Connie Chastain Interview

1. Why do you write romance?

Basically, because I love men and I write to honor them.  They are absolutely fascinating creatures.  Women and men are similar enough to understand each other's humanity, but we have differences, too.

Here's how I conceptualize it. We've all seen the astrological symbols for male and female (male, Mars, circle and arrow; female, Venus, circle and cross).

Sometimes you see the circles linked, but I think the depictions of them overlapping, perhaps 75% of the circle, illustrate it best. The area where the circles overlap illustrates how men and women are alike (i.e., the human characteristics we share) and those parts of the circle outside the overlap are how we are different (the sex/gender characteristics we don't share).

I don't think we can even understand each other in those areas. But there's plenty enough commonality within the overlap for us to get along; and the differences, frankly, are what attract us to each other.

2. Are you aware of any themes that run through your stories? If so, what are they?

Several. I didn't consciously plan it this way, but a theme, or at least an element, that runs through my stories is the difficulty people sometimes have accepting forgiveness/redemption after they have wronged someone. This element plays a crucial role in Southern Man, which I self-published, and Storm Surge, which is currently under consideration by a small publisher in a west coast state.  It also occurs in a couple of my mainstream non-romance WIPs.

Another recurring theme or element is criticism of feminism, or at least, radical feminism and third-wave feminism.  I like voting and being paid what my work is worth, but I am irrevocably opposed to the man-hating aspects of feminism, and the more recent hook-up culture feminism that I believe is so harmful to women. (This is primarily the reason for the "controversial" and "politically incorrect" references in my author logline.)

A third recurring theme or element is the American South, its people (especially its men!), history and culture.  Although I'm a lifelong Southerner, except for a five-year sojourn in the Midwest, I'm as fascinated with my region, its beauties, mysteries and contradictions, as any outsider.

Another element is the role religion, specifically Christianity, plays in my characters' lives. I don't write Christian romances--I've read a few and found them, um, well, a bit too preachy. (I realize they may not all be like that.) Current pop culture eschews religion, sometimes ridicules it, and worst of all, frequently portrays religious people as bizarre, even monstrous. I personally don't know any religious people like that, and I frankly resent the portrayal that slanders legions of good, decent people. Regardless of the irreverence in pop culture, religion plays an important role in the lives of real people, though they may not realize it. I try to show how faith manifests in my characters' lives without in-your-face scripture-quoting and such, so my stories are written with a Christian worldview.

Finally, one of the most fascinating elements, something I love to explore, is reality versus appearance.  How a character's life/work/family may look to those outside it contrasted with how the character himself experiences it.  As an example, in Southern Man, the protagonist, Troy Stevenson, for all his sexiness and good looks, is perceived by co-workers to be a rather staid, upright religionist married to a straight-laced little Southern Baptist wife, when in fact they have an extremely powerful sexual bond, and a very satisfying, um, innovative sex life.

3. Do you have a specific writing style?

Yeah.  I tell, don't show, and I head-hop.

Just joking!

My stories are written mostly from the POV of a disembodied, impersonal narrator--but not third person omniscient.  I conceptualize the narrator as a video-camera that shows or tells, whichever does the job best. The camera  floats around and focuses on what it thinks is important for the reader to see/know.  It can zoom out to see a whole room, a whole planet, a whole universe, or zero in on the multicolored flecks in the irises of the hero's soulful eyes....

The narrator will share POV with one character per scene, but only one; that's how I avoid head-hopping.  Critiquers sometimes detect POV "slippage" between the narrator and a character, and if it's too blatant, I'll address it, but I usually let it go. (I've generally found readers to be oblivious to POV issues.)

I try to conform to the simplified writing style advocated by Rudolph Flesch in How to Write, Speak and Think More Effectively.  Short paragraphs, short, mostly simple sentences (in subject, verb, object order) varied with occasional compound and complex sentences.  There's more to it than that, and there are other schools of simplified writing, but this discipline has done more to make my writing viable than anything else I've encountered.

Flesch's book is out of print, but used copies are available, and I recommend it to any writer.  Fiction writers only need to read the first few chapters.

3.  What inspired you to write your first book?

Southern Man emerged as a prequel to Sweet, Southern Boys, a non-romance about three teenage boys in Georgia, growing up best friends, whose lives are ruined when they're accused of rape.  That book was a prequel to Little Sister, which was--oh, heck, never mind.  I started writing Little Sister first, but Southern Man was the first one finished and published, so it's really the first.

It was inspired by a comment made by Reade Seligmann, one of the Duke Lacrosse defendants.  I no longer have the quote, and can't find it online, but he said something like, when he saw pictures of himself on national TV and heard news reports about what he was accused of, "I can't tell you what that did to me inside."

I wanted to tell what it does inside to a good, decent man to be falsely accused of that type of crime.  In Southern Man, the accusation was toned down to sexual harassment because it is set in the early 1980s, when a lot of sexual harassment law and policy was being formulated in the United  States. But the story focuses on the experience of the protagonist, Troy Stevenson--what it did to him inside--and the effects it had on his family.



4.  How much of the book is realistic?

I tried to make all of it realistic; the office politics where Troy works, the viciousness of small-town gossip; the pull and tug of progressivism versus traditionalism.  People might think the adoration of Troy's wife for him is a bit unrealistic--he acknowledges that her love for him borders on idolatry--but even she has her limits, and her near worship of him does cause emotional problems for her.

The only other element I'm concerned about is the realism of the children in the story. I don't have kids. I've never been around them much, and the portrayal of Troy's kids really concerned me; but thus far, I've received absolutely no feedback that the kids aren't realistic.

As for the realism of false sexual harassment accusations, as one of my video trailers alludes to, nearly half of the sexual harrassment complaints brought before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission are dismissed after investigation for "no reasonable cause found."

5. Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?

No. Except for the Seligmann quote referred to, the story is based only on recent and current cultural trends in the USA.  None of my stories are based on my own experiences, except incidentally.  For example, in Storm Surge, I draw on my experience in property and casualty insurance claims and living through coastal hurricanes, but I made up the specific events of the story.

6.  What are your current projects?

I've just started a paranormal romance with the working title Wrong Turn. It's about a man who doesn't believe in crypto-primates (Bigfoot/Sasquatch) until the woman he's falling in love with is imperiled by them.

The aforementioned Sweet Southern Boys is about three-quarters complete, Little Sister is about a third complete.  The Candidate, a follow-up to Southern Man, is in the planning stages.  None of these are romances but they include romantic elements.

7.  What books have most influenced your life most?

As far as my writing life goes, the earliest books to inspire me were the Nero Wolfe mysteries by the inimitable Rex Stout.  To this day, Archie Goodwin is the only first-person narrator I can abide.  I read The Doorbell Rang when I was about thirteen and at some point after finishing several more of the series, I was thinking in narrative and dialog.

Others include Margaret Mitchell's Gone With the Wind, Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, and the Louisiana novels of Frances Parkinson Keyes,

Robin Lee Graham's Dove. Favorite classics include Lewis Carroll's Alice In Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass; Madeline L'Engle's A Wrinkle In Time.

I could go on, but those are representative.

8. Please tell us about your most recent release and where we can purchase it.

Southern Man is about a devoted family man who is targeted with a false sexual harassment complaint by an amoral young woman and her uber-feminist mentor.

Here's a blurb:

=========

In 1983, in moss-hung Verona, Georgia, the tender and tenacious love between a hardworking man and his adoring wife is tested by sudden adversity.

