Yes, if you haven't noticed, the holidays are here. Shoved upon us by commercials and whatnot...of course, the day BEFORE Halloween this year *ugh*.
Guess this gives us extra time to share what we're thankful for!
I have plenty this year. Family and Friends, of course are at the top of the list, I wouldn't be me without them.
All our Service Men & Women, Law Enforcement, Fire, EMS, and Health Workers, and (most) Public Officers. They do the jobs the rest of us can't or won't do to keep us healthy, free, and safe.
I'm thankful for the companies who employed me this year to help me pay my bills! It's a rough economy out there.
I'm extremely thankful to the publishers who accepted my works to help me further my dream of writing.
I'm also very, very thankful for my Writer's Group and Friends, both in person and those I've made online. They are invaluable in their experience and helpfulness. I've learned more from them over the years than I can ever repay!
I'm thankful for everyone who has ever taken the time to read my Blog, post on Facebook, re-Tweet me (hehe) or read my stories and novels, even if I don't know you!
It may seem weird to thank people you've never met face to face, but I can honestly say, I've made awesome friendships with people with similar interests, across the world, over the years, and so, I guess that means I'm thankful for the internet too, huh? Thanks internet! *hugs*
And THANK YOU!
So, what are you thankful for?
November 21, 2011
November 17, 2011
Q&A Thursday with D.X. Luc
What is the worst thing you’ve written, how did you learn or
know it was bad, and what did you learn from it? My first short story I
wrote in my college creative writing course. I didn't know about “show don't
tell” then.
Why did you start writing and when did you decide to go
professional? I always have stories roaming in my mind. Some stronger than
others and I just have to get them down on paper. It was a great friend of
mine, also an author, who told me that I should try to get one of my works
published. I made the leap of faith and well, now I'm a professional author!
It's a total dream come true.
Do you write in more than one genre? Which ones and which do
you like the best? I try to. My first book is an erotic fantasy, I have a
futuristic WIP and my upcoming book is a humor/horror erotic romance. Honestly,
I love them all.
Do you read other author’s books when you’re writing? If so,
do you read the same genre or something different? I read a lot when I'm
writing just to let my brain breathe. I love all types of genres.
What is the most difficult part of the entire writing
process for you? Queries, pitches, editing..etc.
The most difficult is coming up with names. I don't want
them to be too odd where a reader is having trouble figuring out the pronunciation.
And ending a story is hard because I really never want my stories to end!
If you could have the same type of career as any author
currently publishing who would it be and why? I do love Sherrilyn Kenyon,
but I wish I could be like my favorite classic authors. I feel the beauty of
their writing and how even to this day, they have such great value, is
something I want for my own writing.
Author Bio: I was introduced into the
world of romance at age 14 thanks to my older sister. It was as though a spark
was ignited and soon, need for romance became a craving for the erotic. Even in
school, the idea of human sexuality was always at the forefront of my mind, to
the point I majored in it!
Sex, love, and face it, more sex is what I know
and my husband can attest to it! Unique in every way, I'll tell anyone that
asks, if it isn't hot, maybe it needs a touch of vitamin D!
Blurb:
Imagine having someone so devoted to you and you don't even know it. What if that person, that perfect one was right under your nose? What if that person was not only the hero of your heart, but a savior to many?
Dorothy Gale found herself growing older and was stuck in neutral. She wanted adventure and love. Yet her love life was non-existent, with only fantasies of hot sex and being dominated keeping her company. Lacking in human companionship, she felt blessed to have her devoted dog, Toto. He was her solace. Little did she know, her dog had a big secret and an even greater destiny.
Facebook Fan page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-D-X-Luc/127121317364246
Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=100002897872356
Website: http://www.freewebs.com/authordxluc/
Blog:http://welcome-to-the-island-of-dxluc.blogspot.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/dxluc
November 16, 2011
Chris Redding Guest Post & Giveaway!
Even if you
don’t describe it explicitly, every story has a context. A novel is its own
world. Living, breathing, changing.
You must build this world. The world
in the novel goes beyond descriptions of rooms and landscapes. It includes
fashion, history, outlook and mood.
Physical surroundings can have a
psychological influence. The beach always makes me happy. I have a room in my
house that I and most people find very soothing. I usually nap in that room.
A setting can have an impact on
characters. I’ve talked about the conflict arising from the setting, but how
does your setting make your characters feel? That is more important than what
it looks like. You can illustrate a place by how a character’s views of it
changed.
I used to hate hospitals. I once
almost passed out from the smell. Not really sure why I had this aversion. Now,
I work in a hospital.
Give place an active role in the story
by giving character active relationships with it.
A story needs a sense of place, but
also a sense of time. As much as you can mark your character’s change in
perception of place, you can mark their change in perception of time.
The setting must be observed and then
conveyed in its particulars. The devil
is in the details. Emotions are more easily evoked when the details are
specific.
Perfume a novel by Patrick
Suskind is set in 18th Century France. How it really was. No one
bathed. There was raw sewage. In other words it stank.
In the period of which we speak, there
reigned in the cities a stench barely conceivable to us modern men and women.
The streets tank of manure, the courtyards of urine, the stairwells stank of
moldering wood and rat droppings, the kitchens of spoiled cabbage an mutton
fat; the unaired parlors stank of stale dust, the bedrooms of greasy sheets,
damp featherbeds, and the pungently sweet aroma of chamber pots.
