Wrighting For Fun

Writing the Witchy Way: Candace Havens book giveaway!

noreply@blogger.com (Robin) — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 19:56:00 +0000

Hey everyone! In the middle of my mad dash to finish my WIP, I took a breather and found this free book giveaway--super easy and the prize is from a fantastic author! Good Luck!

Writing the Witchy Way: Candace Havens book giveaway!

I Do Battle Plans, Not Resolutions

noreply@blogger.com (Robin) — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 03:03:00 +0000

OK. New year--make that new DECADE--is here. Over at the Textnovel Divas blog I went on and on about how I am going to make this MY decade.

All talk, no action, so to speak.

Affirmations are good, but without consequences, bribery, and a list of what is expected of me, I'm not going to get too far.

Enter the best Yule gift I've ever had. Well, maybe not, but right now, it's at the top.

Deborah Blake, author of pagan non-fiction, my writing group pal, and all-around fantastic friend gave me NO PLOT? NO PROBLEM: Novel Writing Kit.

There are gold stars involved!!!!

As fantastic as that is, it did something I haven't been able to do for months. It got my hubby and I together for a 90 minute conversation about where I was going with my writing, what had to be done, and how I'm going to do it.

NPNP (Novel Writing Kit) is written by Chris Baty. That should ring a few (alarm) bells with some of you. He was the guy who came up with NANOWRIMO. Well, with this lovely kit, I am going to start my very own 31 day writing extravaganza. In the end, I hope to have finished a novel and perhaps a few short stories.

The kit comes with some great stuff. Like I said, gold stars to put on a large poster of your progress (it's hanging in front of me right now!), daily inspiration cards, a coupon book for family to threaten you with if you don't make word count, a contract you sign with a witness, and more. We took the coupon book thing a step ahead and created a sheet of 7 horrible things that will happen to me if I don't make daily word count. Things like NO INTERNET FOR 24 HOURS and TAKING THE GARBAGE TO THE CURB (big deal, you say? Well, at my house, we measure my driveway in ACRES). Of course, if I DO make my word count, I get things like a 20 minute foot rub and no cooking for a whole day.

Sounds good so far. I've got incentive and a cooperative husband (I didn't bother trying to communicate with the toddlers. They will have to just go with the flow). Now, the Battle Plan.

See, I procrastinate. A lot. Ask any of my high school teachers and they will roll their eyes at you and comment that sure, I got things done, EVENTUALLY. I waste 5 minutes, 10 minutes here and there just wandering around, knowing that I am supposed to be doing something...It all adds up.

So I made a chore chart, broken up by hour. It starts at 7 am and ends at 10 pm. Hubby and I went over the things that need to get done and when I will have my hours for writing. I filled out the chart, giving myself plenty of empty spaces for catching up on writing, housecleaning, and doctor appointments. Now I know what I can get done, and he knows what to expect while I start this crazy writing ride.

For the next 31 days, I am the Commander in Chief of my everyday life.

Wish me luck!

Oh, what will I be working on? Well, it may be cheating, but I'm going to continue with the beginning of a novel I have entered in the Textnovel contest entitled WICKED ENCHANTMENT. I know, I know, I should start something new, but I have so little written (only 3000 words) that I figure it will be okay to fudge just a little. I will not be counting those 3000 words! Tomorrow, with the help of my charts and progress poster, I will put my battle plan in action!

ONWARD, HO!

Gifting without breaking the bank

noreply@blogger.com (Robin) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 21:03:00 +0000

I love to give presents. There is something in me that gets a thrill when a person opens a box and loves what's inside, whether that be an inbox or gift box. Like many, the economy crunch has tried to keep my crazy gifting ways to a minimum, but I refuse to let it. I refuse to let YOU keep you down, too. So this blog won't have anything to do with writing, unless you decide to gift someone a story with him/her as the main character (cheap and fun!), but a whole lot to do with giving some gifts that are either FREE or so cheap you won't have to get another day job. Hey, being cheap is what allows me to stay home and write!

