I signed a contract for my three book deal with Kensington today, so that’s what’s on my mind right now.
Whenever I get a new contract, I buy myself a little present. It has to be something I wouldn’t normally buy for myself, but that I really want. It’s an extra, an indulgence. Most of my advances go to very practical things, promotion, paying bills, etc, but I get one really nifty thing each time.
The first time I sold, I bought myself a digital camera. Yes, I was in the Stone Age and didn’t have one. I’d wanted one forever, but it seemed like such an extravagance because I didn’t really need it.
But I deserved something nice, don’t you think? I did. Behold the booty for that contract. It’s even lime green…my favorite color!
For the contract I just signed, I got myself a new cell phone. My old one was dying, so I bought it a bit early, but it still counts!
It has all kinds of neat features that make me squeal and jump up and down and hug it. It plays music, interfaces with Bluetooth, has speakerphone, and let me download the Boston Pops playing the Pink Panther theme song as my ring tone. I always have Pink Panther, you see, though my old phone had just a tinny midi file. I tried the standard rings, but it just didn’t register that my phone was ringing. So, I got the awesome new version of my ring tone.
Isn’t it pretty? I love getting presents, and I love buying myself presents. Now if only I could find a good reason to send myself flowers, I’d be all set. Hmm…
An author I know, who is also good friend and sometimes crit partner, has an interesting philosophy about life versus career. She has one set of clothing for her “author life” and another for her “real life,” as she calls it. When I heard this, I was reminded of the series about London call girl Belle Piper titled Secret Diary of a Call Girl, which aired on Showtime this past summer. I don’t know about you, but I was riveted. More to the point, Belle has separate wardrobes for her “call girl” side and her “real life” side.
A few weeks ago, my friend and I went out and bought wigs on a lark. Long and sultry, multi-hued. I’d never owned a wig, so I went grocery shopping in mine, to give it a test run. I went from mildly embarrassed to confident when the check-out clerk asked me (in an admiring tone) where I’d gotten my hair done. I replied, “It’s a wig. Can you tell?” She said it looked amazing and wanted to know where I’d gotten it. How fun! I could hardly wait to tell my author friend. Afterward, we did a book signing together and had a hoot wearing our twin wigs. It’s amazing what a pick-me-up such outer trappings can be.
Now my author buddy is after me to go clothes shopping at some resale shops. Who knows what kind of trouble we’re going to get into with that? For some reason, she really envisions me in boots. As with the wig, I’ve never worn boots. And I’m not really enthusiastic about them. But that’s my “real life” side talking. If you see me in boots sometime, you’ll know my “author life” took over on a shopping jaunt.
I think I’d define my ideal “look” for both real and author lives as professional-sexy. I don’t think I achieve that, but I’m working on it. My “author” side thinks sexy, but my inner core—the one that allows me to meet deadlines and outline books—is all professional. When I go shopping, the two are at war.
How about you other authors? Do you cross-dress? How do your “author clothes” differ from your “real life” ones? Higher heels? Boots? Tighter? Lower-cut? Higher-cut? Corsets with jackets? Poofy hair? That is, are your “real life” clothes the same as your “author life” clothes? If not, what are the differences?
Elizabeth Amber
NICHOLAS, THE LORDS OF SATYR
RAINE, THE LORDS OF SATYR
LYON, THE LORDS OF SATYR (Aug 2008)
DOMINIC, THE LORDS OF SATYR (March 2009)
erotic historical paranormal romance
Kensington Aphrodisia
www.elizabethamber.com
I love lingerie. I adore the stuff and have no shame in admitting it. I love looking at it. Debating to buy it. Wearing it. It’s fun. It can be sexy or flirty or naughty. Different colors, textures, levels of sexiness. *Whimsical sigh* I confess that I, Shelli, just love the idea of lingerie. I even wrote a book called Negligee Behavior that deals with the stuff (that my agent is currently shopping!).
So I got to thinking the other day as I caved and bought some lingerie that was on clearance…. does, it even matter that we gals buy this stuff? When I really thought about it, I’m not so sure men love the lingerie thing as much as we think they do. I mean, granted some will love it and go wild over the stuff. But I wonder if most men are just as happy to see you show up unwrapped. AKA…butt naked.
Obviously, being single I don’t have a boyfriend/mate/husband to go ask their opinion on. And though I did shoot off a couple of emails to guy friends, they’re a little slow on the draw (reading their emails). So I’m writing this post going strictly on past relationship experience. In regards to lingerie I remember many moments of, ‘Wow, that’s pretty hot. Now take it off.’ Like there was no catwalk of seduction (could be me going about it wrong). It was more of a…well there’s $35 that hit the floor faster than you can say orgasm.