Corporate executive Troy Stevenson must confront his nascent alcohol abuse or he risks losing the wife, daughter and son he deeply loves. When his latent destructiveness impacts his family, he moves to their weekend cottage to come to grips with his personal weaknesses.

But busybodies at his company assume he left home because his marriage is in trouble. Encouraged by the assumption, co-worker Brooke Emerson, a 1980s material girl romantically obsessed with Troy, attempts to seduce him, setting in motion a chain of events with harrowing consequences for him and his family.

=========

I created a publishing company, Brasstown Books, to bring it to print.  (I enjoyed publishing the book so much, I'd eventually like to do go into that as a sideline and publish other writers' books and stories, both in print and e-book format.)

Here are links to more information about Southern Man on my website:

Summary:

http://conniechastain.com/sm_summary.html

Excerpt:

http://conniechastain.com/sm_excerpt.html

Videos (yeah, plural; four of 'em, ha!)

http://conniechastain.com/sm_videos.html

Reviews:

http://conniechastain.com/reviews.html

Southern Man is available on Amazon.com in print and Kindle versions, and on Smashwords.

Print:

http://www.amazon.com/Southern-Man-Connie-Chastain/dp/061529801X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1245882533&sr=1-1

Kindle:

http://www.amazon.com/Southern-Man-ebook/dp/B002Z7G1F4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=digital-text&qid=1259715283&sr=1-2

Smashwords:

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/13733

9. Please give us your urls and your publisher’s url.

My website:

http://conniechastain.com

My blog (not entirely devoted to writing):

http://conniechastain.blogspot.com

My publishing site:

http://brasstownbooks.com

10.  Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?

Yes. I learned to tell, not show, and to head-hop!  LOL!

Again, I'm kidding.

What I learned is to not let the "rules" put your creativity in a straight jacket.  There were so many false starts with Southern Man, as I sought to conform to the rules ("Open with a hook," "Get straight to the action," "No infodumps!" "Sprinkle the backstory," "Show, don't tell," "No prologues,") that I sometimes despaired of completing the book. At the very least, I feared it would rob the story of my voice, and in that case, I might as well not finish it.

I learned so much about how to craft a story, and it is valuable knowledge, but what I would share with other writers is, listen to yourself. When all is said and done, agent newsletters, editor blogs, crit groups do not write your story. You do.  And only you, so guard your voice.

It was great having you Connie on NN.

Tabitha

Sound Off...I Can't Hear You!

This is the day you get to sound off. Tell us what happened to you last week, we want the good, the bad and the ugly. Tell us what made you mad, sad, happy, we want to hear it all.  This is where we get to come together and support one another. Anything goes, let it all out.

Happy Reading and Writing.

When night falls passions blaze.

Tabitha Blake

The Wacky Misadventures of Four Romance Writers Run Amuck

WARNING: This post breaks most of the writing rules. Every rule broken was done on purpose.

Chapter Three

The four women pushed on past the carnage of the decimated bear. Fur and entrails dripped from the forest around them.

"That’s just gross!" Brenda picked up her dainty booted feet and gathered her silky drac cape closer.

Tabby tried to put on a brave front, while forcing back her rising nausea.

"Let's get a move on, ladies. Ya'll are on my last nerve."

Cindy did a little heebie jeeby dance and dashed past the bear parts strewn about. Strange hissing sounds came from her. Looking like a foil wrapped baked potato, she ran past Penny.

Rolling her eyes, Penny skillfully avoided the worst of the goo.

"Ok, does anyone have a map?" Penny asked.

The forest around lit, with the four separate cell phones accessing the web for links on  how to get through the forest of writers block.

"Lions and tigers and  ... Oh, no more bear," Brenda laughed.

Penny and Tabby smiled, thinking the worst must be behind them.

"I got a bad feeling," Cindy said.

"Nonsense, the map on my phone said all we have to do is press on." Penny told them all.

Tabby wrinkled her dark brows. "Mine said, close my eyes and take a nap."

"The map I found said, go read my favorite book again," chimed in Brenda.

"Yeah, well, I think they're all full of crap. My map said you have to do a little dance." Cindy sneered.

Penny walked ahead of the group, eyeing the quiet forest looming around them. "Cindy is right. Something is not quite right…"

A small sweet voice called out from the distance.

"Grammy." Its haunting sweetness called to Penny. Her body swayed toward the sound.

"Ri?" The voice beckoned, luring Penny into the darkness of the forest.

"Help me, Penny. Help me." The voices changed, echoed eerily. "Edit this, crit that."

The forest morphed into huge dancing punctuation marks. They swirled around her, forming a spinning hypnotic image. Lilting music filled the air. A long squiggly line like those under a misspelled word coiled and danced like a cobra to a flute. The words, it must be perfect, formed in the leaves of the trees, and held Penny spellbound. She began to chant.

"Backspace…backspace… backspace."

"No, Penny. Don't. It’s a trap!" yelled Tabby. She moved forward to stop Penny from the siren's song calling her.

Tabby almost made it to Penny, when her ankle was grabbed by a shiny blue wire.

Wild shrieks ripped from a Tabby's throat. The forest around her was suddenly alive with wires in a myriad of colors, all weaving, and twining around Tabby. She tried in vain to free herself from the electronic ambush. It tugged and pulled at her, hanging her like an ornament in the branches.

Brenda screamed. She wanted to help her friends from the traps that held them. Looking down at the forest floor beneath her, rich dark soil sank into a pit under her feet. The smell of sweet flowers and ripening fruit invaded her senses. From the dirt below, she heard the faint crow of a renegade rooster. It was too late. The soil crept and crawled up her legs, sucking her down into its depths.

Cindy stood like one of the trees around her, frozen in place by terror. How could she help the others? She leaned one way then the other. Unable to fully commit to helping any one individual, she helped none. Just then she was knocked to the ground by a pair of kids' sneakers. One after the other she was pelted by shoes and laundry. Grocery bags wound around her wrists and ankles, and one gagged her. The only sound from her was the muffle grunts when she was stomped on by the endless pairs of kid's shoes.

It looked like it was over for the four. Each one tangled and pulled under by their own personal demons. When it seemed darkest, and our girls were beyond help, four pulses of light glowed. From the light nearest Penny stepped four people. Two looked like they belonged in an ad for corporate life. Mick held his hand out to help Jo step into the spongy forest floor.

"This isn't exactly the best place for these heels. They're Italian."

Mick, ever the gentleman, picked her up in his muscled arms. Behind them came another couple. The woman's arms, laden with delicious smelling baked goods. Raef ran his hands through his hair.

"Not again… Penny... Penny… "

Grace moved toward Penny. "She is in some sort of trance."

Mick, carrying Jo, walked in front of Penny's unseeing eyes.

"Penny? Honey?" Jo reached out to put a gentle hand to her shoulder.

All four turned toward the abyss of the forest were the haunting voices and hypnotic punctuation held fast to their Penny.

"Grace, toss me a fresh loaf of bread," Raef said.

He caught the warm loaf and waved the fragrant bread beneath Penny's nose.

Then together both couples yelled, "PENNY!"

Waking from her dream, Penny shook herself. For the first time, she looked into the faces of the four.

"You had us worried there," Mick told her, readjusting Jo in his arms. He leaned toward her and whispered in her ear.

"Do you think you could write a pair of gym shoes into Jo's bag?"

Penny smiled, and seemed to relax in the safety of her characters.

"Sure Mick. I just did."

Jo looked into her large purse and pulled a nice pair of jogging shoes from the depths. Grace dumped the rest of the baked goods into Raef's arms and went to help Jo.