FREE RESTAURANT GIFT CERTIFICATES!
Restaurant.com is back with a fabulous off. Send up to 30 free $10 gift certificates to your friends, family, co-workers, etc. Pop in their e-mail or do it via facebook, you can give you old college roommate from way too many years ago a little something that they would be glad to remember.

Make a free ESPN poster of your fave sport nut (be it kid or adult)

Speaking of magazines, Amazon has had a lot of great magazines on discount-many, including Oprah's magazine,Family Fun, and Parents are just $5 for the year. a gift that keeps on giving...

I do a lot of canning, and therefore have a TON of mason jars around my house (Spaghetti jars, apple sauce jars, etc). For a few years, I've made a few "gift in a jar' baskets--and they are well received, especially if you know of a family that could use a little more food and a lot less junk. I've done hot cocoa in a jar, rice pilaf in a jar, chocolate chip cookies in a jar, you get the idea. All the recipient has to do is add the liquids and they are good to go.RECIPE LION is offering up a free ecookbook to get you started on these great gifts.

For the ladies: Head over to Bath and body Works with this coupon for a FREE TRAVEL ITEM or this coupon for a FREE LIP ITEM When you get in the store, find something for $1, like the mini hand sanitizers (mmmm, warm vanilla) and pick up your choice. Or use one, do a little shopping, come back and use the other. The travel lotions/body washes are worth $5, and the lip stuff is up to $8. So, for $1+tax, you have a pretty nice stocking stuffer.

This Saturday (December 19) Old Navy is having a ONE DAY WONDER sale on cozy Socks --for a $1. Really. Oh, and then there is a 30% off coupon that you can use on them, making a pair of Socks $.70. Yowza.

Got photos of the kids? purchase a few frames from a dollar store and try out some of these deals:
Seehere.com- 100 FREE 4x6 prints, code (prints) Shipping is $5.19!
Walgreens.com-Code (PRINTJOY) will land you with $.10 prints. 1 hour photo+pick up in store is a pretty good last minute deal! Oh, and buy white wooden painted frames and have the kids color it. So nice!

Hint!!!! If you aren't going to see some family until AFTER Christmas Day, save your shopping for the 26th of December. Trust me. I got a down blanket for $15 a few years ago, marked down from $75, and the beautiful ornaments from the big department stores are usually marked anywhere between 75%-90% off. Save your dough and wait to get the big deals when the stores just want to clean out gift items.

Whew, that's it for now. So go on, get your shopping done! We'll write more about writing after this holiday craziness is over. Gods, I need an eggnog.

Here I am, standing around naked in cyberspace again.

noreply@blogger.com (Robin) — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 14:43:00 +0000

After six months of the complete cyber insanity that was the Next Best Celler contest, I took a little hiatus. I didn't update any of my stories on textnovel, I didn't haunt twitter or facebook like I had. I reconnected with my husband, my kids, and my friends in the most traditional of ways. I met them face to face.

As all of you fellow writers know, that got old, fast.

So, to further my writing career, I sat my butt down and made myself an honest to goodness author website (http://www.robinwriting.com). It's quite bare bones at the minute, but heck, so is my writing career.

I also finished my first short story, BACK ROADS, and with the help of the marvelous and clever Saranna DeWylde (who also happens to be one freaking awesome editor), I polished it up and began a search for a home. BACK ROADS isn't a romance. It isn't even paranormal. It is Dark Horror--horror that is driven by the craziness of the human psyche.

I may have made a mistake. It isn't a story from the genre I'm interested in working it, paranormal romance. however, this is my thought: It may be a good way to cut my teeth in the business. I can find my way around, get to know the path. Also, if it gets rejected, I won't be totally crushed.

Yeah. That is a biggie.

So, what do you think of my choice to get into the action using a work that isn't what I usually write? Know this, as well, I am not completely sure if I don't want to write horror. It's kinda sick, but it comes easy to me. This may be the path I was destined to take. That's the glory at being so new at this: I have room to move. I could always combine genres, which is my plan for HUNTER'S MOON--a horror romance.