Anyway, enough of my TMI. So how about you? Do you or your man like wrapping things up in satin and lace (or, heck, leather)? Or do you all prefer things unwrapped… au natural.
I’ve recently had several friends tell me about books they really enjoyed, despite the fact that the reviews on Amazon, RT or wherever weren’t so hot. I’ve also recently had several newer writers send me very upset emails about reviews they thought were unfair, or less than stellar.
I myself try to ignore the bad reviews, smile over the good ones, and go on with my writing.
After all, not everyone likes the same books. Not everyone is going to “get” my sense of humor, or like the sexuality level of my books—under either pen name. And not everyone is going to enjoy the paranormal elements in my books, or understand the warped inner workings of my mind. And that’s okay. After all, the great thing about this business is that there’s something for everyone. Books are not a one size fits all type of proposition—thankfully!
A bad review doesn’t mean I’m a failure as a writer, just like a stellar review doesn’t mean I’m the next Sherrilyn Kenyon (although wouldn’t that be cool? )
Opinions (i.e.reviews) are like belly buttons—everyone has one, and they are just one person’s opinion at that time, and should be taken as such.
I know I’ve read books when I was younger that I absolutely hated, and now that I’m older and my tastes have changed, I absolutely love them. And by the same token, I adored certain books in my twenties that I can’t stomach at all now. And, I must mention, there are books that I loved then, love now and will most likely love until I take my last breath on this earth. Such is the beauty of books.
So – I have a few questions for everyone depending on if you are an author, a reader, or both.
For authors: Do you read your reviews? How do you let them affect you and your writing if at all?
For readers: Do you read book reviews? Do they affect your buying habits for books? Do you write reviews for books you like/don’t?
Now since I’ve asked, it’s only fair that I answer my own questions, right? So here they are.
I already told you above, I read mine, just to know what’s out there—after all, good review quotes make great promo! Not to mention a great review is great motivation to put my butt in the chair and write each day. I read the bad ones, but try not to take them too much to heart. After all, my books are selling, so someone out there likes them. I don’t want to let one person’s opinion overshadow my entire writing career. Just because they don’t happen to “get” my warped mind – there are others out there who will and do.
When I’m buying books, I rarely look at reviews—unless it’s a book by one of my friends, and that’s more for, “Oh, cool! Look, my friend X, got a five star review!” I do chat about books with friends, and friends who have the same reading taste as me, I listen to when they rave or don’t rave about a book. But I’m such an eclectic reader, I enjoy a wide range, and buy that way. If I REALLY love a book (i.e. Succubus Blues by Richelle Mead was the last one I wrote a review for on Amazon), I will write a stellar review for it. But if I hate it, I just won’t say anything. I don’t like putting negative energy out there for someone just because a book didn’t click with me.
I’m excited to say that “Simply Sinful” will be out next week, sometime around the end of October, November depending on where you look! I’m delighted to see it finally happening. When I got my box of books last week, my family were all like ‘Oh, wasn’t that out ages ago?” You see, they’d seen the cover art hanging on my wall for the last 6 months and were so over it
It’s also weird that I sent Simply Sinful in a year ago. Since then I’ve completed another book for Virgin Cheek, one for Ellora’s Cave and book #3 Simply Shameless for Aphrodisia. I know that my writing has improved since I sent this one in, but I try not to let it worry me too much. I could only write the best book I was able to at that particular point in my career. But sometimes, as any writer will tell you, its hard to constantly look back to where you were, rather than where you are now.
The reason I posted so late was because I got a huge package in the mail yesterday. On my desk right now is a pile of paper-437 pages in fact-it’s a copy of Simply Shameless and it’s covered in red pen from the copy editor. Who knew that there were so many places to add comma’s? Not me It’s hard for me to get the grammar right sometimes as I grew up with English English and now write in American English about Regency England. Sometimes I get confused, and sometimes American English just doesn’t work for me, so I slip back into what I know. Usually what happens is I get told off by my English readers for using words like ‘gotten’ and told off by my American readers for not using coffeepot or wineglass as one word. You just can’t win sometimes!
