Friday Recipe: New Year's Plans?

What do you do for New Year's? Do you stick to traditions? Plan something new every year? Go with the flow? Hope someone else has the party? Or don't you remember the party? ;)

We usually do hors d'ouervers and drinks. I'm a big fan of the pomegranate martini, but we have to have other drinks.

Pomegranate Martini
2 oz citrus vodka
1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
1/4 oz fresh pomegranate juice
1 oz simple syrup

As I browsed the internet for new drinks, I came across this I might try this New Year's:

Ingredients:
3 cups Apple Juice
1.5 teaspoons ground Cinnamon
0 stick Cinnamon
0.75 teaspoon ground Cloves
6 cups Cranberry juice
0.75 cup Maple syrup
0.75 teaspoon ground Nutmeg
3 cups Orange juice
2 teaspoons powdered Sugar

Directions: Combine all the ingredients in a very large heavy pan, except the cinnamon sticks. Bring to a boil and turn to simmer for few minutes. You can put the ingredients in a crockpot after it has boiled and keep warm over low heat.

At least someone's reading!

It makes me happy to know this. Doesn't matter what you read or who you are. It's impressive all round. A book can change a life after all!

Horoscope and the New Year

I admit to looking at my horoscope. Not every day or eve week/month. But I like the overall yearly predictions. Even if I never look back, if none of them come true, it doesn't matter. I like thinking the new year will be more positive and productive than the previous.

And if nothing else, it gives me a sense of stability for the first few weeks. Before the madness once more descends.

2011 looks to be busy, productive, and satisfying. I'm good with that! What about you? What do you hope for in the future?

Succumbed

Yes I have. I'm bowing to the temptation of more writing! I do enjoy it, don't consider it work, and love creating new characters. One day I'd love to write full time! But until then...

I'm going to write a 20Kmenage (m/m/f) story due by the middle of January. I have it plotted and the opening scene written. It's so exciting to start a new story!

But what's the difference between m/m/f and m/f/m and f/m/m? Is there one?

To Facebook or not to Facebook part 3

How little I know about Facebook. Apparently they have an ad section similar to google ad words. Pay per click a friend tells me. But is it worth it? And what's the difference between a regular page and a fan page? Other than the terms?

More research is required me thinks...

Any suggestions? Thoughts?

Friday recipe

Last week's FRIDAY recipe posted on SATURDAY because I can't seem to read a calendar. Huh.

THIS week's Friday recipe is actually posting on Friday (I double checked)

Sweet Potatoes and Brown Sugar is a favorite in my household but we only really have it around the holidays. I don't know where the recipe originated, but it's very tastey. The brown sugar sauce is really good with ham, too. :) This one is from MyRecipes.

Ingredients
1/4 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick
4 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled, cut in half crosswise, and cut into 1/2-inch wedges
Cooking spray
Preparation
Preheat oven to 400°.

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add sugar, water, salt, nutmeg, ginger, and cinnamon; bring to a simmer. Cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Discard cinnamon stick. Combine sugar mixture and potato wedges in a large bowl; toss well to coat. Arrange potato mixture on a large jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 40 minutes or until tender, stirring after 20 minutes.

Cold season

I've caught something. Which, now that I type that and knowing what I write, might not be the best start to this post. By caught, I mean I have, and by something, I mean a cold.

Just a cold, not the flu, or bronchitis, or pneumonia. I know this because I've had all those and this is just a cold. Sleep and sleep and chicken soup and sleep should cure it but when does sleep factor into anything the week of Christmas? huh.

A friend sent this article to me about the common cold, and while I like OJ, and drink it every day, I may have to look into echinacea.

What I'm reading: The rest of the stories in Passionately Ever After: Erotic Fairy Tales. Got sidetracked with plotting and baking and shopping and wrapping and such. But now I'm on Alice by . A treat to myself.
Amber Kallyn

All Romance eBooks

Wickedly Wanton: a Regency Ménage Tale is in the top 10 under Regency on All Romance eBooks. I know this because it has a cool silver star beside it.

Facebook part 2

And now I feel really out of the loop. Last week a friend emailed me this article. It's about a 103 year old woman who uses facebook to keep in touch with friends and family. Once it got out that she was the oldest person on facebook, she received over 1000 friend requests.

If 103 year old woman who has seen everything from World War I to the invention of televisions, the first man on the moon, and the internet can facebook, then I should probably as well.

Does it count as peer pressure when she's several generations older than I am?

Ms Lowe is thought to have become the oldest person among Facebook's 500m users following the death of 104-year-old Ivy Bean, from Bradford, in July.

"I use it just for amusement really. I'm only a beginner. I do enjoy it, very much."

She said that someone her age would need "an active brain" to use the social network site.

The friends requests began pouring in when her activity on Facebook won widespread publicity.

She said she has heard of Twitter but does not know what it is.

She said: "We've had messages from all over the world. I'd like to say thank you very much".

Short stories

I promised myself I wouldn't write until after the holidays. Did not need another thing juggling in the air. And yet.

Short stories. I enjoy them. I like writing them, reading them, and finding the differences between stories. For instance, the anthology call for Passionately Ever After: Erotic Fairy Tales includes retellings of fairy tales far and wide.

Last week I posted about Ravenous's new anthology call. I'm tempted (no pun intended) to contribute. The football one sparked some interesting plot ideas, while the shapless love had me thinking all sorts of things.

To Facebook or not to facebook

That is the dilemma. I know I could find everyone I ever went to high school with and their mother and possible her mother on there, but I really have no desire to relive high school. :shudder:

And yes, I know I could use it as a marketing tool to promote myself. But so do a thousand other authors.

Yup, could even get to know some of those thousand other authors, and while I like friends (in person and virtual) no.

Aside from the time constraint, Facebook has so many security issues it's not even funny-at least oce a month I read something new. Then last week I hear Mark Zuckerberg was named Time Magazine's Person of the Year? They must have been short of candidates.

What to do, what to do. To Facebook or not to Facebook. That is the dilemma.

Friday recipe: Peanut Butter Blossoms

If I'm going to post recipes, I should do so consistantly, yes? It'll be on Fridays, I have decreed. Ypu, it was a random choice.