"I love those pumps. Where did you get them?"

"Macys, twenty percent off. They are comfortable and they make your calves look great."

"You know, I am moving to a small town. Do you think we can go shopping before I move?"

"We have to bring Penny. She is the one who picked out this skirt. It was one of the things that caught Mick's eye," she laughed.

From the second pulse of light nearest Tabby emerged Zan. His tanned skin glowed as if he stepped from a Giorgio Armani commercial. The wind ruffled the half-open silk shirt tucked into his well-tailored trousers. At the site of Tabby, trussed up like a Christmas turkey, he smiled revealing his pearly white fangs. Caprice came up behind him. Her small golden sequined, shift dress glided over the curves of her slinky body. She scrunched her perfect face when she saw the state Tabby was in.

"Move it, angel boy. Can't you tuck those things in to get through the door?"

"Woman, don’t give me your lip."

Lyric and Craigen stumbled from the light.

"Dearest Lord," Craigen exclaimed, rushing to Tabby's side. His mouth fell open as he circled. Tabby hung in the trees by her arms and legs. She was wound tightly with wires and cords from electronics of all kinds.

"Ge ma oot off here," Tabby mumbled. Her eyes flashed angrily, the blackberry stuffed in her mouth making her words difficult to understand. Craigen pulled a small glowing dagger from his belt he wiped the blade across his denim clad leg.

"How the hell did you get yourself into this mess?" Lyric asked. Her arms crossed over her dark business suit.

She threw Craigen a surprised look. "Well, what are you waiting for? Cut her loose. You too, Choppers."

Zan's deep chuckle brought a blush to Caprices face.

"You going to help? He asked her. His smoldering gaze undressing her in his mind.

Caprice looked away from him. Her face burnt with thoughts of Zan. "Let the FBI chick do it. I just had my nails done." For effect, she blew on her perfectly manicured fingers.

Zan leaned close to her sniffing the air around her.

"Those better be dry by the time were though here, or you're going to smudge them on my back."

"Cut the crap, Sauvé, and help me get our Tabby out of this," Craigen said.

Lyric pulled a well-concealed switchblade from inside of her blouse. She cut the wires imprisoning Tabby. Craigen's brows came together in concentration. Each slice of his dagger, gently done with care for Tabby's safety. Zan sauntered up to Tabby. His gaze locked with hers. He moved with deliberate sensuality. Dipping his head toward Tabby's neck, his warm tongue pulled a wire from her skin and his fangs sliced it cleanly. He growled and went after another.

"Good Lord vampire, you're not being graded on this." Lyric smirked.

Caprice stamped her Prada flats and warned Zan with a look that could have lit the sun.

Zan laughed and shrugged his shoulders. "I can't help it. I'm that good."

Tabby finally breathed a sigh of relief as the three of them freed her from the last of the wires. Craigen pulled her into his comforting arms, and kissed the top of her head.

"All safe, precious."

Brenda's head was just slipping beneath the shifting dirt. Her hands clawed wildly at the ground. Mel threw himself to the ground followed closely by Breeana. The two of them desperately tried to dig her from her impending grave. Mel shoved his hands deep into the earth and pulled with all his might. Brenda's head pulled free of the ground. She sucked in a huge breath, choking and spitting dirt from her mouth.

"What the hell is this?" Breeana pulled a potato from beneath the ground.

A rag tag group of vampires dropped down beside Mel and joined in the fight against the dirt that was still trying to pull Brenda away.

Kal watched from the sidelines. A plate of nachos balanced in one hand. The other hand dipped a chip into the cheese and popped it into his mouth.

"Kal! … A hand here? Mel complained.

Kal passed the plate of nachos to Ace and pulled a small garden shovel from his back pocket. He joined the crew of vigorously digging vampires.

"Ace!" yelled Mel.

"What? Save a human or a plate of nachos?"

"Ace," the others warned.

"I'm thinking," he snarled back.

Sin swore and fell back as he pulled a screeching rooster from the dirt.

"What the bloody hell is this?" He directed the comment at Breeana.

"Why are you looking at me?"

"You’re the vet."

"So, I didn’t put the damn rooster there."

Mel tugged harder, readjusting his grip under Brenda arms. Brenda cried, her arms wound around Mel's neck.

The small silver shovel in Kal's hands pitched the dirt away from Brenda's body. The speed of his hands helped uncover her. Mel continued to tug her from the cloying ground. Sin and Black's grasp on Brenda helped Mel pull her from the ground.

Breeana let out a blood-curdling scream as the head of a small miniature horse broke free of the mud and reached out to bite the back of Brenda's jeans.

Brenda and Breeana shrieked in tandem as the horse's teeth tried to pull Brenda back into the ground.

Kal thumped the horse on the face with the garden shovel.

"Stop that. You'll hurt him," Breeana moaned.

"He is trying to eat Brenda," Kal exclaimed. "What do you want me to do, give him a reward?"

"Kiwi, let go," screamed Brenda as her legs flayed to gain purchase on the shifting ground.

At last, the group of vampires pulled Brenda from the dirt and dragged her away from the pit where the horse and chicken still eyed Brenda. An evil laugh echoed from a group of raccoons at the edge of the forests, strawberries, and raspberries clutched in their paws.

"That is just freakin weird," Kal said to Mel

Ace threw the empty plate toward the raccoons, scattering them.

Wiping his hands on his jeans, he crouched down where Mel still held Brenda in his muscled arms. His large hand picking chunks of mud from her hair.

Brenda wiped her mouth on her dirty arm and immediately spit the dirt from her mouth.

"Ack.".

Ace looked into Brenda's dirt smudged face.

"You’re a mess, human."

"Thanks for the help, jerk," Brenda grumbled. "Just wait," she warned, pulling debris from her scraggly tangled hair and smoothing the bedraggled cape over her legs.

The last of the lights flared as an endless horde of people spilled forth. Miles, barefoot, skipped to where Cindy was drowning beneath shoes, laundry, and backpacks. The trees around them jingled with the sound of car keys. Each key lit with an address... an eerie sick green light cycled on and off in the branches, spelling out the words taxi. Andros pulled a pulse rifle from his belt and one by one picked off the car keys from the branches. They dropped harmlessly to the forest floor.

Miles leaned over Cindy, flashing her a bright smile and a wink.

"Got yourself in a bit of a pickle, eh?"

Georgia shook her head and began to pull the shoes off the heaping pile.

Tally took a laser scalpel and carefully started to cut away the plastic grocery bags from Cindy's wrists. The pungent odor of burning plastic tainted the air.

Miles pulled out a tennis racquet and began to toss shoes in the air and swat them away…yelling, "Fore," as he did.

"I've got a hell of a serve," he boasted. Georgia laughed up at him and gave him the next shoe to smack.

Rory set up a perimeter around the whole group, signaling to a group of commandos to lay low and keep their eyes open.

Jonas stood behind Andros and scored his shots.

"4.5, 3.7," he laughed

"Close your face, boy scout."

"Like you know what a boy scout is," Jonas smirked.

"I am capable of reading your human script. Now let's get that fool out of the way and see if we can't uncover Cindy."

Andros and Jonas joined Miles in pulling the hundreds of shoes off her. Once free, Andros held out a hand and pulled Cindy to her feet. Dusting herself off, she surveyed the group around them. Each of her fellow writers was pulled free of their troubles by the very characters each created. The voices of the characters refused to be ignored. The humans, vampires, and aliens gathered around their writer and jealously guarded them. Now flesh and blood, none of them would go unheard. Whatever lies ahead in the dangerous forest of writers block, they would all go as a group. There was safety in numbers, and the characters were not about to let the forest swallow them up. Even if it meant holding the hand of their writers, this dedicated and boisterous group would not be put back on a shelf.