I hope you all enjoy reading Simply Sinful as much as I enjoyed writing it. I really loved the character of Peter Howard in ‘Simply Sexual’ and it was a real pleasure to be able to see him grow and change and fall in love. The book was originally intended to be a straight menage a trois story and parts of it certainly are, but as the characters developed, and as their sexual tastes emerged, other things started to happen and I just went with it. (and yes, some of it shocked me too!) But I hope everyone will think Peter’s happy ending is exactly what he deserves.
Let me know what you think of the book!
Kate Pearce x
As a writer, waiting for the reviews on a book to come in is excruciating. Once the book has gone through the publishing process, there is that tiny window after actual print publication and before the release date when the book is sent out to reviewers. It is at this time that I begin to intensely bite my knuckles, make small sacrifices and generally melt down as I wonder what the very first review of my forthcoming release will say. Will the book get decent reviews, or will it be stomped into the ground by the reader, who will then put their .02 cents into print–thus crushing my confidence (and a piece of my soul) or sending me off into a spasm of joy that can last for days?
Having been through this time and time again, you would think I would learn to roll with the punches, to take the good reviews with a smile and the bad reviews with a grain of salt (along with several malt coolers). The truth is, I worry each any every time a book comes up for release. Why? I think it is because I’m so attached to the characters I have created. Yes, I know. These people do not exist, except in the creator’s mind. Yet for months, sometimes years, a writer labors to commit what is in their head to the more tangible medium of print, thereby giving their characters a “life” that can be shared by readers. It’s a daunting task, making the unreal come to fruitition in a way that (to me) is logical and meaningful. After all, if I don’t buy into the circumstances I am setting down on the page, how can the reader? So, yes, I tend to become emotionally attached to that piece of literature. After all, an inspiration that belonged to me alone has granted it an existence in this world, however impermanent. As long as the book is in print and survives, it is a part of what once brewed inside my skull.
My next book is Embracing Midnight, coming out Nov 25th. Today, the first review came in, from Romantic Times: “Quinn’s story joins the ranks of erotic vampire tales with off-the-charts, sizzling sensuality, including a very graphic menage scene. Add in secret government plots and lush, dark scenery with well-developed characters and you have a thoroughly entertaining novel.”
OMG. A 4 star review. Much better than I could have hoped, considering Embracing Midnight was the book I began with no plot, no characters and no clue where it would go. All I know is that it came. From where, I do not know to this day. And I am mightily relieved that the first review is terrific. I had feared I would get the first zero star review in RT history and read that the book was so awful the reviewer has to be put in the hospital with bouts of gagging and heaving (yeh, I really thought that). It gives me hope that the next ones coming in will be just as good. The review, by the way, will be in the Dec issue of Romantic Times.
Hurray, I just finished “Too Hot to Handle,” my novella for Men on Fire, Aphrodisia’s second firefighter anthology. (For those who missed the first antho, it’s The Firefighter, and it’s fabulous!) Men on Fire won’t be out for a year (November 2009).
It’s always so strange, turning in a manuscript and then waiting to see it in print. I think we all wish that, magically, the books could appear on the shelves next month, but that’s not how it works. The fastest I’ve seen for my own books was Champagne Rules. I submitted it at the end of July 2005 and it was on the shelves in February 2006! (That’s because Kensington was launching Aphrodisia as a brand new line, and they were in a hurry, which worked just great for me.) The slowest was She’s on Top, submitted at the end of August 2006 and not on the shelves until April 2008. Yikes, that was quite the wait!
But of course, while I’m waiting, I’m writing. Having just finished one project, I’m diving into the next. They say there’s no rest for the wicked, and we Aphro authors are definitely wicked.
It’s interesting, having all these characters in my head. (Yes, I hear voices!) It’s like saying goodbye to one set of very good friends, and welcoming new folks who are still kind of strangers, but who are going to become a very big part of my life in the next few months.
I sort of know my next heroine, because she played a minor role in the book I turned in September 1 (Sex Drive, scheduled for December 2009). Sex Drive is the first in a 4-book Wild Ride series, in which four sisters embark on sexy “planes, trains, automobiles and a cruise ship” adventures. Sex Drive’s heroine, the oldest sister, had her adventures mostly on planes (with a stopover in Honolulu because, let’s face it, the poor girl deserved a bed and a beach). My next heroine, Kat, the second sister, will be exploring the sexy possibilities of trains. (By the way, if anyone has a brilliant idea for a sexy “trains” title, do let me know.) Now I’m all keen to get going on Kat’s book.
The truly lovely thing about being published is that all these heroines and their heroes get to see the light of day on bookstore shelves, and readers get to share their romantic journeys.
