An Author’s Desk: Emma Wyelin

Welcome to Emma Weylin, an author of paranormal romance at Liquid Silver Books. Emma shares her writing home and her first installment on her spicy new series, The Time Walkers.

My writing area is usually a total mess. I seem to think best when I am surrounded by clutter. I often do other projects while I am writing, like crochet or painting a paper mache box. Somehow doing something creative with my hands opens up the creativity for my writing, too. I am currently editing my next novel Going Under and I am planning out the next few books in the different series I write in.

Bring Me to Life
Paranormal Romance from Liquid Silver Books (9/2014)

They say love can conquer all … but Vincent’s been dead for two hundred years, and Bryna is the one who killed him! Ominous warnings, time travel, love, revenge, vampires, demons, and so much more

Being dead sucks, or so Vincent Asher believes. He’s spent the last two hundred years of his death battling vampires because his boss won’t let him kill demons. Known as a force called the Wraith, Vincent has become bored with preventing the apocalypse. When he hopes his boss will give him a more exciting assignment, he gets the shock of his afterlife. He must protect the woman who killed him.

Bryna Wildrose accidentally killed the only man she ever loved. In a self-imposed death sentence, she’s spent the last ten years of her life trying to get herself killed. She never meant to kill Vincent, and the guilt is eating her alive. A vampire gives her a dire warning. The Wraith is coming for her. She can run, or she can let death take her.

Given no choice, Vincent goes back in time to find the one woman he loved more than life itself, but when he expected to torment her for causing his death, he learns nothing is what he believed it to be. Real love never dies, but Vincent’s power might not be enough to keep Bryna alive.

BUY LINK: AMAZON
EMMA’S SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS: WEBPAGE / TWITTER / FACEBOOK / PINTEREST

AUTHOR PAGE LINKS : LIQUID SILVER BOOKS / AMAZON

An Author’s Desk: Susanne Matthews

Author Susanne Matthews is this Sunday’s guest at “An Author’s Desk.” She writes romance/suspense with and without paranormal elements, contemporary romance, and historical romance and is published with Crimson Romance, Secret Cravings Publishing, Solstice Publishing, and Anaiah Press. Susanne is a prolific writer who will share a bit of her writing routine and her latest release (On His Watch, her third romance suspense novel published with Crimson Romance). Meet Susanne …

Although I’ve only been writing since September 2012, I have sold ten novels, six of which are currently available. Three others will be released by Christmas, with another in May of 2015. I’m currently working on a YA novel as well as a chapter book for kids in grades 2-5. In addition, I co-author contemporary romance novels under the name Misty Matthews with a gal who lives about 1500 miles away from me. We’ve never met, and have spoken on the phone twice. Everything we do is done online and through the Internet. It’s definitely a 21st century partnership. We have a novella available now and a novel due out in October. Coming Home is the first book in a four book series called Taking a Chance on Love.  

Hello. I’m pleased to have been asked to share information about where and how I write with you.

Unlike many authors who have to juggle a part-time or full-time job along with their writing, I’m retired with as much time on my hands to write as I like. I have a home office all to myself where I can shut out the rest of the world and focus on my writing. I prefer using a desktop computer, although I do have a laptop which I use when I travel. I work in as quiet an environment as I can get. As I write I use a screen reader to reread the work to me. That way, I can catch the awkward sounding sentences, over-used words, etc. Although the system isn’t perfect, I can’t imagine working without it.

 I tend to research my story thoroughly before and during the writing of a particular manuscript. Sometimes, I’ll come across an interesting fact I hadn’t known and I’ll incorporate it into the story somehow. I’ll print out information occasionally, but most of the time I’ll save the information in a folder and retrieve it as necessary. At other times. I’ll bookmark specific links. It like being able to use my research in different books. For example, the information I learned about fire for my novel Fire Angel, has proven useful in two other novels: In Plain Sight and Coming Home.

 While I have a phone on my desk, I rarely answer it especially if I’m deep into my edits or my characters are taking me on a new journey. I use a note book to keep track of POV, word count per chapter and number of pages per chapter since these things change according to the publisher’s needs. It helps me keep the stories balanced. If I hit writer’s block, I turn to a friend. I’m usually connected to my chat lines, but I’m good at ignoring them if I have to. One of the first things I do each day is check my emails and my calendar. I blog regularly and host other writers as well, so I need to stay on top of who’s where when.