"Let's head out. I'll take point," said Rory. An enormous gun, skillfully handled. She aimed into the dark recess of the forest.

"We're all in this together, and need each other," Tally put in. Her gentle look passed over the whole, strange lot of writers and characters.

"Me wanker is yodeling. I've got to drain the hose," Miles remarked.

Andros, shaking his head, walked past him. "Idiot."

By Cindy Pahl

Sound Off...I Can't Hear You!

This is the day you get to sound off. Tell us what happened to you last week, we want the good, the bad and the ugly. Tell us what made you mad, sad, happy, we want to hear it all.  This is where we get to come together and support one another. Anything goes, let it all out.

Happy Reading and Writing.

When night falls passions blaze.

Tabitha Blake

Anne Noble Interview

1) Why do you write romance?


Because I love to read it!  I write other things as well but romance continues to tell the story of love from the woman’s point of view.  Not many other types of writing show it so well.

2) What inspires your stories?



My life, my sisters, my friends and even the hot guy at the lake. LOL

3) What is your writing schedule?



To put it simply, whenever…wherever.  With children, laundry, meals and a full-time job outside of writing I do whatever I can to make time.  The one thing I’m a stickler for is giving myself a chance to write each day, the chance to write something great or even something bad that I delete later and wonder what in the world I was thinking. J

4) Do you have any other passions besides writing? If yes, what are they? Why?



No.  I have other things I do but the only thing I do with passion is writing and loving/fighting my husband of sixteen years.

5) What relaxes you?



Massages, writing with no time limits (what’s that like anyway) and reading a romance novel in the tub.

6) What is your favorite guilty pleasure?

 Guilty pleasure?

Nothing.  I love to dance with one too many drinks inside me, punch my husband in the arm when he’s being a jerk and read lots and lots of romance.  I refuse to feel guilty about any of it.

7) Where is your favorite place to write? Why?



My favorite place is in my car at lunch.  Lame hun?  My lunch hour is the only interval where my time isn’t already spoken for by someone else.

8) Name one person that you feel supported you outside of family members.


My husband.  He is the reason I continue to write when self-doubt invades me.  He loves to read what I wrote, unless of course there is lots of mushy stuff.  That’s when I know I did it right!

9) Can you share a little of your current work with us?


“Remind me to hit Victoria’s Secret on the way home dear,” his voice trailing happily after his footsteps.  “We can’t have Kansas City’s most successful sex writer wearing underwear with Kittens on the front.”

10) Do you have any advice for other writers?


Keep trying, keep evolving but don’t forget to tell your own story.  No one has the same point of view you will.  No one else can tell your story.

It was really great to have you on NN Anne.

Tabitha

Brenda Dyer Interview

1)    WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE READERS TO TAKE AWAY FROM YOUR STORY?

I would like my readers to come away with a sense of satisfaction of a story well told—LOL, or shown as we writers are always prodded to do. But more than that, I hope my readers feel the deep love my hero and heroine share. Also, I would love for readers to think of my characters even when they are finished the book. Think of them and smile.

2)    DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER PASSIONS BESIDES WRITING? IF YES, WHAT ARE THEY?

I love gardening. I get so much joy out of it. For me, a perfect summer morning starts with my coffee out on the deck, looking at all my flowers, smelling the different fragrances, and watching the bees and hummingbirds. I also like to grow my own vegetables. I get such satisfaction from making a raspberry pie from my own raspberries, or having fresh peas from the garden, or potatoes. I love it!

Another passion of mine is drawing and painting. I'm terrible at drawing people—unless they are cartoons. I stick to animals usually: horses, birds, and wildlife, like deer or raccoons, but let's not talk about raccoons, lol. I'm at war with them right now over my raspberries.

3)  IF YOU HAD ONE WISH, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

One wish, huh? Well, if this was real life, I would have to say world peace. LOL, makes me sound like a contestant for Miss America. But since this is for the interview, I'm going to say my one wish would be for my novel to get published and for readers to LOVE it. LOL, I guess that's two wishes, eh?

4)    WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE TV SHOW? WHY?

This is an easy question to answer. The show Supernatural. The reason for this is simple: two hot—and I mean hot—guys fighting evil. Sam and Dean Winchester fight all manner of paranormal creatures. This is right up my alley!

5)    ARE YOU A CAT OR DOG PERSON? DO YOU HAVE ANY PETS, AND IF SO, PLEASE TELL US ABOUT THEM.

I'm a cat person. We have four. Their names are: Author, Tinkerbell—we call her T—Neens, and a beautiful black and white cat we rescued. We named him Lucky. Along with our cats, we have two miniature horses named Kiwi and Ebony, a miniature goat named Cody, chickens, two budgies, and fish. I think that's it. Let me go check . . . . yep, that's it.

6)    WHERE ARE YOU FROM?

I live in Canada on Vancouver Island. It is located on the west coast. I absolutely love it here—well, except for all the rain we get in the winter. The weather here is very mild. We rarely get snow in the winter, which bugs me cause I love snow, but I'm sure I wouldn't if we had it month after month. The summers are beautiful.

7)    WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO WRITE YOUR FIRST BOOK?

What inspired me, hmmm? Well, I guess what inspired me was a romance novel I read—it was fifth in a series, my favorite character—and I was so disappointed with the way it ended so I wrote my own ending, lol. Then something really strange happened. Ideas started popping into my head. Not about the novel that had annoyed me, but something totally different. I ran with it, and before I knew it, I was writing the rough draft for my MS. I've never aspired to be a writer, in fact, I hated creative writing back in high school.

8)    IS THERE A MESSAGE IN YOUR NOVEL THAT YOU WANT READERS TO GRASP?

You know, I never thought there was a message in my novel until I read this question. And yes, there is a message I would like readers to grasp. Tolerance for other races and how damaging rumors and lies can be. In my novel once upon a time, vampires and humans shared the earth as friends—two different species working together in harmony. That fell a part when when demons—housed in human bodies—whispered lies to humans, saying the vampires were trying to kill them so they could take the earth as their own. Humans believed these lies and turned their backs on vampires and started executing them until vamps went into hiding. The world went downhill from there. Vampires and humans became estranged from then on.

9)    NAME ONE PERSON THAT YOU FEEL SUPPORTED YOU OUTSIDE OF FAMILY MEMBERS.

You!

10) WHAT WAS THE HARDEST PART OF WRITING YOUR BOOK?

The hardest part of writing my book has been the whole thing, lol. Writing doesn't come naturally to me. It's hard work, but I so enjoy it.

11) DID YOU LEARN ANYTHING FROM WRITING YOUR BOOK, AND WHAT IS IT?

Yes, I learned that I can accomplish anything if I set my mind to it. I know this sound cliché,  but it's the truth.

Thank you very much, Tabby, for giving me this opportunity. I enjoyed it very much.

It was great to have you Brenda.

Tabitha

Liza O'Conner Interview

Please welcome Liza O’Conner to Nocturnal Nights.

Are you aware of any themes that run through your stories? If so, what are they?



I’ve noticed several disturbing themes in my work. Ever since the guy I thought my soul mate for life informed me he wanted to see another woman, but asked me to continue sleeping in his bed while he decided which of us he preferred, I began writing novels where my heroine has multiple partners (in one case twelve men). I dumped that boyfriend. So not surprisingly, I also have the habit of dumping the first guy the reader meets for someone else. And then there is the evil mother or mother-in-law character that preys upon my heroines. I’m certain if I ever get mental therapy, my characters will settle down. But where is the fun in that?

