BABBLING ABOUT BOOKS, AND MORE!

Downton Dragout: Mr. John Bates

2012-02-11T12:45:00.001-05:00

I don’t watch much television, but when I do there’s a few shows I’ve become addicted to, so much so I call it my crack viewing. My top 5 “crack” TV shows are:

CSI: Las Vegas
The Walking Dead
Mad Men
Game of Thrones
Downton Abbey

I became a Downton Abbey crack addict after the first season aired in America. I ended up getting the entire first season on DVD, and after watching the first episode, I was hooked.

Side Note: For the longest time I thought it was Downtown Abbey, as in downtown and not Downton, without the “w” *head smack*

Pam from Bookalcious and I talk smack to each other about the two male characters we adore from this show. Pam is on Team Matthew Crawley (cousin and heir to Downton Abbey). I’m on Team John Bates. Thus the name of this post: Downton Dragout. I adore Bates so much it’s not even funny. For those who aren’t aware of Mr. John Bates, he’s Lord Robert Grantham's Valet. Bates is an ex-soldier who knew Lord Grantham during the Boer War. He arrives at Downton Abbey to take the position of valet. Bates is a hard worker but was wounded in the war and it has left him lame.

At first Bates didn’t make much an impression on me. I thought he was a nice older chap very dedicated to his employer and takes pride in his work as a valet, which is a very coveted position. But then something happened. Bates became good friends with Anna, the head housemaid at Downton. And from that a sweet and tender romance grew between both.

The current second season has upped the romance factor on all sides and this is shown perfectly between Bates and Anna. Every time these two are together, I sigh because their love for one another is beautifully portrayed.

Unfortunately Bates and Anna can’t marry because Bates is already married to a witch of a woman, Vera Bates, a greedy and amoral woman who enjoys making John’s life miserable. So Anna and Bates, who are desperately in love, can’t be together because witch Vera won’t divorce John unless he pays her a certain sum of money. Anna is willing to live in sin with her dear Bates, but since Bates respects Anna too much and is a gentleman in every sense of the word, they don’t give into temptation.

*Spoilers ahoy!*

But as of last week’s episode, Vera was found dead. This means Anna and Bates can get married! Or can they because now the suspicion is on John because he was the last one to see Vera alive and it’s well known that he despise his witch of a wife.

Anna: Because… Because I love you, Mr. Bates. I know it’s not ladylike to say it. But I’m not a lady and I don’t pretend to be.
Bates: You are a lady to me. And I never knew a finer one.

The Anna and Bates storyline is one of the reasons to watch Downton Abbey and for Brendan Coyle’s portrayal of Bates. He and Joanne Frogatt (Anna) have great chemistry regardless of the difference in their ages (there is almost a twenty year age difference between them).

"I’ve lived in such a fog of misery since I left you.”- Mr. Bates to Anna

With a line like the one above, how can you not find a man like Bates to be a wonderful hero and the best male character on Downton Abbey?

Although my Downton Dragout is the ultimate and the best, there are others who have an appreciation for the other male characters on Downton Abbey. Please visit my fellow Dowton Abbey affectionados and who they admire:

Evangeline from Edwardian Promenade for Lord Grantham
Heidenkind at Truth, Beauty, Freedom and Books: The mysterious Irish chauffeur, Tom Branson
Pam from Bookalicious for pansy, emo Matthew

If you would like to create your own blog post dedicated to either a male or female character you admire from Downton Abbey please do! I'll link you here as a member of the Downton Dragout.

Proof right here why Anna and Bates are wonderful:

I'd Rather Be A Size 16

2012-02-10T07:14:00.000-05:00

This picture is making the rounds on the internet.

The woman in the middle is a "size 12". I really wish they would have stated measurements instead of sizes because this seems very off to me. I consider myself a "size 11" because on any given day I can be a "size 10" or a "size 12" depending on what my body feels like the day.

Based on this picture, my body isn't a "size 12" and more like the woman on the right that's a "size 16".

And you now what? I rather be a "size 16", especially if I can look like this "size 16" shown here.

It always helps to remember what society and the media deems as beauty and perfection is very skewed. Curves on a woman are so much more attractive, don't you think?

Book Spotlight Post: The Princess's Valentine (Pirates of Flaundia #2.5) by KT Grant

2012-02-09T19:46:00.001-05:00

Not only do I have A Bid for Love (M/M Contemporary Romance) coming out on February 14th but another novella on the same day.

This one is a F/F Historical Romance, a sequel of sorts to my best selling book, The Princess's Bride.

The Princess's Valentine will be released from Ravenous Romance on Tuesday! This is a novella that takes place a few months after The Prince's Groom ends and it's set around Valentine's Day.

Synopsis: Daisy and her ex-pirate wife of one year have created a wonderful life together on an island paradise, after many years of separation and heartache. Daisy worries that Chelsey has become bored and misses her life on the open seas. When she catches Chelsey in the arms of another, she runs away with a broken heart

Chelsey made the mistake of trusting an unscrupulous individual who ended up playing a cruel joke on her. Now she must regain Daisy’s trust before their relationship is ruined forever. She uses abduction and seduction to claim her princess’s heart and soul again.

How about a sexy excerpt? *This one is Rated-R*

Chapter One

A sultry tropical breeze carried the scent of sand and coconuts through an open window, brushing over the naked blonde as she awoke from her slumber. She yawned and stretched her arms and then her legs, flexing her toes under the soft cotton sheet that covered her slightly damp body. Daisy de Fleurre, former resident of the small county of Flaundia and wife to the retired scourge of the seas, pirate captain C.W. Dread—Chelsey to her intimates¬—ended up sweating most mornings. Not because of the humidity, but from the passionate lovemaking her wife gave her before they rose to start their day.

Daisy turned and gazed upon her sleeping wife. She lifted her hand and then dropped it back down. Usually, Chelsey would snuggle up behind her with her face in the crook of her neck. Her arm would lie across her hip and her fingers brushing the cusp of her womanhood, causing her to be in a state of arousal. Her pussy would throb for Chelsey’s fingers or tongue to satiate the fire burning deep inside of her.

As of late, Daisy went to bed alone. For the past six months, Chelsey worked long hours, helping build an extension for her brother, Thomas and his lover, Martin’s home a few miles away from their’s. Recently Chelsey had taken on even more responsibility when a successful shipping merchant asked her to become his partner in the exporting end of his business. Chelsey had explained that it was her way of making a legal wage and not relying on the illegal means she had once turned to during her pirate days.

Daisy missed those first months of their marriage. With no real responsibilities, they had made love on the beach or enjoyed something as simple as reading under the coconut trees that littered their island paradise. It wasn’t as if they needed the money. Chelsey had made a nice fortune from her ill-gotten gains and owed the land and the house they resided in, for it had been left to her by her uncle.

Chelsey mumbled something under her breath and twisted her head so that Daisy could look upon her beloved’s face, marred by a scar that traveled across her right cheek and down her chin. She still felt incredible guilt, now, years later. Her father had been the one to cut Chelsey when he found them together, half naked. Daisy had been eighteen. They had been separated for eight long years, but now they were together forever and nothing would keep them apart, ever again. She loved Chelsey beyond all reason and hated that her darling was up at the crack of dawn and still running, long into the late hours of the evening, doing such back-breaking work. The shadows under Chelsey’s normally sparkling hazel eyes had become more pronounced. Even her raven tresses seemed to have lost their bountifulness and vibrancy Daisy adored, and combed her fingers through every chance she could get.

Now as she spied her sleeping wife, she longed to take her in her arms, but another worrisome thought crossed her mind. Chelsey barely smiled anymore and Daisy couldn’t remember the last time her love had called her by her pet name of ‘princess’. Also, tomorrow was Valentine’s Day and Chelsey acted as if she didn’t care or wasn’t aware of this day, dedicated to love. She was planning something special and expected Chelsey to take the night off where they both could relax and the only thing they would concern themselves with would be the number of times they smiled or climaxed together…

Chelsey’s eyelids flickered and she rolled onto her back. Daisy lifted up on her elbow and watched the rise and fall of Chelsey’s chest and her flat, crimson nipples that called to her to lick and suck.

There had been a handful of times she had initially engaged Chelsey in their lovemaking, but Chelsey was too dominant and liked to be in control. Most often, she would awaken to find Chelsey’s face between her legs where her tongue and mouth did the most marvelous things that made Daisy’s dew flow and caused her to peak until she was boneless with satisfaction.

A wicked thought popped in her head. For once she was the first one awake while her beloved dozed next to her, unaware. Why not wake Chelsey with a rousing orgasm to help her start her day?

Not only do you get some hot M/M love, but some F/F also!

Guest Author Post: Jasmine Haynes Writing Contemporary Erotic Romance

2012-02-09T07:20:00.000-05:00

For those of you who don’t know my writing, let me tell you a bit about myself. I write classy contemporary erotic romance as Jasmine Haynes. My latest trilogy for Berkley Heat is the DeKnight Tales, the third book of which is The Principal’s Office. As Jasmine, I’m also the author of the popular Max Starr paranormal mystery series, and as Jennifer Skully, I write laugh-out-loud romantic suspense. To learn more, readers can visit my website, www.jasminehaynes.com and my blog, www.jasminehaynes.blogspot.com, where I offer free reads and excerpts.

For me, one of the most difficult things about writing a story is where to begin. If you start too early, with a lot of back story, readers can get bored. But if you start too late, without enough explanation, you get the other end of the spectrum: confusion. It’s a fine balance, enough information, but not too much, and something that engages the reader immediately. Sometimes the beginning comes to me right away, because it’s what sparked the story idea in the first place. For my latest novella, Revenge Sex, I knew my heroine Jessica had to catch her boss’s girlfriend with another man. That was the only way for that story to begin. However, The Principal’s Office was a difficult one for me, but I’m a linear writer, and I have to write the beginning before I can move forward. I was pondering the problem while I did my grocery shopping early one Saturday morning, when there weren’t many people around. My husband’s favorite orange juice was on sale, and I’m a thrifty shopper. The problem: the only bottle of his juice left was stuck at the top of the rollers. I’m fairly tall so I can reach most things, but for the life of me, even stepping up onto the edge of the refrigerated section, I just couldn’t knock loose that darn bottle. Of course, there wasn’t a grocery clerk in sight, and I was thinking to myself that what I needed was a really tall man to come help me get that bottle down. Then bam, the beginning of The Principal’s Office hit me! Rachel is trying to get that juice bottle when a very tall handsome stranger just happens to walk by. It felt fresh, and I was pretty sure I could make it sexy, too.

Available now from Berkley Heat

Here’s a little teaser for The Principal’s Office:

Single mother of two teenage boys, Rachel Delaney is happy with her life and her job, except for the lack of a strong male body to help her make it through the occasional lonely night, no strings attached. Enter Rand, a mysterious stranger, who’s absolutely perfect, until Rachel finds their lives intersect in the principal’s office.

I’d like to invite you to read the full book blurb and the beginning excerpt on my website at http://bit.ly/An2gHh, then feel free to come back and comment! And don’t worry, it’s not terribly explicit, just innuendo.

If you missed the first two books in the DeKnight trilogy, they’re still available, Past Midnight, Book 1, and What Happens After Dark, Book 2. It’s been a pleasure sharing with you!

