Sara Brookes's Blog, page 15

Please give a very warm welcome to Louisa Bacio who has her very first release with Ellora’s Cave!

“Do you feel sexy?”

Ah, no. There are times, though, when you must write sexy, even if you’re not feeling it. Over the years, I’ve offered and have been given a few tips:

Wine doesn’t help me much. It knocks me out. Puts me to sleep. The inhibitions don’t go out the door. Instead, it’s lights out for me.

Music tends to distract. Maybe it’s because I often listen to the cable channel stations, which broadcast swirling images and random facts about the artists. Rather than writing, if a song catches my attention … I watch the screen.

Reading another erotic book certainly helps with setting mood. The problem is that once I start reading, I don’t want to stop.

Maybe I need to take a nod from uber-professional writer Tara Lain and just do it! There’s no use whining about it, when it has to be done eventually. Lain suggests not attempting to write the sex scene while the author is tired (for obvious reasons), and getting the BITC (Butt in the Chair).

Any tips?

Here’s a look at my new release!

Long Haul 

Between California and Arizona, there’s a sweet patch of highway that encourages a man’s mind to wander. Randy’s mind always ends up in the same place—traveling the smooth planes of Sallie Mae’s tanned legs and following the line of sweat that snakes down her neck and disappears between her breasts. It’s all too easy to imagine her naked in the seat beside him, flirting, stroking, even straddling his legs and daring him to find a better way to go than at eighty miles an hour with a hot blonde in his lap. The fantasy alone makes concentrating on the road a struggle. He doesn’t have a clue how he’s going to manage to drive Sallie Mae home from college while keeping his mind on the road and his hands to himself. Especially with Sallie Mae all too willing to flirt, stroke and blow the lid right off his fantasy.

Available now via Ellora’s Cave, Amazon, All Romance eBooks and coming soon to other eRetailers!

Enjoy the Ride!

Louisa Bacio

http://www.facebook.com/louisabacio

http://www.twitter.com/louisabacio

http://louisabacio.blogspot.com

Bio:

A Southern California native, Louisa Bacio can’t imagine living far away from the ocean. The multi-published author of erotic romance enjoys writing within all realms – from short stories to full-length novels.

Bacio shares her household with a supportive husband, two daughters growing “too fast,” and a multitude pet craziness: two dogs, five fish tanks, an aviary, hamsters, rabbits, hermit crabs and rolly pollies. In her other life, she teaches college classes in English, journalism and popular culture.

Tour Giveaway: $15 gift card to Amazon

Rafflecopter Tour

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Or here’s a link:

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/OTdlMmJlNmViZjIwNzJmZDk2N2M5ZWM0NTg4NWI4Ojc=/

Emily Cale is here today, talking about DIY projects and eye candy. Who wouldn’t want to combine the two!?!

~*~

Raise your hand if you have ever been addicted to either HGTV or the DIY channel (or both). Uh-huh. I see a few other people have gotten wrapped up in marathons of Bath Crashers or Property Brothers.

I know I have spent more Saturday mornings than I would like to admit sitting on my couch with a big cup of coffee wondering how the hosts of these shows were ever going to pull off such a big makeover in such a short period of time.

The truth: A lot of manpower. No, really. As someone who has done her fair share of remodeling work, I can tell you that it always takes longer and costs more than I ever imagine. The biggest hindrance to my ability to finish is time though. There are a limited number of hours in the day and I work plus write. That doesn’t leave many hours for installing a brand new hardwood floor in the dining room. Plus, doing that project means that I have to pass on something else. Not that I wouldn’t love to simply ignore my edits sometimes, but deadlines are important (I sure hope my editor reads this).

At the end of the day, I would rather be curled up on the sofa with my laptop watching some TV celebrity do the work instead. My house stays relatively clean, I get some eye candy and I get to accomplish a few other tasks. Not a bad deal.

My heroine in Mr. Fix It wants to be able to do it herself, but when she has the chance to watch her hunky neighbor take on the task instead, she gets far more than a good show. 