What would you like readers to take away from your stories?



I wish to be so disturbing that they still think about my people months after they read me. Many complain they do, so I’m happy.

What inspires your stories?



My bizarre life and my demented dreams are fodder for my odd stories. My brain seems to tell me stories throughout the night like a possessed TV that you can’t turn off.

What is your writing schedule?



I write or re-write every single day, seven days a week from 10 a.m.-7p.m. then walk my dog, return alive (so far) and do crittering (I made that word up) from 8-12 midnight.

Do you have any other passions besides writing?

I have a ton of them: music, acting, art, thrill-seeking sports, gardening, naming fish that keep changing their colors, hiking with my dog.  I try very hard to enjoy every day of my life.

What is your favorite comfort food?



popcorn cooked in olive oil, sprinkled with curry and doused with Smart Balance butter. I delude myself into believing it’s good for me.

What relaxes you?



Raspberry vodka does an amazing job at relaxing me. Hot baths with bath salts will as well, only I just have to make sure I haven’t taken option one first or I will be DOA from DOD (dead on arrival from drinking and drowning).

What was your favorite vacation?



I took a six month  vacation to Australia, New Zealand and Fiji, trying to experience every way to almost-but-not-quite-kill-oneself. Let me assure you there is no group of land masses more willing to almost-and-sometimes-actually-kill-you than that set. I dove with great whites, rafted down a 21 foot waterfall and spent 7 days on a class five river nearly dying every five minutes, swam with a giant pod of overly aggressive dolphins in sub-freezing water, played with seals totally unfamiliar with humans, traveled into the hot center of Australia with a psychotic guide who kept leaving me in deserts, hiked the beautiful New Zealand mountains during a major flood which almost took me out in a mud slide (escaped on a trail three feet under water), went on a helicopter thrill ride and a speed boat ride that should have been illegal due to excessive danger, and learned to hang-glide off beautiful mountains and crashed into sheep during my landing. (My trainer promised they would get out of the way….they didn’t.)

If you had another career, what was it?

I have been a terrible waitress, a drive time radio DJ (even had my own stalker who wanted to kill me when I rejected his declaration of love), the retail manager of a greenhouse (next job I took had air-conditioning), a journalist, a night security guard for a chicken processing plant (I was more frightened than the chickens), a stock broker for Bear Stearns, a strategist for a Fortune 500 company, and a business improvement consultant.

If you didn’t write, what would you do instead?



I would compose music and paint bizarre looking art. Or perhaps I would just go mad with characters waking me up four in the morning telling me their stories.

Are you a cat or dog person? Do you have any pets and if so, please tell us about them.



My dog, Jessie, wants to answer this. She says I am a one-dog person. However, Jessie likes cats. The only problem I have with that is she likes to eat them. I am slowly rehabilitating her from this attitude. Now I realize that authors are predominantly ‘cat people’ and won’t like my flippant attitude over Jessie’s affection towards cats. Rest assured, she has harmed no cats since she became mine.

Please tell us about your most recent release and where we can purchase it.

My latest book was released Aug 8. All my books can be found at www.BloodyGoodRead.com. Three current novels are under the name Liza O’Connor and 6 Victorians are under Caroline Adams. For those who like Sherlock Holmes and humor, I would recommend my Xavier Thorn series. If you prefer current humor, then go for The GhostLover. My new novel has characters from two series of books joining forces. It’s called The Dazzle of Innocence. Here’s its blurb:

Damion Santiago has no interest in acquiring a wife. He came to England in a desperate attempt to save his sisters from being sold into white slavery. Meriden Ford is searching for an interesting, educated, young husband who will recognize her superiority and become her decoy while she runs the family fortune. At their very first dance, they promise not to fall in love. However, their mutual admiration ensures a strong friendship. When bombarded with tribulations that would destroy most people, they survive by pulling strength from each other. Yet even as they realize their true feelings, others work to tear them apart forever.

Are experiences in your book based on someone you know, or events in your own life?


Given at least one of my family members gets pissed after any book I

write, I will have to say yes. According to them (based on the drunken messages they leave me at two in the morning), I only remember the horrible, outrageous things they do. I now wear a t-shirt that says: “Be warned. You may end up in my novel.” If they still choose to do or say stupid things, they’ve been fairly warned.

Thanks you so much for talking with me Liza. It was a joy to have you and I wish you the best of luck on your new release.

Tabitha Blake

Zee Monodee Interview

Please Welcome Zee Monodee To NN. It is great to have you with us today Zee.
Tabby

Hello everyone! Firstly, I’d like to say thanks to Tabitha for having me here today. I love the interviews on Nocturnal Nights and to be featured here is an honor and pleasure indeed!

Why do you write romance?
The real question to me should be, why not write romance? This is a genre with tremendous scope, as sub-genres of romance veer between different and distinct worlds, like contemporary to paranormal and everything in between and out. What’s the limit in the romance genre?
Romance has this feel-good factor – it uplifts, brings a smile to your face, contentment to your heart, hope that the world just might be a better place after all.
This is what I wanted to bring to the world – in my preferred niche of writing, namely Mauritian culture-based fiction, there was too much focus on the drabness of reality, the tedium and the misery. Very literary-type, and all I kept thinking was, life is full of hope so why doesn’t anyone pause to showcase that? Romance sounded like the perfect medium, since I wanted my stories to show what the life of a woman of such culture is like today, how she lives in a drab reality yes, but how she also wants and finds love along her journey to fulfillment.

Are you aware of any themes that run through your stories? If so, what are they?
I write with a strong focus on my heroine. My stories are as much women’s fiction as they’re romances. These women I write about are always on a fence, a wall, a ledge. One misstep and they’d fall. I enjoy writing about how my heroines find their equilibrium on this tiny space high up in the air. In a way, this theme reflects a lot of my own struggle to find my balance. I come from a traditionalist culture and religion, yet I grew up in a world where barriers that contained cultures and lifestyles were tumbling down rapidly. It wasn’t easy to find my place on my own wall, and I know countless other women out there feel the same too. Every woman, just like every heroine, has her own world and conflicts – she looks for a way to find her fulfillment.
I also write about the strong men my heroines will fall in love with. They’re strong, principled, honorable men. Sometimes they’re dangerous, sometimes they’re bad boys hiding big hearts. Yet they’re also ‘real’ men, the kind we could all meet in everyday life. I try to strike a good balance between the dreamy scopes of fiction and the anchor of reality.

What would you like readers to take away from your stories?
Hope. Contentment. A smile. A feel-good buzz and glow that takes them through their day as if on a cloud. I want to show them my world of culture and traditions, take them on a trip to my beautiful island, Mauritius, make them discover a new facet of how people live and exist out there, take them behind-the-scenes of a character’s life.
If anything else, I want them to read my stories and just have a good time in the hectic world of today.

What inspires your stories?
People. There is no better inspiration. Every person has a story to tell – it’s the writer’s job to relate that story to readers. People in culture seem even more facetted, because they are ‘different’, and conveying and explaining this difference is a very good way to find ideas for stories. You can take anyone – be it someone you know personally, someone you bump into while grocery shopping, someone who catches your eye on a crowded bus – and spin a game of ‘what if’ from a small aspect of this person. From this, other elements add to the picture like strokes of color, and with words as your brush, you paint a picture that translates as a story.

Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?
Clearly, actually. Strange as it may sound, my interest in spinning stories came when I received my first Barbie for my 8th birthday. I was like, what’s your story, Barbie? Playing with my friends back in the day, we’d have these make-believe doll parties and everyone had such conventional stories for their dolls. I kept going, no way dolls have such a boring, mundane life – for example, how did Barbie and Ken meet? An aunt brought the proposal for Barbie on behalf of Ken’s family (back then, that’s really how we thought love happened!). I was always the one going, what if the proposal came for Barbie’s sister but Ken saw Barbie and fell head over heels in love and they elope and have a secret marriage? (Very Indian Bollywood movie type, yeah. I was after all, 8!)
Then I started to watch soaps with my mother (Dynasty!) and here was this whole fictional world where Barbie and Ken could evolve.
I was actually creating fan fiction before I even knew the word, and then my dad got me a library card and I discovered Barbara Cartland. It was a revelation, as in, people actually write stories like the ones I think of. From then on, I penned story-telling essays on a weekly basis in my school assignments. The romance bug had bitten, and I’m happy to say I never found a cure for it!

What is your writing schedule?
This clearly depends on when in the year we are talking about – school days and vacation time. School runs January to October in Mauritius, with breaks in April, July and November-December. I have a 7-year-old son and an 11-year-old stepson. When they’re home, you can barely hear yourself think let alone string two words together on a WIP!
So I try to streamline my writing during school days. I will usually have 2-3 days of the week screened out for writing, when I will write between 10 am to 2 pm. I always work from an outline, so I know what my chapters are supposed to feature and when to start/stop. On a good roll, I can get a chapter down every 2 days. I try not to work in the afternoon, when the kids are home and need to have homework checked or just want to hang out, and when I usually have to cook (my worst nightmare!). The evenings I try to reserve for my husband, as we barely get to see each other during the day over the children’s antics when he gets home from work. If I’m in revision mode on a completed draft, I might clock in an hour of editing on the completed draft on some evenings. Weekends are sacred family time!
The rest of the days I dedicate to my studies (completing a BA Communications Science degree), my crit partners’ works, and my editing job. Blogging and networking I tackle every day.
Now if I’m on a deadline, I might shove some stuff aside (yes, the poor hubby too, sadly) to complete the writing. Nothing is really written in stone, as life happens. But the discipline needs to be there, otherwise there’s no way you’d get anything done even if you’re serious about your writing.

What is your favorite guilty pleasure?
Chocolate cake. Any type, but preferably black forest cake with lots of cream! It’s my reward for a job well done, for completing a project, and it’s my booster when things seem down and drab or when the kids are intent on driving me insane.

If you didn’t write, what would you do instead?
Well, I’m pursuing a degree in communications science. My specialization in economic and management sciences basically means I’m eligible to work as a corporate communications person or in fields such as public relations and marketing. It always seemed odd to me (yeah, I know what I’m about to say!) that for someone who is pretty much shy and self-effacing among people, I chose such a people-oriented degree. Recently for one of my final study modules, I had to place myself in the shoes of a PR consultant and work with an organization to create an integrated communications & PR campaign for them from scratch. To my surprise, I loved doing it. It was as if I were a different person in those shoes, a sort of Jekyll-and-Mrs-Hyde moment!
So if I didn’t write, I guess I’d be working in PR and communications. I did do a stint in the corporate world a few years back, but the back-stabbing, biatch-ness, one-upmanship and I didn’t really agree. I’m really glad I’m getting to pursue my dream of writing.

What books have most influenced your life?
Barbara Cartland’s books and Mills and Boon romances, because through them I discovered that one could put stories of feel-good romance out there and people would enjoy them.
Danielle Steele’s and Barbara Taylor Bradford’s early women’s fictions, because romance could be so much more when it showed the journey of strong and indomitable, spirited heroines.
Jane Austen’s whole collection of works, because she showed society and life and people with all their quirks, foibles, and simple and oftentimes funny reality in such a light and unpretentious way.
A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth, because he wrote an epic story about normal people in a time of trouble and tension, amid a plot that showcased the societal and political upheaval and turmoil of a whole nation, and for how he still, amidst all the detail, managed to create memorable characters who live with you long, long after you close the book. It was the book that opened my eyes as to how I could attempt to bring together characters, culture, and country together under the spotlight of romance.

If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
I cannot say I really have one writer as mentor for how I write. I prefer to think storytellers have influenced and showed me the way. I say storytellers because there aren’t just novelists in there for me. A novelist, a cinematographer, a script writer – all tell the audience a story, albeit via a different medium.
Indo-Briton director Gurinder Chadha ranks high on my list of influences. This is the woman who brought culture to the broad audience with a pop culture twist and did it brilliantly through a YA story - Bend it like Beckham. Any young girl knows what Jes, the heroine, is going through. Yet Jes is Indian. Indian culture is portrayed in much of its complexity in this movie, yet it is also done in a way that a non-Indian will completely understand the premise and storyline. Another one where Ms. Chadha manages this stroke of Indian-to-mainstream flow is the movie Bride and Prejudice.
Mira Nair is another director who finds the right balance between culture and mainstream, yet still infuses Indian-ness with all its deep and churning issues in a way that any audience can pick up the story and nod in understanding. Case in point – Monsoon Wedding.
In the world of writing, I saw such strokes of culture v/s mainstream balance in works by author Shobhan Bantwal. Her stories deal with profoundly Indian issues, some very disturbing like the plight of the girl-child in India (plight that happens in other traditionalist cultures too however), in the book The Forbidden Daughter. Yet, Ms. Bantwal conveys her shocking and distressing themes in a tapestry where they are woven in with hope and human resilience.
On a lighter note, Woody Allen always makes me laugh with his light-yet-deep stories featuring a cast of unbelievable-yet-unforgettable characters.
All of these people have shown me a path that I can blaze with my writing, and I only hope I can do their message and ideology justice.

Once again, thanks bunches to Tabitha for letting me ‘talk’ with her readers today. I know, lol, it’s one sided so far but drop me a line or a comment and I will definitely engage in the discussion with you.

Zee Monodee Bio
Author of stories about love, life, relationships... in a place of culture
Zee is an author who grew up on a fence - on one side there was modernity and the global world, on the other there was culture and traditions. Putting up with the culture for half of her life, one day she decided she'd stand tall on her wall and dip toes every now and then into both sides of her non-conventional upbringing.
From this resolution spanned a world of adaptation and learning to live on said wall. The realization also came that many other young women of the world were on their own fence.
This particular position became her favorite when she decided to pursue her lifelong dream of writing - her heroines all sit 'on a fence', whether cultural or societal, in today's world or in times past.
Hailing from the multicultural island of Mauritius, Zee has been writing for close to a decade and has had 3 novels published so far. After a stint in the publishing industry, on the 'other side of the fence' as an editor, her goal today is to pen wholesome, fulfilling stories and help fellow authors, whether as critique partner or as freelance editor.


Find her on the web:

Blog http://zeemonodee.blogspot.com/

Email: zeemonodee@hotmail.com

Facebook & Goodreads: Zee Monodee

Follow her on Twitter @ZeeMonodee

It was great talking with you Zee. Its nice to pick another writer's brain and see how we are wired. LOL! We are all so different in our thoughts and how we write.
Tabitha Blake

Part Two Sensual or Erotic?