Wish me luck. I submitted BACK ROADS to a publisher of ebooks and audio broadcasts. Again, I'm just testing the waters, so a small independent publisher was my aim, but not necessarily of print books. Unfortunately, I have to wait for either an acceptance or a decline, which could take as much as 6 months. 6 months that it has to sit on a shelf until someone tells me otherwise. Lesson 1 in publishing: You can't show everyone your goods.

So, like Shannon has told us about the publishing world, things happen slowly, but while I'm waiting, waiting, waiting, I'm gonna get everything out of this experience I can.

BLOG TO READ! Jackie Kessler - Harlequin Horizons VS RWA

noreply@blogger.com (Robin) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:39:00 +0000

Well, I was thinking of going over to Harlequin and to try and start my career. However, Harlequin is no longer a recognized publisher according to Romance Writers Of America, the largest romance writer's organization I know of. I just joined about a week ago, and now this. So, I'm off to find a publisher who is keen on taking unsolicited/un-agented me. This is a fantastic blog that explains everything, almost line by line. So, if you've heard about the uproar from Ann Aguirre, Nora Roberts, and twitter, this is what is going on.Jackie Kessler - Harlequin Horizons VS RWA

Rejection Schmejection.

noreply@blogger.com (Robin) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:02:00 +0000

So, I didn't make top 10. I read over the list three times before it sunk in. I cried for a minute, and then, like the clouds had broke and the sunlight shone free, I was okay with that. This was rejection. I had worked on this contest for running 6 months and it was over.

I was free to write again.

No more begging, spamming, harassing poor friends, acquaintances, and complete strangers to log in and vote for FAE NIGHTS. I can now write without keeping in mind the suggested 500 word limit or the constant updating on Textnovel.

Romantic Reads is the official Dorchester blog, which is run by Dorchester editor Leah Hultenschmidt. She says one phrase that I have chosen to see as my positive push forward: "I can tell you that it wasn’t an easy process to winnow the entries down, and we had a lot of debate over this top 10."

She's right. There were so many fantastic authors that were entered. The top ten they picked I absolutely agree with. Dorchester did a such a fantastic job at the selection, that I can't feel sad. So I'm not. I choose to think that my novel may have caused some pause and shuffling before they decided to put another work in it's place. My heart is happy for my friends that made it. I am going to follow their rise and learn what they learn.

Now, I'm finishing up FAE NIGHTS, and I am going to also finish FEVER and send that off to Harlequin. I think it will find a fit there. Six months ago, no one had ever seen my writing. Even my writer's group had only heard passages from my stuff. Now, I have enough confidence that I know I can do this.

The best thing that ever happened to me was this contest. I met Liane Gentry Skye, Saranna DeWyle, Gail Hart, Jennifer Hart, Valorie Dorr, Christy Finn, Courtney Sheets, and many other impressive writers. I've joined chat rooms with published authors and immersed myself into this lifestyle. I never would have pushed myself to learn and gather so much knowledge as I have without this experience.

How can I feel rejected when I have received so much?

I can't.

So, off to work. I'm a writer. I encourage you to read my novels on textnovel , and please, critisize away. I want to write the best I can.

A marvelous way to edit

noreply@blogger.com (Robin) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 22:09:00 +0000

Using WORDLE, I made a cloud of my novel. Yes, all 50,000 words. Now i have a visual of words I need to cut or rethink. Words such as LIKE, BACK, FEEL, JUST. LOOK, and SOMETHING. and the cutting begins.

Fangs, Fur, & Fey - Last reminder for FFF Happy Anniversary contest!

noreply@blogger.com (Robin) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 19:30:00 +0000

Yes. I admit it. I am a sucker for contests. But look at the title of this blog! Fangs, fur, and fae! It's my kinda place. Go ahead, click on the link, enter their contest. You know you want to!

Fangs, Fur, & Fey - Last reminder for FFF Happy Anniversary contest!

