The Mansions and the Mills

Thank you, Delilah, for having me as a guest blogger.

After finishing The Oath, a historical romance about a woman doctor in 1890’sNew York City, I began searching for inspiration for another book about a Victorian career woman.  We tend to think of Victorian women as primarily wives and mothers, but often these same women created opportunities for themselves in a variety of occupations.  Now I had to decide which one my heroine would pursue.

One day, I was driving to Manchester, CT, to brainstorm with my critique partner when I passed three stately Victorian mansions sitting high atop a hill that crowned a luxurious sweeping lawn, not far from a group of brick mill buildings.  My friend told me the mansions and mills had been owned by a large, prominent family named Cheney, and silk fabric made there.

Silk?  In Connecticut?  That was news to me.  Like all native New Englanders, I knew about the region’s once-thriving textile industry, but I’d never known anything about silk manufacturing except that it involved temperamental silkworms and mulberry leaves to feed them.  Sensing a novel, I began researching the subject.  Soon, many tantalizing dramatic possibilities emerged.

I started playing my favorite game of, “What if..?”  What if my spirited heroine Hannah found herself in a marriage of convenience to a man who loved his silk mill and another woman more?  What if she tries to win her husband’s love by learning everything she can about running his beloved mill and making it prosper?  And what if she’s swept away by a forbidden love for Samuel, her husband’s artist brother?  Add the theme of how one woman’s choices define and shape her life, and The Vow was born.

As a writer, I always keep my eyes and mind open to new sources of inspiration.  So when I see three mansions on a hill, I don’t drive by without a second thought.  Instead, I play, “What if…?” and see where the journey takes m.

Lindsay Chase is the author of The Oath and The Vow, part of Samhain’s Retro Romance line, and Honor, coming in July.  Lindsay’s website is www.LindsayChaseBooks.com, and you can join her on Facebook and Twitter (@lindsaychase10).

Check the comments of yesterday’s post for the winner of the free download!
Oh! And remember The Texas Two-Step Grab Bag contest ends Tuesday! ~DD

Why Attend a Conference?

Rachel and I are attending Spring Fling, the conference of the Chicago North chapter of Romance Writers of America.  A large regional conference, it focuses on workshops and activities for aspiring and published authors, as well as a reader event that includes a book-signing.

Having just gone to the RT Booklovers Convention earlier this month, I am beginning to “get the hang” of how I like to “do” conferences.  I figured I’d pass along some tips that work for me and Rachel:

1.  Plan ahead.  Look up the schedule on the Internet before you go, so you know what you want to attend and where, if any, slack exists so you can relax.

2.  Come early to get the lay of the land, check in, and get your “swags.”  Most conferences give various freebees, from books to pens, mirrors, and even candy in naughty shapes.

3.  Many people use conferences as networking tools, so pay attention to the lounge and lobby areas.  Editors and authors like to just hang out, rather than attend every workshop; impromptu discussions can take place.  You never know who you might meet.

4.  Don’t be afraid to have some fun.  Most conferences offer parties of various kinds, from relatively mild receptions to full-blown extravaganzas with costumes, models, and stage productions.  It’s not all serious, so lighten up and let your inner child play.

5.  Bring business cards.  Collect business cards.  Even if your cards are simply your name and email, you have the opportunity to make connections and put a face to your branding.  Folks are more apt to connect with a real person, which is invaluable as you’re starting out.

6.  Take care of your appearance.  You might want to dress up in order to give a good first impression.  While jeans and a t-shirt are comfortable, you are representing you and your brand.  Dress the part.

7.  Remember to drink plenty of water and bring snacks.  There’s no reason not to spend money at the hotel or convention center if you’ve budgeted for it, but why pay seven dollars for a bottle of water when you can bring it with you?  Plus, you might not want to leave a workshop just because you get the nibbles.

8.  Bring something to take notes with.  Don’t be afraid to ask questions.  People love to talk about their craft.  The more you ask, the more you’ll learn.

