Control Issues--Yep, I Got 'Em

I meant to blog yesterday but had to recoup from my strenuous Sunday. I drove for 2 1/2 hours, each way, next to my husband and with two other couples into Atlanta to see the Packers/Falcons football game. LIVE. We tailgated, watched the two grown men with us get stupid drunk, then one of them, an Army major no less, get lost on the way back to the friggin' car, but we genuinely enjoyed the game. It was close, and to my surprise, there were a lot of Packers fans in the audience. Go Pack! (Yeah, well, they lost 20-17, but it was a really close game.)

Yet, for all that, the bizarre part of the entire trip is how much I dreaded it. I like to be behind the wheel. I like to own the remote control. I like things done my way. Period. Hmm, sounds like a person with control issues. A WRITER! I tell my characters what to do, where to go, and rein them in when they go way outside my story. It really hit me that I have the perfect career. Except for having to listen to editors and publishers in regards to the administrative details of writing, I am in charge.

For example, I've written about half of a story about two psychics, a ghost or hint of reincarnation, I can't figure out which. And the story bothers the crap out of me. I've already changed some facets of my hero once, and now I'm going to go back and gut the story again today. Why? Because the story needs it, and because I CAN!!

Well, heck, at least I've got some control. I'll take it when I can get it. Happy Tuesday, and stay dry. It's raining here.

Author of the Week

Hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving. I just realized I'm author of the week over at Total E-Bound. This means some of my titles there are available at 20% off. Just an FYI. And don't forget the free reads at ARe.The Just One Bite anthologies. See? There are savings all over the place today!

Happy Thanksgiving--And Free Reads!

Happy Thanksgiving! Hope everyone enjoys the holiday. And to thank you, please check out this free read. All Romance Ebooks sponsored a contest a while ago, and the finalists' short stories are bound into free volumes! Volume 2 contains my story, Fangs, Fur and Fae. Enjoy! Click on the cover for the book.

Vamps and Weres and Fae, oh my!

Throw in some Angels and Demons and Ghosts, add some spicy sex, and you've got the perfect recipe for one hot read. ARe's Just One Bite Anthology Volume 2 brings you the best of paranormal erotic romance from some of your favorite authors...

Amanda McIntyre, Victoria Blisse, Brenda Williamson, Yvette Hines, Dahlia Rose, Marie Harte, Jambrea Jo Jones, Bethany Michaels, Tracey H. Kitts, Linda Palmer, Karalynn Lee, Rosalie Stanton, Virginia Nelson, Kathleen Dienne

A Day to Ponder

A few things to ponder on this fine Tuesday:

• Why are manners a thing of the past? Is it so hard to say "thank you" for a kindness?
• How much longer until Tangled comes out, because I'm dying to see it?
• When the heck will I finish my current WIP? I'm hoping by January if not sooner. But come on muse, wake UP!!
  
• When will I paint over this sickeningly cheery yellow wall color in my study? Because before coffee, anything this happy is incredibly annoying.
• Will I survive the upcoming Packers/Falcon's game I'm attending in Atlanta this weekend? Note: my husband is driving.
  

And that's all my brain can handle right now. I have kids in the house I'm watching--in addition to mine--while a friend takes her mom to an appointment, and I haven't had an caffeine yet today. 'Nuff said. Now back to work...

New Author, Ayla Ruse

Today I'm interviewing new author Ayla Ruse at Hitting the Hot Spot. Come on over and say hey.

Free Reads!!

Just thought I'd pass this along. Samhain is giving away a few free books to tempt you into looking for more. Totally worth it, because there are some great authors with great reads. Check out their Facebook page for deets. And you can click to download to your Nook or Kindle easily. I added two today. Don't miss out...

More Cover Gladness

Happy Friday! Thought I'd share the cover for my upcoming January 2011 release from TEB. Wolf Wanted, a m/m shifter story. Enjoy!

WOLF WANTED

Demon Prince Liam cast a spell for a wolf, and Anson exceeds his expectations. He’s golden, he’s sexy, and he’s a werewolf— a unique being in the world of shifters. After a hundred years of cursed living, Liam has a chance to finally break free from the spell holding his inner wolf at bay and embrace both his wolf and demon heritage. He never planned on falling in love with Anson, or of taking the maddening werewolf to mate. But his plans for a happily-ever-after come to a screeching halt when the evil sorceress who cursed him returns. She refuses to take ‘no’ for answer, and then she sets her sights on Anson…

Wowzers, Part II

Here it is! The cover for KATE UNDONE.