The Textnovel Divas Ate My Homework

noreply@blogger.com (Robin) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 14:19:00 +0000

Good golly has a lot happened since I last wrote! Well, I shall lay the blame on the Textnovel divas site, and on Textnovel itself. I've been busy loading up and organizing the Diva site and then decided to pop in a few more stories on Textnovel. All while writing FAE NIGHTS like a fiend. Way back in June, FAE NIGHTS received the Textnovel Editor's Choice Award, and never left the top 20 most popular stories entered in the Dorchester The Next Best Celler contest. On November 3rd, it made semi-finalist with the #8 spot.

And I have you to thank for it.

Thank you for being a fan, and loving the novel as much as I do. Without your comments of encouragement and criticism, it never would have flourished as much as it had. this experience has been fantastic, and I certainly can't wait to see where we go from here.

You may have noticed that FAE NIGHTS hasn't been updated recently. In fact, it has. I've been editing and clarifying. You see, the novel that is up there is a first draft. Some of it written live on Textnovel. I've been going through and cleaning it up while simultaneously fleshing out the main draft on my hard drive. I've been working my way to the end (I have two options, and I'm not sure which to pick!), but you won't see it up on Textnovel.

I am such a tease.

FAE NIGHTS is a working title and a working manuscript. I am determined to see it on the shelf of your local bookstore. When that happens, I'll let you know, so that you can see how it ends.

Meanwhile, check out some of the other titles I have on Textnovel. I am working on HUNTER'S MOON, a delve into a genre that doesn't exist yet, horror romance. Yep. Blood, gore, and candlelight dinners. That is also in the raw right now.

FEVER is a western historical I wrote a few years ago. What? A western historical? I know, you thought all I did was paranormal freaky, but I graduated college with a B.S. in English and a minor in history. Don't be too surprised if you find a medieval romance crop up sometime.

Keep reading, keep commenting, and be on the lookout for the top 10 finalists for the Next Best Celler contest on November 16. Those titles are there because of you, the fans. My, what great taste in novels you have!

A Ménage à trois: Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy, and me.

noreply@blogger.com (Robin) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 18:59:00 +0000

I remember my first Urban Fantasy. The year was about 1987 or so. I had gone to the high school library because I had read all of the Betty Wren Wright novels and I was bored with the “baby” books in the elementary school. I scanned the stacks and found a title that seemed haunting. Forbidden. Dangerous. The Darkangel by Meredith Anne Pierce.

Hey, I was 9.

Anyway, I fell in love with it. It has the fantasy styling of medieval times in the future, with a slave girl taking care of her mistress, but the moon has been terraformed and the atmosphere is sustained by magic and machines.

Most wouldn't call it an Urban Fantasy, but the novel was much more than just a fantasy. It has romance. It has adventure. It is a genre slasher, definitely. Like most of the Urban Fantasies we read today.

And that leads me to the Great Debate.

Are Urban Fantasies part of Romance or Fantasy genres? Or are they Mystery or Paranormal?

The answer is all of the above.

In fact, this video from You Tube shows us a few things we can count on when searching the library or bookstore for our beloved Urban Fantasy. A bare back, tattoo, moon and weapon.

OK, I know, not all of these in the slideshow are UF, but enough that yeah, it seems familiar.

When writing Fae Nights, I wasn't sure if it was an Urban Fantasy or a Paranormal Romance. Other, more fabulous writers such as Karen Marie Moning and Sherrilyn Kenyon, have also faced this dilemma. What genre are you writing when it is too new to really have a definition? Well, here is my theory.

Urban Fantasy: Lots of world building and character driven. See books by Patricia Briggs, Kim Harrison.

Paranormal Romance: Two essential main characters driven by lust and love. See books by Kresley Cole, Gena Showalter.

Well then, I am Paranormal Romance.
Karen Marie Moning's Fever series is Urban Fantasy
Sherrilyn Kenyon is Paranormal Romance (She has stated this as well in a recent interview).

A definite Genre bender is the True Blood series of books By Charlaine Harris. I'm not going to give it away if you haven't read them yet, but let's just say that it may seem to be Paranormal Romance, but based on my criteria, by book three it is very Urban Fantasy.

Or should I say the newest genre to hit the market, Southern Urban Fantasy.

I love having so many bedfellows to choose from!