9.  If you see an author you like, go up and talk with them.  They’re here to connect with the fans.  Take advantage of that and be a fan.  Just don’t bother them if they’re trying to have a quiet meal or already in conversation with someone.

10.  Be a sponge.  Keep your eyes open.  You never know when you might see the next idea for your novel, idea for a cool promotional concept, or a new friend.  Let the world around you stimulate you.  After all, that’s what you paid for.

A. Catherine Noon and Rachel Wilder
Blog Website
Check out BURNING BRIGHT, available now from Samhain Publishing.
Watch for EMERALD FIRE, coming soon from Torquere Publishing.

Elle’s winner is named in the comments! Be sure to check there! ~DD

Born to Be Wild

Hey everyone! I’m super excited to be blogging with Delilah today. When it comes to erotic romance, she is definitely a master. In fact, one of the very first erotic anthologies I ever read was a western that included a Delilah novella, and since then, I was hooked!

I write a variety of genres, romantic suspense being my main one, but if I’m being honest, sexy contemporaries are my absolute favorite to write because they’re always more fun. My latest release is definitely one of my hotter ones (Actually, my contemporaries only seem to get sexier and sexier with each book, but nobody seems to be complaining, so… :))

Born to be Wild, my latest ebook with Samhain Publishing, centers around Jake Bishop, a bona fide bad boy who comes home looking for a distraction. And he finds one in the form of Bree Lockhart, the wealthy good girl who spent a few months in high school being very, very bad with Jake. The moment they’re reunited, it’s obvious that the flame still burns hot, and Jake, of course, is determined to lure Bree right back to the wild side.

So, here’s a little excerpt that shows exactly how persuasive Jake can be! Anyone who stops by and comments today will be entered in a draw to win a copy of BTBW, so don’t be shy! Let me know what you think of the excerpt, or your thoughts on erotic romances, or how hot is too hot (if that’s even possible), or anything else that strikes your fancy! The winner’s name will be posted in the comments section at midnight tonight (eastern time).

Also, be sure to stop by my website (www.ellekennedy.com), or connect with me on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/AuthorElleKennedy) or Twitter (@ElleKennedy). I love chatting with fellow readers and writers!

Order links:
Buy at Samhain
Buy at Amazon

EXCERPT:

Jake wanted to lick every inch of Bree’s delectable body. Unfortunately, she was sitting all the way across the table, and there was all this damn food between them, acting like a barrier. He couldn’t believe how incredible she looked. And he’d forgotten how frickin’ smart she was. As she spoke in length about her latest case—a lawsuit against a pharmaceutical company that had knowingly sold defective drugs—it surprised him to discover that he was actually interested in everything she had to say.

“What are you thinking about?” Read the rest of this entry »

With a Twist, Please

My husband constantly complains at the twistiness of my brain, usually as I try to explain my latest plot and the elements I’m combining to create the story. At times like that I put my nose in the air and remind him how much more difficult his life would be if I focused those particular talents on him, rather than use them in my books! But that slightly unscrupulous willingness to cause drama and turn the well-known on its head, while a pain in the butt in real life, is a good gift for an author.

Honest, honey. It is… *shifty eyes*

Recently I started branching out from historical romances and took on the world of fantasy/paranormal, but I couldn’t leave my love of history and myth behind and had to add my own twist to some familiar concepts.

It started simply enough with reading about Churchill, Manitoba, the Polar Bear Capital of the world, on the internet. Of course, I clicked on link after link, going from sites about modern-day Churchill to Inuit culture and myths, and so on. Before you could say, “Get back to work” I had the outline for Arctic Destiny, which was released by Ellora’s Cave Publishing earlier this year. In this book a sexy Polar bear shifter and the tenacious lover he had to leave behind collide with erotic, soul-stirring and potentially heartbreaking results.