 I can write at any time of day, and other than family and church obligations, my time is my own. I’ve been known to burn the midnight oil getting the last of the edits done. Most days, I’m at the computer by eight. How long I write is directly related to where I am in a project. I’m fortunate enough to be able to stay focused when I’m editing. I’ve been known to put in 16 hour days—not even breaking for lunch—when the muse has me, but most of the time I write for 6-8 hours a day.

 I’m a pantser, which is actually quite ironic since as an English teacher I insisted on plot graphs, character sketches, and the whole nine yards. When I decided to try my hand at writing, I simply started keyboarding. The story comes out of my fingers. I have no idea what’s going to happen next. The characters are real to me, and they direct the story. I suffer with them, grieve with them, and of course rejoice when everything works out at the end. I’ve been known to torture them if someone in my real life annoys me too. Venting inside a fictitious world is a lot safer and surprisingly just as effective. Plus, I never have to eat my words or apologize to any of my characters no matter how badly I treat them.

 I don’t write a story from start to finish as one draft. Instead, I add and create it bit by bit. I’m a linear thinker. A has to come before B, but if I have a brainwave, I’ll make a note to remind me of it later. My writing is a lot like building a wall. I’ll create a paragraph, go over it, add details, and then move along. I’ll save the work at the end of the day. The next morning, I’ll go back to the previous day’s work, revise, edit, and add to it until it’s doubled in size until the story is complete. As the story moves past the first chapter, I’ll start my writing day by reviewing the two last chapters I’ve written. This helps situate me in the story again and get the creative juices flowing. Sometimes I’ll move chapters around, add a chapter before the one I started with or I’ll add one between chapters. I constantly make sure that suitable clues have been planted as I move along—go back to verify details, and make sure that every issue is believable and resolved in a satisfactory way by the end of the story. Character names can change throughout a story if I come across a name I prefer or if I think similar names are needed or need to be avoided. One fact is consistent in all my work. The title of the book is always found somewhere in the narrative or dialogue in the story.

 And there you have the story of this author’s desk.

On His Watch

A romantic suspense novel from Crimson Romance   (August 18, 2014)

What starts as a quiet evening alone watching football turns into the night from hell for FBI agent Jason Spark, who is covering sheriff duties for his honeymooning brother. He thought the 911 call was a butt dial but instead stepped into a bloodbath, complete with writing on the wall. It’s a scene straight out of a slasher movie—a dead physician, his son, and his wife so badly beaten, it’ll be a miracle if Nikki Hart survives.

When Nikki Hart awakes from a coma, she’s terrified. She doesn’t know her name, recognize her face, or remember anything about herself and her past. She clings to the memory of the angel who comforted her in her darkest moments, but no one in the world she wakes up in resembles the good guy.

Evidence in the case leads Jason to The Butcher, a hired assassin usually contracted by the Sicilian mob, a man who doesn’t quit until the job’s done. News of Nikki’s recovery puts her in the killer’s sights again. Jason will do whatever it takes to protect the woman he’s learning to love. But can he save her from a vicious killer intent on earning his million dollar fee and his employer bent on revenge?

And when the smoke clears, can Nikki ever forgive the secret role he played in her injuries?

On His Watch Buy Link

Media Links: Webpage / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads / Email: mhsusannematthews@gmail.com

Author Page: Amazon

 

An Author’s Desk: M. S. Spencer

  This week M. S. Spencer returns for another visit. She writes romantic suspense and is published by Secret Cravings. Since her last visit, she has some huge, totally cool, changes to share.

Since I last visited the Author’s Desk, my desk, study, view and venue have radically changed. I now live on the Gulf Coast of Florida in a small bungalow within steps of the beach. My study is part of the lanai and is all windows, with a view of a mangrove swamp on one side and my patio and fountain on the other. In the distance I can see the changing sky over the gulf. I work all morning, then head to the beach around noon. It is, indeed, idyllic. I have managed to write three novels since I moved here 18 months ago—the first in the midst of major renovation. I wrote my new release, Whirlwind Romance, in relative quiet. My current work-in-progress, the Penhallow Train Incident, is set in Maine, where I spent the month of July with my daughter and her main squeeze.  I find it hard to write about a setting I’m not in—do other writers feel that way?