Cheap Thrills: Free Stuff For Writers

noreply@blogger.com (Robin) — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 19:00:00 +0000

You know that lady at the front of the checkout line who has a ton of groceries, then hands over a thick stack of coupons that all have to be scanned and/or manually typed in? It takes 30 minutes for her to get rung through because she argues over the validity of her .50 coupon? In the end, her total goes from $70 odd bucks to a paltry $6 and your anger at having to stand there is overcome by a little admiration. That's me, and in fact the line actually clapped for me (I have a friend who was at the end of the line who witnessed this. He still shakes his head in disbelief)

I am cheap. I view things as a good deal only if I can get it for what it would have cost me in tax. Or better, free.

Ahh, my favorite four-letter word. For my fellow writers, here are some of the best free bets to be had.

Your Writing:

Open Office
Creative License is a wonderful thing, especially when buying a Microsoft Word program, on sale, is about $100. Open Office is the same thing, but better. It saves, writes and opens stuff with the extension .doc, .rtf, .wps, dot whatever you can dream of. And it is free. I love it. Besides a writer program, it does spreadsheets, databases, and presentations.

YEdit2
Are you a word count fanatic? Always clicking to see how much you've written towards you goal? Wasting precious seconds when you could be writing an awesome novel? Well, I have your savior right here. YEdit2 is a simple notepad with one beautiful difference: You can select how many words you want to write, or add your own goal, and start typing away. On the bottom of your screen you'll see how many words you've written and how may more you have to go. Even cooler, it autosaves constantly. Awesome. For those of you Dirty Drafting, this was created for you

yWriter
Your story have more twists and turns than the road in Kubrick's vision of King's The Shining? This absolutely wonderful writer's helper is not only an organizer for the facts of your story, but also a word processor, word counter, character encyclopedia, world builder and so much more wrapped into one pretty gift. I have to say, I like this program more than my previous fave Power Structure, and it is $180 cheaper.

Momentum Writer
Miss writing on a typewriter? Never wrote on one, but like the idea? Well, this is for you. Momentum writer won't let you do anything but write, like an old manual typewriter. No backspace, no scrolling, no deleting. No distractions. Just you and your ideas.

Promotion: Blog and website toys

Word Meter
How far along are you in your NaNoWriMo? Let everybody know with this widget. Plug in your total word goal, then how much you actually have done. It will calculate the percentage for you and bam, give you the codes to put it anywhere you want for all to see. Thank you Saoirse!

Templates:
Open Source Web Design
Open Source Design
Free Flash Templates
Our web presence acts like a resume. With a little web address, a potential agent or fan can find out everything about you you want them to know. You need something classy and mirrors your personality. Instead of hiring someone, I highly recommend you check out these website and blog templates. Already done for you, and under
the Creative Commons License, almost all can be used for promotion as long as you keep their name on the product.

Freado
Wouldn't it be great to create an interactive version of your unpublished book, kind of like what Amazon does when you click "look inside"? Well, here you go. Not only can you upload covers, your novel, where to buy it, read reviews, share it on a number of social networks, collect fans of the work and so much more.

Sprout Builder
Create your own widget
I saw this one when a favorite author of mine had been promoting her new novel with a poll that was e-mailed to her newsletter list. I clicked on the neat widget, answered the poll, and then was able to download a chapter in audiobook form. How cool is that. And you can do it to, like the big wigs, for FREE! At the home page click on the pricing link, then scroll to the bottom. You'll see the free link, which is limited but still more than I need.

FREE Limited Plan
Price: FREE
3 Projects
100 MB Storage
10 GB/month Bandwidth
Gigya Distribution
Branded with Sprout
Ad Supported

There is also a 30 day tryout plan that is full, but I find the ad supported isn't bad.

Jigsaw Planet
Love puzzles? Have an awesome cover for your novel? Want to advertise in a different way? Upload any .jpg or .gif, choose size and difficulty, and let jigsaw planet create a neat game to keep your peoples on your webpage, blog, or e-mail it to them. Another Saoirse gem.

Playlist
What music did you listen to to get your muse on? Use this awesome embedable player to show the world. Tell the backstory of your characters using music and then copy the code to put it anywhere on your blog or webpage.