Mr. Fix It by Emily Cale

Jenni’s home improvement plans have turned into a disaster. The only bright spot in her day is watching her handyman neighbor Rick as he helps out around the neighborhood. Jenni has need of his capable hands in more ways than one, but she refuses to become just another notch on his toolbox.

Rick is entranced by his standoffish neighbor. He has no time for the neighborhood women who throw themselves at him, but he intends to get into Jenni’s house, bed and heart if it’s the last thing he does.

Available from Ellora’s Cave * Amazon

An Excerpt from MR FIX IT

Copyright ©EMILY CALE, 2013

All Rights Reserved, Ellora’s Cave Publishing. Inc.

Bracing against the wind, Jenni took a few steps forward, sat down on the stairs and watched as her dog barked at the tree. “Keep it up. You’ll probably have better luck than I have today.” She hung her head. Now she needed to decide whether to keep trying to make her project work or cut her losses and put the doors she’d gotten off back on. At the moment, neither option sounded particularly appealing. The only thing she absolutely had to do was clean the floor. The rest could wait until she’d had time to drink a few glasses of pinot grigio and enjoy some trashy reality television. Nothing like a few hours focused on someone else’s life to make her forget about the troubles in her own.

“Problems?”

Jenni didn’t need to look up to recognize the deep voice of her neighbor, but popped her head up to confirm her suspicions. It’d be rude not to at least look at the person talking to her. At least that was what she told herself. It certainly couldn’t be because she liked gazing at his tanned skin and sun-bleached hair.

Rick Maas leaned over the fence between their properties. Her cheeks felt hot as she tried to think of a witty reply. “Nothing that can’t be fixed.” Maybe not by me, but by someone. She’d kept an eye on him from the day he’d moved in three months ago. Scratch that. She’d had both eyes glued to his gorgeous body whenever she got the chance. He was a perfect specimen of the male form. Wavy hair, a strong chin and a smile that could turn her knees to jelly. A few times he’d caught her staring at him while he worked on his motorcycle in the driveway. She’d tried to pretend she was studying the garden or checking out a bird in a tree, but she doubted he’d been fooled by her ruse. She couldn’t help it though. The minute he took off his shirt, her brain turned to mush and her libido took over.

“Anything I can help you with?” That was a loaded question. Jenni could think of a hundred things she’d like his help with, but not a single one was home improvement related. Though a few of them risked damaging her bed frame. She supposed he could put that back together if they broke it. After they were done, of course.

She bit her tongue. His offer was completely innocent and she knew it. Rick helped many of the neighbors with little tasks around their homes. For the most part, his assistance went to older individuals struggling to keep up with seasonal maintenance, but many of the single women—and a few of the married ones—took him up on his offers as well. A little too often for Jenni’s taste. How many things could possibly go wrong in one house? She almost laughed at the thought. Maybe she should take a better look around her kitchen before she judged too harshly. Still, she swore a few of the ladies broke things for the sole purpose of having Rick over. They probably made him pitchers of lemonade and homemade chocolate chip cookies too. How clichéd. She hated them for it. Partly because she couldn’t even make chocolate chip cookies, let alone serve them hot out of the oven for the hunk-next-door.

About Emily Cale

Emily Cale spent the majority of her childhood as a visitor to the worlds of her favorite authors. With encouragement from her English teachers, she put pen to paper and began imagining her own stories. Preferring the fascinating lives of her characters, she majored in creative writing. When not lost in a manuscript or a good book, she enjoys crocheting, rock climbing, and playing board games. She currently lives in Portland, Oregon.

You can connect with her via her website, Twitter or Facebook.

We’re talking zombies today at the lab – which always reminds me of Columbus’ number one rule: Cardio: To escape a pursuing zombie you will need to out-run it, and this means being in good shape. Sounds like Layna, today’s guest at the Lab, is going to need that advice! And geek points if you know the movie!