Whirlwind Romance, which released September 2, is a romantic suspense full-length novel (M/F, 3 flames).  I’ve started a funny, sweet murder mystery set in Maine, tentatively entitled The Penhallow Train Incident.  Rachel Tinker, director of the Penhallow Historical Society, meets her match in Griffin Tate, a curmudgeonly retired professor. Together they wade through a on scene awash in red herrings to solve not one, but two murders. If, in fact, they are murders. Along the way they deal with ancient rumors, ancient crime, and ancient tragedy, as they grope nearer and nearer to love in the small coastal town of Penhallow, Maine.

Expect Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, lost tombs, and lost mummies!

Whirlwind Romance

Romantic Suspense Secret Cravings   (September, 2014)

About Whirlwind Romance: I didn’t mean to write this story. I meant to write a nice romantic interlude set on Longboat Key, a lovely barrier island on the Gulf Coast of Florida. Even before I’d reached Chapter Two, however, things had taken a geographical turn and veered off into the western Caribbean. Even now I’m not sure how it happened, but everything started to go awry when Lacey Delahaye, my heroine, finds a bedraggled castaway in her mangrove swamp. Fine. Not a problem. He’s handsome, injured, and clearly has a secret. Could he be a lost tourist? A real estate agent caught up in a Florida land scam? An environmentalist who’s discovered that whales have become man-eaters? No, sir. With his exotic, dark looks (flashing black eyes, shimmering ebony hair, etc.), he hardly seemed the real estate agent type. And he has an accent. Therefore he comes from elsewhere. He eventually confesses to Lacey that…well, I certainly won’t divulge his secret. I will say that he and Lacey find themselves in a remote, tiny, tropical paradise, which would be very romantic, except for the vicious serpent lurking there.

Whirlwind Romance: In the aftermath of a hurricane, Lacey Delahaye finds herself marooned on an island on the Florida coast with a mysterious man. Before he can confess his identity, they are kidnapped and taken to a tiny island in the western Caribbean. In a story laced with adventure and romance, Lacey encounters pirates, power-mad ideologues, and palace intrigue, not to mention the advances of three men, only one of whom she loves.

Buy Links: SCP / Amazon / ARe / Bookstrand

Media Links Blog / Facebook /  Twitter  / Pinterest

Author Pages:  Secret Cravings Publishing  / Amazon / GoodReads

Tomorrow, Release Day for The Caretaker’s Lady

A Writer’s Desk: Annette Mardis

Annette Mardis is the guest author at A Writer’s Desk. She is a journalist and writer of contemporary romance at Liquid Silver Books. Annette offers some insights into writing and the writing process based on her perspective from writing in the newsroom of a newspaper. Annette will also introduce her writing assistant and her story, The Shore Thing, a contemporary romance set in a Florida aquarium, available from Liquid Silver Books (pre-order until September 1st release).

 

Thanks, Rita, for hosting me on your blog. I’d like to share a valuable lesson I learned more than thirty years ago at a convention for high school journalists. It was simple advice, but it has stayed with me all this time.

Peggy Peterman, a longtime features writer for the then-St. Petersburg Times, gave a talk on the realities of making a living as a newspaper writer. It doesn’t matter how you feel on a given day, she told her rapt audience, because deadlines don’t care if you’re sick, tired, unmotivated, restless, bored, whatever. Put it aside and get your work done because the newspaper and its readers are counting on you.

I went on to work in the newspaper business for more than three decades, and my resolve to adhere to Ms. Peterman’s advice was sorely tested on many occasions. But the discipline I developed over those years has stood me in good stead as I strive to build a second career as a novelist.

Newspaper offices are about as calm and quiet as train stations, and if you can concentrate in a newsroom, you can concentrate anywhere. I write my books at home, where I’m often interrupted by my barking dogs, Shelby (pictured) and Cocoa, and a screeching pet parrot named Ozzie.

I’ve read a lot about writers finding their muse and creating the proper environment to spur their creativity. If psyching yourself up and locking yourself away in a quiet room is what you need to get the job done, then by all means, do it.

But I have an easier solution, stolen from an effective advertising campaign for Nike: Just do it.

The only surefire way to break through writer’s block is to sit down and write. Having trouble with a sentence, a paragraph, a chapter? Type something on your computer screen, even if you’re not happy with it. Just getting your fingers moving on the keys often will help break the logjam in your brain. You can always return to it later and rewrite.

Sometimes, just the act of getting away from the computer for a bit — to visit the bathroom, get a drink, fix a snack, read a few pages of another book, take a walk, anything — can help unlock your thoughts, too.

