Aphrodisia Authors :: Blog

The other day, I came home to an enormous box of new books. My author copies of Prowl the Night, which comes out at the end of September. Obviously, this was a moment of glee and bouncing around with joyful hand-clapping. What? I may be a bit dorky, but it’s the coolest thing ever when you see the final product in the form of a real book in your hot little hands. The feeling just never gets old.

Wouldn’t you want to see this, live and in print? It’s so pretty!

I meant to take a picture of the box, which was ripped mostly open at one end. Maybe the mail lady wanted an advanced copy–who knows? I don’t think any books were missing, but I didn’t pull them all out to count.

The big problem with getting author copies (there’s a drawback to everything, it’s a sad but true fact) is that they fill up my one bedroom apartment at an alarming rate. Don’t even open the door to my walk in closet. Just don’t. It’s safer for you that way. Books stacked to the ceiling are heavy if they fall on you. They do damage when they hit you on the head. Trust me on this.

I’m running a contest to get rid of some of my accumulation of author copies, so you can stop over at my blog to read about that, if you’re interested.

Bis später! (Did I mention I’m taking a German class now?)
-Crystal Jordan

It’s a funny thing about covers, at least for me. I love a great one as much as the next writer, but for the most part I accept that they’re out of my hands. My job is to write the book. Someone or someones within the publishing company (That’s you, Kensington) has a much better take on what readers are looking for than I do. Just because I like something doesn’t mean the majority of book shoppers will.

Take the cover for Spirit of the Wolf for example. Not once while writing my lastest release did I ponder what kind of cover I’d like for it. Kensington Aphrodisia has a specific and very sexy style. Lots of male torsos, lots of heavy clinches. Of course, this is erotica after all. I knew my cover would make that declaration.

I have to admit I had a sense of disconnect when I received the cover flats for Spirit. True, I’d written the book a year ago so my memory was a tad foggy, but I stopped and stared at that magnificent arm with the symbolic tattoo. Hmm. Did my hero have a tattoo? I don’t think so but maybe. Ah, what does it matter? Look at that hunk, what we can see of him anyway. He rocks! I wish he’d walk in my office this very minute. I wish–oh, you know what I wish.

And that’s the whole idea, isn’t it? The fantasy. A book’s promise to take us out of our everyday worlds.

There, in a nutshell, is why I’m happy to leave cover art up to the publisher. I’ll hopefully bring the story to life. The publisher will provide the hook so to speak, the promise of an extraordinary experience.

I’m home from a fantastic trip up the Oregon coast, a wonderful family wedding in Tigard, Oregon, and the best book signing I’ve ever attended at Jan’s Paperbacks in the little town of Aloha, Oregon, near Portland. Oh, and two emergency veterinarian visits…

Why is it that when the furbabies get sick, nothing else matters? The second morning out on our trip, my husband noticed that one of Rufus’s eyes didn’t look right. It was half shut and he was obviously in pain. We found a vet in Reedsport who checked him over and said there was an obvious problem with his eye, but couldn’t give us a diagnosis. He did, however, give us some antibiotics and mentioned a specialist at a clinic near Portland if the drugs didn’t work. Thursday morning, Rufus was really in a lot of pain, and his face was all swollen around his left eye, so we packed up the rig and headed straight to the clinic in Clackamas, southeast of Portland. On the way, whatever was making Rufus so miserable broke. Gross doesn’t come close–we’re talking blood and much yuckier stuff, all over him and me, but he immediately felt much better. I, of course, was trying really hard not to puke in the motorhome…so tacky!

Got to the clinic and they let us in well ahead of our appointment, the doctor was wonderful–she said he’d had an abscess behind his eye that broke and now that it was open, he should start to heal with the super antibiotics she put him on. And, just like that, Rufus was feeling great, though getting all the pills down him was a challenge. This is a shot of him with Doug, waiting to see the doggy ophthalmologist.

Waiting for the doggy ophthalmologist

We attended our niece’s wedding on Saturday, which was held at the Ponzi Winery production facility–absolutely a gorgeous spot on top of a hill with a view of the valley below. Of course we had to take Rufus–he stayed in the motorhome and we’d sneak away to walk him and check on him, but it was such fun to see all the family–our daughter and her husband and three kids were there, our son and his wife flew in from Hawaii, though their two little ones stayed home with their other grandmother, but we all danced and laughed and had a wonderful time.

The next day was our signing at Jan’s Paperbacks. What a hoot that was! Debbie, the owner, had a wonderful set up for all of us–Meljean Brook, Lisa Hendrix, Minnette Meador and me. Kristina McMorris wasn’t able to come and I really missed her, but her son had had some surgery and kids always come first.

Monday morning we headed back to California, but the weather had turned warm so we decided to go back down the coast. We stayed one night at an RV park at an Indian Casino in Coos Bay. That was hysterical! We wanted to be close to the doggy park, and they put our little teensy rig in between these monster RVs that are bigger than some houses. Doug got a picture to send to his buddies–said it was easy to tell who the liberals were in the park! Still, I wouldn’t trade our little rig for a big one–it’s just perfect for travel and it has everything we need–a kitchen, bathroom and a king sized bed! What else do you need? I hope you can see it–it’s really tiny, just in the middle of the photo…

We stayed the last night at Harris Beach State Park, right on the ocean. It was gorgeous–the weather was perfect and we walked down to the beach to watch the sun set. It was gorgeous, and a wonderful way to end our trip. We’re home now, and I’m back to work but the memories are wonderful. I’m planning to get my newsletter out in a couple of days, but in the meantime, as always, I’d love to give away a book to some of you who post–your choice. If I’ve got the one you want, it’s yours.

Tell me what memories you’re taking away from this summer. I do hope you’ve got some good ones–mine’s been busy and sometimes frantic, but finishing off the season with a wonderful ten days with my husband and Rufus made for a nice end to the season. Tell me what you did, and your name will go into the hat for a chance to win a book.

The summer of 2011 has brought extreme heat in several parts of the United States. In my own part of the country we’ve been hit not only by record high temperatures but also oppressing humidity. It’s definitely been the kind of summer when you want to stay indoors with your fans or A/C turned up. In fact, it has been so miserable here I’ve got out very little.

This is ok in a way, as being inside more has compelled me to write more. I’m working on two novels right now in fact, and very happy with the progression.

But still, something seems missing..as if something’s telling me there’s something fun and exciting just waiting for me..something I’ve waited for a long, long, long time. Something I shouldn’t resist or I’ll end up kicking myself the rest of my life. While I can’t really point my finger on what this something is, it has been calling me for days; beckoning urgently for me to take a break from the keyboard. And I’ve wracked my brain trying to think of what this thing could be.

Whatever it is it certainly won’t affect my writing. I have readers waiting anxiously for some serious adult fiction.

I can’t let them down, so not rain, nor snow, nor the heat of Hades can interfere with my creative juices.

Nope, not the car show that came to town, not even the carnival. I am dedicated.

Nothing interrupts my writing when the ole Muse is at work. I don’t let any mediocre, unimportant interest have a sway.

I am the pure professional when it comes to finishing a project. I don’t let another single need weave itself into my subconscious. I don’t let my imagination be corrupted by anything.

Yep, I’m this dedicated. Heat or no heat. My stories will never, ever be tainted by personal side issues or mundane interests.

My husband has suggested we have a date night. And it would be heaven to have a night with my man, to take him up on on the offer of  romantic dinner and a movie. Sigh. The problem is I can’t think of a single film I really want to see.

I blame it on this dastardly heat.

~Anya

anyahoward.com