What is the difference you ask? Well, there is a fine line that can be drawn between the two. It’s not just about the sex and the way it is presented because both types of romances write it and write it well. The biggest difference I see is what drives the story line. Romance thrives on love and erotic romance thrives on sex. You take a romance minus love it’s no longer a romance. You take an erotic romance minus the sex it’s no longer an erotic romance. Let’s talk about what makes these two writing styles so different and the things that can cross over to make them similar.

The dictation between sensual romance and erotic romance are two very different types of words. Sensual romance in many cases uses the tame terminology romance has used since the beginning. Tame meaning euphemisms.

Euphemisms-The act or an example of substituting a mild, indirect, or vague term for one considered harsh, blunt, or offensive.  Here are a few examples of words used in romance to describe a sex scene. (cock, center, sheath, thrusting, pumping, bundle of nerves)

Now let’s talk about the erotic romance. Erotic romance takes the words people use today and waves them proudly for all to see. Modern/urban colloquial terms are the cornerstone of erotic romance.

Colloquial- characteristic of or appropriate to ordinary or familiar conversation rather than formal speech or writing; informal. Here are a few examples of words used in erotic romance to describe a sex scene. (Cock, dick, cunt, pussy, twat, fucking)

There is a wide range between the two. Sensual romance tries to stay on the subtle side while erotic romance tends to go full force, no holds barred. Sensual romance is the equivalent of an R rating, while erotic romance is the equivalent of an X rating.

Let’s talk about what makes a good sensual romance novel. The pieces that must be there in order for a reader to walk away saddened that they reached the end. Plot and characterization are key, in a great sensual romance. You want the reader to believe in your characters and their situations. If they don’t the whole novel is a lost cause. The reader needs to believe these people could actually fall in love. You can’t have a romance without LOVE. Love is the backbone of every good romance. Without love it’s no longer a romance. You can have a romance novel with no sex but you can’t have one with no love. In romance the relationship drives the story. It’s all about the happily ever after when writing or reading romance.

Now let’s talk about what makes a good erotic romance. Even though sex is a key factor in erotic romance and you can’t have erotic romance without it. The sex isn’t just about adding as many hot, juicy, steamy scenes as you can. You have to think about the big picture. What about the characters? Is the sex true to the characters you created? Does it make sense for them to be having sex? You can’t take the sex lightly. In an erotic novel, you have to be serious about the sex. A good erotic novel should highlight the characters sexual journey. The idea of journey assumes character growth, movement, and the progress the characters make in the story. Ideally the sex will take the reader somewhere and move things along in the story. “Why the heck are they having sex again?” That isn’t good in an erotic novel.

I think both take a lot of effort to write. They should both be treated with respect because these stories come to life in an authors mind. Writing in any form is an art. I think it all come down to your comfort level and what you are willing to accept. I love reading a wide range of genres whether they are sweet or hot and steamy. They all have a place in the publishing industry. I hope you all enjoyed my take on sensual romance versus erotic romance. You never know, if you’ve never read one, try it you might like it.

Here is an excerpt from A Vamp To Remember. Just for those that don’t know Caleb is a shifter. Hope you enjoy it.

Tabitha Blake

Caprice crossed Caleb’s office in a few quick strides, her stilettos clicking a steady rhythm on the tile floor. He held up a finger and pressed the phone tighter to his ear as the fingers of his other hand tapped the keys on his computer.

She smiled and flipped her hair over her shoulder. He wouldn’t be able to ignore her for long. Staring out the balcony doors, a cool breeze blew long strands of black hair around her face. Roses bloomed, bright reds and yellows, in the garden below. The smell of lilies was carried on the gentle wind.

Caprice turned her head in Caleb’s direction, and another smile curved her lips when she noticed  his coppery eyes undressing her. He had the most gorgeous and unique eyes, the color reminded her of a brand new penny. His gaze alone did dangerous things to her. One look and she melted. All thoughts gone but the thought of what he could do to her body. The man was beyond sinful with a physique to match. Tall and lean with sinewy muscles that carved his body, he was built like a golden god.

A seductive smile played across his lips as he hung up the phone and made his way over to her. He stood behind her. His arms snaked around her waist and pulled her back against his hard chest.

“Sorry, that was my broker,” he murmured against her neck.

A shiver danced along her spine. “I was thinking . . .”

He nuzzled her ear. “What were you thinking?”

Goose bumps broke out over her body as his breath grazed her ear. The simplest little thing and he had her all out of sorts. “I want to put a koi pond in the garden.”

He kissed the hollow of her neck, feather light brushes of his lips that heated her blood. She felt his nostrils flare as he drank in her scent. Desire scorched through her veins and coiled between her thighs as his hand smoothed up her legs.

She moaned in response. “Are you listening to me?”

“Absolutely. A koi pond…” He nipped at her neck and his words came out as a sultry growl. “That…sounds…great… but you know what I really want to do?”

“What would that be?” she said on a breathless whisper. The need to inhale his masculine scent had her gasping for the tantalizing musk and spice that lingered in the air. She loved his aroma, it was heady and sexy as hell.

“Should I tell you or would you like me to show you?”

She raised a finger to her lips and replied. “Well, let me see… show me.”

Pulling her hips back to meet his, he trailed a hand over her belly, down the front of her skirt. “I was hoping you would say that.”

Her body smoldered as liquid heat seared her to the bone. His touch was decadent and provoked feelings…no not feeling, urges. He brought out the animalistic impulses in her, and she liked it; he was the only man that made her forget to breathe. His erection pushed against her backside. Her panties dampened in anticipation. The need to touch him clawed at her every nerve.

Deep masculine laughter rumbled through him as his hand disappeared under her skirt. “I was thinking of dipping into something wet but it has nothing to do with a pond.”

His touch abraded the tender skin of her inner thigh. She leaned her head back on his shoulder and rubbed her hips against his hard groin. “Tell me more.”

“I want to peel the clothes from your body and take you right here on my desk.”

Caprice glanced back at his mahogany desk. “Bending over your desk might be nice.” She smiled, a devilish smile over her shoulder.

He spun her around and tugged her forcefully against his chest. “You do…do ya?”

He gripped her hand and placed it on his rock hard bulge. “Do you feel what you do to me?”

Her long fingers ran the length of his zipper. He bucked his hips towards her. “Mmmm…yes, I like it.” She ran her tongue over her suddenly dry lips.

His gaze followed her tongue and his eyelids grew heavy with passion. The urges tugged at her self-control. She reached for his shirt and tore it open, buttons flew, hitting the floor like little pin drops. Her nails traced his right nipple. He sucked in a deep breath.

“You tease.” He grabbed the back of her hair and jerked her into submission. Tilting her head back, he ran his tongue from her collarbone to her jaw. She hummed as heat radiated through her body.

She liked her men dominate in bed. A man that knew what he wanted and took it without

hesitation.

*/*/*

The animal inside Caleb growled in satisfaction. He turned to his desk and cleared it in one quick swipe of his hand. Folders, papers and pens flew to the floor. He smiled as the heat of his passion raged out of control. He needed her more than he needed to breathe. She brought out the cat he shared his mind, body and soul with. A snarl escaped his parted lips as he lifted Caprice onto the desktop. She writhed under his touch. She liked it a little rough and his animal purred at her response to his dominance.

She reached for his pants and freed his pulsing shaft. “Caleb I need you now. I can’t wait any longer. I am burning up.”