Another very effective remedy, at least for me, is to sleep on it. Sometimes this makes for a frustrating, insomnia-filled night, but very often I’m able to envision a scene or an entire plot line as I’m lying in bed. Fantasizing about your characters helps bring them to life and often leads me in directions I’d never thought of going otherwise.

Never forget that writing is hard work, but it doesn’t have to be painful. Let someone else play the part of the tortured scribe. Enjoying your vocation is a lot more fulfilling.

ABOUT THE SHORE THING

 On Monday, Sept. 1, Liquid Silver Books will release my new contemporary romance novel, The Shore Thing. It’s the first book in a series set in the fictional west-central Florida beach town of Gulf Shore, where you’ll feel sugary white sand between your toes, the warm sun on your shoulders, and a sea breeze ruffling your hair.

You’ll meet swoon-worthy alpha males who aren’t embarrassed to cuddle a rescued baby dolphin in their muscular arms, and accomplished women looking for an equal partner who thinks that smart is sexy.

You’ll get up close and personal with sea life, join the “snipe and gripe” club for girls’ nights out, and fall in love with a talking parrot who acts like a little boy in a bird suit.  You’ll go behind-the-scenes at the local aquarium and out to the beach to rescue marine animals in distress. And once you visit Gulf Shore, you just may find yourself wishing you could stay.

 The Shore Thing

A Contemporary Romance from Liquid Silver Books (Sep 2014)

Danielle “Dani” Davidson vows to just say no to workplace romances after her first post-college job is soured by a messy breakup with a manipulative coworker at a fish hatchery. That’s just one reason she doesn’t trust any man with her heart, let alone one who swims with sharks for a living. So why can’t she get cameraman Evan Sanders out of her mind?         Evan is twice shy, too, after an alluring but self-absorbed colleague at Gulf Shore Aquarium takes a bite out of his heart. Thought he’s dead set against dating anyone else he works with, he’s intrigued by Dani’s shyness and tempted by her intelligence and low-key sexiness.

Dani leads tours and educates guests, and Evan is the chief photographer/videographer at the aquarium and marine animal hospital in Gulf Shore. Their attraction smolders until an unfortunate encounter with a stingray sends Dani to the emergency room, and Evan steps up to help her through her recovery.

The two also bond over the rescue of an orphaned baby dolphin. But will Evan’s vindictive ex-lover, his career ambitions, and Dani’s inhibitions tear the young lovers apart?

LIQUID SILVER BUY LINK ($3,99)

Annette’s Links: WEBPAGE / FACEBOOK / PINTEREST SHORE THING  & TWO / TWITTER

Tomorrow, My Traditional Labor Day Salute    Rita Bay

An Author’s Desk: Author Tami Lund

Author Tami Lund is this week’s guest at An Author’s Desk. Tami who writes contemporary and paranormal romance is published with Liquid Silver Books, Crimson Romance, Soul Mates Publishing. She is also self-published. Tami’s book, The Resort, the first book in a self-published series, won third place in the Great Expectations Contest hosted by the North Texas Romance Writers of America. Into the Light, a paranormal romance that was recently published by Liquid Silver Books, won first place in the On The Far Side Contest, which is hosted by the Fantasy, Futuristic and Paranormal chapter of RWA. Thank you to Tami for sharing a bit about her writing style and area and introducing her new book from Silver Publishing, Love Gumbo.

I love to be outdoors, preferably at the beach. There is nothing more peaceful and relaxing than lounging in an Adirondack chair with my laptop in my lap, my toes in the sand (or in the water, if it’s warm enough), and a glass of wine within easy reach. Okay, coffee, since I am, without question, a morning writer. I also write better when listening to music and drowning out all other distractions (read: kids, husband). Sometimes, on the weekends, I get really lucky and manage to distract myself so much that I’ve written well into the afternoon, at which point I trade the coffee for wine.

Love Gumbo is part of a new line of short stories offered through Liquid Silver Books, called Afternoon Delights. I originally wrote this book for an anthology call from another publisher. They were looking for short stories involving animals bringing the protagonists together. I was just about to press send when I noticed the fine print: male/male protagonists only. Oops! I loved this story, though, and knew I had to publish it anyway. Liquid Silver decided to create the Afternoon Delight concept at just the right moment. Release date: August 25th

In her new contemporary novel, Love Gumbo. Tami has mixed the perfect ingredients to bring you a fun and flirty romance.

Jake just wants a new job. Natalie just wants her restaurant to succeed. The dog just wants a new home. A guy, a girl, and a dog named Gumbo.