Guest Author Post: Jori Strong: Writing What I Love To Read

2012-02-08T07:22:00.000-05:00

First, thanks so much for inviting me here today and helping me celebrate the release of Inked Magic! The wait for it to get into reader hands has been pure agony!

Authors are often told to write what they love to read. This can be quite a problem if you’re a voracious reader with eclectic tastes, which I am.

I’m always experimenting when it comes to writing, trying out different types of stories, but for Inked Magic, I returned to basics by asking what it is I love most when it comes to a romance story. And that led me to the following…

1. Bad boys.

Oh yeah. My first boyfriend was one, a long-haired drummer in a short-haired conservative small town. I’ve never lost my love of them.

Meet Cathal Dunne, son of a mob boss. When tattoo artist Etaín first sees him, she thinks, Black Irish. Even without hearing his name she would have guessed at his roots. He had the look. Fallen angel and hardened warrior. Piercing blue eyes and a jaw shadowed with stubble. He wore expensive clothes and carried the kind of confidence that radiated danger. A bad boy dressed in fine threads but unable to hide the truth about himself beneath them.

Unknown to Etaín, Cathal is on a mission for his father and uncle. Seducing her is one way of accomplishing it, but there are complications. Namely, he’ll have to accept being part of a…

2. Ménage.

The first erotic romance I ever wrote was a ménage. They’re still my favorite kind to write. Especially when they involve the…

3. Paranormal.

Etaín has a supernatural connection to ink, it’s why she became a tattoo artist though there’s more to it than that. Eamon, the story’s second hero, is an Elven lord who isn’t going to accept failure when it comes to claiming Etaín.

Competition, Cathal thinks when Eamon shows up on the scene, while Etaín has the following reaction: Like calls to like, the idea coming from nowhere but settling in with surety as the tattoos along her forearms felt as though they were alive, writhing and rippling and soaking in this man’s presence. Not bells this time, but raging fire and stormy seas.

Available now from Berkley Heat!

Putting it together (story summary):

Skin didn’t lie to her. It was her gift, sometimes her curse. To feel what others felt. To see the things held in their memories…

With the touch of her palms to the skin of a crime victim, San Francisco tattoo artist Etaín can see the faces of the guilty and draw them. Changeling elf but unaware of it, at odds with her police captain father and FBI brother, magic and gift have put her on the path of two compelling men.

Cathal Dunne, the son of an Irish mob boss, needs Etaín’s help finding the rapists who left his cousin for dead. Eamon, a powerful elf lord, is determined to make her his consort-wife.

Her gift once made permanence impossible when it came to a lover. Now as she approaches the transition to fully Elven, her survival depends on keeping two. One of the men is willing to share her. The other isn’t—until the search for a sexual predator turns deadly—and only by paying magic’s price will there be any future at all.

So what about you? Are there certain story elements you consider your favorite(s)?

Bio:

Award-winning and national bestselling author Jory Strong has been writing since childhood and has never outgrown being a daydreamer. When she’s not hunched over the computer, lost in the muse and conjuring up new heroes and heroines, she can usually be found reading, riding horses, or walking dogs. She lives in California with her husband and a menagerie of pets.

She’s always thrilled to hear from readers via email, jory@jorystrong.com. Her website is http://www.jorystrong.com

How the Marquess Was Won Book Review Julie Ann Long

2012-02-07T07:12:00.000-05:00

How the Marquess was Won (Pennyroyal Green #6) by Julie Anne Long should have been a winner for me. The first half was unbelievable good, but then the second half really disappointed because it felt like a totally different story. Perhaps Julie didn’t know what else she could do to further the story along and give our hero, Julian and our heroine, Phoebe the HEA they deserve? It’s really a shame because both the main characters have such a deep respect for one another, although they're polar opposites in regards to the way they view life and their social status.

Phoebe is a teacher who dreams of nice clothes and bonnets she can never afford. It makes you wonder how much of a salary she’s making, the poor thing. But Phoebe knows her limitations in both her understated looks and upbringing, although she can speak five languages and is a very learned woman. A former student of Phoebes, Lisbeth Redmon, invites her to stay with her during a house party. Phoebe is glad to get away and have a holiday of sorts, although she will be treated only a step above a servant. While in a an emporium, practically drooling over all the lovely gloves and ribbons, Julian Spencer, Marquess Dryden enters and acts like he owns the place. He’s very rich and has a respected title and expects those lesser then him to bow or cower before him. Julian is as acquaintance of Lord Waterburn who acts like a friend to Julian, but is very petty and jealous. He likes to place bets that Julian has no choice but to accept. Phoebe overhears him and Julian talking about her in not so nice ways. The word unkissable is used. Phoebe is insulted, but leaves without causing a scene.

Phoebe doesn’t expect to see Julian or Waterburn again, but they both have been invited to the same party she has. Lizbeth wants to marry Julian and even though she turns to Phoebe for advice, she treats Phoebe poorly mainly because of her station. Julian notices this and goes out of his way to make Phoebe comfortable. Phoebe assumes Julian is being nice to her because he wants to win his bet, but he doesn’t care about the bet. Soon these two become close through their interactions, and after a few kisses, Julian wants Phoebe as his mistress. Phoebe refuses, but instead of going back to the school, she’s invited by two sisters, friends of Lizbeth, who want her to stay with them and have a season in London. Phoebe accepts, not realizing this is all part of Waterburn’s wicked plan to not only make her look like a fool based on another bet, but to get back at Julian for some reason.

Phoebe and Julian’s dialogue is the reason the first part of How the Marquess was Won was so good. These two are mature adults, who want to give into their passion to one another, but know they can’t because of the consequences and the fact they don’t really have a future together. Phoebe is too reasonable and respectful of herself to give up her life and fall into Julian’s arms without marriage. Julian is irked by this, but listens to Phoebe’s reasons and respects them. The scenes at the house party where Julian falls for Phoebe are lovely, but then everything goes downhill when Phoebe is invited to London in the guise of a cruel prank that most of the London ton is a part of.

Waterburn is the villain here, but he’s too one-dimensional and has no real personality. Why he dislikes Julian is so is immature and silly. Also the way Lizbeth treats Phoebe makes no sense. At first we’re told that Lisbeth isn’t too bright, but a kind soul, who eventually has a personality transplant and becomes a major witch. There seems to be no valid reason for Lizbeth to act the way she does and she becomes more of an annoyance if anything.

How the Marquess Was Won had the makings of a great book, but it fell flat when it should have shined. I don’t understand what was the point of making Phoebe the victim of such bullying by the titled London society. It really didn’t evoke an emotional response from me and seemed to take something special away from the story. I guess it was to show how Phoebe can rise above the cruel nature of people and come out stronger? If so, I missed that. This is one read that will surely please readers of historical romance, but as for myself it’s a pass. (Avon)

Final Grade: C+

A few other How the Marquess was Won reviews:

Bookishly Attentive
SweetUnrest
Today's Happy Ending

Guest Author Post: Michelle Murrain: Writing about sexuality, gender and family in science fiction

2012-02-06T13:38:00.000-05:00

One of the things about science fiction that I enjoy, both as a reader and a writer, is that science fiction allows you to ask, and provide answers for big questions. Traditionally, those questions have been questions about the human species, biology, and the universe, and that sort of thing. Science fiction historically has been written by white, straight men, and so before the last twenty years or so, the number of SF (or Fantasy, for that matter) writers who asked questions about gender and sexuality, or included relationships that were not strictly heterosexual were few and far between. Luckily, these days, there are a lot of authors writing things differently.

As a lesbian, and someone who doesn't believe there are just two genders, and only three sexual orientations, I include exploration of gender and sexuality in all of my work, to some degree. In some novels, it's more of a backdrop, depending on the setting. In others, it's front and center. I like questions like "what would it be like if we had a society where people's varied sexualites were completely embraced?" I do this a lot in my writing.

In the first trilogy I wrote, set in the current time, a group of humans who had been taken from Earth thousands of years before, and had evolved their own society - one that did indeed embrace the varied genders and sexualities of humans came back to Earth, and a lot of the story is about how we on Earth deal with that.

One of the most enjoyable parts of writing that trilogy is writing what is the central love story of the trilogy, between an Earth woman, and a "Casitian" woman (Casiti is the planet these humans lived on.) It involves issues of culture clash, one of my favorite topics: each of them learning about what it really is like to live within the other's culture.

And I have to admit, my novels include a lot of love stories. They all are untraditional in one way or another. Much of my work includes writing about alternative family structures, and ways of being in romantic relationships. Just like space, or biology, or society - they are interested playing fields for science fiction, worth exploring. And alternative family structures provide all sorts of great plot devices. I just finished a novel where each family is made up of nine to eleven spouses (both men and women.) You can imagine what kinds of interesting things might happen in such a family. And, to boot, the protagonist is heir to a throne. Talk about intrigue!

I'm sure I'll always be writing about these issues, and coming up with new and interesting ways for people to relate to each other. Its such a rich vein of storytelling to mine.

Bio:
Michelle Murrain is an African-American lesbian writer who lives in an intentional community in Oakland, CA. She has written scientific and technical articles, published three novels, and her poetry has appeared in two anthologies. When Michelle is not writing, she develops websites for nonprofit organizations and social enterprises.

Michelle received her B.A. in Natural Science and Mathematics from Bennington College, and her Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Case Western Reserve University. Michelle taught at Hampshire College from 1989 through 1999, as Assistant and Associate Professor of Biology. She started a consulting business to assist non-profits in web development projects in 1997, and, except for a brief break in 2005-6, where she spent 18 months studying theology, she has done that ever since.

Michelle Murrain has been writing science fiction since 2006, and has been an avid reader and fan of science fiction since she started to read. Since she has been both a scientist and a technologist by trade, and as a polymath, her interests span a wide range of topics, including science, technology, history, culture, politics, race, gender, sexuality, philosophy, spirituality, and religion. She brings all of these to bear in her science fiction writing, which has strong elements of exploration of all of these topics. She specializes in stories of culture clash and/or first contact, and has numerous strong female protagonists and characters.

You can find Michelle at her website http://murrain.net.

Books Read for January 2012 and My Kindle Book Obsession Grows

2012-02-06T07:20:00.000-05:00

My books read for January. I separated the Kindle books I've read from the other epublished and traditionally published books. I've been on a self-published Kindle reading glom that I don't think will let up anytime soon.

1. Lothaire by Kresley Cole- A- (top 20)

2. Magic Gifts by Ilona Andrews- A-

3. Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James- B-

4. Peak Experience by Rachel Kenley- C+
5. Scarlet by A.C Gaughen- C

6. Fifty Shades Darker by E.L. James- C

7. Fifty Shades Freed by E.L. James- C

Kindle Reads:

8. High School Reunion by Marlene Sexton- B (free)

9. Loki’s Daughters by Delle Jacobs-B- (free)
10. Malina’s Price by Cassandra Ormand- C+

11. His Indecent Proposal by Lynda Chance- C (.99 cents)

12. Scary Mary by S.A Hunter- C (free)

13. Losing Beauty by Johanna Garth- C- (free)

14. Gossamer Gate by Wendy Callahan- DNF (free)

Grades:

A- A- =2

B+- B- =3

C+- C- =8

D =0

DNF =1

The TBR pile is very scary...

