Thursday 30 April 2015

Absence Expiation


You know what I hate most in this publishing world…
                 
1) That final read through before you get the formatting sorted and submit a story
2) The gallery read.

The worse is they are the same thing, both forcing you to re-read the whole book in one go to make sure no one’s missed anything.

Okay, so that more for the gallery then the last read, but then while you’re doing you are doing the same thing, it’s just you hope you’ll change more from the first number then you are one the second

It took me all of Tuesday to read the first chapter (and I didn’t make it the whole way through), Wednesday I finished because I wouldn’t let myself go to sleep before I did so.

I just really hate that finally read, and yeah I know, you read it while editing, that’s true, but unless you’re editing is long overdue and you’ve moved well on from the story. You generally don’t have to read the whole thing to understand why or how the sentences are changed or what it is your saying when a paragraph doesn’t make sense. Tho, that last one could just be more.

My point is you don’t really read the whole story while you read it… okay, so maybe that made even little sense.

But those two points I pointed out those are the time where you need to read the whole book, every single effing word.

I’m sure I’m not the only one that hates this, but I’m in a massive brain fart and have been since the story was finished. I think tho, because the story isn’t finished, so I want to write it, but I can’t because I’ve got so much I need to do before I can just write.

Anyway, A Road Worth Travelling (ARWT #1) is read and submitted.

I made a new cover, I know I know, what for it worked but I do like this one better, and I think it works more with the story then the last one. 

DRitC - Love is an Open Road Cover
Oh, and hey, sorry for my empty blog week. I’ll pick back up today!

Tuesday 28 April 2015

Just Yapping I Suppose

It’s the night before the posting, aka 10pm on Monday night, and I’m trying hard to talk myself into going to bed before Person of Interest while stay up so, well, I can watch Person of Interest.

I really need buy the box set because it’s a great show, but well, it’s the type I believe I’ll get real obsessed about and I won’t really have the time for that until the end of July at the earliest.

But this isn’t really want you want to hear about that.

Sunday I went to the Meed Max Vos event in the city, and yes, it was as great as everyone said, even if I had a near panic attack before I saw Shaz walk up the stair.
Honestly, can’t meet people by myself without wanting to pass out first. And I’d really like to say I’m over exaggerating, which is a thing of mine, but I’m downplaying it this time.

I managed to get myself over there, thanks Shaz, and then had a great time, meeting a few new people, getting back together with some older ones.  

Today, I’m re-reading and sending off me DRitC story. I’m scared shitless that it’s boring as batshit and that everyone’s going to hate me for it. You know, because it’s just the start of the story, but both my betas’ say it’s good, and that I did it really well. You know, for the plan.

The plan is, just so we are all on the same page, is that it will either come out as a novel in 6 months of I’ll pull on the serial. I’m still got eyes on the serial angle I think I have a really cool idea, but the fact is, the story is a novel, and so if I’m able to write it all in one smooth move without needing breaks than I’ll pull it out as one.

It’s my first novel tho, since being published, so bear with me please.

Next on my agenda?

Right this second I’m putting together the pieces for to anthologies of shorts.

One for the Moonlit Wolves series. I’ve spoken of this before and I’ve already got them all ready to go. But I’d like to add a few, just to get all the boys in this first arc in there, even if 2 couples haven’t been written yet.

The other is for a paperback.

This one is with April Kelley and it’s for GRL this year – and maybe next, all my short stories are going in there, including a prologue to Gotta Start Somewhere as well as a short YA that I’ve never seen light of day before.

I’m looking forward to seeing them in print, along with April’s stories, but it’s all little work, in all honesty I believe there’s only about 2K left of actually writing to finish out my 2015 publishing year.

I am more and more hopeful that my year will end in July, and this means that I’ll have the format ready for paperback, Being That For You in proofing, or at least the file ready for proofing, as it’s not out until Nov there’s no rush on proofing it, which means, well, I’ll wait my turn, of course.

Hope is just my insecurities but I know it’ll get done, really, it’s all pretty much there, just a few K and walla.

I’m pretty happy with myself, feel light and airy tho that could just be me coming down from a stressful month or two. But still. I’m feeling good, hoping to keep myself there for the rest of the year as a min, and next….

Oh, I have big plans for next year that I’m going to try not to think about because they are scary as fuck.

And yes, I did stay up for the new ep of Person of Interest. Like I’d be able to resist, I’m hooked.