Peanut Butter Blossoms don't last long in my household. There could be fights over them. Especially when they're down to the end. Why I make them only once a year, I don't know but they've always been a holiday cookie. I should change that, maybe there'd be less fights?

Ingredients:

• 48 HERSHEY'S KISSES Brand Milk Chocolates-unwrapped
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 3/4 cup Creamy Peanut Butter
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Granulated sugar

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375°F.

2. Beat shortening and peanut butter in large bowl until well blended. Add 1/3 cup granulated sugar and brown sugar; beat until fluffy. Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into peanut butter mixture.

3. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar; place on ungreased cookie sheet.

4. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately press a chocolate into center of each cookie; cookie will crack around edges. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. About 4 dozen cookies.

What I'm reading: The rest of the stories in Passionately Ever After: Erotic Fairy Tales. I'm up to The Frog Princess by Carolyn Heaven.

EDIT: Huh...it's Saturday. Oops!

Happiness is...

I found this cool site by The Happy Guy. *shrug* I don't make it up, I just re-post here.

Be happy. It's one way of being wise.
Sidonie Gabrielle (the author of Gigi)

Hope is itself a species of happiness, and, perhaps, the chief happiness which this world affords.
Samuel Johnson (18th century author)

Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony. Mahatma Gandhi (Yeah, that Gandhi)

Why the happiness post? Because it's the holiday season and people are miserable. It's not like this year was a surprise and someone said "Hey, let's celebrate something during the cold winter months!" Nope, this comes round every year. Relax, enjoy, celebrate friends, family, accomplishments. Worry will always be there, but if you let it eat at you, then where will you be. Most likely in the hospital.

And that's my philosophising for the month. Happy Holidays! :)

Unusual Historcals

While doing non-writing, non-holiday, non-work related Internet surfing this weekend, I came across a blog anniversary for a site called Unusual Historicals. I love the concept! I also love some of the eras they write in. I never really thought about it, but it's true: most of the historicals I read are set in familiar times and places.

It's time to branch out!

Sure, it's great writing about menages and foursomes, and kinky sex in times I know were what we, today, consider prudish, breaking the sterotype so to speak. But there's so much history out there just waiting to be corrputed. J

I have a new goal...Yes, I love my Regency menage stories, and I plan on making it a series, but I can work on other series, too, yes?

New anthology call

I missed this last year, but Ravenous Romance did a m/m football anthology. This year, they want to do another one. Interested? Here are the details. January 10 is really close, but I might give it a try.

They are also 3 other anthology calls: Hunks with Hammers, Asking for it, and Shapeless Love. All of which sound like fun, but I promised myself I wouldn't do any writing until after December 27. Deadlines for these loom.

What else is going on? I love anthologies because you can read a lot of authors covering the same subject and no two are remotely similar.

Blogger confusion

When I first created this blog, I added a whole bunch of erotic author blogs to follow. Now I realize some of those sites haven't updated in months and I'd like to unfollow them.

How, Blogger, how? I clicked on UNFOLLOW to no avail. If it's not unfollow to stop following a blog then what on earth could it be?

Wickedly Wanton: Excerpt

I'm still psyched over the release of my first fill-length story. Anthologies are really cool, don't get me wrong.  I'm looking forward to being in the Passionately Ever After one, plus I'm still waiting to hear back on a couple of my submissions.

But my first solo story? I now know why people celebrate, you can be sure I did!

Wickedly Wanton: A Regency Ménage Tale

Excerpt:

The closer they got to the manor house, the more nervous she became. Sabine watched the landscape roll past, alternatively glad Lord Severn sent his plush, gilt-edge carriage and wishing she’d insisted they’d walked. But she feared that if they’d walked, she would have changed her mind and convinced Faith to forget about this mad adventure.

This was more than sneaking out from their dormitory or playing pranks on her townhouse neighbors.

She smoothed her fingers down her gown, striving to unclench them from the material. She’d agreed to this because she wanted to know the sensuality of passion as well as to thumb her nose at Mr. Reddick—and her father.

But with each rotation of the carriage’s wheels, her resolve failed her, and Sabine wished she hadn’t accepted Lord Severn’s invitation.

“What did the footman say?” she asked Faith again, for possibly the fifth time since her friend had returned from her errand yesterday, flushed, excited, and whispering incessantly about today’s escapade.

“Nothing,” she said, and Sabine swore she bounced in her seat. “He nodded, bowed, and disappeared. If what Lord Severn promised us at the picnic is true, this will all be as silent as the grave.”

Sabine nodded and as they pulled up the long drive, the house came into view. It was a beautiful structure, large and equally proportioned. Curtained windows sat evenly spaced, and not a soul stirred in the open courtyard. Not even a dog, Sabine thought as she stepped out of the carriage.

The carriage pulled away, the driver and footman not looking in their direction. Eyes closed, Sabine turned to the entrance, praying she wouldn’t lose her nerve. It was far too late now. There was a note pinned to the highly polished oak door.

In strong, clear writing across the front read Miss Sabine Stanton.

Ladies,
The servants have been discharged and we’ve the house to ourselves for an afternoon of games and merriment.
We shall begin with a hunt. Through the house, into the gardens, make your way to the statue of Hermes. There you’ll find your first instructions.
Severn

Release day!

I'm so excited to announce my first full length book, Wickedly Waton: a Regency Ménage Tale is released today!

Blurb:

Sabine Stanton has struggled all her life to be the prim and proper English miss. She knows she must marry a man older than her father but doesn't want to go to her marriage bed untutored in the ways of sex. When Aiden, Lord Severn, catches her kissing her closest friend, he offers to show the both of them one afternoon's worth of erotic delights.

Aiden is intrigued with Sabine, her wantonness, her desire to experience life, even the protection and love she shows her friend. One afternoon isn't enough, but she's promised to another. Intent on having her, Aiden sets out to destroy the other man and have Sabine to himself.

