Wild Adventures (AK and otherwise) with Rue Allyn

I can’t say that my adventures in Alaska were wild. Yes, I’ve actually been to the land of the midnight sun (when I was thirteen—so it’s been a while). The train that follows the gold rush trail from Skagway to Whitehorse, Yukon (in Canada) is a treat. I’ll bet that despite the passage of a decade or three you can still see some of the stuff left behind by people following the trail. Things take longer to deteriorate in Alaska because of the permafrost. I spent most of that summer in Fairbanks with my folks who were exchange professors at the U of A. I had my first fresh salmon (delicious, frozen can’t compare). I saw my first midnight sun (R. W. Service’s The Cremation of Sam McGee has been one of my favorite poems since I started reading) and had my first experience of sleeping with aluminum foil covering the windows to block out the light.

I repeated that last experience when the Navy sent me and my husband to duty in Keflavik, Iceland. Our eldest child was three months old. Imagine trying to establish a night time routine when there wasn’t much of any night for several months. Add watch duty rotations (Days, Afternoons, Midnights) and parenting becomes a really wild adventure. Military service throws all sorts of monkey wrenches in to what civilians think of as ‘normal’ life.

That happens to Senior Chief Hank O’Mara and Lieutenant Bethany Morton in my erotic romance Off Limits (available now from Red Sage Publishing and other fine e-retailers). Both are happy in their lives as career Navy personnel and neither expects to have that life turned upside down by falling in love with someone who is literally Off Limits. But these two seasoned sailors roll with the punches. Like military parents, newlyweds, students and all our service members they make sacrifices to be able to love each other and serve their country too. Off Limits is available now from Red Sage Publishing. You can find an excerpt here. I’d love to have you leave comments either on this post or any other topic you choose.


A bit about Rue Allyn—I wrote my first story around the age of five and read my first romance at the age of eight. I’ve been in love with being in love ever since. I’m happily married to my sweetheart of many, many years. We share the home of two cats, who condescend to allow me to feed them and clean their litter box. They occasionally permit me to pet them but demand my love and attention as their right. I am in awe of their feline ability to dominate with half a glance or a mere twitch of tail. I am insatiably curious, an avid reader and traveler. I love to hear from readers about your favorite books and real life adventures. I also love my work. Seriously, what could be more fun than sharing love and adventure with all your friends? For more about me and my books go to http://RueAllyn.com.

"It's Time, Not Age" with Guest Natalie Damschroder

The other day, Cathy mentioned being 3F (female, fertile, and forty). Well, I'm 3F too, and the last F is really annoying me.

When I was younger, I used to get really annoyed by my "elders" (like my mother) blaming age on everything. Their minds were going because they left the coffee in the microwave after heating it. Three times. Short-term memory lapses, putting things where they weren't supposed to be, and a million other details of daily living were blamed on getting old. It always sounded like a cop-out to me.

I didn't want to be that way. And I'm fighting it, believe me! In fact, I think the problem is really a convergence of two things. Yes, we're older, and maybe our brains are aging like our bodies. Or maybe, aging just happens to coincide with the busiest time of our lives. We have way too many things to think about, too much on our to-do lists and filling our schedule books.

Of course, I don't like to blame my body breakdown on age, either. I'm not full of aches and pains because I'm 40, I'm full of aches and pains because I have three completely sedentary jobs that take too many hours a day and leave me behind and feeling guilty if I take time to exercise. I feel like I'm approaching a point of no return, though. I'm going to have to find a way to compromise.

One specific thing I used to make fun of my mother for, I now completely understand, though. It's a function of time, though not of age. She used to have this super-old, super-stuffed address book. I'd look for something in it, and 20-year-old pieces of paper would fall out. Sections would be so full stuff was written in the margins. I picked on her for not cleaning it out, at least, and really thought she should have gotten a new one, transferred over the relevant, current dates.

Yeah. *snort* I so get it now.

My address book? I bought it my freshman year of college. Some of the people in it, I haven't talked to since I graduated from high school. In 1988. I'm proud to say I only have four pieces of paper stuck in the front... You know what? Forget it. At least here, I can be self-righteous. My brother came home from Afghanistan months ago. *recycle* That business card can go in my business card file. *set aside* Those directions to Number One's best friend's house when she was 5? I used it once. And she's 16 now. *recycle* And that username and password are for a credit card I haven't used in a decade. *shred*

Where was I?