BUY LINK: LSB

SOCIAL MEDIA: WEBPAGE / TWITTER / FACEBOOK / PINTEREST  / EMAIL: tami@tamilund.com

AUTHOR PAGES: LSB / AMAZON / GOODREADS

Tomorrow: Back to Pompeii

 

 

An Author’s Desk: Nikki Andrews

This Sunday’s “An Author’s Desk” guest is Nikki Andrews. Nikki is a very special guest because she is my editor extraordinaire at Champagne Books. Why extraordinaire? Because when Nikki’s finished editing, I know the story is the best that it can be. Nikki is the standard by which I judge editors. Nikki is also an extraordinary author of cozy mysteries and sci fi. Here’s Nikki in her own words …

“And what do you want to be when you grow up, little girl?”  “A cowboy.” Note, I emphatically did not want to be a cowgirl. Later, when the question became, “What would you like to do for a living?” my answer was specific, even if  I had no idea how to make it happen. “I want to read.” Many years passed, but I’ve finally reached my goal. I’m now happily working as an editor for two independent publishers as well as freelance. My great joy is working with writers like you, Rita, and being midwife to some wonderful books. My only regret is that sometimes I have to write a rejection, but even then I try to offer suggestions to help the writer improve.

The first thing you should notice about where I write is that it’s flanked by windows. One window looks over my backyard garden and into the woods that separate me from my neighbors. The other has a view of our small stock pond, frequented mostly by frogs, deer, foxes, a wide assortment of birds, and the rare fisher cat. In an ideal world, I’d write on paper with my back propped against a tree, but the realities of creaky old bones and a plethora of no-see-ums have driven me indoors. Still, I need these windows to the natural world when I write. Other than that, I prefer silence. No music, TV, or company. I guess I’m easily distracted. Oh, look, a purple finch!

You might also be able to see the little brown horse on the top shelf. She represents my muse, a buckskin mare named Irish. Irish has been my companion, guide, mentor, and salvation for more years than I care to admit.

I have a bit of a split personality when it comes to my writing style. I start out as a total pantser, with almost no idea where my story will go. Like Ray Bradbury, I follow my characters down the hall, typing madly. Later I write a brief synopsis and a sketchy outline, neither of which rule for very long. I have very persnickety characters with quite definite ideas of what I should write.

Two projects vie for my attention at the moment. Both are sequels to Framed. In the longer one, A Thousand Words, the women of Brush & Bevel gallery find themselves investigating the death of a journalist, and in Oil & Water, an art show in Lobster Cove, ME, (a shared universe created by The Wild Rose Press) leads to mayhem and intrigue. Both stories feature the New England quirks I’ve come to know and love, with a bit of humor thrown into the mix.

And one day I will get back to my series about saving the universe with music, motor racing, and cyclically-gendered alien time travelers. So many stories!

Framed, Nikki’s featured story is a cozy mystery published by The Wild Rose Press (April, 2014). According to Nikki, “The best job-job I ever had was working at an art/framing gallery for nine years. Alas, there was no Chowdah Bowl nearby. The staff, customers, artists and neighbors of that shop serve as models for Framed, but I altered, amended, added, subtracted, invented and blended freely. No artists were harmed in the writing of this novel.”

Framed by Nikki Andrews (The Wild Rose Press, 2014)

When a long-lost painting turns up at Brush & Bevel, a decade-old mystery is reawakened. What really happened to artist Jerry Berger and his model Abby Bingham? Was it a murder-suicide, as the police proclaim, or was it something far more sinister?

Gallery owner Ginny Brent and her loyal staffers, Sue Bradley and Elsie Kimball, each take a different path to unravel the mystery. Together, their discoveries start to form a cohesive whole. But as they get closer to the solution, they discover to their horror that art is not the only thing that can be framed.