Keeping organized:

Sonar3 Submissions Tracker
Ok, I have yet to try this one 'cause (I am blushing here) I have yet to actually submit anything anywhere. I am a newbie of the nth degree. When I finally get to the point when I am submissing stuff all over, I will put this baby to use. Here is what the guy who designed it says:

Sonar is a manuscript submission tracking program, and I wrote it because I was going nuts keeping track of short story submissions. This program tells me which market has each story, whether a story has been sold or rejected and which stories are gathering dust instead of earning their keep. If you decide to use it, you will be able to view a list of all your stories and then filter them in various ways (e.g. only show stories which are available to send out). You can add markets, stories and submissions and best of all it's completely free!

Hero's Journey
This is an awesome flash worksheet. You answer questions that are based on some fundamentals found in every epic, with examples from famous movies we have all watched, to make sure you are moving your novel along. Hero's Journey will collect your answers and lay them out for you to print (there is no saving) and you will completely see your novel in a new way, and also see what it is that your novel is lacking. Liane Gentry Skye passed this link to me, and it now a valuable link in my bookmarks.

Submissions

Duotrope
It is freaking amazing. It encompasses both paying and non-paying contests, publishing houses, and e-zines. I get weekly e-mails of upcoming submission deadlines and they have a great search capability. When I finally do get my stuff out there, it will be because of this site.

Welcome to Duotrope's Digest, a free writers' resource listing over 2600 current Fiction and Poetry publications. Use this page to search for markets that may make a fine home for the piece you just polished. Use the menus at the top and right to explore the rest of the free services we offer writers and editors, including a free online submissions tracker for registered users. We usually make several updates per day, and we check each of the current listings regularly (once a week for most listings) to ensure the most up-to-date database humanly possible.

Erotic Readers and Writers Assosciation
My great friend Amy suggested this to me, and I love it. It also includes quiries for not-so-erotic material. includes links to many of the big romance publishing houses as well as e-publishers so that one may get all the submission requirements in one place.

Textnovel
You know my heart belongs here. not only am I able to get my writing up where everyone can read it (for free) but it doesn't cost me a dime. Textnovel is on the edge of publishing's future. The ability to read novels via your cell phone is a huge sensation in the Eastern world and I am proud to be riding the cusp of it here in the Western part of the planet. Haven't joined yet? Do it now. You are definitely missing out.

Well, there you go. Writing on the cheap. There is no reason to be a starving artist when we have such great free resources. Have any that I missed? Please, pass it along.

Textnovel, Dorchester, and the friends one can find while trying to kick butt

noreply@blogger.com (Robin) — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 17:29:00 +0000

I am gonna kick somebody's butt in the textnovel/Dorchester "Next Best Celler" contest. That is my goal, besides finishing a novel I've started rather than jumping to another one and another one. FAE NIGHTS has been easy to go with. I love Eve. I love Val. I want the story told. Of course, the ugly little voice in my head taunts, do people want to read it?

Enter Textnovel.com. What a place. Serialized novels, for free! My kind of cuppa. It took me half a day to actually press the submit button. Who would want to read my romance?

Well, quite a few. You may not be able to see me, but trust that my heart is fluttering and I am blushing. It is like sending a child off to school and having her succeed the first day. Of course, then there are the 100 odd days left that still require proof that the kid wasn't a one trick pony.

So I set goals. I'd pick another contestant in the contest and work my tail off to get my numbers to surpass. I began with chasing and placing above Saranna DeWylde's How To Lose A Demon In 10 Days. Of course, I now know that Saranna was working on getting a book to a publisher and took a small hiatus, but hey, I met my goal. Next, I chased after Gail Hart. I love her novel Confessions Of The Worlds Oldest Gunshot Bride, and her numbers were just ahead of me that it was reasonable but a worthy goal. I want to be in the top 10.

About a week after I started chasing after Gail, I was twittered by Saranna. She and a couple of other gals saw potential in me, and wanted to know if I would join them in a group blog. The ladies are Liane Gentry Skye, Saranna DeWylde, and Gail Hart.