~*~

The Zombie Apocalypse is Coming…

And no, this post surprising enough isn’t about The Walking Dead. Though, I’m pretty excited that’ll be returning very soon too.

Every year, thousands of people congregate in their downtown corridors, dressed up to decaying nines. Painted up and ready to chomp on the living. Welcome to the Zombie Walk.

The first time I saw this on television, I really did think there was something in the water. Why on earth would anyone in their right mind dress up like a zombie before Halloween? I mean, who dresses their toddler to look like Chucky but even creepier? Yeah… well, for as much as I find it nuts, in a bizarre way it’s kind of cool.

My husband and I, attended our first zombie walk last year, and it was a riot. At first, it was funny, and great to see families out together and participating, and then it just plainly creeped me out—in a good way though.

I’ve been contemplating in dressing up along with my husband, but I’m limited with the costumes I currently have. Let me see; I have: American McGee’s Alice, a Goth masquerade gown, a sorceress, and a roman empress inspired gown. So as you can see, I’m at a loss. I suppose I could slap on an old pair of jeans and tattered T-shirt, and put on some makeup, but that’s not at all original.

I need idea’s folks, give a girl a hand here.

Will you be going this year? How will be dressing up?

Yup. That’s a picture of yours truly. The husband decided to abandon me while taking photos during last year’s event. By the way, that dude was a total and complete stranger. 

Happy to report the third book in the Geek Kink series is whisking it’s way through cyberspace to my editor now. Some books flow easily out of me, others not so much. The ones that don’t flow are usually because the subject matter is difficult to deal with. Break Me In was one of the tough books. Alex Conners was a very complicated man to write. More so than I ever thought when I first created him as a secondary character in Taking Over Me. But I am so very happy with the results. And no worries, Alex gets his HEA! So keep an eye out for announcements for cover, blurb and release date. In the meantime, how about a little something (unedited)…

Alex drummed his fingers against the bottle as he tried to decide if he would join the people he saw disappearing into Element Twenty-Six. Even though he needed to know if he was right, was this really what he wanted? Was he ready to face the answers he discovered, whatever they were?

While he had a general idea of what went on behind those doors, he didn’t know if he would fit among them. Vivian had scoffed at the notion he wanted to be more sexually adventurous. While it was better to know they were no longer compatible in such a way, it was still a sore spot on his mind.

It made him feel as though he’d been a failure as a husband. Not to mention, as a man. The point had been driven home even more so earlier today when a box had arrived with the last of his personal things. No note. No parting of ways or even a simple ‘Fuck you.’ to send him on his way. Just a plain cardboard box filled with memories.

Painful, soul shattering ones.

On of my very great friends has a new release – check it out! And be sure to read to the thru, there’s a giveaway (end Sept 11th).

’69 MUSTANG

By Kacey Hammell

Book 1: Revved and Ready Series

Contemporary Erotic Romance

ISBN: 9780987799319

Word Count: 4,415 Short Story

Only $0.99 cents!!!

Revved and Ready for passion, heat sizzles between two friends…

For Hayley Fitzgibbon, the heat wave blanketing her small town is nothing compared to the inferno inside her whenever she looks at her best friend, Rory. On the night of his parents’ anniversary party, she no longer resists her burning desire and makes it known how much she wants him. Secluded under a willow tree, down a lover’s lane, she’s revved and ready to claim her man on the top of his ’69 Mustang.

Excerpt © Kacey Hammell, 2013:

“Take this path,” she directed, hearing the breathlessness and passion in her voice.

“Hales, this is—”

“Memory Lane at the back of Zwick’s Park, I know. I haven’t been here in a long time.”

He maneuvered the car through the long grass and around high bushes. The area had overgrown in the twenty-something years since she’d been there last.

“Neither have I. Last girl I brought here was—”

“You don’t have to tell me. Tonight’s for new memories and new beginnings.” Last thing she cared about was his old lovers. “There are some willow trees right up there. Park beneath them for privacy.”