Buy Links for Framed:  AMAZON / The Wild Rose Press,

Nikki’s Links:  Webpage / Twitter  / Blog   /  Amazon Author Page  / The Wild Rose Press Author Page  / email: nikki@nikkiandrewsbooks.com

Thank you, Nikki,  for visiting and sharing your story and your book. Tomorrow, A week of Ancient Plagues   Rita Bay

An Author’s Desk: Hannah Lokos

I am so pleased to welcome Champagne author Hannah Lokos to “An Author’s Desk.” Hannah will share a bit about herself, Labyrinth of Lies – her debut novel of historical fiction published by Champagne Book Group, and the story behind the book.  BTW, Hannah’s the youngest guest to visit but she’ll tell you all about that. Meet Hannah …

I am a pre-med/biology college student, and as such, I have learned to write in a variety of places at a variety of times.  Honestly, I can write pretty much anywhere.  Sometimes, it’s my dorm room.  Other times it might be the school library, a different library, Denny’s, Starbucks, the stairs, or, if I’m at home, my couch.  I write whenever I have a spare chance, often as a study break from physics or organic chemistry, and often at one o’clock in the morning.   Even though writing and science are both intense and intensely time consuming, I am finding that, surprisingly, different types of insanity can actually work to balance each other out.  This has definitely been true in my case.   The cat in the picture is Chocolate.  She has been my faithful writing companion for the past twelve years.  When I’m writing at home, she often tries to squeeze onto my lap with my computer.

I wrote Labyrinth of Lies when I was eighteen years old. The idea came from an art history class I was taking.  I was already familiar with the Greek myth of Theseus and the Minotaur, which basically states that Crete went to war with Athens and won.  The cruel king of Crete, King Minos, demanded that the defeated king of Athens, King Aegeus, sign a peace treaty stating that, every year, he would send fourteen of his nation’s youth to Crete to be fed to the Minotaur, a vicious half-man half-beast that dwelt locked in the labyrinth.  The myth states that Theseus, the son of King Aegeus, eventually decided that enough was enough, so he sailed to Crete, killed the Minotaur, and freed his people.  This was all very well and dandy; nothing earth-shattering. But then I learned something: it was real.

Historical evidence indicates that Theseus may have been a real person.  King Aegeus was nearly certainly real; the Aegean Sea is named after him.  King Minos lived also; you can still tour the ruins of his palace (and see all the frescoes on the walls) at Knossos in Crete.  Crazier still, in the ruins, there was discovered to be a structure that resembled a labyrinth.  This really got me thinking.  We know there can’t be such a thing as a Minotaur.  It just isn’t possible.  Yet, everything else seems to be true.  So why on earth would you need a labyrinth if there was no monster to contain?  Why on earth would you kill fourteen innocent kids if there was no beast to eat them?  What was truly going on all those thousands of years ago?  And that is precisely what my book is about.  Theseus struggles to unwind a massive web of motives and lies to discover what truly lies at the heart of that infamous maze. What happens?  Well (cue maniacal laughter) you’ll just have to read it and find out!

Fun facts about me?  I like needlepoint and baking, but I also enjoy paintball and geocaching.  I have been stung by a jellyfish and I hate Twitter and cheese. Earlier this summer, I spent six weeks working overseas in Togo, West Africa, in a missions hospital.  Now, I’m studying for the MCAT and working on my next novel.  After that?  We’ll see!

 LABYRINTH OF LIES

Something foul is afoot in Ancient Greece. Athens is bruised from a previous war with Crete. Worse still, King Minos annually demands fourteen Athenian youths to be fed to the Cretan Minotaur locked inside a maze. When his own beloved, Zosemine, is taken to be fed to the Minotaur, Theseus finds himself at the heart of a web of conflicting motives, with the sense that even those closest to him cannot be trusted. Theseus must navigate the various plots, motives, and secrets through the labyrinth and see past the masks to slay the Minotaur

Buy Links for Labyrinth of Lies: CHAMPAGNE / AMAZON

Hannah’s Links   WEBPAGE /  TWITTER / FACEBOOK / PINTEREST / PUBLISHER PAGE / AMAZON /

Thank you for visiting, Hannah. All the best in your bright future.  Rita Bay

Rita Bay Visits An Author’s Desk

Today, I (Rita Bay) am  the featured author at An Author’s Desk on my own blog. After so many guests have dropped by, it’s about time that I stepped up and bared my own author’s soul. I’m  a multi-genre writer  of romance who is happily published by Champagne Book Group (Paranormal/Fantasy), Secret Cravings Publishing (Contemporary Military), Siren BookStrand (Historical), and – most recently – a romantic comedy scorcher with Liquid Silver Books. I’ll also share a bit about my writing and work area, my current works in progress, and my upcoming books.

