More on this issue...

Since my blog the other day I've had a number of people write privately about their own experiences in talking to others about what we write or even, whether or not it's important to be quiet about our work or come out of the closet. Someone mentioned how the word 'erotic' is viewed. It was a good point and it had started me thinking about this.

Honestly, it's terrible that we must worry about a level of shame involved with that single word. Most folks see 'erotic' as 'porn'. Now WE know the difference but most don't. I've always viewed the difference between "HOT" and "EROTIC" as simply our language is a little different, less purple-prosey terms for sex acts and body parts. Think about it. An erotic romance tells the same story as a hot mainstream romance, we are just more explicit. Nothing wrong with that. So it's the word EROTIC, right? Yes, there are other 'out there' fetish things in some works but the central themes are the same. Self discovery, falling in love, solving a dilemma etc. Why should our stories be perceived as different from hit television shows like True Blood? The show filled with adult language and situations, nudity, all the things we put out there in erotic romances. So the individuals who are glued to every episode of True Blood or other similar shows yet turn their noses up at erotic romances display hypocrosy, in my view. I just can't take people like that seriously.

Like the rest of you, I've worked hard to become a writer. I've studied and polished my craft. I am doing what I was meant to do. I refuse to hide my light under a basket out of fear. We teach our kids to take a stand on issues they care about. Why should we do any less?

Hunks!

It's cold and snowy...needed to warm up

So, I'm posting some cuties for today

I figure there's something here for everyone

What's your pleasure? I'm going with all of the above. lol

I have a new release!!!

I'm excited to say that my FIRST Kensington Aphrodisia book is now available for purchase!! Yay!

Take a walk on the wild side with these steamy stories of erotic ecstasy…

Some Like It Rough by Kate Pearce
Luke Warner wants to chill out when he cashes in his hectic life in Silicon Valley
and returns to his hometown. But things heat up when he reunites with his best
friends, Julia and Paul, and invites them both to share in a sexual adventure like
they’ve never had before…

Private Eyes by Susan Lyons
Assigned to work undercover as an exotic dancer, straight-laced Haley Croft
discovers the thrill of strutting her stuff. And when she catches sexy PI Ry
Montana checking out her moves, she can’t wait to give him his own private
show…

Cherry on Top by Anne Rainey
When massage therapist Cherry DuBois rubs her oil-slicked hands all over Dante
Ricci’s rock-hard body, red-hot desire courses through her. She longs to lose
control and give herself to the pleasures of sexual submission…

Holly at Romance Reviews Today gives it a "perfect 10" and says: "Each tale stands alone, but each one brings together some terrific writing from three outstanding authors. By the time I finished SOME LIKE IT ROUGH, I knew it richly deserved a Perfect 10 and would go on my keeper shelf. If you are looking for a sizzling read that is time well spent, then pick up SOME LIKE IT ROUGH."

BUY IT AT:

AMAZON

BORDERS

BOOKS A MILLION

BARNES & NOBLE

I write erotic....SO WHAT?

Yup. I'm a baaaad baaaaad girl. I write erotic romance. And if there's a 12-step program for that just keep it to yourself because I'm not interested. Writing erotic romance isn't something I set out to do. It just evolved. Yes, I've always written HOT but eventually I crossed over to the dark side and I've never looked back. Not only are erotic writers the most fun people to be found anywhere, they are kind, accepting, non-judgmental and possess a great sense of humor. Who wouldn't want to write in this genre and be around such cool people?

The other day an erotic romance writer was wondering how to respond to snarky comments from others about the kinds of books she writes. Being the generous women they are, a number of writers replied offering their experiences and some very cool responses. Many years ago, I was with a group of local women, only about five or six, and we all knew each other since our daughters were friends. At this time I wrote romance and hadn't yet begun my little voyage toward the naughtier stuff. Now, I live in a really bible-belty area in Texas. Very conservative. I seldom bring up the subject of my writing. Sometimes that is safer. Anyway, one of the ladies goes....hey, are you still writing? I smile and say...yes, I am. I'm having lots of fun with it. Nope, didn't make a big deal and that's my standard response to this stuff. Often the subject will drop right then and other times...no. This time however the questions came at me fast and furious. Surely I wrote childrens books or something, one said. I laughed and said, no, I write romances. One of the women who had been very quiet through the discourse kind of lifted her nose and smirked a little (I'll NEVER forget that smirk) and said....sometimes I like to read trash but not usually.