Coming to Ellora's Cave in just 2 weeks! December 1st...
To read an excerpt, click here.

Wowzers

Wowzers. This has been my word for the week. Not sure why I keep using it. It used to be Inspector Gadget's favorite word. Go go, gadget legs! (Sorry, an Inspector Gadget reference.) The point of this monotony is that I finally have my cover for Kate Undone, coming to Ellora's Cave Dec 1st. I'm excited to share it, but don't want to jump the gun. As soon as I get the go-ahead, I'm posting it here. Wowzers.

A Top Ten List

I guest blogged at Delilah Devlin's last week and wrote a stellar, if I do say so myself, post from a reader's perspective. Because sure, I write, but I also read a ton. On my website I listed the wrong date for the post, which actually hit on Nov 11th, not the 10th. So in case you missed it, here it is.
A Reader's Top Ten Guide for a Great Romance.

A Good Monday? Odd.

I can't fathom how, but this is shaping up to be a good week! I found my missing sunglasses this morning. No one was late for school, and I didn't forget to send the food with my kid for his party on Friday. (Food was due today.) I exercised first thing this morning, and though I haven't had any coffee yet, I'm still awake. Holy crap. It's like I'm dreaming!

On another note, it's time to start working on RetroCog again, though I think I'm going to change the title. RetroCog sounds too funky, cool, and almost steampunkish, but the story is about a psychic, reincarnation, hauntings, and a murder (or two). Doesn't fit. I have a few days to work on the book before I bog down in serious edits on Journeyman's Ride, which I found out releases April 25th from Carina Press. Woohoo! And I have to get my cover art request in as well. Fingers crossed.

So happy Monday to you all. And to all, a good week.

Dawn Endeavor In Print: NOW!!!

It arrived! My author copies of Dawn Endeavor: THE CIRCS are here, at my house, in my greedy little hands! The excitement, the joy, the pretty, pretty books!

This volume is big. It contains Fallon's Flame and Hayashi's Hero, the first two books in the Dawn Endeavor series. I can only hope this means books 3 and 4, Julian's Jeopardy and the recently released Gunnar's Game, will also soon be available in print.

I'm thinking up a contest to give away a copy. So give me some time and I'll make it a good one.

Happy Friday! And to read more about this book, click here (you'll be directed to the Amazon link.)

Contains the books Fallon's Flame and Hayashi's Hero.

Remembering Veteran's Day

A Happy Veteran's Day (to follow yesterday's happy birthday to the USMC.) Remembering all those who served their country.
To CWO4 R.D. Jacobson for 23 years of dedicated service to the Corps.
For Cpl Joseph Owens, who gave his life in Beirut in 1983.
You're remembered. And to all the others who've served, lived and died for their country. Thank you.

Happy Birthday Marines

Happy Birthday to the United States Marine Corps
235 years of service and sacrifice
Semper Fi and God Bless

Facebook Bites

Yes, in my ignorance, I am spewing venom and verbally blowing up (see picture, left) at Facebook. It seems so easy to use, yet it's not. I'm friending people left and right, mostly authors, and I'm enjoying the "social" process, I guess. But it's frustrating to not know what else to do. I attended an MS Office Live Meeting via Harlequin today to learn more about Facebook. As a result, I created a fan page. But I have no friggin' clue what to do with it.

I have gotten zero work done on my current WIP lately, spending this afternoon on Facebook and the morning chaperoning my kid's field trip to Steed's Dairy Farm. Fun, but so distracting. And Facebook just makes my brain hurt. Ack!

Anyway, if you want to check out the mess that is the Marie Harte facebook page, click on the link I added to the right on my blog. Somewhere. sigh.

Yippee Skipee! It's Finally Here!

Gunnar's Game, the fourth and final book in the Dawn Endeavor series, is now available from Loose Id!!

Enjoy Gunnar's story, but don't be surprised who wins the game at the end. In this book, all the answers are finally revealed. Take that, Mrs. Sharpe!

The Story:

It’s time Ava claimed her mate. The Viking won’t fall easily, so she won’t play fair. When it comes to love, she’ll leave nothing to chance. Conquering his heart is a game worth winning, and Ava’s playing for keeps.

To read a more in depth blurb and excerpt, or to purchase the book, click here.

New Release: AFTERSHOCKS

Good Monday morning. And here, celebrating a new release, are the Storm Lords! Today, Cadmus Storm, Earth Lord and Light Bringer, has his story released from Total E-Bound. AFTERSHOCKS, Book Four, is now available for your reading pleasure...