MY PLACE TO WRITE. The picture of my office on the right probably tells more than I intended. I write beside an antique mahogany Empire library table, kicked back in a traditional office chair with my laptop in my lap. All the nice things a mildly OCD writer needs – an antique carved soapstone pen holder, a high-tech multi-purpose lamp and a revolving desk caddy, folders for everything, binders for business, Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary, and a set of  mini-filing drawers – sit on top of the desk. The bookcase contains my reference books with antique family pieces – irons, cobbler’s stand, and electrical glass insulators – serving as bookends. Not seen in the picture are two filing cabinets, a large pigeon-holed divider, and two additional bookcases.

MY WRITING. As for writing, I’m a plotter who occasionally deviates from the scene tracker when the story demands it. I’ve just finished edits for Conquering Cupid (the first story in a humorous mythological contemporary series – “Cupid’s Back in Town” contracted with Champagne Book Group) which will be released in December AND for The Caretaker’s Lady, a scorching hot contemporary romantic comedy from Liquid Silver Books which will be released in September. My current works in progress include The Alpha’s Prey, the third novella in the Lyons’ Den series with Champagne, and The Twelfth Night Queen – a Regency Christmas story.

The humorous, Greek mythology-based, contemporary erotic series “Cupid’s Back in Business” evolved from Her Teddy Bare (See cover), a sexy, humorous novella published by Champagne in their erotic series, “Aphrodite’s Island.” Check out the blurb for Conquering Cupid.

Love and lust, the perfect mix for a happily ever after. When popular artist Diana Harper dumped her cheating fiancé and accepted an invitation “to attend a private event at Miss A’s island retreat to experience your most secret dreams and fondest fantasies,” her hostess gave her Teddy as an “attendant.” Despite his best efforts, Teddy is no submissive. Diana, however, plays his game for the profound passion, the best sex ever, and love that could last a lifetime.

Billionaire philanthropist Theodore Cooper “Coop” Bareston III fell in love with Diana when he saw her working out at his elite gym in New York City. He was willing to do anything to win her love, including wearing a skimpy thong in his “Teddy” role and posing nude in chains when Di’s interest in her art revived. As the sexual tension builds and passions explode, Teddy discovers he is intensely aroused by  playing the submissive to his Di’s dome.

After moving into Coop’s East Side penthouse, Diana is sucked into a world inhabited by supernatural denizens with powers beyond her imagination. Can she survive the challenges confronting her to live in Coop’s world or will she turn her back on the extraordinary destiny within her grasp?

You can read an excerpt/buy Her Teddy Bare before the series is released HERE.

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An Author’s Desk: Eva Lefoy

Welcome to Eva Lefoy, the featured author at An Author’s Desk. Eva is a multi-genre author published with several publishers. She writes Contemporary, SciFi romance, Erotica, and Paranormal Romance – both M/F and M/M. Her publishers include Decadent Publishing, MLR Press, and Secret Cravings Publishing, as well as being self-published. Eva will share a bit about herself, her writing area (not everyone writes at a desk or alone), current works in progress, and her latest book – her contemporary erotic romance, Rekindling the Flame.

My husband runs a market garden and a print shop. I work as an insurance agent by day which is an utterly left-brained activity for the most part. In my spare time I write, do yoga, work out at the gym, run, and hike! Nothing’s better for fixing a plot hole than a nice steep hike!

In the evenings, I usually sit on the couch after dinner and type away as my husband sits in the recliner and reads. We never turn on the TV or the radio. We tend to operate in silence. Yep, we’re that boring! At times, the husband falls asleep in his chair and snores, and the cat who’s sitting on the couch with me snores too. It’s quite a racket! Sometimes I give up, close the laptop and join them for a family snooze.

Usually though, I’m typing all manner of steamy romance whilst hubby reads history. His main interests are the U.S. Civil War, Tsarist Russia, and literary biographies. My interests on the other hand run to sexy men, romance and bedroom antics. Hubby flat-out refuses to read my work!

Currently I’m writing a Yeti winter erotica tale, doing edits for a wolf-shifter romance for Decadent Publishing, and finishing up book III of Love Hurts for MLR Press. On the backburner I have MM tentacles, book II of Ridden Hard and book II of Martian Mating.

Rekindling the Flame

A Contemporary interracial erotic romance from Secret Cravings Publishing

Sometimes love needs a second chance. Travel and work take a toll on Marcy and Paul’s marriage, bleeding the passion out of a once loving relationship. One day, Paul decides he’s had enough. He takes Marcy on a weekend trip to rekindle their romance and won’t take no for an answer.