I swear.

A gasp went up among the other women and I honestly didn't know what to say. They quickly came to my defense saying things like...I loooooove romances. How fun! What a great thing to write! Blah blah. I swore then and there I would never be caught 'flat footed' again. I learned that day that I have a rebellious streak. It had been well hidden but she was born kicking and screaming that day. Now, when someone gives me this 'raised eyebrow' look, I am prepared.


My standard response (always delivered with a smile and using my sweetest voice)? Why yes, I DO write romances and not only that, but I write erotic romance. That usually shuts em up immediately. Sometimes they sniff and look like they've sucked on lemons and I'll laugh. Sometimes I'll laugh AND shake my head a little. That totally throws them off. Other times, I'm completely surprised by a reaction. I've been literally grabbed by the shoulders, shaken, and had someone yell in my face....OMG OMG, where can I get your books? Lately I've learned that erotic romance readers are EVERYWHERE. We have an active underground in these parts and that surprised me...pleasantly.

Do you have a standard response to genre snobbery? I'd love to hear it.

Acting Professionally

I'll be the first to admit that it's easy to forget that EVERYTHING we do online is seen by many. You get on your own little group or blog and think you can speak your mind and there won't be any backlash. That's not quite the way it works though.

When we come across someone doing or saying something unprofessional it makes us cringe, doesn't it? An author talking about another author on Twitter, an author bragging about how many books she has published on her group, an author spilling her guts about how much she hates the review she just received and she's telling ALL of Facebook.

For most of us it makes for a very uncomfortable feeling! Sort of like when you ask someone how their day is and they start telling you all about their cheating spouse, their drunken mother, and the fact they can't get rid of that horrible rash. Um, alrighty then! LOL

In my opinion--and that's all this is, one person's opinion--there is a time and place for these sorts of conversations. When you're upset it's so easy to forget that one very important rule. You need to let off some steam. That's natural! Maybe you're just really excited about a new contract and you can't wait to tell everyone your good news. There's nothing wrong with wanting others to celebrate with you. And there's not a single thing wrong with wanting a shoulder to cry on when you're pissed about a crappy rejection letter or some reader trashing your book on Amazon. But some things are better saved for your close circle of friends or you spouse or maybe your mom. When I have the need to vent I email a few of my writer buddies privately. They email me when they need to let off some steam as well. It's a good system. I can curse all I want and they get it. Best of all, the general public doesn't have to see me act like someone just ate my last square of chocolate. LOL

Why am I bringing this up today? Lots of reasons really. And I'd rather not get into all that here. The important thing to remember here is that every single time you blog, post a message to a group, update your status message on Facebook, join in with a famous blogger in trashing one of your fellow authors is that people ARE watching you. Agents. Editors. Publishers. Readers. Reviewers. Fellow authors. AND (shudder) your in-laws! ;-)

Ain't Nuthin' New

Read something the other day about a writer who'd posted an excerpt of one of her books and she got an email from some 'concerned person' that the names of her characters were the same as characters in a television show. The implication was that she had 'copied' those names and used them in her book. The male character (the hero) had an unusual name but it is 'out there' and has been for a very very long time. The woman's name? Ordinary in every way. We've all known someone by this name and have read it a gazillion times in a million books. AND she wasn't a central character in this author's story.