Faith has always loved Sabine, and with her impending marriage knows she'll never have the chance to show her closest friend just how much. Jumping at Aiden's offer of an afternoon together, she realizes she can't give up Sabine. Vowing to do whatever it takes to keep her friend happy and sated, Faith doesn't imagine the danger their happy threesome can stir. 

Passionately Ever After

My short story, The Thirteenth Fairy, is out today in the anthology Passionately Ever After. I downloaded the anthology, and there sound like a lot of really great stories in there! My story is a retelling of The Sleeping Beauty fairytale, but told from the 'wicked' fairy's view. Morgannia is a scorned woman and King Lukas is the father of the prince determined to awaken sleeping beauty.

Excerpt:“Who are you to disturb me?” she snarled. “What lies have you told to enter this place?”

The man offered a low sweeping bow, elegant with no hint of fear. “I’m Lukas, King of the Northern Lands. It is my son who is the next to attempt to breach your thorns.”

Morgannia laughed, a low wicked sound. “Then I suggest you plan his funeral.”

Lukas walked forward, clearly not intimated by her threats. She laughed again and said, “Or perhaps he is a son you don’t wish in your kingdom.”

Angry now, his eyes narrowed. “The Prince will be the next king in my lands, make no mistake. And he will possess the beauty and riches purported to be locked away in that cursed castle.”

Intrigued, she studied the king before her. By rights, he should be cowering, begging for his son’s life. Several had done as much before, only to share the same fate as their foolish sons who attempted to rescue the sleeping beauty.

“You’re a bold man,” she allowed, eyeing his crown, “perhaps you truly are a king.” But then she dismissed him with a flick of her hand. “You’ve sent your son on a fool’s journey, one that will result in his death.”

Something in Lukas’s face relaxed and he offered a slow, erotic smile. Suddenly wary, Morgannia braced herself. She was positive this mere mortal could not harm her magickally, and yet the way he looked at her, the way he opposed her, her sparked through her veins.

A warning? Or was this…desire?

Bread baking

I plan on making the bread this weekend, and thought I'd post the recipe here.

This Gorilla Bread recipe is from Paula Deen's site on the Food Network, I have the recipe, which looked pretty much the same as this one, but not on my computer which is where I keep most of my recipes. Hence the copy/paste method, as opposed to the tedious typing it all in. Yes. It's also called laziness. I can accept that.

Ingredients
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
2 (12-ounce) cans refrigerated biscuits (10 count)
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped walnuts

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Spray a bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray. Mix the granulated sugar and cinnamon. In a saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar over low heat, stirring well; set aside. Cut the cream cheese into 20 equal cubes. Press the biscuits out with your fingers and sprinkle each with 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon sugar. Place a cube of cream cheese in the center of each biscuit, wrapping and sealing the dough around the cream cheese. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the nuts into the bottom of the bundt pan.

Place half of the prepared biscuits in the pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, pour half of the melted butter mixture over the biscuits, and sprinkle on 1/2 cup of nuts. Layer the remaining biscuits on top, sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon sugar, pour the remaining butter mixture over the biscuits, and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of nuts.

Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes. Place a plate on top and invert.

News

Just learned that my first story, Wickedly Wanton: A Regency Ménage Tale may be released within the next couple of weeks. I'm already doing the happy dance!

Plotting

Edits are out! Woot! (Ok they went out yesterday afternoon...)

That was really cool, I didn't realize how many grammatical errors I had. Rather embarrassing, but then I guess no matter how fine your fine-toothed comb is, you're bound to miss something

Cover-check
Edits-check
Contract-check

What's left? I guess just waiting for it to be published. When I have a date, you can be sure I'll post it ASAP. :) In the mean time, I'm dividing my time between my Christmas food planning and plotting another book.

Since I know December won't be spent writing, it's a little more relaxing to spend my time working out the plot of my next book. Also a Regency, I'm thinking this time it'll be m/f/m. Possibly in France, yes, I definitely think so. Two French officers enchanted with the same woman.

Holiday planning

Thanksgiving was a huge success...as were those extra pepperoni rolls I made and hid so I could have some after the crowd left! Now I'm gearing up for Christmas. Between the rolls, breads, cookies, cakes (possibly) and actual meal, is it any wonder I have no time to write?

In lieu of writing, I'm going to post some recipes I plan on making this year. Today will be the appetizer I'm making: Taco dip...yum!

1 8oz. pkg. Philadelphia Cream Cheese
1/2 pkg. powdered taco seasoning
1/2 bottle taco sauce (not salsa!)
2 cups taco style shredded cheese
lettuce (to taste, I like a lot)
2 tomatoes, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped (to taste, I like a lot)

Mix softened cream cheese and powdered taco seasoning in a bowl. Add taco sauce and spread in shallow Pyrex dish. Spread lettuce, tomatoes and onions evenly, then another layer of cream cheese & seasoning mix. Top with cheese.

Copy Edits

Am excited I received my copy edits in the emil last night! Will be working on them this weekend in between trimming the tree and baking.

Cover

Got my cover for my Regency menage. I...LOVE...IT!!! It's rather racy, so don't look with others around. ;) But it's very apropos to the story itself.

Time management?

What a concept! but I'm blogging about it over at Un:Bound and would love for you to share your tips and secrets.

Contract!

WOOT! I got my first full-length story contract! This is for that pesky Regency menage, now titled Wickedly Wanton: A Regency Menage Tale.

November

I'm horrible at this updating thing. I don't seem to have the time to keep up with every one's posts, comments, interests, PLUS my family, writing, day job, and life. Even when I say I'm going to try to be better, that never really happens.

To that end, I did a post for Un:Bound's Ravenous Wednesdays on just that. Juggling.I think it'll go up soon, I know they post every other Wednesday, but will post here (woot! another guaranteed post!) when it is.

Sent...Phew!

OK, so it was Monday, but I sent off my first full length story, now officially titled (unless the publisher doesn't like that title...) Wickedly Wanton: A Regency Ménage Tale. If all goes well (fingers crossed!) I'd like this to be the first in my historical menage series.

Now by series, I mean loosly connected series: The stories are historical and they're ménage . See the connection?

Short story contract!