Kiss of the Vampire (Warriors of the Rift #1) by Cynthia Garner has been getting mixed reviews, but Mho is interested in seeing how a Half-demon, half-human hooks up with a special agent vampire. Lots of rifting seems to be going on here (and not the guitar kind)

Synopsis: Once a generation, the rift between the paranormal world and the human world opens, allowing supernatural entities to cross. Vampire, demon, or shapeshifter, they can save the world-or send it spiraling into chaos.

Half-demon, half-human, Nix de la Fuente is accepted by neither and mistrusted by both. Determined to prove she's more human than not, she devotes herself to solving crimes between the world's mortals and its most unsavory undead. But her latest case brings her face to face with the one vampire she could never resist.

Called in to investigate a string of violent murders, special agent Tobias Caine isn't interested in rekindling his relationship with Nix. Yet one look and the vampire knows his need for her is as strong as ever. Once, their all-consuming passion nearly cost Nix her fragile hold on her humanity. Now, as their hunger for one another intensifies, exposing them to an unimaginable danger, it could cost them "both" their lives

A mother and son writing team writing yet another fallen angel YA book? Mho like the cover but isn't sure about the story because it sounds like the same old, same old YA that's being published.

Synopsis: She should not exist.

He should not love her.

Claire Brennan has been attending Emerson Academy for two years now (the longest she and her mom have remained anywhere) and she's desperate to stay put for the rest of high school. So there's no way she's going to tell her mom about the psychic visions she's been having or the creepy warnings that she's in danger.

Alec MacKenzie is fed up with his duties to watch and, when necessary, eliminate the descendants of his angelic forefathers. He chose Emerson as the ideal hiding place where he could be normal for once. He hadn't factored Claire into his plans. . . .

Their love is forbidden, going against everything Alec has been taught to believe. But when the reason behind Claire's unusual powers is revealed and the threat to her life becomes clear, how far will Alec go to protect her?

Mho loves Patricia Briggs' Anna and Charles and was very excited to receive the third book in the Alpha and Omega series. Coming in March from Obit.

Synopsis: When the FBI request a pack consultant on a serial killer case they're following in Boston, Anna and Charles are sent in. They quickly realize that not only the last two victims were werewolves – all of them were.

Someone is targeting their kind. And if Charles and Anna can't get to the bottom of this mystery, they may be next.

How did your January compare to mine and Mho's? Has anyone gone on a Kindle self-published reading glom like I have? I can't help myself with downloading all the free reads!

Update: Romance Writer's of America's Official Response to Romance Writers Ink Chapter LGBT Discrimination

2012-02-04T16:00:00.000-05:00

Historical romance author, Isobel Carr emailed to main office of RWA for clarification regarding the Romance Writers Ink Chapter of RWA no longer accepting same-sex entries because “some members of the chapter felt “uncomfortable” with same-sex entries for the More than Magic contest.

From: erin.fry@rwa.org
To: Isobel Carr@hotmail.com
Date: Fri, 3 Feb 2012 16:49:46 -0600
Subject: Re: Twitter question regarding chapter contest rules

Hi Isobel,

I just realized the statement I sent you was Allison Kelley's personalized response to a member and might not make sense to you.

Here's the general statement:

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to address this situation. Whenever I receive a complaint, I know that a member’s expectations have not been met. Failing to meet member expectations is regrettable; however, it is very difficult in an organization with such a large and diverse membership as RWA’s to meet every member’s needs and expectations in all situations.

Several posts have quoted RWA’s definition of romance, but I wish to point out that RWA does not have an official definition of “romance.” Instead, RWA acknowledges that romance fiction includes two basic elements—a central love story and an emotionally-satisfying and optimistic ending. The determination of whether or not a book meets this criterion is left to individual readers.

Chapter licensing agreements do not dictate the rules for chapter contests, and the idea that RWA can or should police contests run by its 145 chapters is fraught with complications. Following the suggestion logically, how far should RWA go with regulating chapter contests? Should RWA require chapters to only allow entries that would qualify for the RITA competition? If so, that would rule out contests that are open to books that are self published and/or books published by many small presses. Viewing the situation from another perspective, if the Rainbow chapter wished to hold a contest for the best LGBT books, should RWA say that’s not allowed? Personally, I don’t think so. Each chapter is separately incorporated and governed by volunteer leaders who are expected to make decisions in the best interests of the organization they serve. Each chapter is therefore allowed to offer programs and services that reflect the special interests and sensibilities of its members.

At the national level, RWA’s membership (more than 10,000 members and 145 chapters) is served by a staff of 10, and RWA is fortunate to have a large pool of judges for the RITA and Golden Heart contests. I understand the concerns about RWA Ink’s contest, but I also understand the challenges of recruiting judges and contest coordinators, who are, in fact, volunteers. Compelling volunteers to judge books they are not comfortable reading will not produce fair and unbiased results, and chapters that are fully staffed by volunteers may not have the resources to identify and recruit enough judges willing to judge everything the romance genre encompasses.

Respectfully,

Allison Kelley, CAE
Executive Director
allison.kelley@rwa.org

My apologies for the mistake.

Erin Fry
Editor & Publications Manager
Romance Writers of America
14615 Benfer Rd, Houston, TX 77069
erin.fry@rwa.org
832-717-5200, extension 122

WTFckery Factor: Romance Writers of America Discriminates Against LGBT Romance

2012-02-04T12:23:00.001-05:00

Discrimination and intolerance are hot button issues for me. I’ve been on the end of both. I haven't always been accepted by people, so when a person or a group of people aren’t considered acceptable, it really upsets me.

I’ve talked about how important acknowledgement and recognition is for an author before. It varies for authors because acknowledgment and recognition is subjective. Some believe hitting a list like the NY Times or USA Today, or perhaps a certain amount of dollars they receive in royalties can achieve this. Another way is entering a writing contest, finaling in their category of choice and perhaps even winning it.

The Romance Writers of America has many chapters across the United States, including in other countries. These chapters hold various contests for published authors and writers, where for a small fee you can enter and have your worked judge.RWA has a major contest each year called the RITAS where authors or their publishers can submit their work to be judged by their peers, and depending on how well the work is judged, the book will go onto to final in a specific category and have the chance to win best romance of the year for that category.

When it comes to the romance genre, it appears a “real” romance is a love story between a man and a woman. RWA doesn’t have a LGBT category, so if you’re an author of LGBT romance, you can’t submit for the RITAS. And in regards to the Romance Writers Ink Chapter of RWA, they will no longer accept same-sex entries because “some members of the chapter felt “uncomfortable” with same-sex entries.

Author, Heidi Cullinan brought this to light on her blog yesterday titled: RWA Shouldn’t Be in the Business of Discrimination.

Heidi adds: “When I asked about this, I was told the board made a ruling on same-sex entries in contests and said basically that chapters could make their own judgments based on genre. The heading of the issue was labeled “same-sex entries in contests,” so there’s no question this is the clause that made RWI feel they could pop that line I opened with onto their website, sigh in relief, and move on with their day. Make no mistake. RWA national said this is kosher.”

After reading Heidi’s post, I was enraged. I understand LGBT literature is not for everyone, but I find it funny that an organization like RWA that was founded by women, and for the most part is run and supported by women would turn their backs on LGBT romance and the authors who write them because women know all too well what it’s like to be discriminated against. Women have only had the right to vote in the U.S. for less than 100 hundred years. In other countries, women are considered second class citizens. How hypocritical of an organization like RWA to discriminate against LGBT romance.

What if RWI and RWA decided they weren’t “uncomfortable” with accepting romances with a hero or heroine who has a physical handicap or were Black, Asian, Jewish, Christian Mormon, etc. or the heroine was a size ten or size sixteen when she should be under a size eight because that’s what an “acceptable” woman should be portrayed as in romance?

Why are people more accepting of all types of sexual acts between a man and a woman in romance like oral, anal, bondage, S&M, or what have you? But when it comes to same sex romance, there is an uncomfortability factor regarding two men or two women making love much like a straight couple would? A hero can stick his penis up the heroine’s ass or stick his tongue in her vagina or have her give him a blow job and no one will bat an eye, but when a man sticks his penis in another man’s ass or a woman gives oral pleasure to another woman, it’s considered uncomfortable? Does anyone find this hypocritical? I do.

This sickens me immensely that a national organization like RWA, that has a tough time already being taken seriously by the mainstream media and in some publishing circles would turn their backs on LGBT romance, that in my mind is the perfect example of showing acceptance of love in all forms.

In 2008 I joined RWA. I gladly paid my $95 dues at that time even before I decided I wanted to write and get published. The three RWA conferences I attended and the people I met there amazed me with their intelligence, knowledge and kindness. But as of last year I noticed some major cracks in the organization that rubbed me the wrong way.

RWA heavily promotes traditional publishing. They barely acknowledge digital publishing unless a traditional publisher, like the big six NY publishers decide to publish digitally. I can’t think of any panels at the national conference run exclusively by digital publishers and or their authors unless it was a spotlight panel, and even then that was very far and few between. In the digital world, LGBT romance and fiction excels and has become very successful. As for panels promoting LGBT publishers and their authors, there was nothing. During the three RWA conferences I attended, there was not one panel or book signing only for LGBT romance.

When I jump started my writing and got published, I decided I wanted to write all types of romance and was proud that in one year I published multiple titles that dealt with Straight, Gay (M/M) and F/F romance. My goal was to show romantic love in all forms, regardless of gender. In doing so, I decided I wanted to write more LGBT romance because to be honest it pays better for me and I enjoy writing it.

I joined RWA because it gave me a sense of belonging and acceptance. And when I reach PAN status and was welcomed into that fold all because of a lesbian romance, I thought I had arrived. But apparently what I’m writing isn’t acceptable still and based on Heidi’s post and RWA’s stance on allowing chapters to reject LGBT romance for contests, I no longer want to be part of an organization that doesn’t practice what they preach.

RWA states: in their Code of Ethics:

“The mission of Romance Writers of America is to advance the professional interests of career-focused romance writers through networking and advocacy.

RWA members strive for excellence and integrity in the profession of romance writing.

Honesty and Integrity. An Industry Professional shall perform his/her duties with honesty and integrity. The Industry Professional shall not mislead, deceive, dupe, defraud or victimize clients, members of the organization, the general public, or any person with whom RWA does business as an Association.”

Nowhere on the RWA website does it state that a romance is only between a man and a woman and same gender love stories are not allowed. “A Central Love Story: The main plot centers around two individuals falling in love and struggling to make the relationship work. A writer can include as many subplots as he/she wants as long as the love story is the main focus of the novel.” In their subcategories on the website, there is no mention of GLBT romance.

Honesty and integrity and being an advocate for romance? RWA has duped me big time in regards to this.

So as of last night I emailed RWA and told them I no longer what to be affiliated with their organization and to take me off their PAN authors listed on their website. I refuse to acknowledge my PAN status and RWA any longer. I’m dropping out of the Yahoo Pan author loop that has aided me in so many ways. From this moment on RWA doesn’t exist to me.