Be still my heart, they like me, they really like me! So born was Texting Beneath The Sheets--an amazing set of writers blogging about romance, writing, and a mutual cause, Autism awareness.

How freaking cool is that. They have become priceless allies and friends, giving me laughs when I am discouraged and keeping me focused on my goal of getting published. I had made these same women into my foes, not knowing them, and now, we have banded together for a few worthy causes, one of which being my place in the top 10. I am almost there, I just have to get past Gail.

Just a taste

noreply@blogger.com (Robin) — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 20:22:00 +0000

Here is a taste of what you COULD be reading on textnovel RIGHT NOW!

Chapter 10: Hotel Hot Stuff
Like a light had been suddenly switched off, the world dimmed and scratched against my psyche. No more ooey-gooey feelings in my belly, and, uh, other places. No more feeling as if everything was in it's rights. I looked around me and, once again, everything was back to what passed as normal, except there was a cabby sitting next to me looking only slightly annoyed. My garbage bags were gone and Val was sitting inside, waiting. Anger flared up inside me. The bastard had bewitched me, allowing me a taste of what I could be having if I allowed myself to fall under his glamour and then he took it away. The anger dimmed until it was just a pulse. I didn’t have much choice.

“I need to get to a motel.” I said as I slid into the seat. The cabby raised an eyebrow at Val, then started forward. There was a foot of space between Val and I. Though it seemed like a canyon I would have to cross in order to jump his bones, it was also too close for comfort.

My hand indicated to the inside of the cab. “Um, aren't you, “ I glanced at the cabby, who was pretending to ignore me “Allergic to iron?”

Val ran a hand over the upholstery. It felt as if his fingers were gliding over my thighs. Tingles ran through my lower, now slightly damp, parts. “Somethings aren't as dangerous in small doses.” He answered, the double meaning not missed by me. Yeah, I'll bet he wasn't dangerous in small doses. I sighed and moved closer to my door. Watching the buildings speed by. I tried some calming chanting. Ignore the Fae. Ignore the Fae. I'll let you know when the mantra starts to work.

I was very relieved when the cab pulled into a motel that had a sign the read “vac ncy” in red neon. I was a little bothered by the plexiglass-encased mannequin wearing a hot pink teddy, but the sooner I got out of the cab the better. There was no denying the sexual energy between the two of us, and this cabby probably wanted us out of the car before he would have to pay us for the show.

Val followed me to the bulletproof window of the motel. The woman wearing a housecoat (and I am pretty sure nothing else) was surprised when I asked for two nights. This definitely wasn’t the kind of place where people stayed for more than an hour. She handed me a grungy key with medical tape wrapped around it, the number 8 written in permanent marker. Her gapped tooth smile widened as I handed her a stack of bills and she winked at Val. He winked back. I snorted with disgust (not very lady-like, I know, but c'mon. He winked for Gaea's sake) and turned around quickly, lifting my garbage bags over my shoulders and marched to number eight, Hotel Hot Stuff. I didn’t have to bother looking to see if Val was behind me. I could feel him the way I could feel the blacktop beneath my feet. Hard, hot, and dark.

At this point, I will say that I completely blame his presence, the bastard, for not noticing that the atmosphere around us had changed. If I had not been so occupied thinking about the way his pants hugged low over his lean hips, encasing a perfectly tight, high, and round ass, I would have been aware that another being was in my midst. If Val had the decency to glamour himself for me, I would have seen the attack way before I almost got my face ripped off.

Read FAE NIGHTS and vote! Your support could get this novel published!

Celebrate the 69 (Votes) & AWESOME FREE READ!

noreply@blogger.com (Robin) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:25:00 +0000

Welcome July! I would like to thank Andrew, who was vote #69, to his great joy. He is now thoroughly addicted to FAE NIGHTS and is impatiently waiting for more. The scene is written and is 6 chapters away. Thanks to everyone for their continued support. I am #5 on the list, with, as of this morning, 72 votes.