Marcy’s sick and tired of Paul’s constant travel and the wedge it drives between them. Depression skyrockets her weight, so she’s surprised when Paul wants between her thighs all weekend – over and over again. Can she put aside her fears and reach for what she wants so badly before this second chance at love slips right out of her hands?

 

Thanks so much to Eva for visiting. Check out more about Eva and her books (including covers and excerpts of her scorching hot stories) here:

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Keith Wayne McCoy Visits An Author’s Desk

I’m pleased to host author Keith Wayne McCoy at An Author’s Desk. Keith’s book, The Travelers, is a new release from BURST, Champagne Book Group’s fantasy/scifi imprint. Check out the blurb and buy links below.

Thank you Rita for inviting me to post on your popular blog.  My debut novel “The Travelers”, an urban fantasy, was released Monday, February 3, 2014 with Burst.  And on Friday, February 7, 2014, my novella “Castles Burning” was contracted, also with Burst.  A very productive, exhilarating week to say the least.

I’d like to discuss my own approach to writing here and take no offense at those authors who are countered to it.  I went to college in the early 90s and was taught that the proper steps for writing were creating and revising, re-editing, query letters via the post office with SASE, and, of course, rejection letters.  The internet was not prominent at all back then and the idea of submitting query letters electronically was unheard of.  I am amused by the contemplation of my mentors today in the world of Kindle, Nook, and iPad.  Every single publishing house I queried required electronic interaction.  I even signed my contract electronically.  But I personally feel that the electronic approach is superior to the chapters or even the full manuscript.  One editor who requested a manuscript replied via email that “slush piles” are a thing of the past.  The writer still has the harrowing wait but it comes much faster.  I am pleased to be part of the ebook phenomenon.

As for “The Travelers”,  it was completely hand-written on yellow legal pads and revised and revised again before finally being typed in Word.  As Rita Bay can attest, I am emphatically not computer literate.  But I am learning.  I must.  We all must.  The “Big Six” in New York are no longer the only means of becoming published and many, if not most of my friends and family, prefer the electronic editions as they can take them on vacation, to lunch time at work, and the air flight.

I scratch notes of lyrical sentences, dialogue, and plot possibilities on any piece of paper available whether it be a grocery bag, a calculator tape, or even the back of junk mail envelopes.  When the idea hits, write it down immediately as I promise you will not remember it for a later, more convenient time.  I have even woke up in the night with a conversation or scene description in mind and scrambled to the tiny notebook I keep on the nightstand.  So, my author’s desk is everywhere a literary thought comes.  That’s not to say that sitting at a blank computer screen and contemplating what to type first is not a perfectly valid method for writing.  But I want the physical presence of the written word first and foremost.

I have been a collector of furniture and memorabilia from the 1930s luxury liner Queen Mary since the third grade.  My love (actually compulsion) of writing took hold at the same time as I ferociously wrote tales involving the great liner.  “The Travelers” is a product of that lifetime obsession in the fact that the retired liner permanently docked in Long Beach, California plays a very pivotal role in the plot.  Urban Fantasy intertwines with the liner’s history to form an enigmatic portrayal of the ship’s personality.  (And, believe me, she still has a soul that no other liner possessed, not even the Titanic.  I know because I have vacationed and spent the night aboard her!  She has a quality of alertness that refuses to be ignored.)

Although the novel has fantasy elements, it is essentially a character-study of a World War II GI and his British war bride who have an extraterrestrial encounter with an otherworldly, desperate mother and her two small children.  My college professor read the manuscript before I began querying and told me that if it were a movie, it would be a David Lynch version of the film Ordinary People.  I took this as a compliment.  Thanks again for inviting me, Rita!

In 1947, the Queen Mary transmits a message which is intercepted by extraterrestrial intelligence. This errant radio signal serves as a beacon for a North Atlantic encounter between James and Jess Bennett, a GI and his war bride, and an otherworldly, desperate mother and her two small children.

In the present day, Guy Turner, a melancholy, black filmmaker, finds himself at the center of a supernatural mystery after a haunting prelude with the now elderly mother in a corridor aboard the retired liner in Long Beach, California. Standing at the edge of eternity, the old woman and the Bennetts have the complex task of setting certain aspects of the past in order as the doors to their lives are closing.

Guy is thrust into an unexpected and unwanted voyage of self-discovery as he is solely enjoined to bring the three together one last time.

Buy The Travellers HERE or click the cover.

Keith Wayne McCoy

http://www.keithwaynemccoy.com