloved grandmother.

Can Pete protect his witness and solve the case, while fighting the intense heat with Nikki?

Buylinks for Chance Collision:
ARe | Totally Bound  | Amazon UK  | Amazon CA
Amazon | Sony | KOBO | Barnes & Noble 

C.A. Szarek Bio:

Sword’s Call is C.A.’s first book, and is the first in the King’s Riders Series, published by Paper Dragon Publishing. Love’s Call (King’s Riders Book Two) recently released. Collision Force (Crossing Forces Book 1), and Chance Collision (Crossing Forces Book Two) are part of a steamy romantic suspense series published by Totally Bound Publishing. ALL FOUR BOOKS ARE AVAILABLE NOW!

C.A. is originally from Ohio, but got to Texas as soon as she could. She is married and has a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice.

She works with kids when she’s not writing.

She’s always wanted to be a writer and is overjoyed to share her stories with the world.

Find C.A. Szarek:
Website: www.caszarek.com
Blog: www.caszarekwriter.blogspot.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/caszarek
Twitter: https://twitter.com/caszarek
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5815085.C_A_Szarek

Music and Coffee: Fuel for an Author

Hi there! Thank you to Delilah for allowing a newbie like me to make an appearance on her blog!

My name is Morgan, and I’m an addict.  Phew, I feel better.

I admit to being addicted to music and coffee.  One started at a much younger age than the other, I’ll let you guess which, but both are now so deeply ingrained that I need a fix.  Often.  I am one of those people who if I am not watching a movie or one of my shows, I’ve got the music going.  Sometimes I’ll even toss in my ear buds and boogie along to my jams while doing the dishes.  Much to my kids chagrined and my husbands delight.  He thinks I’m ridiculous, but I know I’m made of awesomesauce.

My debut novella and subsequent series, Moonlight Nights, was spawn by a late night fueled by Starbucks coffee and a long drive under the stars.  I’m a big huge fan of windows down, radio up and singing like a rock star in my car.  On this night I was listening to a new to me artist, Bruno Mars.  By now most people knew him but I had just recently came across of a few of his songs.  I immediately downloaded his EP that was available and was jamming out, as I always do, and this song came on and I swear my everything just stopped.

“Talking to the Moon” was a song about staring at the moon every night and hoped that his former lover was too.  It speaks of when the stars come up and light up his room, he just sits there talking to the moon.  Right?  It tugged at my heart and in an instant a story was born.  If you aren’t familiar with this song, head over to my website and I’ve got it posted.

I know a lot of authors are inspired by random things, which I always found fascinating.  When I first started writing I was able to use prompts to help me create a story, whether it be for submission calls or fan fiction. I know, I know. I didn’t stay there for long.  But now with the birth of this one. story inspired by something so random as one song, I felt that I was part of the cool kids.  I’m not, but one can hope.

Since then my inspiration has grown and has spun into a five book series, all surrounding one young couple and their connection to the full moon.  The first book, a prequel of sorts, features the father of the young man.  Sunrise is about a mature couple who meet by chance month after a steamy, anonymous weekend in Mexico.

After I wrote the first book, titled Talk to the Moon, I was further inspired by music and Sunrise is heavily influenced by the sexiness of Fleetwood Mac and The Eagles.  And of course, coffee. There is something incredibly enchanting about the lyrics from Fleetwood Mac but the song Tequila Sunrise was the official inspiration for Sunrise. Not so much lyrically but more so the theme of a woman who is a bit lost and just numb from life.

So that’s a brief look into my crazy mind, what inspires you?

Be sure to follow me on Facebook, Twitter or my blog for the upcoming New Adult release, Talk to the Moon on February 22nd! Be sure to pick up Sunrise for free in the meantime.

Talk to the Moon 

When Kyle Chase was eighteen, he had his life all mapped out: a business degree and a long, happy life with his childhood sweetheart.Seven years later, Kyle is still haunted by the girl who declared her undying love to him before disappearing without a word as soon as he left for college. With the realization that the memories are stopping him from living his life, Kyle posts an ad in hopes of making contact with the woman who broke his heart. Read the rest of this entry »

Writing a Little Bit of Everything

Thanks so much, Delilah, for having me today. I was tickled you had space for me. As usual when thinking about what my topic for today would be I became distracted by Facebook and Twitter. Pictures of cute little baby animals (baby giraffes get me every single time), hot smexxy men (David Gandy wants ME, people, his eyes don’t lie), and of course, snarky e-cards and gratuitous wine shots are a serious distraction. Then I remembered I had a blog post to do and I was all discombobulated.