I am completely excited about this freebie. One of my favorite authors, Karen Marie Moning, is GIVING away free ebook copies of her first Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy novel in the FEVER series, DARKFEVER. If you haven't already, you MUST read this book. She has created some addicting characters and twist and turns you never see coming. Great summer fare. It will also be available through Amazon for Sony and Kindle readers, for FREE!!!! I loves the free.

Fae Friday! The Sidhe

noreply@blogger.com (Robin) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:40:00 +0000

Get to know the fair folk.

Today's Fae word of the day is Sidhe

The Sidhe (pronounced Shee)is a race of beings that most know as the Fairy, Fae, Faerie, Faery, little folk, fair folk, and a number of other colorful, though usually not fitting, names. The word literally translates to "people of the hills". This refers to when the Gauls fought and defeated the fairy of Ireland, and drove the Fae underground. The stories of the Fae go back centuries, and some believe that the Fae are God's and Goddesses that have been demoted in stories because of the introduction of religion. Another theory to be aware of is that Angels and the Fae are one in the same. The similarities between the two are nothing to be scoffed at, however, the Fae are not known to do things for the benefit of humans.

WANTED: Your character in my novel

noreply@blogger.com (Robin) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 13:05:00 +0000

Thought this would be fun. The world in FAE NIGHTS is populated by quite a few characters, and I would like you to be one of them. On the last day of every month, I will choose 2 people to be written into the novel. Here's what you do:

1: If you haven't already, sign up at textnovel.com (Free and safe. No spam or unwanted messages/e-mails)

2: Read FAE NIGHTS and vote (clicking the thumbs up icon) & Subscribe (Click the cell phone). Subscribing is important because it tells me who you are.

3: Write a comment to me on this blog giving me some info: You textnovel name, what you'd like your character to be called, and something about you you find quirky. Do you chew straw, break out into spontaneous song, what? Let me know and whatever else you'd like in there. Are your eyes a striking green? Do you have a stubborn chin? Whatever. You can give me as little or as much info as you'd like. I'll write you in as a character, and let you know when you'll be in.

To give you an idea of what I've done, the character Bryn was inspired by a reader. A viking she-warrior turned into vamp, seeking redemption. Bryn the Blonde!

Will have this contest until November. Hope to see you in my book!

Get to know my peoples

noreply@blogger.com (Robin) — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 19:51:00 +0000

Hi all. I've been busy creating ways for you to know my characters, Eve and Val. On the right side of this blog you'll find a playlist of the music that inspires them (and me) and the Book (Novel) trailer I made awhile back can be found here. At the moment, I am chin deep with the history of the Fae, Vampires, and Mundanes. All are connected (isn't everything) and Eve is the key to keeping the world in balance. The last few chapters have been great to write...Now, on with the sex scenes! Those should be coming up in the next few days. Thanks for the votes, subscriptions, and comments. Keep em coming!

Up and writing!

noreply@blogger.com (Robin) — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 13:53:00 +0000

Want to have a little FREE fun? With the encouragement of my writing group,I have entered an amazing contest via textnovel.com. The grand prize for this contest is a publishing contract with Dorchester, a well-known name in the romance world. I have submitted a paranormal romance/urban fantasy novel I have been working on for years, and I am very happy with it. The story chapters are short and sweet, (sometimes not so sweet, a little naughty) and really lends itself to the type of cell phone publishing textnovel.com has become popular for.

I can't win without your support. I need your votes to even become considered for a finalist. I ask for just a moment of your time to log into textnovel.com and sign up, it takes about a minute. Everything is free, and there are many different genres to choose from. Read my story, FAE NIGHTS, click on the thumbs up icon if you like it (I hope you do) and if you want updates when I add new chapters, click on the cell phone icon. No cell? No problem. you can have it sent to your inbox.

There will be no spam. Ever.

Please send let anyone and everyone you think would be interested know. Perhaps they are a writer, too? It is free to join and enter the contest.

EVERY VOTE COUNTS. Help me fulfill a dream in this very small way. My gratitude will be eternal.

In the mean time, here is puzzle made just for you, as a thanks. Enjoy!

[Your web browser does not support frames or is currently configured not to display frames. However, you may visit the related page.]