Next came the idea for a series of stories centered on a group of friends working in a tattoo parlor. Sounds simple enough, until I started working on the plots and deciding on the characters. Somehow I ended up researching the mythology of the Kingdom of Dahomey, a part of what is now Benin, in West Africa, and no, PLEASE don’t ask me how I found myself doing that…I have no clue. Then suddenly I was browsing Scottish sites, then Norse, then… You get the idea!

The end result is two books being released by Ellora’s Cave in July as part of their Pricked series, the first of which is now available for pre-order (WOOT!) and is slated to be released on July 7, 2012. In Fleeing Fate, the first in my Unveiled Seductions series, the banshee heroine needs the help of a delicious, banished West African storm god who isn’t sure he’s the right man for the job. But Jakuta recognizes a gathering storm when he sees one, and he knows Gràinne will blow through his life with all the force of a sensual, emotional hurricane.

In book two, Stone-Hard Passion, Jasmina Elalmadhoun is a jinn on a mission—to seduce her client and friend Vidar Jarlsen, a troll. I know, I know. You’re all out there thinking I’ve truly lost my mind this time, just like Jasmina’s friends think she’s sprung a brain leak for being attracted to a troll. But even if no one else can appreciate him, Jasmina sees how yummy he is, and I hope you’ll all agree when the book is released on July 27.

And the characters keep coming, so this is a world I hope to continue exploring for a long time. After all, a girl’s got to keep her twisty brain occupied and herself out of trouble.

Sorta…

Cheers!

Anya Richards
Journeys Through Seduction

Beware the Bunnies!

Authors are a bizarre breed. We can get away with talking to invisible people, arguing with them, and threatening them with grave bodily harm (or worse) when they get too cocky. (Of course, we rarely ever win said arguments.) And to think: no one comes along with friends in pretty white coats! (Well, they haven’t found me yet, anyway.)

Then…there are the plot bunnies: those evil, twisted, corrupted, insidious, little nuggets of “Ooooo….” that plant themselves in our poor, overworked brains. Is it any wonder why we talk to invisible people?

You see, most folks would think such things would be wonderful and lovely, that it would be marvelous to have these seemingly-nonstop ideas just flowing carefree through their minds. *snorts* Have you wondered why these things are called plot “bunnies”?

One idea is not enough. Oh, no.

The plot vermin (think: Night of the Lepus, people–seriously) breed uncontrolled, unchecked. We (the vic–er, authors) are powerless to stop them. So we eventually give in and listen. We make notes, research, might even start writing. Then… BAM! Another evil hare is born! This new one is sparkly and pretty and, ohhh… it would be amazing if we…

Do you see where this is going? It’s terrifying, I tell you.

Facebook has become a prime breeding ground for these things. Friends post pics (usually of hot, sexy men–you folks know who you are!), then the bunnies start humping each other like mad. Nevermind that there are deadlines and sequels and stories already set to go. The bunnies? They don’t care! They fuck like…well…bunnies, and before I know it, I’ve got a folder full of pretty men waiting for *their* story.

Why anyone would name such devious things after cute, cuddly creatures is beyond me. 😯

*****

What do online gaming, Spongebob, cooking, writing, and an unnatural addiction to Mountain Dew all have in common?

Not a damn thing, which is what makes Mychael Black an interesting bird indeed.

Born in north Alabama, Mychael now resides on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Having run the gamut of labels in regard to gender and sexuality, Mychael now shuns society’s views on normality and embraces a poly-everything attitude. Call Mychael her or him—it doesn’t matter. Just keep reading the books.

https://www.mychaelblackbooks.com/

Venus versus Mars

That women and men are different isn’t a new idea.

Not only are we physically different, our minds work in different ways as well. Men and women often have a difference in sexual attitudes—though there are always exceptions to the rule! Men are more physical and are stimulated by things they can see and touch, whereas women rely on their emotions and a sense of connection with another person to turn them on (though a great body always helps!). The male and female brain even react differently to different erotic situations, with a man’s brain reacting more to visual stimuli and a woman’s brain reacts more to psychological simulation.