My re-told Sleeping Beauty fairy tale has been contracted to be in the Pasionately Ever After Anthology! It's to be published by Ravenous Romance, edited by Rachel Kenley. (She did another fairy tale anthology, Spellbound, which I haven't read yet but plan on downloading this week.)

I'm beyond thrilled. It really makes all that hard work pay off when someone says they like your story.

To e-reader or Not to e-reader

That is the question. Actually, the question is: Which e-reader?

Anyone have a favorite? Or one they consigned to oblivion? I'm leaning toward the B&N nook because you can transfer independent e-pubs onto it. If you go with Amazon you must buy from Amazon. No thanks.

Things I'm grateful for

Got some bad news last night regarding the health of 2 people I care about. It made me realize how grateful I am about all the things in my life. I push myself to do a lot, work, family, writing, but this had me taking a step back and looking at life from outside the box.

• I'm grateful for my family. They're understanding and caring, and even though they insist on eating every day, they still allow me my "Don't disturb me I'm writing" time.
• I'm grateful for my job. Who'd have thunk it, but especially in this economy where the "official" jobless rate is 9.6% but really closer to 12% (counting all those ineligible for unemployment, and there are many, or whose unemployment has run out).
• I'm grateful for my health, colds, migraines, and all. I'm not on medication, I'm not in the hospital, and I'm not so infirm I can't do anything I want to.
• I'm grateful for my writing. That I have this creative outlet to explore strange new worlds, be they historical, paranormal, or anything else my devious little mind can think up.
• I'm grateful to have the opportunities I have, to live in a country where it's all possible.

I'm sure there are many other things I'm grateful for, but let's not nitpick (running water, heat/cold, flushing toilets, caffeine). What about you? What are you grateful for?

Junixed myself

In the beginning of September I said I wanted to update my blog more but if nothing else got posted, I'd update the beginning month goals and the end. I totally jinxed myself!

But on a positive note, I DID finish 2 short stories and my Regency menage. Feeling very accomplished! So what's on the agenda for October?

October goals:

Start new sexy historical. Not sure what yet. I have a couple vague ideas floating around but nothing concrete yet. I'm thinking another Regency both for the ease of clothing and for the wild time frame. Pretty much anything went during the Regency. Maybe something different, not England?

I haven't decided, but am open to suggestions-rather I'm open to outside the box ideas. :)

Finished!

Ha! Fairy tale story finished. Sure, I wanted it done in oh, August but time got away from me. I mean seriously, today is October 1? I don't believe it. It's a space-time conspiracy. Yup.

But I finished the fairy tales retold, now entitled The Thirteenth Fairy and am nearly finished the vampire BSDM, titled Parisian Pet, short which I plan on finished today and sending out both of them. Since it IS October 1 and they're due today.

News I don't want to read about

Cockroaches as antibiotics? I prefer not to know, if roaches are going to be in my medicine. Sure, I'm all about full disclosure and whatnot, but ewwwwww! I can so do without that.

Anyone else as disgusted as I? I read the article, don't get me wrong, and hey, it's great they may have found a way to combat MRSA and E. coli, but do they have to tell me that cockroaches are involved? Ick.

Monthly Goals

I've read on several groups (and OK school and such) that the setting goals is the easiest way to meet said goals. All the other things aside (family, unexpected life things, laziness, etc) I think the setting of simple realistic goals may be the way to go.

Hence my monthly goals. If nothing else, I'll have something to blog about twice a month...

September Goals:
1) Finish short story submission for an erotic retelling of a fairy tale (deadline 10/1/10). I have more than half of it done, it's just a matter of wrapping it all up.
2) Finish short story submission for vampire BSDM (deadline 10/1/10). I have more than half of it done, it's just a matter of wrapping it all up. Sound familiar?
3) Finish full-length Regency menage. This is maybe 3/4 done, and I plan on finishing it. Nothing can stop me! Except maybe myself but I refuse to self-sabotage.

I think that's enough for this month. After all, it's already the 8th and we're talking 20,000 words. That's probably not a lot to most writers out there, but as I've had trouble writing during oh, the entire month of August, I think shorter is better.

October is another matter entirely.

My first review!

This came up on Google Alerts, my very first review! I don't know this site, but have added it to my RSS feed cause you know...first review and all.

Love Romance Passion's Guest Reviewer Susan S. gave Once Upon a Threesome 5 stars overall, and my story, Inamorata, 4.5 stars. Yeah, I'm doing the happy dance!

Story 3- “Inamorata” by Kristabel Reed

Summary: Welcome to Italy’s Spring Festival! Antonio Tulon (Conte di Brindisi) is following Elisabeta through the streets of Venice. When he catches her, he’ll show Elisabeta some loving, Italian style. Against an alley wall. When he’s summoned away to meet with his future bride (Bianca d’Artusio) she’ll offer him a proposition he simply can’t deny. Of course, he’ll share Elisabeta! He’s an altruistic guy, lol.

Review: Ms. Reed serves up her erotica, piping hot!
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Type: F/F/M, and M/F

Thanks, Susan! You've totally made my day. :)

My eyes!

Be careful what search terms you use...

I was looking for some pictures for upcoming posts, got side tracked, and was lucky I didn't do this at work for anyone else to see.

Note to self: Be careful what you use as search terms. You never know what may pop up. Or what may haunt you with its hideousness.

What I'll never write about

Granted, my stories tend to run in the highly erotic, more menage direction, but I had a conversation this weekend with a friend who wanted to know if I'd ever write straight fiction.

1. NO

2. I like what I write, who needs to be literary? I enjoy reading what I write, therefore, I like writing what I write.

3. In straight literary fiction, I think (but didn't get into it) that she meant political stuff.

Now, I'm not opposed to adding in political intrigue into my stories, and aside from the fact that I tend to write historicals, I have no desire to jump into any political arena. Politics are for arguing, screaming at each other about the state of the world. No thanks. Sure you can have hot sex scenes with a political bent, but I'd prefer not to have all that blood-pressure rising anger that usually accompies these things.