And, because I just got the news and have to share it, I’m thrilled to bits to announce that Touch Me, published in 2007, just won the Aspen Gold Reader’s Choice Awards, Erotica category, for 2008 (it also won the Desert Rose Golden Quill). The writer’s life really can be fun!
Writers, how do you deal with endings and beginnings, and what do you love about the writer’s life? Readers, are you now totally convinced that writers are eccentric, if not completely neurotic?
Hi everyone,
I’m happy to announce that the winner of my contest from Monday is Fedora. Her comments were exactly what I was looking for! I’ll be in touch Fedora! Congratulations and THANK YOU!
Unfortunately, she was the only entrant in the contest, so the two other gift certificates will go unclaimed. Maybe next time!
I’ll be bowing out of the blog here for awhile. But I’ll be back in 2009 when I have cover art for BREATHLESS. In the meantime news and updates will be posted on my site: www.bonnieedwards.com
Before I get to manhood, I want to invite you to check out the weekly talk show I host for SingleMindedWomen.com. We’ve had some great guests, including Dr. John Gray, of MEN ARE FROM MARS, WOMEN ARE FROM VENUS fame. On 10/13 at 6:00 p.m. PT, will be a Single Parents Roundtable, which should be quite interesting. I hope you’ll check it out!
So, on to manhood … I’m nearing the end of my story in the 2009 firefighter anthology (with Susan Lyons and Jodi Lynn Copeland). Which means it’s time for … you got it, p-r-o-c-r-a-s-t-i-n-a-t-i-o-n, my all time favorite activity.
So, since there’s a scene in my story where the hero and heroine do a wordplay on the word ‘manhood,’ naturally, I had to take a trip to Merriam-Webster.com to look up manhood, which then caused me to click on penis. Which Merriam-Webster defined as:
a male erectile organ of copulation by which urine and semen are discharged from the body and that develops from the same embryonic mass of tissue as the clitoris
Now, there was a mood-buster.
So, I went on to look for sexy celebrity chefs, which resulted in a much more enjoyable experience – the accidental discovery of the 2008 Great Male Survey Results. Of course, I zoomed right in to the sex part of the survey. Here are some statistics I found interesting:
37% said they have sex less than once/month
Regarding how long their sexual sessions last, 39% said 15-30 minutes, 17% said 15 minutes or less, 13% said 5 minutes or less
60% have never told a woman they love her to get sex
50% would be offended if a woman faked an orgasm
61% would like to have a threesome
44% are not comfortable with their wife/girlfriend having had more than 5 sexual partners
74% HAVE NEVER TAKEN AN STD TEST
So, if you find yourself in the mood to procrastinate with me, check it out. I’d love to hear the statistic that you found most interesting.
Oh — and, I totally forgot about another procrastination opportunity, I’m giving away copies of SIN CLUB, plus a sexy bra sachet and bustier key chain at All the Blogs a Page - so please stop by and enter.
OK, so I got called last weekend when my stepmom died after a long, nasty bout with Alzheimer’s. Just back from the funeral trip to PA (14 hours in the car each direction. Woof.) and I confess I have NO inspiring ideas on what to blog about today.
I have pages to catch up on! I’m behinder than I like to be on my WIP.
I missed out on the big all-block garage sale I spearheaded, and can only hope the other 12 families did a gangbuster business while I was gone.
But the family visit had some very special moments I’m glad I didn’t miss…like taking the collegiate Queen Niece shopping (she didn’t get to visit us this summer–had to work) and outfitting her with a cute red pea coat, gloves/scarves, and furred snow boots so she’s ready for the snowy hikes across campus! And taking her to lunch. And seeing my four half-sibs for a few days, all of us together…and, because this was their mom in that casket, I had the rare and beautiful privilege of comforting them. Of being counted as ONE OF THEM in a family I didn’t even know about until I was 40 (long story).
And at visitation, when so many longtime family friends told me I looked just like MY mother…I had to smile. After all, these people haven’t seen my mom since she was in her 20′s because she moved away from PA when she married my dad, and she died 10 years ago. And in her 20′s, my mom was HOT in a sloe-eyed smokey sort of way…and we can’t ignore the fact that I’m (cough) somewhat older than that.
So I’m smiling. My whole week got disrupted but yeah, I got a new perspective on who I am and how much I’m loved–and yeah, all my sibs were SOOOOO happy to get their freebie copies of
THE PLEASURE OF HIS BED and UNWRAP ME!
So I guess it was a pretty good extended weekend after all!
And now I’ll get back to cranking those pages….
) 