Oh, yeah! Call me a hypocrite, because I'm not giving up this book. Yes, the binding dried out and separated years ago. And the Js (my maiden name is Jacobus) and Rs (the Raffenetti branch moved a lot) are full and encroaching on nearby sections. But this is living history! I can't remember Mark-from-Ichabod's last name? I just flip through the first pages of each letter until I find him. (Daley!) It amuses me that in 23 years, I've never picked up a friend with a last name starting with E or I (Q, V, etc., are expected).

And you know what else? It will take too damned long to copy the current stuff over. And that's what really matters.

~~~~~~~~~~~
The heroines in Natalie J. Damschroder's upcoming releases may not be 3F quite yet, but they're not ingenues, either. And they totally kick ass, literally as well as figuratively (which is the only way Natalie can manage it, herself).




Behind the Scenes October 31, 2011
A romantic adventure about a security expert who refuses to let her attraction to the movie star under her protection be a distraction…especially when it makes him a direct target.

Carina Press | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible coming soon.

Under the Moon November 1, 2011
A paranormal romance about a modern-day goddess who teams up with her protector—and forbidden soulmate—to track down the leech who’s been stealing power from other goddesses.



Entangled Publishing | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

You can learn more about Natalie and her books at her website, eHarlequin, Goodreads, Twitter, and Facebook. She blogs with four other obsessed passionate Supernatural fans at Supernatural Sisters, with a number of fantastic romance authors at Everybody Needs a Little Romance, and just to hear herself talk at Indulge Yourself.

I'm in the Mood for.....

?????


I have a dilemma, friends. What to blog about next? A few fun things are coming up:

I'll be at the Carina Press SF blog Contact: Infinite Futures next week, and have a sort of plan in mind for that one.

The lovely Natalie Damschroder is scheduled to be here on the 27th. (Read her "Fight or Flight" and LOVED it! Go get it!)

But between now and then, what to post? A long excerpt from Rulebreaker? A character study scene I wrote featuring Zia Talbot? A bit of a paranormal western I've been mulling? A rant about bread-stealing bears?

What do you think?

WRITING A SF NOVEL PART 4: THE WRITING PROCESS--Guest author Robert Appleton

How lucky we are! SF author Robert Appleton is here today with the next installment of his five part series AND this is the release day for his newest book, Sparks in the Cosmic Dust from Carina Press!


WRITING A SF NOVEL PART 4: THE WRITING PROCESS

Or Thru the Black Hole

iPod fully charged. Check. Assorted Jerry Goldsmith, John Williams, James Horner, Holst and other cosmic composers set to continuous play. Check. Phone off. Check. John Carter of Mars & Dejah Thoris and Luke & Yoda posters nicely lit on the wall. Check. Sisyphean mindset in place. Um, check. Genius in place. I wish. Ideas racing at light speed. CHECK-CHECK-CHECK...

It’s hard to describe the moment-to-moment process of actually writing the book without sounding pretty insane. Sure, I’m using the craft I’ve learned painstakingly over years of storytelling. I can describe to you the structure and the characters and the worldbuilding and how to create tension and emotion. But what I can’t tell you is exactly how I combine all those, moment to moment, to spin the threads uniquely mine.

Without coming across as too goofy, I will say that while anyone with a competent grasp of language can learn the nuts and bolts required to write a novel, you have to take it far beyond that. Not that I’ve mastered this gig yet—I don’t think you ever really do—but what makes a strong piece of storytelling stand out from the crowd is, for me, something that can’t be taught. It’s the moment to moment intuition, the descriptive flights of fancy, the feel for tension and emotion in a given scenario, the insights into human behaviour you’ve picked up over a lifetime. You don’t know for sure they’re going to work on the page but you trust your instincts anyway.

Writing is generating those sparks in cosmic dust and using them to light your way.

You can’t be that intense all the time, of course. Knowing when to step off the gas is just as important in novel writing. You don’t want to exhaust the reader. And the best way to ensure that is to keep the writing smooth and natural: pacing is another intuitive skill, probably the easiest one to get wrong when you’re wrapped up in the grammar mechanics and the plot points and the million other factors jostling for your attention. There comes a point where you have to just glide and let your instincts take over, otherwise you’d be agonising for a year over each chapter.

The hardest scenes for me to write in Sparks in Cosmic Dust were those with group dialogue. It’s like acting all the parts in a play on your own, and each character has to have a unique voice while also driving the story forward. I’m at my best with one on one dialogue—I like generating friction in the backs and forths—but in a five-strong group, it’s harder to settle into a groove. It’s also hard to give each character equal weight. While it’s often necessary to focus on one or two in the scene, you have to at least consider the others’ POV, even if they’re not speaking.