The author catalogs the odors, but
never describes what they smell like. He lets the reader fill in the rest.
From Layering: Not Just for Cakes
Chris Redding lives in New Jersey Penn State
Her latest release is Blonde Demolition out November 15,
2011.
You just can't hide from the past...
Mallory Sage lives in a
small, idyllic town where nothing ever happens. Just the kind of life she has
always wanted. No one, not even her fellow volunteer firefighters, knows about
her past life as an agent for Homeland Security.
Former partner and lover,
Trey McCrane, comes back into Mallory's life. He believes they made a great
team once, and that they can do so again. Besides, they don't have much choice.
Paul Stanley, a twisted killer and
their old nemesis, is back.
Framed for a bombing and
drawn together by necessity, Mallory and Trey go on the run and must learn to
trust each other again―if they hope to survive. But Mallory has been hiding
another secret, one that could destroy their relationship. And time is running
out.
Thank you for having me today.
For one lucky commenter I have an assortment of notecards.
Winner must be in the United
States
cmr
November 3, 2011
Liberty States Fiction Writers Conference Announcement!
I'll be there, will you?
Liberty States Fiction Writers is pleased to invite you to their 3rd Annual Create Something Magical Conference being held on Saturday March 17th 2012.
Liberty States Fiction Writers is pleased to invite you to their 3rd Annual Create Something Magical Conference being held on Saturday March 17th 2012.
Renaissance Woodbridge Hotel
515 Route 1 South & Gill Lane
Iselin, New Jersey 08830
The theme of the 2011 Liberty States Fiction Writers Conference was "Create Something Magical." Mission accomplished! Breakout sessions were intimate and informative. Pitch sessions were fantastic. (I've got a lot of work to do.) … Thanks a million!
~ Regina Sokas, 2010 Brenda Novak auction high bidder
The LSFW’s Create Something Magical Conference is for writers at any stage of their career from Pre-Published to Best Seller! Our conference features a variety of workshops for writers, Editor and Agent Pitch Appointments, plus a Multi-Author Book Signing, Lady Jane’s Salon, and Networking Conference Party!
Liberty States Fiction Writers is proud to announce a new addition to our conference this year for readers! Join our Reader’s Track with discussion panels, games and giveaways and more.
Our workshop presenters this year include: Jonathan Mayberry, Caridad Pineiro, Virginia Kantra, Terry Kate, Sarah MacLean, Jenna Kernan, Maria V. Snyder, Leanna Renee Heiber, Katharine Ashe, Tere Michaels, Ally Blue Shelley Noble, Lisa Dale, Lisa Verge Higgins, Eileen Watkins and More! Featuring Keynote Speaker: New York Times Best Selling Author, Larissa Ione.
Liberty States Fiction Writers is a multi-genre non-profit organization dedicated to the education and support of all fiction writers. LSFW’s provide workshops and networking events to aid both published and pre-published writers.
For more information about Liberty States Fiction Writers and their upcoming Create Something Magical Conference, please visit their website: http://www.libertystatesfictionwriters.com
To stay advised about conference details, editors and agents, attending and other conference related information, please visit this link: http://groups.yahoo.com/subscribe/lsfwritersconf
Pricing $130 Dues and Conference Fee/ $120 Non-Member Conference Fee/ $40 Readers Track.
For More Information Contact:
Rayna Vause – Conference Chair
October 25, 2011
Teaser Tuesday with Chris Redding!
Today's Teaser Tuesday is from Blonde Demolition from Chris Redding.
Enjoy & Comment!
You just can't hide from the past...
Mallory Sage lives in a
small, idyllic town where nothing ever happens. Just the kind of life she has always
wanted. No one, not even her fellow volunteer firefighters, knows about her past
life as an agent for Homeland Security.
Former partner and lover, Trey
McCrane, comes back into Mallory's life. He believes they made a great team
once, and that they can do so again. Besides, they don't have much choice. Paul
Stanley, a twisted killer and their
old nemesis, is back.
Framed for a bombing and
drawn together by necessity, Mallory and Trey go on the run and must learn to
trust each other again―if they hope to survive. But Mallory has been hiding
another secret, one that could destroy their relationship. And time is running
out.
EXCERPT:
Maybe that was why he'd dreamed.
Having lost his wife five years
ago, he now lay alone in bed. His bones ached from the physical labor of moving
cinderblocks and putting up snow fencing around his beloved beer tent.
The dream rolled around in his
mind. The woman in it...
I
thought I'd put her out of my mind a long time ago. I did worship her. Too bad
she left me when I went into the military.
He shifted onto his side, noting
that darkness had fallen while he'd been asleep. He saw midnight on his clock.
"You have a child," the
dream woman had said.
But he didn't. He and his wife had
tried for years with no heirs.
Why
would I dream about a child at this late date in life?
He groaned at his ailing muscles,
feeling his own mortality in their hum. Maybe it was that very sense of his
growing old and closer to death that led him to think about a child. One he
hadn't had with his wife.
The
whole time I was a cop, I never felt this vulnerable, this...mortal.
His eyes drifted closed as his mind
returned to dreamland.
What
if I do have a child?
Chris Redding lives in New
Jersey with her husband, two kids, one dog and three rabbits. She graduated from
Penn State with a degree in journalism. When she isn't writing she works part
time for her local hospital.
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