Because of RWA’s stance on LGBT romance, when my membership is up for renewal in August, I will let it pass. My $85 dues will be put to better use elsewhere and already have.

Last night I was so angry that I channeled my rage and donated not $85, but $100 to the It Gets Better Project:

Kate,

Thank you for your generous contribution of $100.00 to the Iola Foundation made in support of the It Gets Better Project. We appreciate the support from so many people like you who want to put an end to anti-LGBT bullying.

More than 30,000 unique positive messages have been recorded to show young LGBT people the possibility of a better tomorrow, if they just believe that it will get better. With your donation, we are able to continue to share these messages of hope and the potential for a bright future with LGBT youth.

The It Gets Better Project will continue to thrive and reach LGBT youth as long as people continue to talk about the Project and share their stories. If you haven’t already done so, please record a video message or submit your written story of how your life got better. Let young LGBT people know how life has gotten better for you.

Share the It Gets Better Project with your friends and family by letting them know that http://www.itgetsbetter.org is a great place to watch videos and learn about how people are making it better every day for LGBT youth.

Sincerely,

Brian Pines
Treasurer
Iola Foundation

From now on, my dues that would have been sent to RWA will be denoted each year to a organization like It Gets Better that teaches tolerance and acceptance.

I may not be some big time author who makes millions of dollars or have a big enough platform to make waves and force RWA to rethink their stance on LGBT romance, but I feel if I can do something as small as turning away from them and supporting other organizations that preach tolerance and acceptance regardless of gender, the color of one’s skin or someone’s sexual preference, it’s a start.

RWA, you should be ashamed.

If you feel the same way as I do, please write the Romance Writers of America at info@rwa.org and tell them how you feel.

Book Spotlight: A Bid For Love by KT Grant (A 1 Night Stand Story)

2012-02-03T15:58:00.000-05:00

And the book spotlights keep on coming! Originally A Bid For Love was going to be released in June 2011, but was moved and officially comes out on February 14th!

This is a short contemporary M/M romance that features a May/December romance between two men in Las Vegas and part of the 1 Night Stand series.

Coming soon from Decadent Publishing!

Synopsis: Anthony Conlin is a forty-one year old workaholic in love with his twenty-nine year old neighbor, Reece Whitmore, who looks like he belongs on the cover of GQ magazine. Anthony longs for Reece to the point of obsession, but doesn’t think he stands a chance because of their difference in age, his graying hair and a less than rock hard physique.

When Anthony’s friend, Jagger Castillo urges Anthony to try the matching services of One Night Stand, Anthony still refuses because of his crush on Reece. But Jagger, along with the help of Madame Evangeline, the owner of the 1NS has something up their sleeves to make certain Anthony and Reece finally get together.

A charity auction sets the stage and rolls into motion a night Anthony and Reece will never forget.

Click here for excerpt

Book Spotlight: The Watchmaker's Lady by Heather Massey

2012-02-03T07:23:00.000-05:00

Steampunk fans who like some "steam" in their stories, as in erotic will want to check out The Watchmaker's Lady from Heather Massey coming from Red Sage in April.

The Watchmaker’s Lady: A Clockpunk Trilogy story

The least you need to know:

A watchmaker in 1840 New England falls in love with a beautiful clockwork automaton, but how long before the townspeople discover his forbidden affair?

Story blurb: Matthew Goddard is a lonely watchmaker in 1840 New England. One fateful day, he discovers the lover of his dreams in a dusty corner of the local general store—Isabel, a bisque porcelain mannequin head with mesmerizing, smoky blue eyes. When Matthew invites her to come live with him, she eagerly “accepts.”

The couple embarks on a lust-filled affair, one fueled by Matthew’s wild imagination. In order to provide Isabel with a brass body and pretty clothes, he begins a secret side business selling clockwork sex toys to his wealthy female customers.

Danger, however, threatens their idyllic romance when a disgruntled customer exposes Matthew’s forbidden business to the townspeople. Despite the growing menace, Matthew will stop at nothing in order to save his soul mate—and protect their love.

**
On the surface, The Watchmaker’s Lady is a deeply sensual tale about a forbidden affair between a man and his Victorian sex doll. But if you dig a little deeper beneath the kink, you’ll discover a heartwarming romance between two soul mates who manage to find each other—and stay together—despite overwhelming odds.

Tags:
* Clockpunk
* An artisan hero with a unique occupation
* A Victorian sex doll heroine
* An unusual historical romance/Victorian setting

* Erotically charged love scenes that deliver a highly romantic style of kink

* Plus a few other surprises, which I’m not going to spoil for you. In fact, I hope you’ll have fun keeping them a secret until your fellow readers discover them on their own!

For more information about the work of Heather Massey, visit her Web site at www.heathermassey.com and her science fiction romance blog, The Galaxy Express.

A Few Things That Make Me Smile. It's All About....

2012-02-02T14:25:00.002-05:00

pink blanket love

cat weave

I've been accused of having them, so why not some cute ones to take over the world?

the hores! Big shot out to Tori over this one. (Smexy's Sidekick)

And the coming apocalypse...that is the duck apocalypse.

Just a few things to make your Thursday a little happier.

My Thoughts on the Fifty Shades Trilogy by E.L James

2012-02-01T07:26:00.001-05:00

By now most of you have heard about the hoopla surrounding the very popular Fifty Shades trilogy by E.L. James. Fifty Shades of Grey has an astounding 4,300 reviews on Goodreads and all three books are currently the top three best selling digital books on Amazon for erotica. There’s also quite some controversy surrounding E.L., this series and how it was published. From what I understand, Fifty Shades of Grey was originally titled, Master of the Universe and was Twilight fan fiction. The Twilight fan fic readers became obsessed with this book (and what's now the second and third book, Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed) that E.L. decided to publish it, or Writer’s House Coffee Shop Publishing approached E.L. to publish it with them. Fifty Shades of Grey has sold more than 30,000 copies sold since May 2011 (at $10 a pop for an ebook, this confounds me).

The phenomenon surrounding this trilogy is both incredible and scary. I can promise you because of the popularity of the Fifty Shades trilogy, you’ll see more of these stories blatantly based on fan fiction being published in the coming years that will most likely sell well. Writers publishing fan fiction as original fiction isn’t something new. Take a look at all the sequels and sometimes annoying retelling's of Pride and Prejudice as an example. But that’s allowed because Pride and Prejudice is a free domain book. Writing and selling fan fiction based on Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series isn’t free domain and it gets sketchy because of the issue of copyright. But I have to hand it to E.L. Because of the obsessive nature of Twilight fans, she took her story to a platform, knowing if she invoked Meyer’s characters and inserted them in her own story (even if she used the names like Edward, Jacob, Bella and so forth) regardless if her own characters were no where near Meyer’s characters in terms of personality or character traits, she’d have a hit on her hand.

It’s been awhile since a series made me roll my eyes and felt such raging annoyance over the actions of two characters. The last time I felt this way was while I read Karen Marie Moning’s Fever series and the character of Jericho “Le Douche” Barrons. James’s Christian Grey isn’t a Barrons (thank God), and very early on I couldn’t help but compare Christian to Roarke from JD Robb’s In Death series. But the only comparison between Christian and Roarke is that these two men are incredibly handsome and rich. Christian is a disturbed megalomaniac, while Roarke doesn't need any form of therapy and is everything a hero and man should be that women should proudly admit they’re attracted to.

Since Fifty Shades of Grey is based on Twilight, I really thought it would be exactly like Twilight, sans the paranormal element. Other than Ana accepting Christian and all his faults, much like Bella does with Edward, and the Pacific Northeast setting, I can’t see any other comparisons between Fifty and Twilight. Fifty Shades of Grey is a Harlequin Presents on over the top crack that combines the characters and plot of the 1986’s cult classic soft porn- 9 ½ Weeks. (I would be very surprised if E.L. said she never saw 9 ½ Weeks because the comparisons are so glaring) The way Christian Grey is portrayed reminded me of Mickey Rourke’s John who seduces and almost destroys Kim Basinger’s Elizabeth with his unhealthy sexual kinks.

Christian Grey is one unhealthy minded individual all because of his past. His mother was a crack whore and Christian was a victim of her pimp who abused him physically and possibly sexually. Christian is saved and adopted by a married couple who gives him a nurturing and loving home where he can overcome his abuse. At fifteen, Christian ends up having a pedophilic, S&M relationship with one of his mother’s friends. From that five year sexual relationship, Christian becomes even more unstable with his sexual desires. The only way he can find sexual gratification is through BDSM or types of kinkery fuckery as he calls it. Christian fully admits he’s fifty shades of fucked up. But even though Christian is emotionally and mentally unstable (he doesn’t like to be touched) he goes on to do great things. By the age of twenty-seven he’s extremely rich, powerful and runs his own company. Women fall at his feet, but because he’s never had a long term relationship with a woman, his family, who loves and adores him (his parents and a younger brother and sister) assumes he’s gay.

When Fifty Shades of Grey begins we meet Anastasia Steele, a soon to be college graduate who hopes to get a job in publishing. Her roommate Kate was scheduled to interview Christian Grey, the CEO of Grey Enterprises Holdings, Inc, but since Kate is sick, Ana will do it in her stead. And from Ana’s meeting with Christian, her life will become a wacked out smutty version of Alice down the rabbit hole. The moment Christian meets Ana, he decides there’s something special about her and wants her for his own. Ana’s a virgin who doesn’t realize how beautiful she is. Every man she comes in contact with lusts after her. Christian lusts after Ana also, but his lusting is more of the obsessive kind. Christian wants Ana to be his latest conquest and become his sexual submissive. Ana at first is wary of Christian because he’s too overpowering, seductive and dares to woe her with his fortune and amazing knowledge of wine and force feeding her because she doesn't eat and Christian hates that (his crack ho mommy starved him as a kid and his charitable self longs to make hungry people around the world have enough nourishment). But when a richer than Midas, hot as sin, brooding male wants to give you the world and allow you to walk on the wild side with him as a f'ed up form of therapy, what’s a woman like Ana to do?

Ana accepts Christian but with some reservations. Ana is new territory for Christian and even though he wants to eat her up and spit her out, he tries his best to treat her with care. The first time they make love is near perfect.This love scene zings with smoldering emotion and hotness. But then Christian tells Ana he can’t stick with the vanilla and in order for them to be together she has to be open to his dark BDSM side where he wants to hurt her in order to find satisfaction. He lays it all out on the line and through emails and a not so legal binding contract, it’s up to Ana to accept the terms and let Christian have complete ownership of her body, heart and soul.

The first two books, Fifty Shades of Grey and Fifty Shades Darker deal with Ana accepting Christian and allowing Christian to own her. Fifty Shades of Grey is pure crack reading. I couldn’t get enough of it even with the massive length and lack of editing that's desperately needed. Christian does walk that fine line and we get a small taste of how unsettling he is. But when Ana allows Christian to unleash his disturbing kinkery on her, it’s all vanilla, the one thing Christian is against. The build up and final outcome is weak. The most BDSM Ana experiences by Christian’s hands is bondage and a belt he uses to smack her ass that leads to her walking out on him. This is all after a much heated discussion about Christian using a cane on Ana. I was expecting something right out of movie, Pulp Fiction and the scene where they bring out the leather covered, gagged-ball gimp. (If you seen Pulp Fiction, then you know exactly what I mean).