Book four in the Storm Lords Series

They should be enemies, but he won’t let them. And what a Storm Lord wants, a Storm Lord gets.

Light and Dark have always been enemies. The Earth Lord, Cadmus Storm, knows this all too well. He’s lost his father and friends to the Darkness invading his homeworld. Now stuck in Seattle, of all places, he’s itching to return to Tanselm.

He thought he’d found solace in the arms of Ellie Markham. The tall, scheming blonde managed him with ease, then turned his world upside down when he learned she was his enemy. He left her behind, but when circumstances force him to return to her once more, he finds she’s not the hardhearted Djinn he assumed, but a caring, loving woman he hurt with harsh words.

He’ll have to work hard to win her back, and even harder to avoid an insidious enemy bent on ending everything Light—and Dark—Cadmus loves. When danger again comes calling, he and Ellie will have to stay rooted to each other, and to the truth-that love has no boundaries.

To read more, click here.

Release Date Update

Kate Undone, a book set in the Voider world, will be out from Ellora's Cave on December 1st!

Here's the blurb.

In the year 2078, Cross Step is home to strange portals called Voids, and species who’ve come through are now a part of everyday society. Humans mistakenly compare Ravagers to werewolves, but Ravagers are so much more than myth. They’re real, and they’re here to stay.

Kate Savage should be the happiest Ravager on the planet. She finally has the two males she’s been lusting after for years. But her mates don’t seem to want her. To make matters worse, she’s in her first heat. But when she wakes up in a hotel room, tied up and confronted with two angry mates who feel wronged and abandoned, things really fire up.

Logan and Jesse are tired of tradition and waiting on Kate. They’ve decided to claim her themselves, and to finally get the stubborn female to see what’s in front of her. Love, lust and danger combine to make Kate’s heat the hottest thing ever. If the three of them have the courage to put their hearts on the line, they’ll have that happily-ever-after yet.

To read an excerpt, click here.

Bloody Distraction

Yeah, it was bloody. And the prick of the needle hurt, and I had to wait forever to get stuck. But I gave blood today, and I have the tee-shirt to prove it! Needless to say, between giving blood and my daughter who was vomiting all day long, I accomplished nothing, workwise. I feel bad about the girl, but she's 18 and there's not much to do when she's sick but wait it out. There's a flu going around, and of course, it hits the one person in the family who makes The Exorcist look like child's play. It's awful, sounds like she's throwing up a lung, and so loud I'm surprised people in San Francisco weren't checking to see if an earthquake was about to hit. sigh. I just hope she's better soon. And that I get back to friggin' work.
On another note, I celebrated another birthday yesterday. Scorpios unite!

A Writing Contest Worth Entering

Thought I'd share this. A writing contest from Tawny Taylor, and the three finalists get critiques of their manuscripts from Grace Bradley, my editor at Ellora's Cave. It's a great contest. It's free, it's not a popularity contest but based upon your writing, and you get the possibility of terrific feedback on your story if you final. You've got nothing to lose and everything to gain by entering. These are the kinds of contests I look to enter.

Good luck!

Announcing the second ~Some Like It Hot~ writing contest

Starting October 25th, 2010, Tawny Taylor will be hosting a writing contest!
The final judge is an editor from Ellora’s Cave.

The Prize? Read on!

All SubGenres of erotic romance accepted, including:
~Contemporary~Fantasy~Futuristic~ Shapeshifter/Vampire~BDSM~

*You may submit one chapter–not to exceed 5000 words. Stories must be complete and unpublished.

*Each Monday, two stories will be selected by an Ellora’s Cave editor who is actively acquiring. At the end, six weekly winning authors will submit a partial (first three chapters, last chapter and synopsis) to the final judge for ranking.

The first place winner will receive …

A critique of the full winning manuscript by EC editor Grace Bradley!

The second place winner will receive…

A critique of the partial manuscript by EC editor Grace Bradley (first three chapters, last and synop).

The third place winner will receive…

A critique of the first chapter by EC editor Grace Bradley.

THE DETAILS:

*Starting Date: October 25th 2010
(Submissions received between 12:00 am October 25th and 11:59 pm October 29th will be considered for round one. Submissions received between 12:00am Oct. 30 and 11:59 pm November 5th will be considered for round two. And submissions received between 12:00am November 6th and 11:59 November 12th will be considered for round three.)

*Weekly Finalists Announced on November 1, 2010, November 8, 2010 and November 15, 2010.