Social Networking

I only blog and I have no time for all this online stuff. I don't Twitter, Facebook, Myspace (is that even still around?) or I don't even know what all else is out there. I barely update this blog once a week! I'd like to everyday but I always run out of time and sleep is so important.

How does anyone keep up? Let alone get any writing done. Maybe I should set aside one day a week of writing time and write blogs instead of a chapter. Something to think about at least!

Plotting

I have 2 new ideas, one for a sexy retelling of a fairy tale and another as a remake of a classic book. Have a couple in mind but want to see which is easier to retell before diving in. However, I finally, after many starts and stops, figured out what's wrong with my Regency ménage. I thought it was because I added in a fourth when it wasn't called for. Then I thought I needed to take the ménage, keep it as such, and move it in a different direction.

Alas, it's really a combination of them. I don't need the fourth, and taking the ménage in a different direction is what's needed, however it's not the rest of the plot, which equals clost to 20K words. That takes away from the story I want to tell.

Despite it being a threesome, the third in this story isn't a main character. So really it's a couple plus one. In taking the couple, and putting them through hell before their happy ending, it makes what I want to do with all three of them fuller and in the end, their story that much richer.

And therein lies the last of the posts I'm going to do on this story! I want to move on! Get to other things! :)

Distractions

I've been distracted from witting lately. I suppose I could blame it on summer, warm (sweltering hot) weather, and the fact that I see all these short stories I want to write but I'll just accept the blame. It's my own fault I haven't written more than 500 words in the past couple of weeks.

Found this picture online, I'm sure it's not the first time it's been used on a writing blog. :)

So what are my August goals?
1. Finish Regency menage
2. Finish vampire BSDM short for Ravenous
3. Plot, start, and finish a fairy tale short also for Ravenous.

I think those are lofty enough for this month. After all, it's already August 4!

Back in the groove

I'm back into my Regency menage and thrilled to be able to write forward! I realized what the problem was-it wasn't the transition chapter, but the second half of the book. I had a fourth added into the threesome, but really it wasn't necessary.

By removing this other man, I was able to retool the last 6-8 chapters to better suit the beginning of the story, the characters I created, and the plot I already had.

WHAT A RELIEF! It only took me, what, 6 weeks? Whatever it was, the time was well worth it because I'm so much happier with the story now!

Regency Bathing Machine

Bathing in Brighton and what I found in my Regency research.

It wasn't a foreign concept for Regency people to enjoy the beach. Their method just differed from what we do today. Note the full clothing from head to toe! And those  houses that roll into the water-Bathing Houses where you could change in complete privacy and bathe in equal privacy. Or, if you weren't into sea bathing, your sensibilities weren't offended by those who wished to.

Submitting

No, I'm not submitting my full length Regency threesome/foursome. It isn't finished yet, I'm still having trouble with the transition chapters. I know what I want to happen, but it isn't working to my satisfaction. Still playing with them so they work as a good bridge between the beginning and the way I want the ending told.

I'm submitting a post-apocalyptic modern day m/m story to Ravenous' Love Among the Ruins anthology.I just finished reading it one last time, adding in a few extra details about the world as it is now (story wise you understand) and am sending it off to Lori Perkins this morning. Deadline is August 1, so I feel quite ahead of the game!

In looking up where to send this (email wise) I found a few more blogs to follow, too! I love finding new people to stalk, er follow. Oh, the modernism we create!

Jumping into the wide world

In my case I mean facebook, myspace (is that still around?), twitter, etc. I have a blog, isn't that enough? A couple friends think I should expand, but clearly I can't even update this every day. All that other stuff? I'll never get anything done!

How do you all do it?  How do you keep up with all this social networking AND manage to write, have a life, sleep, eat? How do you survive?

Editing

Sucks. Editing sucks, big time!

On the other hand, reading your story for the fifth consecutive time, aloud, in a eerily quiet room and hoping no one walks in on you, does have its advantages.

Finished  second apocalypse story last night and instead of reading it just after finishing, I thought I'd read the first one, the m/m story. I missed a lot. Not in terms of grammar or spelling or such, not even in terms of plot cohesiveness.

It all goes back to that world building. I knew I needed to add stuff, I made that cool list and all, and used every point in the second story, a sexy m/f/m ménage. And then had to go back and add in all that in the first, the m/m one.

I really love this story now. There's more meat to it, no pun intended, more reasons, more world.

Lists

Apparently, I'm a list person. I have now created a list of things I'd like to see in my 3 current stories. Not specifics, but generalities that can be tweaked to fit into each distinctive story. I'm positive this list is not unique but I'm sharing anyway. If you have others, please feel free to add them!

Character background
Character growth
What's going on in this world
Why is it going on in this world
What the end goal is
Who the main players are
Is there an amorphous bad guy or specific one
External or internal conflict
How does the world affect the characters

As you can see, they're listed in the order I thought of them ad scribbled them down. Probably missing some, a other additions, suggestions, specifics?

Creating a world

Or world building, take your pick. In my first published story, Inamorata, the era was Venice circa 1690. I knew the city, looked up a couple canal names on a map, doubled checked the fashion, and bam! World created.
Making one up from scratch is a lot harder.

I'm working on two separate and distinct shorts for Ravenous' Apocalypse Today: Love Among the Ruins. They both take place in the same world, but in different areas with different experiences and different outcomes.

I had no idea it would be this hard! Taking a slice of the past and adding in a bit of historical intrigue and a heavy dose of romance and sex is one thing. Translating that heavy dose of romance and sex into a world of my own creating? More difficult. Not because, I think, of the transition itself, because of the world itself.

Coruscant from the Star Wars films, check it out. A city-world. Pretty cool!

So my questions in creating this brave new world are:
WHY is it a post apocalypse world? WHAT happened? WHEN did it happen? WHERE did it happen? WHO did it happen to? WHO made it happen? HOW did it happen?

Who, what, where, when, why, and how? Journalistic questions for an erotic romance. It all works. And after much frustration, I'll be using those questions from now on, whether going forward with this hell-world, or (finally) finishing my Regency ménage.

How do other people world build? I'm curious.

July 4, 1776

Happy Independence Day, America!