The easiest chapters were, strangely enough, the action scenes. There are quite a few in Sparks, especially in the second half. But I’ve found from past experience that my action scenes flow much better if I write them in one go. The ebb and flow requires continuity, and any time I have to stop-start, I lose that momentum. One extended chase/fight scene ending on the beach of Zopyrus I had to spread over two chapters, but I made sure I got the whole thing done in two days. It also had an emotional climax, which may have ultimately worked better because I was so exhausted. The desperation the characters felt mirrored my own.

I outlined thirty-odd chapters before I wrote Sparks, giving a paragraph for each chapter. That’s always the most critical part of novel writing for me in that the story arcs have to work in condensed form before I even think about embarking on the journey into the black hole. Chapters evolve as I write, but for the most part that initial outline is close to the end product.

It took me three months to write Sparks, and another one to edit it before submission. That’s a pretty quick turnaround, especially the latter part. I think the confidence gained from having written four previous novels allowed me to loosen up and trust my intuition this time. The result is my most ambitious and probably my most consistent SF book yet.

Today is launch day for Sparks in Cosmic Dust! Woohoo! To celebrate, I’m posting a five-part look at the book’s development, from initial concept to book launch. I'm also giving away one SF title from my back catalogue with each segment, ending with a special Sparks giveaway. The winners will be all announced on September 30th on my own blog: http://robertbappleton.blogspot.com

Here’s where you can find the other installments:

Part 1: Concept (Aug 31)—Contact: Infinite Futures Blog
Part 2: Character (Sep 13)—Mercurial Times (my blog)
Part 4: The Writing Process (Sep 23)—Shawn Kupfer’s Blog
Part 5: Publication (Sep 28)—Carina Press Blog

With this fourth installment, I’m giving away one set of The Eleven Hour Fall trilogy ebooks. To enter, either leave a comment here on Cathy’s blog or send me an email at sevenmercury7@aol.com with SPARKS GIVEAWAY FOUR in the subject line. Don’t forget to give your name.

Good luck!

A Little Perception with Heather Cashman

Finding new-to-me authors and sharing their fabulous stories with folks is one of my favorite things to do. Becoming friends with them is a perk I will never grow tired of.

Today, I have the lovely and gracious Heather Cashman here. I was supposed to have Heather visit last week, but I totally dropped the ball and she agreed to do a super quick gathering of material for me.

Her novel Perception: Book One of the Tiger Eye Trilogy is a lush YA fantasy:

Your perception will sharpen once you see through a tiger’s eyes.

More than five hundred years after the apocalypse, the survivors of off-grid genetic experimentation have refined their mixed DNA to the point that humans and their animal counterparts share physical and mental links. Varying species have divided into districts, living in a tenuous peace under the President of Calem.

Ardana and her tiger ingenium Rijan leave their life of exile and abuse in the Outskirts, setting out with their twin brothers to redeem themselves and become citizens of the Center. But shedding their past isn’t as easy as they had hoped. When the system that shunned them becomes embroiled in political conflict and treachery, their unique abilities and experiences from the Outskirts make them invaluable to every faction. The runaways become pawns to friends as well as enemies, and with every step it becomes more difficult to tell which is which.


I asked Heather a few questions about her writing and life in general.

How long have you been writing and what prompted you to begin?

HC: I've been writing seriously for about five years now, but have loved to write ever since I was in elementary school. During the mundane tasks of the day (laundry, dishes), my mind would wander to far off locations. I would entertain myself with imagination. When my children went to school, I found a few hours to begin writing the stories down. It took me a long time to study how to write, and I am still working on making my writing better every day.

What is it about your preferred genre(s) that interests you most?

HC: I like Fantasy. It's like creating something all your own, completely unique, where anything goes and you set the rules.

Perception is set in an amazing world full of complex characters. What do you like best about creating such a fantastic setting? What is the hardest part?

HC: I think what I enjoyed the most was discovering the world. It was like taking a really amazing vacation. The most difficult part was taking something I saw so clearly and writing it in such a way that someone else could visualize it, though I'm not sure anyone will ever see it quite the way I do. The original manuscript was over 150,000 words, a lot of which was setting that I cut out to tighten it.

Are the other books out or coming soon? What else are you working on?

HC: YES! I am hoping to have book two, Deception, out by December 1st, but I want to make sure it is top quality before I release it. So Dec. 1st is not a set date, just a goal. The final book, Insurrection, should be out mid-2012. I am also writing a prequel, Resurrection, that will be out late 2012.