Finally, I hit on my topic. That a reader hit me up to ask me the question first was a godsend. The question was: “I see you write a little bit of everything. Why?” Now at first I wondered, is this reader pissed I write a little of everything? Or, are they happy about the fact that I’ve written romance across a wide spectrum of sub-genres to include contemporary, science fiction, paranormal, suspense and erotic? Maybe the question isn’t WHY, maybe it’s just why. Maybe there’s nothing hidden in the question—maybe they like that I do this. Then I shut my writer mind off and tackled the problem with my reader mind.

I write but I read, too. A LOT. My interests vary from outer space to shape-shifters to billionaires to military heroes to assassins. I like whips and chains, but I like the sweetness as well. And if I read all that doesn’t it just make sense that I would enjoy writing all of it? Of course it makes sense. My reading interests are a direct reflection of my personality—I love it all. No limits and no restraints. The written word makes me happy. What makes me even happier is to find an author I love to read and then I’ll devour everything they’ve written no matter the sub-genre.

So back to my reader’s question: Why? Why do I write a little bit of everything? Moving back into my writer brain the answer is simple: Because I can. Because I love it. Because I have stories that must get out of my brain or it will explode. That’s how I answered their question. I write scifi, paranormal, contemporary, erotic, and suspense because that’s where my characters live and breathe and fight and love. I might do one better than the other but you can bet your sweet butt I’m going to give everyone of them the best story possible.

My reader responded with this: “ 😀 I’m going to read them all I just wanted to know.” And in that statement is the very best unsaid/unwritten compliment I’ve ever received. That reader likes my writing. She likes the words I string together to form sentences then paragraphs then chapters and you get the idea. Because she likes my style, my voice, my words, she’ll read just about anything I write. And that is the best damn feeling in the world.

To any writer who wonders whether they should write that scifi romance they’ve been contemplating—to any writer who thinks maybe they should hold off of that M/M/f they’ve been wanting to pen—here’s my suggestion: WRITE IT. Don’t question your muse. Go with what you feel, do whatever research you need to do on galaxies and light-years and what goes where/when/how in a M/M/f, but DON’T NOT WRITE IT! Read the rest of this entry »

UPDATE: Rachelle Lerner is the winner!

* * * * *

Hi All! Cynthia D’Alba here. Whenever gal pal, Delilah, offers up her blog for guest, I usually slug all the other authors to get in line first! I’m pretty sure that’s how I got this cherry spot on the day before my book release.

Tomorrow (Feb. 4, 2014) book 3 (a novella) in the Texas Montgomery Mavericks series hits the online bookshelves. TEXAS FANDANGO is the story of KC Montgomery, a strong-willed, independent Texas cowgirl-attorney and Drake Gentry, drop-dead sexy professor from Texas Southern Methodist University.

The couple flies from Texas for a vacation full of sun, sand, surf and sex at The Sand Castle Resort on private SugarIsland in the Caribbean. It’s a two-week fling that will be over when the vacation is over. Sometimes, however, two weeks on a beach can deepen more than just tans.

Here’s a quick excerpt:

Drake leaned back on the sofa and crossed an ankle over a knee. “Okay, as I was saying, do you want to go with me on vacation? You sort of caught me off-guard this afternoon, and I’m sorry for being so slow on the uptake. I’d love for you to come with me.” He drained the remaining water and set the empty bottle on the side table. “But you need to know that I reserved a one-bedroom suite. I’ll sleep on the couch, you don’t have to worry. You can have the bed.”

KC set the puppy down and leaned forward. “You’re asking me to go with you on vacation?”

“Yep. My treat.”

“And you’re not going to make me sleep with you?”

He shrugged and made himself maintain eye contact when what he wanted to do was look anywhere but at her. Damn. Her voice was a little tight and high with that last question. Now what had he done wrong? He didn’t think he’d ever understand women.

“Right.” He dragged the word out. “No obligation.”

She drained her beer. The empty bottle dangled from the tips of her fingers. The side of her cheek sucked as she rolled it between her teeth.

“So no sex. That’s what you’re saying? I just want to make sure there are no misunderstandings this time.”