The second book, Fifty Shades Darker is pretty much a rehash of the first book. Only after three days from when Ana has left Christian, they’re back together. Again Ana must decide if she’ll be the willing victim to Christian’s sexual depravity while Christian courts her with outlandish gifts and using manipulation to get what he wants. But now Ana is dealing with a sexual predator of a boss who wants to destroy Christian. The reason for this is revealed in the third book, Fifty Shades Freed where Christian and Ana are now married and Ana’s ex-boss is out to for revenge against them both.

By the time I started reading Freed, I was pretty much bored with Christian and Ana’s emo issues. Ana thinks Christian is scary because of the way he reacts to her, especially when she doesn’t behave. Christian threatens to beat the shit out of Ana when she dares to have more than one drink with Kate at some club while he’s away for a night and can’t keep watch over her. Christian uses verbal threats to the point of overkill. He’s all bluster and talk and never does more than that. Christian comes across more as a spoiled rich boy who has tantrums when he doesn’t get his way. Why Ana is so attractive to him stupefies me. So what if he’s rich and handsome? What else does he have to recommend for himself? He uses threats as scare tactics that never go anywhere and his issues and depravity we’re told about never come to completion.

When all is said and done, the reader has been taken on a snooze worthy ride that doesn’t deliver. This trilogy is more like riding in a bumper car at an amusement park.

Fifty Shades Freed is the perfect example of every stereotypical semi-erotic romance. The amount of times Ana breaks down in tears because Christian is so mean and the mentions of channeling her inner goddess when she has sex with him made me want to strangle her. Everything here is like an ice cream sundae with gummy bears on top because it's sickly sweet.

And don't get me started on the lameness of the ending and the care bear epilogue.

I really can’t understand why this trilogy has the massive fan base. Everything introduced from the characteristics of Christian and Ana to the lacking suspense and action is nothing new. The reading community at large has been conned and doesn’t seem to care.

The HEA here isn’t believable and the romance a poor substitute of what a real romance novel should be. To me, a romance is all about empowerment and strengthening the main couple. If the hero or heroine walks out on the relationship, the author hopefully has done a good enough job where you believe both main characters will carry on with their lives and be a better person for knowing one another. E.L. James has failed miserably with this trilogy. While I believe Ana would be able to survive without Christian, I can’t say the same with him. Christian would end up making Ana’s life miserable and becoming a true, psychotic stalker in every sense of the word where their ending would be a murder suicide that brings to mind another movie from the 80's-Star 80. (Writer's Coffee Shop Publishing House)

Finale Grades:

Fifty Shades of Grey: B-

Fifty Shades Darker: C

Fifty Shades Freed: C-

Overall grade for the Fifty Shades trilogy: C

Other opinions on the Fifty Shades trilogy:
Jessica at Read React Review: 50 Things About 50 Shades (Of Grey)
The Book Pushers giveaway and review of Fifty Shades Freed
Heartbreaker & Heroes reaction to Fifty Shades of Grey

Update: If you would like to read the original Master of the Universe fanfiction that became Fifty Shades of Grey and Fifty Shades of Darker, but the only change are the names of the characters from Twilight (Christian as Edward and Ana as Bella and so forth) in them, click here to read it for free so you don't have to pay $10 for each book.

Ferris Bueller Revisited 25 Years Later Thanks to Honda

2012-01-31T13:51:00.000-05:00

The 1986 cult classic Ferris Bueller's Day Off has been revisited 25 years later thanks to Honda and the commercial they created for the this year's Super Bowl. If you were a child of the 80's, you'll get a real big kick out of this like I did as Matthew Broderick channeling Ferris again.

Can you spot all the "easter eggs" from the original movie? This totes of awesome sauce....

From Honda: "To celebrate the launch of the all-new 2012 CR-V, Honda brought Ferris Bueller's Day Off back in a big game commercial. We cast Matthew Broderick as himself, skipping out on a day of acting work and living it up in his all-new CR-V. Relive movie history with Honda's fresh twist and wonderful homage to this '80s classic. Think you're a true fan of Ferris Bueller's Day Off? We hid over two dozen references to the movie throughout the commercial. Some are obvious, some are VERY subtle. See how many you can find."

Cultivating Lesbian Romance At Pink Petal Books

2012-01-30T22:04:00.021-05:00

At Pink Petal Books our slogan is “love is a beautiful thing”, which means how can we not publish lesbian romance. If we truly walk our talk when we say love is a beautiful thing, and it is something in which I do strongly believe, then we would be remiss in not publishing romance simply because of the pairing. I’ve heard the rumors; I’m sure you have, too, that f/f doesn’t sell. While the readers of f/f romance may not be the perceived “traditional” romance audience (man, woman, baby makes three), they are there. And there is also cross-over in the erotic romance area with the erotica market as well. Plus, today’s romance readers are savvy. Not all of them want the perfect nuclear family, and many of them share our belief that love/romance is wonderful, no matter the pairing, genre, or heat level.

Honestly, I believe that if an author thinks there is “no money” to be had, then there won’t be. In the classic metaphysical concept of “we create our own reality”, then we will manifest what we believe. We need to change our perception that in today’s ever-changing market, we can make a book be whatever we’d like it to be. Do some genres take work? Yes. Do some genres take research and reaching out to new markets? Of course. But at Pink Petal Books, as well as my own personal experience, lesbian romance oftentimes does better than more “traditional” heterosexual romance. (We also have some sensual/sweet stories which defy the “only sex sells” mantra too, further strengthening my belief that an author can make his or her own niche in the market and do well.)

For me, it boils down to the romance. Readers who pick up a romance novel want love, a romance, emotions, and the happily ever after/happy for now sort of ending that is expected. In the past when I’ve read romances with f/f scenes, they’ve seemed tacked on, like someone said “ooh, I need to up the sex quotient here, let’s add a little girl-on-girl”. That didn’t move the romance along, and as a reader, it didn’t move me. The romances which I enjoy reading, and publishing, are romances where even if the f/f relationship is secondary, or one of many in the book, it has feeling and emotions. It feels real, not an add-on to perhaps draw in male readers or like a gratuitous boob shot in a movie.

Our newest release this month, Her Secret Incantations by Heather Avalon, begins with a f/f relationship between two bi-sexual long-time friends and lovers. Each woman has a distinct voice and personal, strong reasons for being back in the relationship, as well as the reasons why she left. When the male leads show up, there’s an understanding of the women’s history and status as lovers, and the knowledge that as bisexual women, our female leads will need to be allowed to be with each other. There is no “primary” or “secondary” relationships, per se, but rather an understanding of a true polyandrous lifestyle and the sacrifices and acceptances which need to happen to make it work.

Secret Lives of Sea Crest Wives by Kerri Nelson takes a contemporary approach to lesbian romance. The book deals with friends, each one going through her own issues. When one of the women, again bisexual, refuses to deny her attraction to women, she runs into a lover from her past. This relationship in the book, woven throughout the story reinforces not only our belief that love of all kinds is a beautiful thing, but that relationships between the same sex have much the same perils and joys as relationships between different sexes. It’s a healthy, and a sexy, look at modern relationships within the microcosm of a group of friends.

Going back to the civil war, Southern Rose by Mary Winter, tells the tale of two widows, one who loved her husband, one who married him because he was gay and the marriage was one of convenience for both. Again we have bisexual characters who end up in a long-term same-sex relationship. It looks at the social elements surrounding such a relationship given the restrictive time period in which they’re in, and how these two women made their relationship work.

We’ve also published lesbian erotica by Megan Rose, and while this is not romance per se, there is definitely an air of things continuing, of a “happy with the situation for now” sort of ending. And given that relationships are as individual as the people involved in them, I feel that this also fits with our belief about love and relationships.

Though the stories we published all have bisexual women, it is not a requirement. I look at this as similar to the ménage romances where a gay character suddenly realizes that yes, he can love a woman and still love his partner. Given the characters’ histories, it is not a female version of “gay for you”, because the women have either established that they have had same-sex relationships in the past, or because they have been with that woman in the past.

Truthfully, while there is always going to be a push to be more “edgy” and lesbian romances might be one of the final frontiers in erotic romance, I think the trend toward more storytelling and less sex sans plot, will mean that the door opens even wider for lesbian romances. A love story is a love story. And though the stories all mentioned here are erotic, I see no reason why a sweet or sensual lesbian story wouldn’t be just as satisfying a read. I think there is a lot of room to explore the story, and the emotions, inherent in two women sharing their lives together, and I believe that it, too, has a strong place on the ereaders and bookshelves of romance readers.

Thank you for this opportunity to share my thoughts with you.

Guest Author Post: Isabo Kelly: Ebooks, I Remember When…

2012-01-30T07:14:00.000-05:00

A conversation with Kate over Thai food and the release of my latest fantasy romance, BRIGHTARROW BURNING, from Samhain Publishing got me to thinking about how many years I’ve been involved in e-publishing. Thirteen years come this spring. I had my first ebook published in May of 1999, well before most people even knew what an ebook was.

I can even remember the conversations that started the publishing house where I ended up. A few friends on Compuserve Romance Forum (anyone remember that?) were discussing how much we all loved paranormal, fantasy and science fiction romances, but we couldn’t find them. And those of us writing them couldn’t find places to publish our books. There were a small number trickling out but not nearly enough to satisfy our voracious reading habits. So two of the ladies involved in this discussion decided to open their own publishing company. An ebook company. They called it Dreams Unlimited.

Anyone happen to remember them from way back in the day? They published a Sherrilyn Kenyon book, a Diana Gabaldon novella, Linnea Sinclair’s first book, JC Wilder’s first book, and a few of us other authors, too. They were so far ahead of their time, they published a gay romance meant for a general audience, not just the GLBT audience, and they dabbled in erotic romances, including some of the best ménage stories I’ve ever read.

For physical copies of the books, we used 3.5” floppy disks (try even finding a computer to read those now!).You had no choice but to read the books on a computer or print them up. There were exactly two formats: .PDF and .HTML. Even the technology for a shopping cart wasn’t really there yet, so for a while after they opened, they filled the orders manually.

Hard to believe, huh? But that’s how we started with ebooks. No one knew what they were, and it was complicated explaining that, yes I really was published, but no you won’t be able to find the book in a bookstore. At the time, I was living in Ireland and not everyone even had a computer!

But we were all very excited about the new format, the new way to publish. A thriving small press industry rose from those humble beginnings. We all figured in five years, ebooks would be not only accepted but a popular way to read books.

Unfortunately, we were off by a few years. It took technology a bit longer to catch up and make the reading and buying of ebooks so easy. It’s funny but even though I’ve been involved in and watching this industry grow for so long, the changes that have taken place in the last three years still took me by surprise. I mean, we all saw this coming eventually. But when things didn’t happen in five years, “eventually” started to look a lot farther off. Then suddenly it was upon us.

Now, when I say I have an ebook coming out, I don’t have to explain what that is. People ask me if it will be available on (insert your favorite ereader here), and I can happily say it will. Suddenly, where I’ve been for almost thirteen years is exactly where everyone wants to be in publishing.