5 am and writing

I don't know what I'm doing up this early, but here I am. Since I can't sleep, I thought I'd go over a new short I did for a Ravenous Romance anthology. It's my first m/m romance, and I think it comes off rather well, if I do say so. Of course I need to add some more background, I don't think there's enough of what they're going through, of what's happened and what will happen. But not this morning. This morning it was editing for what I did and inserting notes for what I need. I'll be writing that other stuff when I'm a tad more awake.

What on earth is Steampunk?

Steampunk.


It's one of the calls for submissions from Ravenous Romance, but I'd never heard of it. I had to look it up, and then I had to look at the pictures. I know exactly what this is, just didn't know it had a name. And typing something like that into Google never really works.

And how cool is it that there's this whole culture surrounding it! And romances and neat histories and music, and good Lord, I'm in love!!

Psyched, this is too cool for words!


I don't think 5,000 words is going to be enough for this world. I can spend that just inventing stuff! But I'm determined, and determined not to get caught up in backstory.


Jump right into the story, isn't that how it goes? More fun? Yes, yes, I think so, too, but man. This world is going to be so so cool. I can't wait to start, but first thing's first. Research!

New Stories and Writer's Block

I haven't given up on my Regency-set threesome, but I do have a rather large case of writer's block. There. I said it. Admitted it aloud. I've been tweaking, editing, adding scenes, revamping the plot, and whatever else I can think of to it for weeks, but let's face facts. I'm stuck.

Not writing myself into a corner and have to rip out sections stuck, but the scene I have doesn't work. I need it, or something very much like it. The half dozen or so ways I've played with it aren't IT. Bridging the first half to the second is always difficult, or I think so at least!

What do you do when you can't push forward? I've tried everything, seriously. Have looked at this from a dozen different angles and yet nothing works.

So, I'll be working on a couple ideas I have for short stories. 5,000 words is a hell of a lot easier than 50,000! Ravenous Romance put out 3 calls for anthologies, and I intend to use them to spread my wings, so to speak. Do something new, not that with one story to my resume I have such a  long back list. But I'm still going to use these opportunities to see what I can do, whether or not they accept my submissions.

I lied

Not really, I mean I didn't intend to lie at least. I intended to read and read and read. Alas, I did more editing than actual writing, but still managed to somehow add in 2400 words. Seriously, I don't know how that happened, but it did.

Very happy with this, shows that even with stress my muse doesn't totally abandon me!

What I'm reading this week

Since writing has fallen to the back burner, I'm taking some time to relax and read. Life's been more than a little hectic lately, and my writing has suffered for it. Instead of ploughing through with words I'll probably delete later, I'm taking a small break to relax and read. Or maybe just sleep. I haven't decided yet.

So what am I reading?
Finishing up Stephanie Burkhart's Budapest Moon: The Hungarian
Going to start Debra Glass' Having Patience
Still trying to figure out how to download an audio I won from Allie Boniface's Lost in Paradise onto my MP3. I may give up and start listening to it on my laptop while I (God forbid) clean. I'm really looking forward to it. Maybe I'll just buy the e-book. Why is it I'll sit before my computer to read a book but not listen? Humph.
In between crazy work schedules and family drama, I also have a stack of steamy threesomes to get through, and I have to find and return a book a friend lent to me about first time lesbian encounters.

My first story, Inamorata, can be found in the anthology Once Upon a Threesome!

Comments

I've been reading a lot of blogs lately, expanding my reading (don't even ask how many books now crowd my computer!) and finding new things. I don't comment on every blog I read. Sometimes it's because I don't have time to do more than skim, sometimes because I don't have anything more to say than, "Huh, yeah!" Not a very astute comment.

But the question is, what makes you comment. Because leaving a comment wins you a prize? (No, not giving anything away, don't really have anything to give away!) Because the conversation is interesting? You like the author's interview?

Curious minds want to know!

Creative time

I read the start of The Other 8 Hours by Robert Pagliarini. Now I don't have 8 hours where I can decompress and be creative; that'd take me to at least 1 am and frankly I get little enough sleep as is. That would cut my sleep down to 5 hours 30 minutes and I need way more than that!

But time aside, the concept is decent. Basically, in y own words, if you want to get ahead, you have to do that during this off time. Not during the day job (which I need) or during your sleep (which I also need!) but during this other time. I'm not finished it, and may not (it is a time thing after all) but the theory is sound.

Prioritize commitments is the big thing (getting rid of our big time sucks, though I don't agree with everything like reading: hello!) What's most important? OK, writing is. Yes, family is hugely important but the have their own time, the rest (teeny tiny slices) are mine.

So writing is what I want to do, it's what is most important to me. Now I have to carve out time to do it without letting things interfere. Frankly, this is the hardest part but until I get into a routine, or convince the fam that this is important and me on the computer isn't me playing games, I just have to.

Nike had it right: Just do it!

Memorial Day

Thank you to all veterans, all current-serving military, and all their families.

Edit my photo

I'm doing something wrong but can't for the life of me figure out what that is! I wanted to wait until I got the cover for Once Upon a Threesome to make that my photo. So I waited and I did and yet even though I uploaded it an clicked all the appropiate boxes, it's not showing up AS my photo.

What am I doing wrong????? Anyone?

Menages

Or more for that matter- 3, 4, 5. It does get a little complicated with this but still sexy fun! So what's the draw? Why do you read them? Why are they so popular?

I read them because, yes, they're fun but there's also (usually) a deeper meaning. Love between 2 women or 2 men then, separately, the man and woman (in any mix) is sexy. And often the love has different degrees, with m/f/f maybe the women are really in love with strong, deep affection for the man. They don't want to lose him.

What do you think? Why are menages so popular?

Once Upon a Threesome, available now!

Historicals and sex

With the release (yesterday) of my first short story, I wondered why I drifted to the historical menage. OK, there was no drifting, I did it on purpose because historical menages are few and far between. At least in my limited experience so don't shoot me for not knowing about X, Y, or Z-tell me about them instead! I need to read them. :)

All that aside, it's not like menages are new. I mean look at Ancient Rome and Greece. The movie Troy notwithstanding, Achilles had both a male and female lover though, granted, probably not at the same time. Patroclus (portrayed as his cousin in that god-awful movie) and Briseis whom he refers to as his wife/bride:

Are the Atreidae of all mortal men
the only ones who love their wives? I think not.
Every sane decent fellow loves his own
as in my heart I loved
Briseis though I won her by the spear.