My other project is a YA Urban Fantasy, which I hope to have finished by the end of this year.

Juggling work, family and a writing career can take its toll. How do you keep the balance? What do you do for yourself (other than write)?

HC: Deep breath. I accept the wrinkles appearing from lack of sleep, try to keep my head up, and remember that I am doing this because I love to write, not because I care how many books I've sold. I actually wrote an article for a fellow author that you can find here called "Staying On the Roof." It talks about finding balance through tradition (of all things).

What I do for myself--my kids call them "Blow-out Nights." I buy about fifteen kinds of junk food, set them in bowls on the coffee table, and we watch back-to-back episodes of the shows we've missed. I go to bed sometime the next morning feeling sick. Somehow it cures me.

Sounds like you're a busy woman who knows how to keep things in perspective! Thanks for coming by, Heather!

Find Perception
at Heather's
or on Amazon
or Barnes&Noble Nook

Find Heather
at her website, on her blog, or on Twitter



Heather Cashman graduated from the University of Arizona with a Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry but has always loved to write, winning her first contest in the second grade. Married since 1992, she has three unique children and has moved from Arizona to New York to Kansas. She loves to kayak and canoe down the windiest rivers she can find. She welcomes opportunities to visit schools, libraries, and book groups in person or via Skype. Born in Tucson, Arizona, Heather currently lives near Wichita, Kansas with her husband and three children.

Here and There

Going visiting and having visitors is always a lot of fun. Like swapping houses a la the movie The Holiday.

So, I'm visiting the Fantasy, Futuristic & Paranormal chapter of the RWA today. I give my $0.02 on revisions. Pop in and say hi.

On Friday, the lovely and gracious Heather Cashman will be here. I have a few questions about her life as a writer and her fantasy novel Perception.


Look for more visitors and visitings in the next couple of weeks.

And don't forget your copy of Rulebreaker : )

A Little Quiet Time--Sort Of

Thank you to everyone who popped in to visit the variety of blogs during the last few weeks of the Rulebreaker Blog Tour! I've been getting some great feedback and have had a lot of fun interacting with readers and other writers. Some folks who hadn't read much science fiction romance or F/F fiction have told me how much they enjoyed the story. I can't tell you how fabulous that makes me feel.

So if you've read Rulebreaker, or any other story outside your normal fare, tell me what you thought.

Here, I'll start. I recently read my first M/M, Muffled Drum by fellow Carina Press author Erastes. I'd read snippets of M/M before, but it really wasn't my thing. But Erastes's story touched me. There was such tenderness and heartache. Yes, there were some love scenes, but they were tasteful and poigniant.

I'll probably read more of her work, and perhaps look for other M/M stories of similar sensuality.

In a couple of weeks, I'll have a guest blogger here and there, but for the most part things will be a little quiet as far as all out promoting and touring. Which is good. I'm scheduled to work through the middle of September and have a manuscript to revise, another partial to tweak, and a WiP to flesh out. I'll keep things up to date and let you know how things progress.

In the meanwhile, have fun out there and be kind to each other.

Don't Fear the Research with Guest Sarah Mäkelä

Hello, Blogger Buddies! I have another New Author Friend to share with you! Please give futuristic/paranormal romance author Sarah Mäkelä a warm welcome!



Don’t Fear the Research

Research is something almost integral to any writer since while we might know a lot, usually what we write about sometimes delves into what we don’t know. That was something I did with the two series I have right now, one is a futuristic cyberpunk romance with a private investigator and a technomage (Hacked Investigations) and the other is a paranormal romance about a village in the Amazon Rainforest that mingles with shapeshifters (The Amazon Chronicles).

When I first started out with Jungle Heat, I did my research first and then supplemented it while writing. I went all out, finding out about the Amazon warriors who fought Spanish explorer and conquistador Francisco de Orellana and his men, where they fought, what happened, and everything else I could about the culture of those people that I could. I also learned about the kinds of animals and weather to better wrap my head around how the women live. You could say I pretty much geeked out.

It was a good experience since I learned not to be afraid of research. I don’t have to be restricted to what I know just because I’ll have to dig around and find out more information on town/item/culture. Will you find out everything and be able to make your writing 100% believable to someone who knows the subject very well? That’d be great, but it’s important to do the best you can. Some people will spot minute details only a person intimately familiar with the town/item/culture and will put the book down. That’s on them.