Let me just say this. There are no new plots or new names. Everything has been used before in some way, shape or form. What makes each story different is the individual author's voice. An author who uses the pen name Nora isn't guilty of stealing from the other very famous Nora. If you have a character named Mary are you 'stealing' from the other authors who have heroines named Mary? Get my drift? Yes, there are real issues involving plagarizm out there but this involves someone writing the exact thing with no variation of plot twists and lifting exact passages from another book. I'm not an expert on this issue by any means. I've never been accused of it nor known anyone who has but most authors read about this stuff.

We all want to be original, to write something different and unique but the simple fact is this, there will always be something in our story that has been done before. I honestly believe we must just relax, write the story of our heart in our own way and not worry about the rest. Make sense?

Books I've Ordered!

I'm a readaholic. LOL I've ordered a bunch of books and I can't wait for them to arrive. Of course, some of these won't come to next month and the month after that, but I figure I may as well do the ordering now!

I'm loving Sarah McCarty's Promises series. This is the only one I haven't read. I'm not really reading them in order, but I'm finding it's not that necessary.

Wyoming Territory 1870 Widowed and barren, Jenna sees the newborn left on her doorstep as a priceless gift worthy of any sacrifice. She knows she'll need a husband to keep the baby, but nothing prepares her for the man who offers. Big and dark, simmering with a deadly intensity, Clint McKinnely could put fear into the devil. He certainly strikes fear into her. But Jenna soon discovers that the man behind the reputation is the one man she longs to trust. A hard man burned out by the choices he's made, Clint is looking for a reason to go on. He finds one in Jenna Hennessy. Lushly plump, sweet and shy, she calls to him on every level. When it looks as though Jenna might lose the daughter she loves for lack of a husband, Clint steps forward. Having Jenna in his home brings Clint a peace he's never known, but even as he ferrets out the secrets that haunt Jenna's nightmares, Clint keeps his own close to his chest, knowing this marriage is temporary because there are some sins a man can't expect his wife to forgive.

I love Feehan's Leopard series. She's really one of my favorite authors and this is becoming my favorite series of hers!

Called on a dangerous assignment, leopard shifter Conner Vega returns to the Panama rainforest of his homeland, looking every bit the civilized male. But as a member of the most lethal of the shifter tribes, he doesn’t have a civilized bone in his body. He carries the scent of a wild animal in its prime, he bears the soul-crushing sins of past kills - and he’s branded by the scars of shame inflicted by the woman he betrayed.

Isabeau Chandler’s a Borneo shifter who’s never forgiven Conner - or forgotten him. The mating urge is still with her, and when she crosses Connor’s path, passions run like wild fire. But as Connor’s mission draws Isabeau closer, another betrayal lies waiting in the shadows - and it’s the most perilous and intimate one of all.
Lora Leigh's Elite Ops are quite simply smokin' hot! I love her alpha heroes! Yum!

The Secret Service can’t control him. The British government can’t silence him. But renegade agent Travis Caine is one loose cannon you don’t want to mess with, so his commanders cut him a break—and cut him loose. His new HQ is America’s top intelligence force, Elite Ops. His new code name is “Black Jack.” And his new assignment is to die for.

She’s smart, sexy, scintillating—and one of Elite Ops’ savviest agents. Lillian Belle’s code name is “Night Hawk,” and Travis certainly wouldn’t mind flying a few midnight maneuvers with her. But when their mission turns into a red-hot game of danger, deceit, and double-crossed signals, Travis begins to wonder: Can he trust her? Can he resist her?

And the long awaited Jonas. I can't wait to see him fall. LOL It's going to be great watching him with his mate!

Bad boy Jonas Wyatt knows it is fate that Rachel becomes his mate. He can sense it. He can also sense her reluctance. But she has little power over the mating heat of the Breeds. It is Jonas's destiny to claim her. And nothing will stop him from having his way.

This is MCarty's Shadow Wrangler series. Jared is the second book. The series is sort of vampires and shapeshifters mixed.