Hmm, not a great example of a true menage but my point is that sleeping with both a woman and man is not new. And often, after the fall of Rome, considered an affront punishable by death. No wonder all this was done in such secrecy! I would, too, if it meant death-or even scandal, prison, and outing as some kind of freak.

It's all well and good to say it doesn't matter, but I live in today's society with 21st century morals and outlooks. If I lived in, say, 1770 France...no not France everything went on there. How about 1770 so many other places. Yes, better. So, I'm living in 1770 America or Spain or China (and wasn't the emperor) and want two lovers at the same time. I'd keep it a secret, too!

Once Upon a Threesome, available now!

Once Upon a Threesome

My first story, Inamorata, is out today in the anthology Once Upon a Threesome! I'm so excited! (Ha, can you tell?)

Explicit excerpt: 

He was selfish and knew it—he wanted only Elisabeta, not this prim slip of a wife. However, with too many bad years in trading, and the wars with the Ottoman Empire, this marriage was the only saving grace of his family.

“You are a beautiful woman,” Antonio allowed, “but we are in a unique position. Unlike many others, with simply a word we could dispense with the agreement between our families.”

“Do you not mean with a word from me?” she asked, her reserved manner slipping. “Since it is my family who holds the advantage over yours.”

Where had this come from? Taking a moment, he wondered at the sudden change in her behavior. Before he could comment, Bianca continued.

“Why would I care to dispense with our marriage contract?” Bianca stepped closer, unclasping her hands and squaring her shoulders. “There are certain freedoms afforded a married woman.”

“You will have no freedom as my wife,” he snapped, making sure she understood. He gripped her chin, forcing her to look up at him. Her dark eyes acknowledged that, but continued to hold a hint of delight. “I’ll keep you cloistered in a room where your only task will be to produce an heir for me. Should,” he sneered, “I choose to visit you. You’ll not find this marriage between us a pleasant one.”

Bianca’s fingers skimmed down his chest, cupping his cock. He remained flaccid in her hand. “Pleasure,” she purred, “is exactly what I desire.” She stroked him, dark eyes gazing up with interest.

“I don’t want to join our families in war, I’d rather we create something different. Your threats are hollow, Conte di Brindisi. My family will not allow you to imprison me like a nun in a cloister. A single word from me will ruin all you have and all you know.”

Antonio admired her manipulation of the situation, but that was all. Once married, interference from her family would be negligible. And, too, she could always die in childbirth.

“I do not react well,” he said, removing her hand and flinging it from him, “to such threats.”

“There is no threat,” she said, amusement in her voice, “simply fact. I don’t want contention between us. But I don’t want to be tortured by a neglectful husband.”

Gripping her shoulders, he picked her up and pushed her several steps until her back hit the wall. Holding her there, Antonio once more forced her head up, ensuring her complete attention.

“I’ll be whatever kind of husband I choose. As my wife,” he continued, unsurprised to see the stirrings of desire in her eyes, “you will obey and keep silent.”

The back of her fingers grazed his cheek, slid down to rest over his heart. “There’s only one reason for such ardor in a man, for I am comely and willing.” Her hand slipped lower, but didn’t take his cock again. “There is another desire in your life. Either another man…or another woman.”

Antonio released her chin, stepping back. He didn’t care that she knew he had a mistress, only what she would do to Elisabeta should she ever learn her name. The d’Artusio’s were powerful, and if Bianca made true with her threat on him, that anger easily could transfer to Elisabeta should she desire.

“Ah.” There was satisfaction in that one word, but she didn’t move. “As I’d hoped.”

Jerking his head back to look at her, he saw lust mixing with triumph in her dark eyes. Shock stiffened him, but only for a moment. Arousal and intrigue came hard on its heels, hardening his cock with interest.

“And why,” he asked, lazily crossing the space between them, “is that a hope of yours? Most wives detest the mistresses their husbands keep.”

“I shall not be most wives,” Bianca whispered, standing still as he circled her. “I would be happy if you would share her.”

He could admit to being stunned, but not repulsed by the idea. “She is mine.”

“I will also be yours,” she reminded him. “Think of it, Antonio. The three of us enjoying each other’s flesh. But, if that thought—the thought of seeing your wife enjoying the most intimate parts of your mistress—does not tantalize, then I would hope you allow me my own mistress.”

The thought tantalized. And Antonio was tempted. Loath as he was to share Elisabeta with anyone—man or woman—this suggestion captivated him. Elisabeta’s beautiful long limbs wrapped around Bianca’s…

“My wife and my lover?” He’d never before given this thought, but hardened at her proposal.

“We would all be lovers,” Bianca said, and he saw she’d given this considerable thought. “We would be there to please you…and you can watch as we please each other.”

“What do you want with her?” he demanded, eyes narrowed.

“I want to kiss and suck her supple breasts.” This bold statement further aroused him. “I want to lay my soft body atop hers. I want to feel her rapture moisten my face.”

Available now from Ravenous Romance.

What a long week!

I don't know where the time went but I can guarantee it wasn't spent writing! I don't really know what happened, I had all sorts of good intents, but alas...

Sometimes you just need to recharge your batteries, let stories sit while you rest, veg, or even clean (my carpets are very happy with my week of no writing.) Also trying to steer clear of news, it's more depressing by the day! I've started reading The Hungarian by Stephanie Burkhart. She was kind enough to draw my name for a free copy! I'm loving it. :)

Also waiting for my first short story to come out, Inamorata in the Once Upon a Threesome anthology from Ravenous Romance.

Review: Champagne

When I got my contract with Ravenous Romance for my short story, Inamorata, I thought Hey! I want to do more of this! I enjoyed writing the story and really putting emotion into a forbidden historical threesome. But then I thought Well, a short 5000 word story is a far cry from a full-length one!