And I can say, I remember when…

So what about you guys? Anyone else remember the industry this far back or even farther? What was your first introduction to ebooks? When did they show up on your radar? And what did you think?

(By the way, I still have some of those early floppy disks, including Sherrilyn’s and Diana’s books. I figure they’ll be collectors’ items some day.)

Isabo BIO:
Isabo Kelly’s latest fantasy romance, BRIGHTARROW BURNING, was recently published by Samhain Publishing. And yes, it’s available in all possible formats for all available ereaders. For more about Isabo and her books, visit her at www.isabokelly.com or follow her on Twitter @IsaboKelly were she tells a lot of stories about her rambunctious toddler, Destructo.

Isabo Kelly Links:
Website: www.isabokelly.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/IsaboKelly
Facebook: www.facebook.com/IsaboKelly

Available for $3.50

Samhain: http://store.samhainpublishing.com/brightarrow-burning-p-6480.html
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Brightarrow-Burning-ebook/dp/B0057WU76I
Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/brightarrow-burning-isabo-kelly/1103991238

Synopsis: Layla Brightarrow’s world fell apart the day the Sorcerers invaded her city, intent on using her fellow humans’ pain to augment their spells. Worse, the neighboring elven kingdom declared neutrality, effectively abandoning her people to struggle for survival.

Then some of the elves break neutrality to trade with the Sorcerers, and Layla is ordered to assassinate Althir, brother of the elf lord she has secretly loved all her life.

When Ulric of Glengowyn uncovers his brother’s plot—and that Layla is one of the assassins sent to stop him—his first instinct is to protect her from all possible harm. He’ll even use seduction, if necessary, to get her into a position to talk some sense into her.

Years of pent-up desire is too much for Layla to resist…and one touch unleashes an unquenchable fire that changes everything. Leaving Layla caught between duty and a love that could be her destruction. Or her salvation.

WTFckery or Not? You Decide

2012-01-29T10:03:00.000-05:00

Your Sunday WTFckery post is back with a vengeance!

1. Nothing says WTFckery like disturbing sounding books and their covers that make you want to bleach your eyes... (Thanks to Penny Watson)

By the way, Bigfoot is named Leonard and he has a mom who wants him to procreate with one of the women he kidnaps.

Synopsis: Book 2 of The Monster Sex Series

Kidnapped by horny, ape-like creatures in Mt. Hood National Forest, Porsche, Shelly, and Leslie find themselves in a lusty situation, as a tribe of Bigfoots use their willing, nubile bodies to satisfy their monster cocks.

So now there are books known as Ménage a Quatre Romance? 1 woman, 3 men, not enough holes to go around...

Erotic Paranormal Ménage a Quatre Romance, M/F/M/M, shape-shifters, spanking.

Bootiful bouncy reading!

Synopsis: Becca goes to a bar planning to take the first man who doesn’t stare at her generous tits home with her. She catches the eye of a hot man across the bar, and her heart sinks when a man joins him. Both men come to her table and talk to her and offer to go home with her. Neither stared at her boobs. What should she do?

2. Shady dealings are going down in order for products to get 5 star reviews on Amazon. Reviewers are being offered money to post positive reviews and give more stars to products so the consumer will buy them thinking honest reviews are being posted. From the NY Times:

For $2 a Star, an Online Retailer Gets 5-Star Product Reviews

"Fake reviews are drawing the attention of regulators. They have cracked down on a few firms for deceitful hyping and suspect these are far from isolated instances. “Advertising disguised as editorial is an old problem, but it’s now presenting itself in different ways,” said Mary K. Engle, the Federal Trade Commission’s associate director for advertising practices. “We’re very concerned.”

Researchers like Bing Liu, a computer science professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, are also taking notice, trying to devise mathematical models to systematically unmask the bogus endorsements. “More people are depending on reviews for what to buy and where to go, so the incentives for faking are getting bigger,” said Mr. Liu. “It’s a very cheap way of marketing.”

By last week, 310 out of 335 reviews of VIP Deals’ Vipertek brand premium slim black leather case folio cover were five stars and nearly all the rest were four stars. The acclaim seemed authentic, barring the occasional indiscretion. “I would have done 4 stars instead of 5 without the deal,” one man bluntly wrote."

3. Killing giraffes for sport angers me immensely. The people who pay over $10,000 for the hunt have no soul. From Daily Mail:

"Tourist trophy hunters are paying thousands of pounds to go and shoot giraffes with high-powered guns and bows. The gentle giants are loved around the world for their comical appearance and gentle nature.Hunters pay up to a whopping £10,000 for the the chance to slay them - preferring bulls because they are the biggest.

Safari clubs and game reserves ask for a £1,500 trophy fee, and then add on rates for guides and trackers costing around £1,000 per day. The hunts typically last three-to-five days and see tourists using .458 Winchester Magnum rifles to kill the animals.With most hunters flying to Africa from their homes in Europe or America, the costs stretch into five figures."

The hunting continues even though numbers of the animals are plummeting.To help the Giraffe Conservation Foundation click here visit http://www.giraffeconservation.org

4. This sheet and pillow would eat you in your sleep.

5. The movie poster for Shame was banned in Hungry. I wonder why...

6. This is one of the many reasons I believe dolls will rise up like zombies and either torture us or kill us in our sleep. From Environmental Graffiti:

Would you explore the remains of an abandoned doll factory based on these pictures?

"An eerie silence hangs in the air. Even the wind seems to have died down to nothing. It’s dark inside the old factory, and cool in spite of the heat outside. Hundreds of molds and casts are stacked against the wall, over tables and on shelves, almost attractive in their ramshackle regularity. In contrast, the limbs, heads and bodies strewn around the dilapidated space are creepy – almost macabre – as if the stricken figures have been victims of dissection. Or butchery."

7. The last time I saw a pig like this was in my dissection class in high school. Now in cake form:

8. The coffee addict that I am would so buy the world's largest coffee cup. From Archie McPhee:

Can be yours for $47.50

"Is there any greater symbol of your love of coffee than 6" tall, 10" in diameter real porcelain cup perched on the edge of your desk or kitchen counter? While you should never drink 20 cups of coffee in one sitting, you can take comfort in knowing that the World's Largest Coffee Cup could hold 20 regular cups. Of course, that's only 19 cups if you leave room for cream. Made of porcelain."

9. Nom nom, sparkly colorful unicorn poop. From Instructables:

"Magically Delicious! Unicorns may manage their elusiveness but they left behind some fanciful evidence of their existence and I was able to recreate their leavings. The real deal - it's made of sugar cookies, rainbow dragees, rainbow star sprinkles, white sparkle gel, and rainbow disco dust."

10. And your Regretsy WTFckery is self explanatory based on the title- Pile of Sit. A $600 chair that looks more like a torture device. But at least it swivels!

I hope you have enjoyed this week's best in WTFckery!

Four Self Published Kindle Books Reviews (Free and .99 cents)

2012-01-28T12:27:00.000-05:00

When I bought new phone this past winter, I decided to buy an iPhone because of the great deal at the time. I also found out the wonders of free apps and one of these free apps was the Kindle app. I downloaded the Kindle app and a whole new world opened for me in regards to the massive amount of books I could download. I’ve gone a little crazy, downloading close to 25 books in the past 2 weeks. I think I have an addiction to downloading free Kindle books! Most of the books I’ve downloaded have been free or priced at.99 cents. This is how I read Susan Ee’s amazing post-apocalyptic fallen angel YA book, Angelfall that’s quite a steal for .99 cents. It’s one of the best self-published books I’ve ever read and if it was double the price I would have still bought it. I urge you to buy Angelfall because it’s so good. Kmont from Lurve Ala Mode and I will soon post our discussion review about Angelfall. We both loved it and can’t wait for the next book in what will be a five book series.

I check out the top 100 free books offered on Amazon almost every day. The genres I search the most are romance, erotic, horror and children’s books (which also has young adult books). I end up downloading the free ones the most, which the majority is self-published. I’ll also buy some .99 cent ones. I admit, I’m cheap when it comes to the books I buy. I refuse to buy an ebook that’s $9.99 and won’t go higher than $5.99 unless the book has amazing reviews not only on Amazon but on Goodreads. This enables me to find new authors, as well as familiar ones that have published their backlist at an affordable price.

I’ve decided to post about some of the books I’ve downloaded and give mini reviews because like I said before I’m always on the lookout for something new and different. Out of the 25 Kindle books I have downloaded, 90% of them were DNFs or made me roll my eyes in disgust because if it wasn’t the writing I had issues with, it was the overall story.

Scary Mary by S.A. Hunter was a free young adult book about Mary who can see and hear ghosts. Mary’s a loner who lives with her fortune teller grandmother and wears all black, broods and is bullied. No one at her school likes her except for her quirky friend, Rachel. There’s a new boy, Cy, who seems to like Mary for no reason that’s explained and soon the popular cheerleader, Vicky tries to catch Cy’s attention. But Cy wants to be friends with Mary and one night he invites her over to his house (his parents are conveniently MIA throughout the entire story) and through the Ouija board they contact an evil spirit who used to live in the Cy’s house and ended up killing his wife. Cy assumes Mary is playing a cruel trick on him and turns his back on her. Now Mary has to exorcise the evil spirit before it can harm Cy.

Scary Mary has a horrible cover and the overall tone isn’t scary at all. This was a weakly written book, relying on too may lame tropes we’ve seen before in past young adult novels. Mary was annoying and the way Cy went from hot to cold with her didn’t make any sense. The whole story fell very flat even with the evil spirit plot. Mary’s off putting personality because of how she was treated by her classmates didn’t endear me to her at all and I want to smack her when all was said and done. Overall. Scary Mary was a lacking, one dimensional reading experience.

Final Grade: C

Gossamer Gate by Wendy Callahan was also free and is more of a “new adult” read with the heroine in her early 20’s. This is straight up Labyrinth fan fiction and even with the adult language, adult situations and the sexual promiscuity of the heroine, Khiara, who’s juggling four different men at once, I DNFed this half way through because of the blatant fan fiction style. Even when Khiara enters the Otherworld fae realm and the prince, Ronan stalks her and his brother, Liam comes along to help her, including her human best friend and her crush, Sean tries to save her, there’s barely any real action to keep this story moving along. Gossamer Gate isn’t magical or spectacular and again because it’s blatant Labyrinth fan fiction trying to be original fiction, I cannot recommend this or the $2.99 price it’s now being sold as.

Final Grade: DNF

I’ve never read a transgender romance before and Marlene Sexton has one available for free called High School Reunion. Jerry isn’t happy about attending his high school reunion because his wife left him for another man and he feels he’s a loser. But then he meets Denise and they connect, so much so they go back to her place. Jerry thinks he’s going to get lucky and is amazed this beautiful woman wants him. But then Denise tells him he used to be Dennis and has been living as a woman. But Jerry is attracted to Denise and gives into his passions even though Denise still has all his working parts as a man.

High School Reunion was a hot erotic story and Marlene can write great sex scenes, but with this one you have to suspend your disbelief because Jerry isn’t attracted to men (he’s definitely straight) and because he thinks at first Denise is a woman, he’s attracted to her. But then he’s all for having sex with Denise even though Denise is fully male. I had some difficulty getting passed this, including how both men say, “I love you” right after they had sex with one another. Even with my issues, High School Reunion is well written and a great sexy short and something different.