Jared Johnson has always been a force to be reckoned with, first as an outlaw and now as a vampire. Caught in a war between immortals, he doesn't have time to waste, but when a female vampire is attacked, he can't just walk away. He expects a quick good­bye, but what he gets is a vulnerable woman who intrigues and seduces while giving away nothing of the secrets holding her hostage.

Raisa may not have extreme physical strength, but she's been able to survive as a vampire longer than most by keeping to herself. But that's about to change. Forced to accept Jared's protection, Raisa finds it increasingly hard to resist his forbidden allure while keeping the secret that could destroy them both.

So, what are you all looking forward to reading??

Eye Candy

It's been a CRAZY week for me. I'm feeling like this is a hottie kind of day. Enjoy!

Kinkless Stories

I'll be the first to admit I write a little bit of kink. Not a lot, mind you, but some. Most of my stories are m/f and yes, they are ultra hot but every now and then I throw in a menage story or two. Normally, I set my menage stories in the paranormal realm because it's just easier to build it into a world where the rules can be 'different'. As a writer you can create laws that 'justify' the menage relationship.

Lately, I've noticed that erotic romances are getting kinkier and kinkier. We have bdsm (bondage lite and not to lite), menage, menage plus, sex with demons, vamps, dragons...you get the drift. It is my understanding that menage and bdsm are the biggest sellers for most publishers. Don't have facts about that, just heresay.

I guess my big question for today is where does that leave the reader who just wants a satisfying, ultra hot erotic m/f romance without all the kink? I know there are some out there and probably more than we know. I remember signing books at EC's Romanticon last fall and one reader came up to ask me....do you have something that has no 'funny stuff'? At first I was puzzled. She went on to say she was tired of all the "weird" stories. She wanted something hot but something that she could relate to. I get that. Don't you? In the end, she headed off with an anthology of older women/younger man stories and she seemed happy with her selection.

Contemporary romances will always be around. You know how every few years some industry person says the historical is dead? Um. Never happens. I don't know if they are saying the same about the contemporary but I wouldn't doubt it. From what I hear, sales might be declining but will they ever go away? No. Never. I just wonder if a time will come when the readers will reach saturation point and begin to turn their noses up at all the kink and weirdness, the strange 'toys' and mystical creatures? I suspect we will always have fantasy lovers. I'll confess I love it too but these days, I'm finding straight m/f contemporaries very satisfying.

Maybe more of us need to go back to basics from time to time. I believe there is a market for it. Want some boiling vanilla? I, for one, kinda miss it.

Hardest Part of Writing?

Recently, I happened to discover the hardest part of writing, at least for me. You see, I'm struggling to finish a proposal for my next two full length books. The synopsis part is hard enough, but trying to figure out exactly what I want to say about this series, which I didn't know was going to even BE a series when I wrote the first story, has been like pulling teeth. Nothing puts you in a crappy mood quite like writing a word AN HOUR! Ugh!

Okay, it's not quite that bad. But I did figure out that thinking long and hard before I started writing it has proven more effective than sitting and staring at a blank document. Once I had a few ideas of what I wanted say about this series, the words came easier. Soon, I had something that I actually liked. There's still more to do before I can turn in the proposal, but at least the document isn't collecting dust anymore!

While I was working on this over the last few days it occurred to me that maybe I'm in the minority with writing outlines/synopses. Maybe other writers don't struggle through these things the way I do. So, it got me to thinking, what IS the hardest part of writing for you? What aspect of creating a story do you find the most difficult? And how do you get yourself through it?

For me, I finally had to bite the bullet and ask a few of my fellow authors for help. While I have created synopses before, working up a proposal for two books in a series is foreign territory for me. Much to my delight, several authors came to my rescue and offered up their thoughts, support, and their own outlines/synopses as a guide.

Today, I'm here to say that I love this business. Romance authors are some of the kindest people! It's so great to see that there are so many willing to help out. To take their time, even though they have deadlines of their own to deal with, makes me feel extremely appreciative!

So, I ask you...what part of this business do you hate the most?

Oh, and btw, chocolate and wine, not necessarily together, really does help! LOL