Her hand ran the length of his desire and his body jumped as she caressed him. He raised her skirt and tore away the small scrap of lace she called panties. Why she even wore any was beyond his comprehension. Moaning in his ear, she parted her long graceful legs for him. An invitation he welcomed. In one quick motion, he drove into her moist heat. As her wet sheath gripped him, he roared his pleasure echoing through the room. Her body contracted around his shaft, wringing another moan from them both. She clawed his back, urging him on. The need to feel her milk him to completion pulsed through his body. “So soft and wet.” He growled into her ear.

Caprice tilted her head, exposing the smooth, pale skin of her throat. A pleasurable cry tore from her as her sex grasped him in her release. She was so beautiful, eyes closed, her legs squeezing his hips as she rode wave after wave of pleasure. His body tightened with each contraction. Trusting deeper and faster until he yelled out in ecstasy. He collapsed over her, trying to catch his breath.

“About that Koi pond,” she said in a breathless whisper.

His eyes widened. “What?”

Her passion hazed eyes crinkled at the corners as she smiled. “I’m just kidding. That was amazing.”

He relaxed into her soft body, and his own smile stretched his lips wide. “You're going to kill me one day woman. But what a hell of a way to go.”

Normal History Goes a Little Abnormal (Guest Blogger A.R. Cummings)

I love writing historical fiction. I love inventing a hunky hero and a spunky, determined heroine to match him and placing them in a story that depicts the way the past unfolded. I always know that whatever the odds, they’ll come together at the end for that satisfactory happily-ever-after.

With historical fiction a lot of research has to go into the background if you aren’t already knowledgeable in the era. I try not to play in the eras I don’t know much about but sometimes you have to cross the lines you’re unfamiliar with and go boldly where no writer has gone before.

Or in my case I went crazy and started writing a steam punk/paranormal romance set in Australia. I know next-to-nothing about steam punk and only marginally more than nothing about Australia. But I dove in anyway and came up with a novella currently in the editing stages. It was so much fun to write. Since it was steam punk and that’s largely set in Victorian England, I had a pretty good idea of what the dress code was, how people acted, and what was expected of a woman back then. My heroine didn’t want be lumped in as a model of society. She’s bold, adventurous, and best of all was brought up to believe she could do anything a man could do--including swear like a sailor. The perfect heroine to use steam punk technology. She brandishes a laser pistol at the hero, flies across the continent of Australia on an airship, floats along the Swan River in a steam-powered boat and faces down a creature of legendary proportions to help save the day. The obstacles and situations presented through this technology helped bring the hero and heroine closer together--in spite of the fact that she held a gun on the hero.

I’ve read that some editors frown on taking a perfectly good everyday object and turning it into something “new” and giving it a new name. So strive for unique items in your stories. There’s nothing wrong with adding a laser to a gun or even coming up with something far-fetched to make ordinary objects stand out. One of my favorite resources for ideas, be they a story line or a pirate ship name is Seventh Sanctum (http://www.seventhsanctum.com) a randomizer than can help cut through the writer‘s block.

Besides adding fantasy technological elements to a story, I’ve also tried adding some magic. Folklore has always interested me. Particularly with movies like Sleepy Hollow and An American Haunting. The paranormal genre is booming. I thought, why not jump on the wagon? Shoot for something a little different. Vampires and zombies might be right up your alley. They’re oldies, but goodies and everyone can offer a twist on the usual vamp story. On the other hand, I was looking for something a hair different.

I started researching American folklore and found a little known, but spooky story to form a romance out of. Every story needs a conflict, so I added demonic hags to form a love triangle. The first step might be to look at your area and the kinds of stories you grew up on. If none of those provide the inspiration you need, the web and a local library are additional resources. The best part of all is you have the creative license to bend, mold and shape folklore to meet your needs. Not only is this a great way to express your creativity, but it might also spark an interest in your readers to take a closer look at the myths and legends in their area. Stories focused around folklore provide entertainment and also help reinforce local history.

A.R. Cummings

Character Inspiration

Writing ideas come from the strangest places. I have heard writers tell me they had a dream or even a person just popped into their head out of nowhere, and they were inspired to write their story. One thing I know for certain, writers are a strange bunch. We can weave the most extravagant tales from nothing. And yes we hear voices. LOL Ok most would say that’s a mental disorder but it’s not for a writer. That’s how we get in touch with our characters and take them from an idea to the characters you know and love dearly. So let’s take a ride through the mind of a writer, Watch out this might be a little scary. HeeHee.

Let’s start with character. The characters in a book are the backbone, they are what holds the story together. Finding your characters is the first thing you must do before you start writing. Where do you find them? Characters can come from anywhere. Mine usually start in my head. I think about what I plan to write, not the whole story just a general idea. That helps me to think about my characters, what they will face and what kind of characters I need. Do they need to be strong, helpless, sweet, evil? Ok now you know the type of personality you need. Once I do this it helps me picture them in my mind. If you are writing about the girl next door, I can almost bet she won’t be a tall red head with a voluptuous figure. She will look like the average person. So for me personality plays a big part in who my characters are and what they look like.

My alpha male in A Vamp To Remember is tall, dark and handsome. Sounds typical right? Well this is where you make them just a little different. Zan is over six feet tall, has long black hair with metallic silver streaks and his eyes are dark almost black with silver encircling them. This is what I mean when I say make them just a little different. You don’t have to take drastic measures just give them something that makes them stand out in a crowd. His eyes alone would do that for me as a reader. I write paranormal and the characters in this genre can get pretty bizarre at times, so remember to give them something that connects them to the reader. They have to be believable. It can be as simple as the big bad monster that falls in love and shows a tender side to the woman that has tamed the savage beast.

Now you have a general idea. Let’s take it a little further. I like to look for pictures of my characters and hang them in front of me while I write. It really makes my characters come to life. It’s amazing you look at pictures and think nope not him. Then all of a sudden you find the one you have been looking for. That’s when you realize you knew what he looked like all along. This really helps me connect with my characters on a deeper level. I know you are thinking a picture come on, but you would be shocked how inspiring a picture can be.  I find myself staring at them and wonder what next? Sometimes they answer and sometimes they just stare back. LOL

We talked a little about their personality. Let’s talk about really getting to know your characters. How do you do that? The best place to start is a character chart. It will ask your characters questions you never thought to ask. What are their likes and dislikes? Goals and hopes? Fears? Motivation?  These are just a few, there are too many to list. I will give you a link to a good character chart at the end of the blog. You won’t need to use all the questions asked on a character chart but they are handy to have around. They are helpful when you need a personality trait or description. It’s also helpful if you are in the middle of a chapter and you forget his eye color. LOL Yes it happens to the best of us.

Most writers form a bond with their characters. I know it sounds weird but this is the case with me. I grow very close to my characters. I have had writers even tell me they felt a loss when a story came to an end. They become real in a writers mind. But I think you have to form this bond in order for the characters to come across as real to the reader. If you force characters you don’t believe in they will come across as forced. Then the story just falls flat. You need to feel the characters are close friends in order for them to intrigue the reader and tug at their emotions. If the reader loves your characters the odds are they will love the story as well.

Characters can be found everywhere. All you have to do is open your eyes and look around. They are the people you see in the grocery store, the mall, at work or passing you on the street. Inspiration comes when we open our eyes to the real world and watch others at a distance. Watch the way people act, move and talk. It really is amazing what we miss as we go about our daily lives. Open your eyes to inspiration it’s all around you.

I would love to hear where you find inspiration for your characters.

Character Chart:

www.epiguide.com/ep101/writing/charchart.html

Happy Reading and Writing

Tabitha Blake

In my head I hear voices screaming to be heard. So I write their stories. My characters speak to me and lead me through their joys and sorrows.
Tabitha Blake