He nodded. “Sure.”

She echoed his nod and then set her bottle on the floor. “Well then, in that case, no.”

His head popped back. “What?”

Leaning toward him, she said, “No sex, no trip.”

This time, he swallowed hard. Crossed and uncrossed his legs. Adjusted his position on the sofa. “Explain exactly what you’re saying. Use small words and short sentences. I don’t think my mind is hearing correctly this afternoon.”

“Here’s the deal, Doc. I want a vacation with the five S’s. Sand. Surf. Sun. Spa. And sex.” She leaned back in her chair. “And not necessarily in that order.”

“So you want to sleep with me?”

“I want a two-week torrid, scorching-hot affair. No holds barred. Then, we walk away. No harm. No foul. Those are my terms.” She stared into his eyes. “Take it or leave it.”  Read the rest of this entry »

UPDATE: Phoebe didn’t realize the book went back up to $3.99. So she’s offering to send
free copies to anyone who leaves their email addresses in a comment!

* * * * *

FOLLOW YOUR PASSIONS  

People frequently tell me they have an idea for a book that’s a sure bestseller, but then complain they lack the discipline to sit down and write. I love to write, so discipline isn’t required in my case, but passion is vital. No matter how amazing the initial idea might be, if the author tires of the story or loses affection for the characters, it will take forever to write or languish unfinished. That’s why an author needs to care passionately about her story from the first glimmer of an idea.

Several of my friends have a passion for gardening and have such beautiful yards to prove it. My sons are passionate about their music, and are wonderful musicians as a result. I know people who love dogs so dearly they participate in rescues and foster dogs waiting for a permanent home. Multiple passions make life even more exciting and some people have so many interests they have difficulty focusing on just one at a time.

A man recently asked me for advice. He had a sensational idea for a subject he cares about passionately and thought writing a book would be a fast way to make money to fund his research. I laughed, and suggested if Santa Anita were open, he’d have a better chance of turning a profit if he bet on the horses. He swore he wasn’t a gambler, but writers have to be. He truly thought he could write the book quickly, although he’d never written fiction, sell it and promptly pocket the money. Many people suffer under the same delusion and believe a book would be easy to write, if they only had the discipline to stay seated at their computers.

We may spend a year or more writing a book we love from the first sentence to the last and find no publisher shows even a particle of interest. That’s a real blow to our egos and bank accounts. In the past, authors could tuck an unsold story under the bed and begin another with the hope the rejected book would find an editor in a year or two.

Sometimes that strategy works. What one editor discounts as uninteresting, another will adore. With a finished manuscript, there’s always hope it will someday see the light of day and receive the acclaim we’re sure it deserves.

Now authors have a chance to Indie publish not only the backlist their publishers have allowed to go out of print, but new books as well. We can now write the book we truly want to write, hire an editor, pay for a professional cover and find success on our own. This is so exciting not only for writers, but readers as well.

In the 1990s, I wrote a four book historical series featuring a Virginia family. Fans begged for more, but the original publisher wasn’t interested. The beauty of writing a historical romance is that they never seem dated as a contemporary book might. The Hearts of Liberty series is now available as ebooks with a new fifth book to take the story into the next generation. The first book, SAVAGE DESTINY, a Native American romance, has received so many interesting reviews. Some people understand the Indian’s pride, love his story and are eager to continue reading the series. Others find my hero unsympathetic, and stop there. Thank goodness they’re in the minority!

I thank everyone who posts a review, and I’m delighted most are highly complimentary. Now the question is whether or not to write book 6 and 7. I love these characters, and could follow their adventures forever. So I have what it takes: Passion. SAVAGE DESTINY is available now as a free download. This is a great way to sample a writer you haven’t read, and explore your passion for books.

Seriously? Why Do Authors Write So Many Series?

I was engaged in a conversation with a reviewer the other day and she asked, “Why is it so many authors are doing series nowadays?”As the author of three successful series, to which I, for some reason, keep  returning, I thought this was an interesting question and deserved some exploration.

Series vs. Serial

First of all, I would like to distinguish between a book series and a serial. A series is made up of standalone books connected by something. To be truly satisfying to a reader, each book should have a complete story arc for the major characters and should, if a romance, end in a Happy Every After (HEA) or a Happy For Now (HFN). In erotic romance, an HFN is more acceptable than in a mainstream romance.