Final Grade: B

His Indecent Proposal by Lynda Chance is .99 cents. It’s a short, Harlequin Presents type romance where the hero is this uber-alpha male who wants his way and won’t take no for an answer. The set up is somewhat ridiculous where David needs to marry quickly so he can keep control of company he’s already running. He finds the wife he needs in the accounting department where Jenna works. Jenna is barely making ends meet because she has $100,000 in college loans to pay off, but she makes everyone believe she never went to college because she needed the job and is overqualified. If Jenna agrees to marry him, he’ll give her $100,000, which will solve her money issues. Jenna thinks they’ll only be married for a short time, but then David gets a taste of Jenny’s luscious body and he decides divorce is no longer an option.

His Indecent Proposal could have been so much better if it was longer. It’s only 21,000 words, and even though the chemistry between David and Jenna is great and the love scenes excellent (even with the annoying head jumping back and forth between the two main characters) things come to a close too quickly and everything is resolved in a very unrealistic manner. I felt unsatisfied because the ending is so sudden and swift.

Final Grade: C+

Would you like me to review more of the self-published Kindle books read? Is this something that would interest you? If so, I plan on reviewing 3-4 of them each week if I can, and hopefully find some treasures to recommend, as well as some duds to stay away from even if they’re free or for the low price of .99 cents.

Latest WTFckery: Book Bloggers Must Sign Contact to Review

2012-01-27T14:05:00.001-05:00

I'm really starting to think 2012 may just be the year the world does end based on the drama (llama) in the first month of the year alone from the opinions of some authors and their stance on how book reviews should be written. Now a publisher is sending out a contract to book review bloggers they must sign in order to receive and review a book. Insane Hussein has all the information in her post titled, O RLY: A “Contract” for Book Reviews?

I would love to know who at the publishing house's bright idea this was and if the author was aware about this agreement and thought it was a good idea:

Publishers, book bloggers are not here to serve you. We appreciate you think of us and offer us an author's book, and in some cases many books that makes us think of our birthdays when we come home and find over 20 packages or more waiting to be opened. But just because you send us a $8 paperback or a $25 hardcover + shipping and handling doesn't mean we are beholden to you. The book blogger does not work for you or the author. The book blogger reviews or promotes the author and their work because they have enjoyed what they have read by the author. They do it for the love and don't expect anything in return.

If the day ever comes where I'll have to sign a contract to review a book, that's when I turn my back on the publishers. I rather spend my own money on a book and review it with the freedom to discuss the good and bad in an unbiased way because I want to and not because I'm trying to impress a publisher or/an author for some reason.

Just because a book blogger gets free books from a publisher and/or an author doesn't mean the book blogger should bend over backward to please the publisher or author. Why does it seem over the course of the last year or so, publishers and/or authors are expecting more from book bloggers? Oh, I think I know why! Because book bloggers don't charge for the FREE promotion they give an author and their publisher that normally would costs if not hundreds, but thousands of dollars if they look elsewhere for promo.

Also, a blog isn't meant to get freebies such as books and a blogger shouldn't think that or start a blog for that reason. When I started my blog here over three years ago, I didn't do it because I wanted to get free books. I wanted to create a platform, a way to interact with others. And since I love books and reading, that was the perfect way for me to do just that. Yes, it was nice to have a publisher or an author send me a book, and I'll be the first to admit it boosted my ego. But obsessing over reading and writing a review for a book in a timely manner and making the publisher and/or author happy is to much of a hassle for me.

I work for myself and I blog for myself. I'd like to think most book bloggers feel the same.

Maybe book review bloggers should come together and create their own Publishing/Author Reviewing Agreement we can send out when approached for a review?

Guest Author Post: Marlene Sexton and the Possibilities of Lesbian Fiction

2012-01-27T07:14:00.000-05:00

Continuing the appreciation for Lesbian fiction...

I’ve always loved lesbian erotica. My mom remarried when I was in my teens and my uncle gave her and my step dad a couple of porn magazines as a joke. Of course, I was curious and I hunted the house high and low looking for them. I finally found them and in one of them, the May 1981 copy of Penthouse, had a beautiful lesbian pictorial. Two Victorian women having a picnic, their husbands oblivious to their needs. The lounged around nude, read poetry to each other and made love.

I was hooked! In the years after that, I discovered Lipstick Video on VHS with such titles as “Girls and Their Toys” and Three Beauties and a Maid”. I routinely rented videos from that production company. Real women having real sex! Fantastic! I was officially a connoisseur of lesbian erotica. I read, watched and looked at everything I could find that had anything to do with lesbians. I even wrote lesbian erotica of my own, though not very well done back in those days.

I’ve often wondered what it is about lesbians that is so fascinating. I’m still not sure what it is exactly. One thing I’m sure of is that the idea of two women making love has wide appeal. As the saying goes, there are two types of people. Those that like seeing two girls having sex and those that lie about it. It’s just hot and the fact so many people find it arousing leads me to believe it’s natural.

Nature, God, whatever, intended for women to have sex with other women. And why not? Women are amazing creatures. Why wouldn’t they find each other attractive? Still, there is more to it than that. Lesbians themselves are fascinating, and when I say lesbian I mean that in the loosest sense. I guess I mean women in general, for in lesbian erotica even straight women are fodder for us writers.

Tthat’s why lesbian erotica has so much potential. The wide spectrum of possibilities. Not only do you have just about any kink or fetish available to any erotica writer, you have the wide variety of women themselves. Straight women being seduced, bi-curious women trying lesbian sex for the first time, bisexual women having a good time and true lesbians falling in love. Add in some kink, toys, strap-ons, a sexy t-girl here and there and God knows what else and the possibilities are nearly endless.

Beyond that, lesbians can range anywhere from soft and sweet to raunchy and kinky and everything in between. Is there anything sweeter than a lesbian romance? Is there anything hotter than two girls getting nasty in bed? I don’t think so. Combine the two and wow! Still one thing trumps all that for me. Lesbians are in many ways still the forbidden fruit.

Even today, lesbians are a taboo subject. Look and see how they are treated on TV and in movies. Just the hint of lesbian sex is enough to get the masses into a tizzy, like a teenage boy catching a forbidden glimpse of thigh or cleavage. Even those movies that have a full on girl/girl sex scene never go too far. They rarely explore the wilder possibilities.

Lesbian erotica can, however! We don’t have to satisfy the expectation of the masses or satisfy some censor. We are free to show whatever side of lesbian love we choose. Whether it’s something as mundane as a lonely housewife turning to a female friend or something as bizarre as, well, use your imagination, we can write it. The possibilities are endless and I think that as this new ebook medium hits its stride, we’ll get to read about lesbian sex few of us have even thought of. I can’t wait!

Bio:
Marlene Sexton is just a normal gal with a dirty, dirty mind. She loves writing about her fantasies and has been doing it for years. Now, she's decided to go professional and publish her stories. Marlene enjoys stories about married couples, lesbians, female domination, BDSM and transsexuals. Marlene is currently working hard on more stories.

You can find Marlene's books at:

Amazon Kindle Store
All Romance eBooks
Barnes & Noble
Apple iBooks
Smashwords

Her latest, High School Reunion (a short transgender romance) is available now at Amazon.

Synopsis: Jerry's life hadn't turned out like he thought it would. His wife left him for another man and took everything in the divorce. Now his friend, Rob, was making him go to his high school reunion. Jerry didn't want to go and face his classmates. But as he sat alone getting drunk, a woman approached and sat next to him.

Denise was a classmate but Jerry couldn't remember her. They hit it off and decided to go somewhere alone and talk. One thing leads to another and Jerry finds himself at Denise's house and she make a confession. He doesn't remember her because she was a he in high school. Jerry can hardly believe it, but after the year he's had, he isn't going to let a beautiful woman like Denise slip through his fingers just because she's got something special between her legs. But as the night progresses, Jerry finds out what a woman like Denise can do to please a man and he loved every minute of it!

Guest Author Post: Introducing Historical Romance Author Genevieve Graham

2012-01-26T07:10:00.001-05:00

Me? A Historical Romance Author? Huh.

I imagine if I were to toss out the name “Diana Gabaldon”, I might see a crowd of readers leaning forward, wanting to see what I was going on about. What if I threw in the title, “Outlander”? Ah, there you are! Hi!

I’m not here to direct readers to Diana’s books (as if she needs any help!), but without her I most likely wouldn’t be here, in the literal sense. After years of barely having time to read more than two words (I was a disorganized mom of two young, energetic daughters), my mom introduced me to Outlander. I’ve read each book four times, and listened to the audio series just as many times. I love the love story, sticky with delicious emotions and believable scenarios despite the fantasy of it all, but most of all I love the gritty adventure. Her characters are human and real, scarred, weak, angry, sneaky … never stereotypical. Ms Gabaldon is gifted at using historical facts effectively. Sadly, her in-depth research means we wait at least three years between installments.

So, lonely without Jamie Fraser, I wrote my own book, filling the pages with adventures, journeys, battles, tragedies, and more. Not much kissing, but lots of longing and all that. Long story short, after five years of writing/editing/querying, Berkley Sensation, a division of Penguin US, picked up my first novel, offering a contract as long as I agreed to write a companion novel. “Sound of the Heart”, another adventure from the 18th century Highlands of Scotland, will be out May 1, 2012.

I was a published author! Of … Historical Romance?

I hadn’t considered my book to be “romance”, because my experience with reading romance had mostly included “regency” or “chicklit”. I enjoy them both, but mine is neither. I wanted to dig into 18th century life but not focus on the well-to-do. I wanted to write a story that involved more than just two people in love. I stuck my heroine in the middle of nowhere, with nothing. I dropped my hero in to a doomed battlefield. Then I said, “Find each other. Good luck,” and left them to it. Not very romantic, was it?

Then again, as I’ve tried to explain to my daughters, “romance” isn’t just about love affairs. Thesaurus.com likens romance to: “adventure, flight of fancy”, which sounds right. I’d just never thought of this story as a romance. I’m proud that “Under the Same Sky” evolved into what I would call a Historical Adventure while still enthralling romance readers.

When Berkley took me on board, they introduced me to some incredible Historical Romance authors, including Kaki Warner and Joanna Bourne. No quiet, frilly, kissy-face books, those. I became pretty darn excited about being called a Romance author. When I attended my first RWA conference last June, Ms Gabaldon declared she wasn’t a Romance author. Regardless, there she stood, surrounded by thousands of romance readers who adore her work. So I’m proud to be a Historical Romance author.

Do you have a favourite kind of romance? Do you like them soft and mushy? Silly? Erotic? Or are you like me, a fan of wild, historical adventure?

Available now from Berkley Trade

Synopsis: The year is 1746. A young woman from South Carolina and a Scottish Highlander share an intimacy and devotion beyond their understanding. They have had visions of each other their entire lives. And yet they have never met.

Now, with their lives torn asunder, Maggie Johnson and Andrew MacDonnell's quest to find each other is guided only by their dreams—and by the belief in the true love they share.