Here’s roughly my process for research. First off, I go to Wikipedia, and then I’ll fact check with Google. If there’s not much information online, I head to my local library. It’s important to get the information you want while researching, but also allow yourself to delve into what you might not know you want, but then that’s easy for me since I love learning. Besides, it’s great for when you’re writing the next book, and you find a way to use what you’ve found out!

Do you find research fun or frightening? Do you have any tips that make it easier?

Sarah Mäkelä
Dark Magical Encounters of Passion...
Website: www.sarahmakela.com
Blog: http://blog.sarahmakela.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/sarahmakela
Facebook: www.facebook.com/authorsarahmakela

Here’s the blurb for my newest release, Jungle Heat. I hope you enjoy it! If you’re interested, the excerpt is available here.

The Amazon Rainforest still contains a few secrets. One of these secrets is a hidden village of women whose history is filled with the horror of conquering men.

Adara Rukan, princess of the Amazons, ventures away from her village to find something waiting for her. Andrei "Rei" Makarov is a weretiger and a biologist on assignment. Can Rei and Adara find love enough to bridge their two separate worlds?

Jungle Heat is available now from Changeling Press: Buy Link

Inspiration: Getting Between the Sheets with Louisa Bacio

I love getting to know authors, especially those who are new to me. And I want you to get to know them too! In that spirit, I'll be having guests drop in now and again. Starting now :)

First up is author Louisa Bacio. Louisa writes hot (and I mean HOT) f/f contemporary and paranormal stories. Please make Louisa feel welcome.


Want to get to know me a little better? How my mind works? Slip between the cool sheets on this hot summer day, and let’s talk a little about my latest release Sex University: All-Girls Academy, which is a f/f contemporary erotic.

For those unfamiliar with the term, f/f translates into lesbian.

And immediately when one starts to write f/f fiction, many ponder the question on the writer’s sexuality and life choices. Those who have read me before must realize that I believe in equal-opportunity love. It’s not about the gender, it’s about the individual or individuals.

Now, with that out of the way … let’s move on to another topic that often comes up with writing, and that’s inspiration. With Sex University: All-Girls Academy, it began with a few characters whispering sweet nothings to me late at night. It all began with my first full-length novel in the Sex University “Universe,” Physical Education.

Strong female characters draw me. My mother always stressed not to be a “victim,” and to take control of one’s life. The character of Officer Margaret was seen briefly in Physical Education, but readers really get to know her story here. We slide into that uniform with her, so to speak. And, she shucks it off and transforms from “Marge” into “Maggie.”

Next there’s Ms. Lucy, headmistress of the schools. She’s another returning character – and her story’s not quite finished yet – but we primarily delve into the life of her niece, Savannah. Like her Aunt, Savannah wants to escape from her ultra-conservative home life, and experience something new, which brings her to the All-Girls Academy.

Also populating the Academy is a number of other strong-willed women. A favorite will be the Italian art teacher Antoinella who instructs on, among other things, the art of body painting.

Is it getting hot in here or is it just me? Anyway, thanks to the lovely Cathy for hosting me today. I’m very much looking forward to her upcoming release, too.

Now, if you don’t mind, I think it’s naptime …

Sex University: All-Girls Academy



Raised by an over-controlling and manipulative father, Savannah “Van” Morgan flees the East Coast for the West, seeking sanctuary with her Aunt Lucy, headmistress of San Francisco Sex University. Rather than staying at the main campus, Van enrolls in SFSU’s more nurturing “sister” school, the All-Girls Academy.

After visiting the main campus of SFSU, Margaret “Maggie” O’Neil hangs up her police badge in search of new experiences and hoping to awaken her own dormant sexuality.

With subject matters such as an “Art Sex-education” class with an Italian visiting professor who’s more than happy to schedule private tutoring after-hours, the All-Girls Academy invites all sorts of sexual exploration. In the end, Van and Maggie will either fall victim to the pressures of society, or come together to save each other.

****************************


Louisa Bacio enjoys soaking up the sun in Southern California, and spending time with her family.

To see how the story started, check out Bacio’s erotic thriller Sex University: Physical Education. Her story “Two’s Company” can be found in I Kissed a Girl: A Virgin Lesbian Anthology. For those who love paranormal ménage, check out the hot “The Vampire, The Witch & The Werewolf: A New Orleans Threesome.”

In addition to writing and editing, Bacio teaches college courses in English, journalism, film studies and popular culture.

Drop in for a visit:
http://louisabacio.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/louisabacio
http://www.twitter.com/louisabacio

Want to win a copy of Sex University: All-Girls Academy? Leave a comment … any comment will do! One random entry will be selected to win a .pdf copy.