Aphrodisia Authors :: Blog

It’s going to be a long, long time before my next Aphrodisia title, BREATHLESS is on the shelves. Meanwhile I have this monthly responsibility to blog. What does this mean? I wonder. What can I say in between book releases?

Eventually I’ll get cover art to post, and a blurb and when I get really close to the release date I’ll likely post an advance review or two.

But for now, what the heck do I talk about? My obsession with America’s Got Talent? (Hear Piers buzz me and I wouldn’t blame him.)

When readers aren’t here to see what’s new…what do they want to hear about?

Our dreams? Our ambitions?

My friends and I go regularly for writing retreats. At the end of each retreat we discuss goals. As in attainable things we can effectively work toward. Things within our sphere of influence.

But I want to talk about dreams of the ambitious variety. According to my horoscope 2009 is going to be a great year for me. Lucky, lucky, lucky! Dreams coming true kind of lucky. (which seems to be when BREATHLESS will be out) So, I’ve been wondering what my dreams really entail.

Frankly, I work hard at staying on track with my attainable goals. Have notes taped to my pc, count words written per day…that kind of thing.

So to ponder my wildest dreams is a little weird. But here goes:

1) I’d like to have a project of mine auctioned. Yes, auctioned. You know, a number of editors panting so hard to buy it that they’re about to pee their pants.

2) A book optioned for a movie and actually produced. (My kid suggested the other day that it might be a made-for-tv movie and I thought: nope, if I’m dreaming then I dream big) In my secret heart, I *lust* to see the words: From a novel by Bonnie Edwards on a movie screen.

3) I want said movie to win an Oscar and I want to be there, in the audience. And I want to hold my husband’s hand and sob delicately against his tuxedo-clad shoulder. (suddenly broader than the real life version )

You’ve probably noticed that I skipped all the bestsellerdom stuff. But I figure it this way, if the book’s auctioned to the highest bidder, I’ll have tons of publisher support and make it to bestsellerdom, anyway. My hard work will have paid off.

I’m a realist, though, and I understand that the only way to achieve these wildest dreams is to set those smaller, attainable goals. So, yes, I write every day, add my word count to my list and regularly re-read my career plan as stated to my agent.

I just hope I’m not too old to walk in stilettoes when it’s time to strut that red carpet. And strut I will!

One thing Kensington consistently excels at is extraordinary cover art. I’ve had some absolutely gorgeous, sensual covers for my Wolf Tales series, and there have been others–Elizabeth Amber’s Lords of Satyr series comes to mind–that have been just as beautiful, and every bit as sexy. I’ve never felt there was anything at all offensive about any of the covers, so imagine my surprise when I got a couple of author copies of my latest book, the anthology Sexy Beast V that I’m in with Vonna Harper and Crystal Jordan, and realized the bottom half of the cover had been whited out with some funky, foggy looking smears! It turns out that one of the major bookstore chains disapproved of the art because the model’s hip and thigh were exposed. Now, considering that I’ve had more than one past cover with entirely naked couples on the front, I’ll admit I was really surprised that this beautiful cover, out of all the others, was singled out as one that someone, somewhere thought offensive. I did an obviously skewed poll (I was asking my readers, after all) what they thought of the two covers. I have both of them posted side by side on my website (in case I can’t figure out how to post them here) if you’d like to take a look at them: http://www.katedouglas.com/eroticromance/id57.htm To my surprise, I’ve had almost three hundred responses! A few folks agreed with the bookseller and figured that the original art might be too racy for public display, but the bulk of the replies were in favor of the original. Many of them mentioned Elizabeth’s books, since there is even more nudity on those covers, but a lot of them wondered if the model had been a woman in the same state of undress, if anyone would have complained. In fact, that comment came up so often that it really made me wonder if the decision was, indeed, sexist? Would a naked woman have passed muster where my gorgeous naked guy got covered up? Do sexy covers catch your eye and make you pick up a book, or do you find yourself passing them by, embarrassed by the naked bodies on display? What do you think? Personally, I go for the sexy ones–they catch my eye AND my attention and definitely make me want to pick up the book and at least read the blurb on the back. A vast majority of the readers who responded to my question said exactly the same thing, but, like I said, they’re my readers and already openly admit to liking the sexy stuff! I’d love to hear your opinion…and I’d also like to know what your favorite book cover is by any author in the Aphrodisia line. I think they’re all posted here on the site. Thank you!

Before Hurricane Gustav made landfall a carload of relatives from Cajun country arrived at the Devlin home. Last name, Benoit. Not Be-know-it, but Ben-wah, like the balls, ya know? My father’s family is huge—19 children (from two wives, bless them both), so it isn’t any wonder that I’d never met this batch. They’re a loud, boisterous family with dark hair and skin and lovely Cajun accents.

Still, they arrived night before last and I had a book to wrap up. The draft of Texas Men was complete, but I wasn’t satisfied with the end. And with company tromping through the house and 3 rambunctious boys screaming through the rooms as they fought over game machines and who was going to sleep where, I was praying for someone to just shoot me.

I finished the book this morning and shipped it to my editor. An hour later the power went out and stayed out. Eight people filling up a space where three could comfortably ignore each other and remain sane became a bit crowded. Add the no AC factor, THREE musky boys (ages 8-11), and I didn’t care that it was raining cats and dogs because Gustav had followed them here, they had to go outside.

I donned my swimsuit and led them to the pool in the lashing rain, promising it was going to be great fun and that the pool water would be so much warmer than the temperature outside. I ignored their chattering teeth and pushed them all in.

And you know what? It was fun. We dove for colored rings at the bottom of the pool. Waved at cars driving by with their windshielf wipers flashing as they slowed down to see what kind of nutjobs were swimming in this weather. We cannonballed into the water to build choppy waves and pretended that we had fallen overboard at sea.

Now, I’m sure when they all head home to start the cleanup (they lost siding, fences, trees, but TG that was all!), they will have tales to tell about their crazy aunt who writes porn and swims in the middle of a monsoon, but I have an open invitation to spend time in bayou country. I wonder what kind of craziness they will show me.

Today starts my kid’s school schedule. I am divorced with two little kids and during the summer months, I have my kids most of the time. The school year brings change for all of my family as my kids go back to their Dad during the week and come to see me on the weekends. It is a good schedule for writing and having a day job, but sad because I get to see my little ones so much less.

This year is also my daughter’s first year of preschool and my sons first year of kindergarten. Big milestones in their lives and in all of ours. I am lucky that I am good friends with my X now. It took us a few years to get back to this place of working together for the wellbeing of our kids. I know they still struggle with the “mom and dad not being together” stuff, but there is no more yelling at each other and that is I think a much better environment to grow up in. An environment where mom and dad are actually friends and give each other hugs and sit and share glasses of wine together is much more stable and pleasant than slamming doors and harsh words.

So, I try to concentrate on the new beginnings this schedule brings and with my free time I will take a new class and write my next book. I am not sure what that book will be yet. I am thinking something historical. Maybe based around a historical event of some kind. I purchased a book on a recent trip to Portland. It is a dictionary of English Folklore. I never knew such a book existed but it is filled with all sorts of wonderful definitions of words such as (flipping book open to some unknown page)

Lantern Man: An East Anglian name for a fierce *Will-o’-the -Wisp. One must never *whistle at night, or he will come; the only protection then is to lie flat with one’s face buried in the mud, so that he passes over one’s body.

Grin. Interesting eh?

Well I am sure I will find some bits of inspiration that will focus me back on my writing and away from my kids starting a new part of their life and a new schedule with Dad.

I hope your back to school days are filled with joy and smiles.
Lacy.