On the Carolina frontier Maggie Johnson’s family struggles to survive. Maggie’s gift of “the sight” and her visions show her a presence she calls Wolf. She watches him grow from a boy her age to a man even as she goes from child to woman.

Andrew MacDonald has always wondered about the girl he sees in his dreams. He is able to talk to her through their thoughts and vows that even if he must cross an ocean he will find her. They are thrust into different situations: Andrew fights for the doomed Jacobite cause and Maggie is captured by slavers, then rescued and brought into a kind, loving Native American tribe. They each believe in destiny and the power of the love they have shared forever.

Book Spotlight: L World by Taryn Rose

2012-01-25T14:07:00.001-05:00

Say hello to debut author, Taryn Rose, who is now writing a new lesbian romance series for Ravenous Romance! The book is called the, L World and is now available for $4.99 (click here to purchase).

The first book deals with a recently divorced lawyer on the hunt for some excitement. She gets it in the form of a sexy gay stylist who is one of fice lesbian friends who hang out at the L WORLD bar.

Synopsis: Blake Sanders, a partner at a top Manhattan law firm and newly minted divorcee, is shocked to find herself lusting after her sexy female hairstylist. But when her trendy tufts are not at all what she imagined, Blake's fiery temper takes over and she stiffs the hottie who fashioned them.

After her new look causes a splash at work, Blake has a change of heart and returns to the salon with a generous tip for Janie, the sexy stylist, only to find her cozying up with another woman on her way out. Intrigued, she follows the pair downtown to a Greenwich Village bar called "L World".

When Blake discovers that her fantasy girl is an out and proud gay chick, her attraction to Janie becomes very real. She pursues her, setting in motion a torrid affair that turns both women's lives upside down, and leaving a trail of damage behind!

Click here for excerpt

You can find Taryn on twitter: @TarynRose1

Murder, Mayhem and Mama by Christie Craig

2012-01-25T07:22:00.000-05:00

I've always been a fan of Christie Craig's books and her latest, Murder, Mayhem and Mama looks like another fun one! Christie has decided to self-publish this one...

Now available at Barnes and Noble for $4.99 (click here to purchase)

Coming to Amazon on February 10th.

Synopsis: BEING A MAMA IS HARD. BUT THE JOB’S EVEN TOUGHER WHEN YOU’RE DEAD…

Cali McKay’s mama isn’t ready to pass over to the “other side” yet. Her unlucky-in-love daughter needs her now more than ever. Before Mama can chain-smoke her way to heaven, she’s gotta make sure Cali’s ex deadbeat boyfriend doesn’t get her daughter killed.

GRIEF SUCKS. LOVE HEALS…

Cali lost her mom to cancer. Detective Brit Lowell, lost his partner to murder. Now he’s in the mood to take down some dirtbags and Cali’s ex just happens to be a dirtbag leaving a trail of dead bodies behind him. Can Brit trust this beautiful woman to help take down her ex? Can Cali look past this sexy cop’s hard exterior to trust him with her heart? Can life get any crazier when Mama starts meddling from the grave? Only one thing is for sure–none of it will matter, unless they catch a killer before the killer catches them.

Thirteen things you’ll learn from reading Murder, Mayhem and Mama:

1) Grief sucks. Love heals.
2) Believe it or not, sometimes mama does know best. Even when she’s dead.
3) Painting your toenails is equivalent to a happy pill.
4) Sometimes there’s a hell of lot more to our dreams than we think.
5) When a tough guy resorts to sniffing a girl’s sweater that she left behind, he might as well give up the bachelor pad, he’s on the road to falling in love.
6) A guy who offers you a shoulder during a meltdown and doesn’t try to cop a feel, just may be a keeper.
7) When a guy says all he wants to do is sleep with you, he might not be talking sex, you might just be his answer to insomnia. Then again, he’ll probably want sex when he’s had some sleep.
8) When all else fells, try saying the magic words: please and thank you. It’s a manner thing.
9) Be leery of opening your boyfriends medicine cabinet, it’s not just what you might find, but what might fall out and bounce right into the toilet. Explaining how his 36 pack of condoms got wet could be embarrassing.
10) While being a better bitch isn’t something we should aspire to, learning to stand up for oneself is definitely goal worthy.
11) Sharing food off each other’s plate could lead to sharing a toothbrush. And after that, all bets, and possibly the clothes, are coming off.
12) Bad habits die hard. Then again, the sergeant general doesn’t say anything about smoking after you’re dead. Just ask Mama.
13) Take a man’s favorite leather jacket, and he might offer you his heart to get it back.

Murder, Mayhem and Mama book trailer:

KB Pimpin' Future New Releases

2012-01-24T10:08:00.000-05:00

Future book releases to keep on your radar...

Some waxed, man chesty here. Miss Hillary Schools a Scoundrel by Samantha Grace (Sourcebooks, February 1st).

Synopsis: Love 'em and leave 'em Lord Andrew Forest receives a dose of his own medicine when jaded heiress Lana Hillary beds him then disappears without so much as a by-your-leave.

Tossed aside like an old hat by the only woman to capture his heart, Drew is determined to intercept Lana before she reaches London and convince her to marry him. He'll teach the little vixen a thing or two about how to love a man.

Tooth and Nail by Jennifer Safrey (Night Shade Books, February 7th).

Synopsis: Gemma Fae Cross, a tough-girl amateur boxer whose fiance is running for congress, has just made a startling discovery about herself. She is half faerie - and not just any faerie, but a tooth faerie! A hybrid of fae and human, Gemma is destined to defend the Olde Way and protect the fae - who are incapable of committing violence - from threats to their peaceful and idyllic way of life, which must be maintained by distilling innocence collected from children''s baby teeth. But when a threat to the fae mission emerges, Gemma is called upon to protect her heritage, and become a legendary fae warrior... even if it means sacrificing everything she knows about being human!

Bewitching (Kendra Chronicles) by Alex Flinn (HarperTeen, February 14th).

Synopsis: Kendra Hilferty, the witch who curses Kyle Kingsbury in Beastly, tells about her immortal existence-how she discovered she was a witch and the various ways she has used her powers to help people throughout the centuries. (Unfortunately her attempts have often backfired.) As it turns out, Kendra has actually had a hand in "Hansel and Gretel," "The Princess and the Pea," and "The Little Mermaid"-but these are not the fairy tales you think you know! Kendra's reminiscences are wrapped around a real-time version of "Cinderella," except the "ugly" stepsister is the good guy. With dark twists, hilarious turns, and unexpected endings, Bewitching is a contemporary read for fairy-tale lovers, fantasy fans, and anyone looking for more Alex Flinn.

Victorian paranormal. The Seduction of Phaeton Black (Paranormal Investigator #1) by Jillian Stone (Brava, March 27th).

Synopsis: In the gaslit streets of Victorian London, phantoms rule the night, demons dance till dawn, and one supernatural detective dares to be seduced by the greatest power of all. . .

A master of deduction, seduction and other midnight maneuvers, Phaeton Black is Scotland Yard's secret weapon against things that go bump in the night. His prodigious gifts as a paranormal investigator are as legendary as his skills as a lover, his weakness for wicked women as notorious as his affection for absinthe. But when he's asked to hunt down a fanged femme fatale who drains her victims of blood, he walks right into the arms of the most dangerous woman he's ever known. . .

Pressing a knife to his throat--and demanding he make love to her--Miss America Jones uses Phaeton as a willing shield against the gang of pirates chasing her. As deadly as she is, with a derringer tucked in her garter, Miss Jones is not the vampiric killer he's been staking out--but she may be just what Phaeton needs to crack the case. As the daughter of a Cajun witch, she possesses uncanny powers. As a fearless fighter, she can handle anything from Egyptian mummies to Jack the Ripper. But when an ancient evil is unleashed on the world, she could be his only salvation. . .or ultimate sacrifice.

Hot BDSM loving? The Principal's Office by Jasmine Haynes (Berkley, April 3rd).

Synopsis: Desire is in session.

Rachel Delaney, divorced mother with two boys, isn't complaining. Her life is fine. Really. There is one thing that could make it better, though: a strong, warm, male body to help her make it through the occasional lonely night. No strings, and no relationship, thanks. Just a little fun with a perfect stranger. And there's no more perfect a stranger than Rand.

He's tall, blond, unattached, smokin' hot, and looking for the same thing Rachel is: wild, abandoned sex with no limits, no last names, and no complications-until Rachel's eldest son gets in trouble in class.

Only then does Rachel discover that her down-and-dirty, dangerously sexy mystery lover is also the new school principal. They're not exactly the ideal role models for a troubled student acting out his own frustrations. With Rachel's life turned upside down, Rand's the only one who can make it right-by maybe taking their hot-bodied hook-ups into a warm-hearted new direction...

Beguiling the Beauty (Fitzhugh Trilogy #1) by Sherry Thomas (Berkley, May 1st).

Synopsis: When the Duke of Lexington meets the mysterious Baroness von Seidlitz-Hardenberg aboard a transatlantic ocean liner, he is fascinated. She is exactly what he has been searching for—a beautiful woman who interests and entices him. He falls hard and fast—and soon proposes marriage.

And then she disappears without a trace…

For in reality, the “baroness” is Venetia Easterbrook—a proper young widow who had her own vengeful reasons for instigating an affair with the duke. But the plan has backfired. Venetia has fallen in love with the man she despised—and there’s no telling what might happen when she is finally unmasked.

Teen male protagonist in a world of dark, nasty vampires sounds like something different. The Hunt by Andrew Fukuda (St. Martin's, May 8th).

Synopsis: Seventeen-year-old Gene struggles to survive in a society where humans have been eaten to near extinction by the general population. When Gene is chosen to participate in the government-sponsored hunt for the remaining humans, he must learn the art of the hunt but also elude his fellow hunters whose suspicions about his true human nature are growing.

Awesome cover! I want the dress. The Girl in the Clockwork Collar (Steampunk Chronicles #2) by Kady Cross (Harlequin, May 22nd).

Synopsis: In New York City, 1897, life has never been more thrilling - or dangerous.

Sixteen-year-old Finley Jayne and her "straynge band of mysfits" have journeyed from London to America to rescue their friend Jasper, hauled off by bounty hunters. But Jasper is in the clutches of a devious former friend demanding a trade-the dangerous device Jasper stole from him...for the life of the girl Jasper loves.

One false move from Jasper and the strange clockwork collar around Mei's neck tightens. And tightens.

Darkness Before Dawn by J.A. London (HarperTeen, May 29th).

Synopsis: This electrifying new trilogy blends the best of paranormal and dystopian storytelling in a world where the war is over. And the vampires won.

Humans huddle in their walled cities, supplying blood in exchange for safety. But not even that is guaranteed. Dawn has lost her entire family and now reluctantly serves as the delegate to Lord Valentine, the most powerful vampire for miles. It isn’t until she meets Victor, Valentine’s son, that she realizes not all vampires are monsters....

Looks like an emotional read. Keep Holding On by Susane Colasanti (Viking, June 14th).

Synopsis: Between Noelle’s difficult home life and the bullying she endures at school, all she wants is to get out of her small town. Noelle would give anything to be with Julian Porter. But staying with her emotionally distant boyfriend is safer. When things heat up between Noelle and Julian, she has to decide whether she can be her true self with him.