In contrast, in a serial, you will read part of a story in each installment. Both types of books have their audience, but it is important for authors or publishers to note that a book is a serial in the marketing blurb so blood isn’t spilled when a reader, expecting a happy ending, gets a cliffhanger instead.

That can be awkward.

Let’s explore some of the reasons series are so abundant…

Inspiration

It takes a lot of work and emotional investment to create a character. Some flow from the pen fully formed, but most emerge like the peeling of a very obstinate onion (with lots of tears). Getting personal information from others is like pulling teeth.  Oftentimes, in the writing of a book, a secondary character snags our attention and we cannot help but be inspired to tell their story too. It’s easy and fun to do, because these characters already know who they are.

When I was writing Folly, my first outing in erotic Regency, this happened to me. I fell in love with James and Helena, the couple hosting our beleaguered heroine Eleanor when she needed a place to hide out. I knew I needed to write their story and toyed with giving them a break up so they could reunite in the second book.

While Helena railed at this idea (she does have a tendency to rail), James, in that dominating way he has simply crossed his arms and said, in a low authoritative tone, “I think not, Sabrina.” Needless to say, their story, Dark Fancy, ended up being a prequel to Folly. I don’t know about you, but I’m not going to flout a direct order from James.

While I was writing Dark Fancy, of course, Edward (Dark Duke) and Violet (Brigand) started talking to me— Violet jabbering away about her romance with Ewan and Edward whispering into my ear about Kaitlin.

One book quickly became a series of four. Through no fault of my own.

A Familiar Place

Part of writing a great book is world building. Creating a universe readers want to visit again and again. A series provides just such a venue. I can’t tell you how many readers have told me they want to vacation on Tryst Island, the setting for my contemporary series, featuring the romances of a group of friends who share a vacation house. It’s not just because all the guys on the island seem to have cut abs and buckets of money. They want to walk on the beach, hang out at Darby’s Bar and Grill. They want to eat bacon with Holt. (Some of them—those with wilder tastes— want more from Holt.)

Readers love this “coming home” feeling, love “hanging out with old friends,” and a well written series provides that experience. The most addictive series also have, in addition to individual story arcs, an overarching series arc, with each book moving the grander story along. It’s fun to plant clues for loyal readers about what’s coming. It’s even more fun when they spot them and send me hushed emails about what they think is going to happen.

A caveat here. It is important for authors to remember, while they have loyal readers who have gobbled up every book—in order—there will be a reader who discovers the series mid-stream. References to incidents and people from previous books is exciting for the Read-In-Order crowd, it can be annoying or confusing to a first time reader. Those references belong in the book but must be carefully threaded through the story with an invisible seam.

I don’t know about you, but if a reader discovers my book, I want her to LOVE it. I want to keep her!

Passion

And I am not talking about the erotic type of passion here—I am talking about the emotional attachment to something you care about. If an author is in love with her series world and her characters, she can’t help but evoke that passion through her words. Readers will connect with that emotion and want to revisit these people and places again and again because of that attachment. 

My very first series, Wired, takes place in the offices of a tech company with one rule for management—no fraternization with the staff. Imagine the difficulties that occur when our heroes, to a man, meet the woman of their dreams (each in a different book), but she’s working for the company and, therefore, off limits. I never intended to write a third book in this series, but one reader was so passionate about one of the secondary characters (and I mean, she hated him), she demanded I write his story and, by the way, he needed a spanking.

Making Over Maris—a sweet, humorous Fem Domme—was born. It wasn’t easy turning someone I’d written to be the comic relief in one book into the hero of another. But through passion, and compassion, I was able to do it. Once I knew Jack, really knew him, I had to tell his story. The reader, also a reviewer, gave the book a stellar thumbs up.

The Bottom Line

The final reason authors love series relates to all of the above. It is, in fact, the bottom line. My series have far outsold my standalones by a factor of five. It is easy to understand why. If an author is passionate enough about her world to revisit it again and again, the reader is going to want to do so as well. Beyond that, that reader is going to tell her friends about the book and insist they tell their friends.

A series can create momentum for an author, for a line and for a publisher. In fact, Decadent’s One Night Stand series has hundreds of standalone stories by as many authors.

You will continue to see series abound on the bookshelves, my friend, because they satisfy on all levels.

And isn’t that what good writing is all about? Read the rest of this entry »