*Last Finalist Announced: November 15, 2010

*Entries will be accepted until 11:59 pm November 12, 2010

*NO Entry Fee or purchase necessary to win

*Please send entries to writingcontest@tawnytaylor.com. A one-page synopsis may be included along with genre, word count, and your name and contact information.

*For any questions, email Tawny (tawny@tawnytaylor.com)

OFFICIAL RULES:

Eligibility

This contest is open to both unpublished and published authors of erotic romance fiction. All entries shall be the author’s original work and not contracted for publication prior to the entry deadline. (Authors currently published with Ellora’s Cave are not eligible to enter.)

Entry Deadline
All entries must be received between 12:00 am October 25th and 11:59pm November 12th (Eastern U.S. Timezone).

Entry Details
Entries will be accepted in electronic (e-mail) submissions only. If you have problems sending electronically, please email the coordinator.

Each electronic entry should include:
One (1) copy of the first chapter of your manuscript (5000 words maximum) and 1-page synopsis (single spaced is acceptable, but please, keep the font at 12pt or larger). Total entry must be in one file; synopsis can go at the beginning or end of an entry.

Name and contact information must be listed in the body of the e-mail.
You will get a confirmation of the arrival of your entry. If you do not receive a confirmation within two days of sending, please e-mail the coordinator to ask if it was received. (tawny@tawnytaylor.com)

Entries should be received in RTF (rich text format) files only.

Please enter a story only once. Authors may enter more than one story, but only one per week. Please keep in mind, the book must be finished.

Judging

First Round: The first round will be judged by Grace Bradley

The scores/scoresheets will NOT be returned to entrants. Entries will be judged on the following: plot, pacing, characterization, genre appropriateness, narration, dialogue, writing mechanics and originality.

Weekly winners will advance to the final round.

Final Round:

The finalists will be asked to send the first three chapters, last chapter and synopsis to the coordinator by 11:59 pm November 19th, 2010 for final judging.

The winner of the grand prize will be announced on November 29th, 2010.

Notification

The first round finalists will be announced weekly on Tawny’s blog and facebook page, the last one on November 15th, 2010.

Additional Prizes:

One entry will be selected each week by random drawing to received a detailed critique by an author published with Ellora’s Cave. The weekly random drawing winner will also by announced on Tawny’s website and blog.

IMPORTANT!
Understand that by entering you are stating that:

1. You have read, understand and agree to abide by the rules of the Some Like it Hot writing competition.

2. You understand that contest judging is subjective, and that the decisions of the judges will be final.

3. You agree to be bound by the judges’ decisions and by the contest officials’ decisions, regarding any question or dispute arising from or relating to the contest, the interpretation of official rules, and any other matters relating to the contest, not specifically covered by the official rules.

4. In the event of any dispute arising from or relating to this contest, you agree to defend and hold harmless Ellora’s Cave, Tawny Taylor, contest personnel, and judges from any and all liability.

You understand that failure to agree to the above terms automatically disqualifies your entry.

PLEASE DO NOT ENTER IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO THESE CONDITIONS.

Finally, please understand Ellora’s Cave publishes Erotic Romance. If you have questions about what is appropriate material to submit, see the submissions guidelines

While no purchase is required to enter or win, I suggest anyone wishing to enter Tawny’s Some Like It Hot writing contest read books published by Ellora’s Cave.

Good luck and Good Writing!

Tawny Taylor

Missing In Action

Have you seen this bear? This is Brownie, my five-year-old's best friend. Unfortunately, Brownie went missing sometime this weekend, and my life since has been dedicated to finding this bear.

My husband and I have tried to figure out how many hours of our lives we've dedicated to tracking down stuffed animals. Too friggin' many, I can tell you that. But as annoying it is, finding the animal and handing it over to a hopeful little boy makes it all worth it in the end. But I'm starting to lose hope that we'll find Brownie. I've turned the house upside-down and he's nowhere to be found.

I swear, I feel as if I've lost my best friend. My son is happy until he remembers he's lost Brownie, and then he cries. Ack. This animal hunt consumes me, and it's intruding on everything. Ever tried to write a sexy scene with a plush bear on the brain? Doesn't happen. (No, I'm not into Plushophilia... and if you don't know what that is, you didn't see that CSI episode that was just very, very weird.) So I'm trying to put Brownie on the back-burner during the day and stick to writing, but it's not easy.

Cross your fingers and wish us luck. For I fear Brownie may be lost to us forever. sigh

Halloween Contest Winner

Congratulations to Tanya H. for winning the Halloween Contest. Thanks to everyone who participated, and look for the next contest on my website/newsletter, themed around the upcoming holidays. Happy reading!