“Hales,” he began, his voice unsteady.

“What’s the matter? Scared to be alone out here with lil ole me?” She laid her arm over his arm, silencing him, amazed once again by the wealth of muscle beneath his shirt. Gone was the tall flagpole type body he grew up with. The six pack abs and bulging biceps he sported now continuously held her in awe – and drooling. He definitely took care of himself.

Rory pulled in under the trees, glanced over at her, his eyes enflamed in heat and desire, then turned off the ignition.

Hayley undid her seatbelt, shifted toward him, and clasped the back of his neck, then pulled him close. She crushed her mouth to his.

He tasted so good. Intoxicating. Incredible. Fucking superb. She tangled her tongue with his. Shivers of delight spread along her body, nipples beading while juices gathered in her pussy.

Digging her fingers into his nape, anxiousness filled her to taste every inch of him but there wasn’t room to maneuver in the tight confines of the car.

“It’s too hot in here to sit. Let’s go outside,” she whispered. She pulled back and opened her door. Though the strangling humidity hadn’t dissipated much, a slight breeze skated along her skin. She welcomed the pleasure of the coolness against her body from the numerous days of nothing but stagnant humidity and the fire Rory stoked inside her.

Slamming the door, she tip-toed farther under the trees, careful not to sink into the grass in her stilettos, and waved him to follow her. “Come on,” she called.

Rory wiped a hand over his face.

“Trust me it’s much cooler out here.”

For the moment at least.

Amazon — US / Canada / UK

Smashwords

aRe

Reviews:

5 Stars from Susan W. @ Amazon.com ~ “If you have only a short amount of time and want to read something hot then this is the book to read. Loved this story and can’t wait to read more in this series!”

5 Stars from Lindsay @ Amazon.com ~ “This short read is a hot one. Guaranteed to make your body temperature rise, and will have you thinking of other uses for your car in no time. I’m looking forward to checking out the next installments in this series.”

5 Stars from Amy Miller @ Amazon.com ~ “Great story about two friends who both are in love with one another. On one hot night they finally go for it and put their friendship on the line and it involves a super hot car and hot sex. What more can you ask for. For a short read this is a good one. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. Great Job Kacey Hammell!!”

4.5 Stars from Author, Carly Fall ~ “…true Kacey Hammell style: written well, hot sex and fun characters.”

4 Stars from Author, Lucy Felthouse ~ “…very well-written, hot and sultry read with a satisfying outcome.”

Avid Reader. Romance Author. Redhead…

Canadian-born author, Kacey Hammell is definitely a book-a-holic, who began reading romances at a young age and became easily addicted. These days, as a multi-published erotic romance author, she enjoys adding a lot of heat, sass and emotion to the Contemporary Romances she writes.

A mom of three, Kacey has made certain each of her children know the value of the written word and the adventures they could escape on by becoming book-a-holics in their own right. She lives her own happily ever after with her perfect hero in Ontario, Canada, and is a true romantic at heart.

Connect with Kacey…

Website / Newsletter / Facebook / Facebook Author Page / Twitter / Amazon / Goodreads / Pinterest / Instagram

GIVEAWAY:

Leave a comment below, say hi, or tell Kacey your fave muscle car, and be entered to win a BACKLIST ebook copy (excludes 69 Mustang) of her titles.

Winner will be drawn Sept 11th.

Occasionally I talk about my process when I write. Usually it’s pretty chaotic, but it makes sense to me. Ultimately, that’s what matters. If it works for me, it means I get the manuscript written and readers get a book. Yay!

I thought about this yesterday because I was walking out of the bathroom at work and got hit over the head with an error I realized I’d made in the timeline for Break Me In. It involved secondary characters, so it wasn’t something hard to fix or detrimental to the books plot. And, looking at it now, the fix works better than the original. Go figure.