When writing erotic fiction, it’s important to consider who I’m writing that fiction for. Predominantly, I write fiction for women, but when I’m writing for a male audience, I approach things differently. When I write for men, I spend less time trying to create a connection that is any more than sexual, and more time on description. When I write erotica for women, for the most part I like to have a connection on another level between the male and female character (or even the male, male, and female, or female, female and male, and any other combinations you can think of!). I also like to have a ‘happy ever after’ or at least a ‘happy for now’ ending. For men, a chance encounter on purely a physical level is enough.

Recently, I received a review which made me smile. The reader actually questioned whether or not I was female because she’d read my short story collection Some Love it Hot! When I sat down to write this collection, it was alongside my first title Rescued. In my head, I knew I wanted to write one collection for female readers and another for men. Some Love it Hot! was my “male” collection and it was this title where someone had questioned my sex. That was a huge compliment to me. It meant I’d done my job right and achieved what I intended.

Strangely enough, even though I write predominantly for a female audience, Some Love it Hot is still one of my best-sellers.

My latest collection, Down in the Sand, although has some stories from a male view point, is definitely written for women. There have been few times in my life where I’ve felt sexier than when I’m on holiday. All that tanned skin, hot sun, and a couple of cocktails beside the pool. What in life could be better? It was this feeling of sexy relaxation that got me writing this collection. Keep reading for an excerpt of one of the stories, “Stopover.”

Cool lotion trickled onto her upper back, making her squirm. Moments later, his warm hands made contact with her skin, smoothing out the creamy fluid, rubbing the muscles of her shoulders and the back of her neck with firm strokes. The massage eased away the last of the tension from the long flight and Zara couldn’t help her whole body relaxing under his attention.

His strong fingers worked their way down, rubbing the muscles along either side of her spine, down to the dip of her lower back. He skirted the curve of her ass, his fingers going lower, slipping beneath the edge of her bikini bottoms.

Would he do it? She wondered. Would he have the nerve to try to go further, right here where numerous other people sunbathed and splashed in the pool? His body hid her mid-section from one side and there were only rocks on the other. While people might be able to see her head and shoulders, to anyone who might catch a glimpse of them, they simply looked like a guy applying sun lotion to a girl’s back. Read the rest of this entry »

Hi there! My name is Margery Scott and I write…pretty much everything. Historical western romances, time travels, contemporary romances, mainstream suspense, etc. The list goes on. I’ve even tried writing erotica, but it’s not my thing. I’d like to be able to write HOT, because I’d love to get a bit more steam into my books, but it comes off sounding more like an episode of I Love Lucy or The Three Stooges—not exactly the reaction I’m going for. My books do have sexual tension and chemistry between the hero and heroine, though, although the fantasies my characters have aren’t exactly XXX-rated.

Fantasies. Everybody has them, right? They don’t have to be sexual, they just have to be make-believe scenarios about situations and people that are so far removed from our real lives that the chances of them actually happening are a million to one—daydreams about what could be, what life would be like if…

Fantasies are perfectly normal and healthy. In the bedroom, as long as both partners are in agreement, anything goes. Outside the bedroom, in your own mind, whatever you want to dream up is perfectly okay.

In my latest release, The Next Victim, small-town reporter Shannon has a fantasy—she’s living in New York, she’s bigger than Barbara Walters, and she’s making a kazillion dollars every week. It’s her only fantasy—until Ben Carver, the new police chief, shows up. They lock horns, but even though she fights it, her fantasy is changing—and suddenly, Ben is the star.

Workaholic detective Ben Carver is convinced the next target of a serial killer is Shannon Ames, the sexy reporter who lives in his apartment complex. As he works to prevent her from becoming the next victim, he starts to feel emotions he’d long thought dead. But the secret Shannon carries could destroy any hope of a future together—and might even get her killed.

It’s not erotica, it’s not even particularly steamy, but although both Ben and Shannon have their reasons for fighting their attraction to each other, hormones and chemistry win out—and eventually give them their happy ending where their fantasies become reality.

Margery
Visit my website!