Saturday 25 April 2015

MySexySaturday



Welcome to the 89th week

This week’s theme is Sexy Me Twice and this is where just once is not enough. Think lovers who can’t get enough of each other. Where they spend every waking moment together. And it’s in a very, very sexy way.

The only couple I can think of that I have that I can’t think of, well, I mentioned earlier in the week …

Eamon flicked his eyes open, not realizing he had closed them as he let the feeling of fire warm him up. He looked down at Chris. His soft hair was rough around his head, his face a little sharper than he’d realized before, though it still held that soft curve that made him hold a beautiful edge that wouldn’t stay for long. He would become quite stunning when he lost that extra bit of baby fat his face seemed to be clinging to. His lips were on the thin side, which made him masculine, where plump lips would have turned him feminine.
His body was solid, a stocky thinness that wasn’t uncommon in men of his size, and a physique that Eamon tend to like. Even if Patrick was more boy-like, this man in front of him could be called nothing but male, which Chris proved with the grip that was just this side of crushing Eamon’s hand.
“Nice to meet you.” Eamon’s voice had a softer edge to it that he couldn’t help.
A breath left Chris’ mouth, his eyes blinked open and his tongue rolled over his lips. Beautiful blue eyes were slightly glazed, pupils wide, with something deep in their depths that was screaming for Eamon to give him what he needed.
It wasn’t sex, which was what surprised Eamon the most. However, it was there, loud and clear, but deep inside Eamon. Somewhere that hadn’t been touched, not even by Patrick, opened up in him. Some Alpha gene that had been suppressed because it wasn’t needed stretched its legs inside of Eamon and demanded that he take the boy and make him his.
Then, Chris blinked again and the glaze was gone, the wall was back, and Eamon forgot about the awakening of himself as if he’d never felt it there in the first place.
Chris swallowed. “Ya, you, too.” He  let go and walked in and closed the bathroom door. 


And onto the pimping and other random facts linked to this hop

Friday 24 April 2015

Apirl's Interlude



I want to introduce you to my brand new series called Lakehouse Security. The first book in the series will be available to you May 1, 2015. So in just a little over a week! You can get it at http://www.extasybooks.com.

So just a little bit about the series as a whole. Lakehouse Security is owned by the Newell family. It's a big military family where there are five brothers and two sisters. Three of the brother's are ex-military. One brother is still serving and then Ryan never joined, becoming a paramedic instead. However, even Ryan works for the Security company the brothers started. The series centers around one of their cases in which gay men are getting kidnapped. This is an important case because during the brothers all fall in love.

I wanted to create a series where there was more action and adventure then I'm used to writing but still tell a love story. I hope you like it.

Here's a sneak peak at Book One in the series, Sudden Love.



When Love comes suddenly, sometimes you just have to go with it.

Xander Newell isn’t the one nightstand type of guy. He wants a commitment with someone who is willing to put up with his crazy family and being away on the job sometimes. Finding someone who is willing to put up his brothers, who he lives and works with on a daily basis is hard to find. Still Xander’s not willing to compromise.

Xander gets called off bodyguard duty to investigate this religious cult that may be tied to some kidnappings of young men. He finds Aaron Keller, one of the missing young men. What he doesn’t expect is the instant attraction and longing for the man. Xander just wants to keep Aaron safe, even if that means backing off.


Excerpt
Xander turned and looked at him then, scowling as he nodded once. Turning from the shower he opened the wrapper on one of the plastic hotel cups and filled it with tap water.  He handed Aaron the cup and Aaron drank slowly. He handed the cup back to Xander and Xander filled it again, leaving a full glass on the sink counter within Aaron’s reach. “Do you need help in the shower?”
Aaron shook his head but he honestly didn’t know if he’d be able to stand or not.
“I’ll leave the door open. If you need me just yell, okay.” Xander pulled a toothbrush and toothpaste out of his back pocket and laid them on the sink. He stepped out of the room, leaving Aaron to himself. Ryan stood just outside the door looking in on him.
“Stop staring,” he heard Xander say, presumable to Ryan.
Ryan smiled and winked at him. “I’m just making sure he doesn’t need my help.”
“If he needs help, then I’ll be the one to do it,” Xander growled out.
Aaron stood, his legs still shaky, and pulled off his clothes. They were more rags than clothing anymore. He pulled back the shower curtain and stepped into the tub. The warm water felt good on his skin. He could actually see the dirt wash off of him, mixing with the water. The dark brown coloring at his feet let him know exactly how dirty he was. He instantly was embarrassed because he must smell, although he was used to his own ripe odor to really know for sure. His hair was so greasy and nasty the water seemed to flow right over it. He tried to open the wrapping on the bar of soap but his hands shook so bad he couldn’t seem to get them to work.
“Xander,” he called out and the man was there instantly. Aaron handed him the bar of soap with an arm out of the curtain. “Would you help me? I can’t stop shaking.”
Xander took the wrapped soap from him. Within seconds, Xander was handing it back through the opening of the shower curtain. Aaron looked at that strong tanned arm, and those blond hairs getting wet, for a few extra seconds before taking the soap from him. Xander started pulling his hand out but Aaron grabbed it in his own. His fingers trailed along the back of Xander’s hand a few times before he finally let the man go. To Xander’s credit he didn’t say anything, just let Aaron do what he wanted.