But it got me thinking. One of the things I do with each book is plot out a timeline. This is probably as close as I get to actual plotting. As my husband noted to me a few days ago, I do my best when I just sit down and go. If I have an outline or something to work from, nothing seems to go right and I spend more time fixing than anything else. If I force things, it’s a no go. (Tho, that’s a catch-22, I have something to fix in the first place. It could be worse…)

What you see above is the timeline for the next Body Masters book (only because I didn’t have the timelines sheets for Break Me In handy for the photo). Dates and years don’t really matter much, but since I print them from Outlook, it is what it is. The months do matter, however, so those I need.

I could probably white board my timelines, but once I was done, I’d erase and have nothing to look back to if something comes up in edits, or it’s a series book. I need to be able to refer back to these suckers. So, like a lot of things I do in regards to writing, my timelines are done on paper. On a calendar. The main reason for this is the ease with which I can take it anywhere. I can’t take my laptop or tablet or smartphone to work with me, so I need something with flexibility.

Its also always done in pencil. Always. Always. Always. Because I am not perfect. I do make mistakes and pencil allows me the flexibility to adjust the flow if needed. I’ve tried numerous times to make this work for me electronically and I just can’t. So I surrender to the fact that I am a slave to the paper.

A girl can never have too many video games, and once again, the lab is visiting with another gamer who loves as much as she plays. Take it away, Cate!

~*~

Emotional Investment in Video Games (AKA How Spec Ops: The Line Crushed My Soul)

I love anything that tells me a good story, makes me feel something, makes me root for the characters and share in their successes and failures. While reading, writing, and watching movies fulfills this for me most of the time, nothing creates the full-on immersion I crave like playing video games.

And so far, nothing has done that better than Spec Ops: The Line.

No, I haven’t commandeered Sara’s blog to write a review about this game. What I wanted to discuss is the emotional impact of this game and how video games do it differently.

You play as Captain Martin Walker, whose Delta team has been sent into a destroyed Dubai to assist in rescuing any survivors from the cataclysmic sandstorm that had struck the city six months earlier. It’s supposed to be a simple in-and-out, but it turns into so much more than that and goes far beyond what its emotional predecessors, Heart of Darkness and Apocalypse Now, ever did, as cleverly depicted by this incredibly accurate infographic from Cracked.com

But how?

It all goes back to the mechanics of video games. In books, you’re seeing through your protagonist’s eyes or from the narrator’s point of view. In TV and movies, you’re watching the action on screen. In other words, you’re distanced from the action. However, with video games, you are the one controlling the action. When talking about it, most often you say “I am” or “I did.” There’s a part in Spec Ops where Walker and Adams are separated from their other squad mate, Lugo (whom I loved dearly, btw). In the interest of not spoiling, let’s just say something really bad happens, and the squad ends up surrounded by an angry crowd of civilians. They’d been throwing rocks.  Rock vs. gun = no contest. I could have slipped by, but I didn’t. Talking to a friend the other day about this section, I said, “And then I accidentally fired my gun into the crowd and Adams started killing people. I panicked.”

I panicked. Not Walker. Me. I could’ve let those people live, just knocked them out of the way and gone on. But because I panicked, they ended up dead.

Let me give another example. In Fable II, the Hero has to infiltrate something called the Spire to learn more about the primary antagonist, Lucius Fairfax, and to keep up your disguise, you have to obey the orders of Lucius’ commandant, who has fitted you with an obedience collar. Among other things, this includes watching a group of hungry prisoners while the regular guard goes on break.

You have two choices. Listen to the commandant and let the prisoners starve, or disobey by feeding them, then raise suspicion and get punished. Oh, and the prisoners aren’t quiet. They all beg for you to feed them. For three minutes solid.

Like the group of angry civilians, this is your choice. You can mute the game for 3 minutes (which I did on one play through), or you can feed them and accept the collar’s electrocution (which I did on another play through). You can figure out which option doesn’t make you feel like a horrible human being.

The point of this long, rambling post is that, while there are games that don’t have much plot to them at all and are there for T&A only, there are those gems that provide an emotional experience you won’t get any other way. A well-done game is a fantastic medium for storytelling, like an interactive book or movie, and one that can most definitely be emotionally rewarding.