No pun intended.

So I bought the other 2 books I could find on Ravenous's website, Threesome an Anthology and Champagne by Inara LaVey. I skimmed though the anthology pretty fast, the stories were mostly good ones, but it really is hard to imbued your characters with loads of emotion when the story really is about the sex. Plus, they weren't historical and the forbidden pleasures of making an unorthodox relationship work in historical times is really what I wanted to explore.

Hence, Champagne. No, it's not an historical but it did give me a sense of the feelings behind a ménage, all fleshed out (pun, yes whatever) in a few hundred pages.

First, it was funny. I hadn't expected that but damn if she isn't funny! And full of information about France's wine country. I sense a love here, but won't go into it. Written in first person, we see and feel everythign from Jeanette's view, from her frustration with her soon-to-be ex boyfriend to the desire of her French hosts. Very sexy all round, too.

Blurb:

Jeanette Wilson is an American girl on the trip of a lifetime to the wine regions of France. Unfortunately, she’s trapped with her soon-to-be-ex-boyfriend Daryl, a self-absorbed, self-aggrandizing, self-styled wine expert bent on swirling, sniffing, sipping, swishing, chewing, swallowing and occasionally spitting his way through the wineries. Between his endless lectures and insufferable putdowns, her insignificant other is quickly turning her dream vacation into a nightmare. But things change for Jeanette once they come to the zenith of their French road trip, the Champagne house of Chateau Roux-Dubois.

Their hosts, Amaury and Marie-Elise Roux-Dubois, turn out to be both charming and attractive, and go out of their way to extend a warm welcome to her. And they make it very clear that it is she, not Daryl, who is their special guest, particularly when the striking Marie-Elise takes Jeanette down to the wine cellar for a very personal tour, followed by an unusual French lesson from Amaury.

When she and Daryl are invited to stay and participate in the harvest festival, Jeanette finds herself caught up in a ménage a trois with the Roux-Dubois, both intent on teaching her many things…and not just about wine.

New book

I'm so excited to have won Book One of the Budapest Moon, The Hungarian by Stephanie Burkhart! I haven't started it, I really want to be able to have enough time to read and enjoy it. (As opposed to stops and starts.)

Katherine Archibald is in search of a grand adventure. A young woman in late Victorian England, she wants to open up a book store in London and travel Europe hunting down rare books. Love isn't on her map.


Enter Matthias Duma. The Hungarian count captures Katherine's attention like no other man before him with his unusual gold-malachite eyes, his exotic features, and his command of the night sky.

After a night of intrigue during Katherine's birthday, she discovers the map does include love in the legend, but will the map lead her to Budapest and the dark, brooding Hungarian she's just met?

Plot, an actual plot!

I spent most of my writing time yesterday thinking of ways to add plot to this story. Then I realized I was spending my time on external plots-a mystery, a theft, a spy, what have you. Nope. No good. This is a purely character driven story, with lots and lots of sex :) But its the character's problems that drive this plot.

It's the stigma of being different in Regency England, of wanting something but knowing you would not only be ostracized but imprisoned if you took it.

Ha! I plan on bulldozing right on through those sigmas and embracing the scandal. Okay, secretly embracing the scandal, but it's an embrace all the same.

Nifty gadget

I was reading the Live Journal Mandelo at Work and noticed the word count at the top. I wanted one. I don't know why, I mean sure I can see my own progress at the bottom of my 2007 Word where it helpfully (or not so helpfully) shows how many words I have in this particular work. But for some reason, I really waned this gadget on my blog.


Maybe so I can show everyone else how little this story has progressed this weekend? Don't know, but it's so cool I had to have it. Thanks to NaNoWriMo Word Meter, now that I know what NaNoWriMo is! Pretty cool, I may give it a try this November!

I do wonder how to update the word meter without going to NaNoWriMo, but it's a minor quibble.

Hmm, now that I look at that, why is my blue progress bar sack in the middle? That's not right. Nope, tried again, from scratch. Same thing. Damn. Ah, well, it's still cool.

Point of View

I don't know why I just realized this, since I'm well into chapter 5, but I have chapter 1 entirely in the hero's point of view. I like it, I think it really works, but does anyone else? Okay, I don't know all the rules for this, and I don't think it matters if I break this particular one, but I need another opinion.

How much of the hero's point of view do readers like?

Readers not me, since I love knowing what everyone's thinking. :) I don't mind first person stories, but I hate not knowing what's going on in all the characters's minds. Even if it's just a little bit, or a few paragraphs every now and then.

Inspiration

I've read several blog posts about where a certain story came from and how it evolved from an idea into a full-fledged novel. I can relate, though my ideas aren't nearly as lofty-or coherent-as those posts I've read.

My short Inamorata came out of a book I read ages ago called A Venetian Affair: A True Tale of Forbidden Love in the 18th Century by Andrea Di Robilant. If you haven't read it, you should-it's the true story told from family history and discovered (and encrypted!) letters between the lovers.

I loved the book and became obsessed with Venice from then on. When I wrote my first (contracted I should mention) short, I wanted to do something about the era, to capture the flavor of the city which was so very different than any other in Europe.

I don't know why I chose to make it a threesome, other than that was what the anthology call was for-threesomes. I find the merging of three lives fascinating, to see how they live and survive. it's hard enough with two people, adding in a third there's always the risk someone might feel left out or ignored.

Makes it more interesting, I think. :) Don't you?

New story

I couldn't sleep last night, not sure why. It's sure not because I mysteriously caught up on sleep and therefore wasn't tired! But I couldn't sleep so instead of tossing & turning or watching absolutely nothing on TV I wandered to my trustworthy laptop and outlined a new story.

Still working hard on my Regency one, I'm about 4 completed chapters into it and really liking where the story is going. But this one...it must have been the late hour of the night.

It's a story about three friends exploring the steamier side of life and love. I don't have it all worked out, just know that it'll be divided into parts, 1 for each friend, showing her story. It'll all start with the same scene/event, told from each woman's perspective then move on from there. This one is a contemporary, very modern day experimental. Chic lit possibly, not sure, but with more sex.