Thursday 23 April 2015

Characters Character


Who is next…. I think we end up with Chris from Taking Control of My Werewolf

I thought I’d start off with him as he’s actually one for the harder characters to write. Not because he’s not a talker but Chris is meant to be from a part of my personality that I have managed, for the most part, to get rid of.
 
He’s my defensiveness.

The thing is, I did get rid of a lot of it and so that burning need to…defend myself, to create these massive bubbles of tension and conflict in order to defuse my own stupidity wasn’t there anymore.

It was hard writing.

I wanted him to be spark, to be hate filled and to carry a secret around that he thinks will ruin his life if it gets out.

I have re-wrote and re-wrote the sex scene three times before I settled on the one we have. and this is because of two reasons

1) I started off this book with a sex scene, one that ends up more in a side story then what was necessarily there. The scene was about Chris being tied up and a leather belt ripped his skin away.

He loved it, every glorious moment of it, because he’d kink is pain. Full stop. He’s not a sub in any other way but pain, and that works for him, it worked for the story, until I met Eamon

2) Eamon.
The thing is I never really saw Eamon until he turned away from the werewolves and walked himself back into the house where he drank himself to sleep.

Yeah I got peeks, but nothing really, because Chris was demanding too much, he wanted pain and Eamon, though…okay, not his point. Eamon was a Dom and D/s type of dom. So I hate these two people, suited beautifully together, only they both think they are one type of person, one type of leather.

Sigh.

So I had this idea of where they needed to be and I put them there, because it was easy. All I’d written about them was that one sex scene.

The thing was, it was all wrong for them, and that bothered me for months after finishing the book, I had even submitted it before I got a clue and changed the sex scene, and now… it’s perfect.

Chris, I hated writing every minute of Chris because even though I was managing to push away all this defensiveness he made me see things I didn’t want to remember. Let me realise how much it took over me life. It didn’t tell me anything else, I knew why I was like that, it was inevitable and I still find myself struggling to bite back the snap when it rears back up again. To realise I’m not being rational, and all that.

I think tho, it’s was hard because even though he was meant to have this anger, this defensiveness he is nothing like me, and a lot of his pain and his need to prove he could help save everyone. that he was worthy of someone to hold him and reassure him, when he’d put himself into positions where that would never be given to him.

In the end I think it help that they both held this different part of the leather world and as they wanted to hold onto what they had, they craved the other part, they both just needed someone to open there hearts and let them be who they are meant to be.

And yes, I do see how I’ve managed to make it about both of them, but unlike a lot of the other couples, these two…I don’t know, they are one.

Lol, they that couple in your life that once they are together there isn’t a single one anyone, it’s both or nothing. 


Endnote: I am putting together an anthology of Moonlit Wolves shorts. At the moment it sits at 11K.
The stories are what I wanted to put with the books themselves, as they are moments in them – like how Jex and Matt ended up fucking on the lounge in book 4, or what’s with the tension between Phil and Craig in book 7.
I also have a few other shorts, just catching up with all the books.

My question is, what is it you want? Would you like a sneak peak short of the next book? would you like a short from inside one of the books we have already seen. do you desperately want to check in on someone. Now’s your change.

Email me, comment here, or find me, or a post on FB and tell me what you’d love most in the collection and I’ll see about helping you out.

This is going to be published for Christmas, but the end for submitting you thoughts is the end of May as I’ll be submitting the anthology in July at the latest.

If you need a place to chat with me about it – and I’d be more than happy to, join my group by clicking here