Or scarring, if you’re playing Spec Ops.

I have the distinct pleasure of participating in the cover reveal for Kacey Hammell’s upcoming project, 69 Mustang! Don’t forget to enter her giveaway at the end of the post for an ARC of 69 Mustang…

 ’69 MUSTANG

By Kacey Hammell

Book 1: Revved and Ready Series

Contemporary Erotic Romance

ISBN: 9780987799319

Word Count: 4,415 Short Story

Releases September 3rd!

Revved and Ready for passion, heat sizzles between two friends…

For Hayley Fitzgibbon, the heat wave blanketing her small town is nothing compared to the inferno inside her whenever she looks at her best friend, Rory. On the night of his parents’ anniversary party, she no longer resists her burning desire and makes it known how much she wants him. Secluded under a willow tree, down a lover’s lane, she’s revved and ready to claim her man on the top of his ’69 Mustang.

Excerpt © Kacey Hammell, 2013:

“The party was fantastic, Rory. Your parents looked so happy.” Hayley Fitzgibbon shifted in the front seat of the black ’69 Ford Mustang her long-time best friend owned since he turned twenty-one. She’d come to love it as much as he did, how it handled. It still hummed like it had when brand new. No car was sexier to her. Mustangs, especially the classic ’69 had lines that were slick, masculine and just screamed fast and hardcore. The vibration from the engine tingled through the back of her thighs and buttocks causing a delicious thrill through her body. “Thanks for driving me home. It was a great celebration. I can’t believe your parents have been married fifty years.”

“Yeah. It’s practically unheard of these days.” Rory clicked on his blinker then turned right. “They really seemed to like the gift Max and I got them. You think so?”

She nodded and brushed the white shrug off her shoulders. The heat wave spreading through Belleville, Ontario had reached staggering levels in the last couple of days. The air conditioning in the car barely cooled her skin. Plus being such an enclosed space alone with him after hours of dancing, soft touches as they mingled and were less than five feet away from one another all night had her on edge. “Of course they did. Who wouldn’t want to take a three-week cruise around the Caribbean? I’ll be sure to remind you and your brother of your generosity for my next birthday.”

He laughed and winked. “You’d have to be a very, very good girl.”

I’ll show you just how good I can be. Hayley pushed the thought away. For weeks she’d been having the same dream over and over. The erotic fantasies starring herself and Rory had left her breathless every time she woke, sweating and panting. It was all she thought about anymore. Images of the two of them having hot, sweaty sex—anywhere and everywhere—consumed her day and night. She trembled, flashes of heat zinging along her spine. Heart racing, she drew in a deep breath.

He captivated her in so many new ways these days. His kindness had always been there, but lately, she’d smile if mentioned helping an elderly lady get her groceries to the car. And the way he talked about himself, she got upset and angry. He complained about being a ginger, especially in the summer when he burned easily, but she loved his unique looks. Kind of geeky and studious mixed with sexiness and cute buoyancy he didn’t realize he possessed. She disliked hearing him put himself down.

How were any of her new reactions possible? They’d been best friends forever, and had shared all their secrets with one another.

Maybe the intense and potent way he looked at her now. At times when she’d glance at him, she’d catch darkness and smoldering heat in his eyes that made it difficult to breathe. Was it because she’d slimmed down over the last eight or nine months. She didn’t want to think about him like that, knew deep down that he wasn’t that shallow. But he had been giving her the eye lately, passion-filled stolen glances. Since then, the air around them had shifted.

He hadn’t hidden his reaction to her tonight when he’d picked her up for his parents’ anniversary party either.  Rory’s normally soft hazel eyes had turned a golden rich hue, and when she walked out of her bedroom, he’d let his gaze roam over her body. She knew she looked great in the bright blue satin, off-one-shoulder, mid-thigh gown that really made the azure in her eyes pop. Perhaps he agreed. His breath had hitched, his hands shook as he’d helped her with her shrug. His touch had lingered on her shoulders longer than needed. The warmth from his palms scalded against her already hot skin. He’d stood inches behind her, smoothing his hands down her back, and electricity tingled through her body, filling her with sudden fervor and desperation to feel his embrace. And make some of those naughty dreams she’d been having come true.

“You’ll be what, thirty-seven in a couple months, Hales? Maybe we should plan a cruise or something awesome for your fortieth? You’d look amazing in a skimpy bikini you know. Maybe a nude beach?”

The sound of Rory’s voice pulled her from her thoughts. She gulped and cleared her dry throat. “Um, yeah. Sure.” The air in the vehicle was nearly smothering.

“Hey.” He laid a hand on her thigh. Hayley gasped. Heat shot along the skin, hitting her straight to her pussy. Her pulse raced. “It’s like you’re in another world. You okay?”

“Of course,” Trying to mask her nerves, she laughed away his concern. “Fine. Just warm in here.” And I want you. So bad.

Avid Reader. Romance Author. Redhead…

Canadian-born author, Kacey Hammell is definitely a book-a-holic, who began reading romances at a young age and became easily addicted.  These days, as a multi-published erotic romance author, she enjoys adding a lot of heat, sass and emotion to the Contemporary Romances she writes.

A mom of three, Kacey has made certain each of her children know the value of the written word and the adventures they could escape on by becoming book-a-holics in their own right. She lives her own happily ever after with her perfect hero in Ontario, Canada, and is a true romantic at heart.

Connect with Kacey…

Website / Facebook / Facebook Author Page / Twitter / Amazon / Goodreads / Pinterest / Instagram

Rafflecopter Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A few years ago, when I submitted Ragged Edge, I thought the book was a one-off. Even though I love writing series, I assumed I would tell Dalton/Erin/Cade’s story and be done. During the first round of edits, my editor poked on me, saying she wanted more. About Collington Creek. About Second Circle. About the characters who lived in the town and even characters who were members of the club. So, with some gentle encouragement, a series was born.

In late 2013/early 2014, the next book of the series will release (edits haven’t started yet so I don’t have a more definite timeline yet), which also means the series has an actual title now, so I can stop referring to the books (Ragged Edge, Reclaiming the Edge, and an unannounced titled book) as simply Edge – world books. So, I bring you a fresh, shiny series title:

Body Masters

Ride the edge of ultimate pleasure with this tight knit group of Southern gentlemen who have dominance woven into their souls and love etched into their hearts.

While I was on vacation, I ran into a few instances where people heard I was an author and the gears started working in their mind. A few asked inevitable questions that make me laugh whenever I hear them, so I thought I’d post them here with the answers that are usually in my head.

You’re an author, you must live such a glamorous lifestyle!

If by glamorous, you mean sitting in front of a computer for 14 hours a day in PJs…if so, we need to have a serious talk.

You’re an author, you’re famous!

Maybe in my own mind…

You’re an author, you’re rich!

The only thing rich in my life is chocolate.

You turn in a book and BOOM! it’s published.

Erm, no. Not even close.

You’re an author, you have brilliant ideas!

Maybe 1/4 of the time. Publishing a book is a team effort, so my editors are sometimes the ones responsible for pushing me toward brilliance. And I

Every word you write must be pure gold.

More like gold plated tin. Believe it or not, I spend a lot of time during second drafts fixing the suckiness of the first draft.

You’re an author, you sell thousands of books!

Nope. In reality, the majority of authors are lucky to see a few hundred books. Most, even less. If I did sell that many, I’ve have more chocolate, though.

You’ve never experienced rejection.

Pfft. Want to see the rejection letters from publishers?

You must get tons of free books.

My credit card would tell you otherwise. I like buying books. I means I’m supporting other authors.

So there you have it, the truths about a few things some people assume to be true for published authors. So why do it then? Because of the love of writing, silly!