Aphrodisia Authors :: Blog

The other day I cranked up the Christmas CD and rocked out to my favorite holiday music. Why? Because I always do that when I decorate my Christmas tree.

It’s my thing. I listen to Dean Martin, Bing Crosby, various choirs and chorales singing their versions of songs for the season and Christmas carols. It’s a personal tradition.

My family, on the other hand, rolls their eyes at the corniness.

But for me, those moments trimming the tree are moments I relive all my previous Christmas seasons. I have ornaments that were old when I was a child. They’re of the finest blown glass I’ve ever seen. I inherited “those old things” from my mom when I moved out of the house and wanted to decorate my first Christmas tree. She saw them as old junk. (Mom loved her new shinies…always!)

So the delicate old bulbs go on the high branches. During that phase of decorating I think of childhood Christmases. I think of my parents, both gone now and sniffle a little. (When it was closer to their passing, I flat out blubbered, and didn’t care.)

Then I add my “Baby’s First Christmas” bulbs that take my mind to the Christmas mornings I watched my little children tear into their packages. Once, my daughter opened the kitchen door to let out our dog and she found!!! LO AND BEHOLD!!! A strip of red velvet adorned with sleigh bells hanging on the back fence. “Santa! Mommy! Santa lost some sleigh bells off his sleigh!”

By then, I’m smiling and singing along to Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”. The ornaments I use at that point came from my years buying home made ones from craft fairs. You know the kind: cork reindeers, crocheted Santas, I even have some plastic wineglasses with miniature scenes inside them, complete with snow, trees and Santas. (I know it’s kitsch…don’t care, someone made them with their own hands and the funds went to good causes.)

Then, I come to my favorite song, the Harry Simone Chorale’s version of “Little Drummer Boy” and I’m at the bottom of the tree with the unbreakable ornaments. These I bought for all the cats we’ve shared our lives with. I’ve never had a tree that my cats haven’t played under, or my dogs haven’t hit with their tails. The tree shimmies and shakes, but hasn’t fallen over yet. But if it ever does, and if I lose my oldest bulbs from the high branches, it’ll just be another Christmas memory.

My daughter once told me she loved her boyfriend’s house at Christmas time. His mother had “theme” trees. All decorated with expensive bits of this and that: matching, of course, and totally in keeping with the house decor.

Me? Gimme my “memory” tree…that’s my theme, Christmas songs and all. As for my family rolling their eyes at the corniness? One day, seeing me sing along, sniffle and chuckle while decorating will be one of their memories. A happy one, I hope.

Have a happy happy holiday and may your memories bring you joy, even if they bring out a sniffle or two. Sing along, be corny! I think it’s good for the soul.

On Monday, I sent in my completed manuscript for my next anthology which will be released in December 2009. (Title to be decided.) There’s a thrill every time I reach the end of a book. It’s a mad, headlong crash for me, mostly because I have such a hard time finding my endings. Don’t get me wrong, my stories always have happy endings, I just don’t always envision the setting or circumstances until well, the end.

On Wednesday, I typed Chapter One of my next Aphrodisia single title novel. What a difference 48 hours makes!

I’m out from under the heavy load of characters restricted by what’s come before and the freedom is incredible.

When I begin writing a book, with fresh characters and exciting new situations, it’s a wide open road. I can go anywhere and find a new way to get there. But as the story moves along and events/reactions occur, the pathway narrows and the burden of the characters’ traits, responses and decisions weighs more heavily. My characters change so that by the end of the story, they won’t react to a given situation the same way they would have at the start.

Perhaps that’s why I find it so difficult to know the exact details of the ending pages before I get there. My characters unfold for me as I write. I discover them as I move them through their arc of personal growth.

This new story is my twelfth beginning of an Aphrodisia story. Twelve times I’ve started on a wide open road only to skid in ragged and bleeding at the end.

After all these beginnings, I’ve learned some things about my process. One of those things is to trust myself. Round about 3/4 of the way through every story, no matter the length, I panic and decide I was wrongheaded and delusional to think I could pull it off. The characters have depths I never saw to start with. They have heart. They have strength. They have direction.

All these newfound traits must be dealt with at the end. I always worry I’m not doing my characters justice on those last pages. I fret, I whine, I stress, I lose sleep. Then suddenly I’m done. It’s over.

And I get to start the whole thing again: a fresh path, with characters who haven’t yet developed into people with heart, drive or determination. They’re malleable and easy to deal with. Until they develop layers and the real work of writing begins.

So, here’s to beginnings! I do love me my beginnings!

I’ve had an interesting thing occur. But it’s probably only interesting to me and won’t effect much of anything in terms of sales or my career. But it makes me scratch my head just the same.

I’m collectible.

Not exactly me, you understand. One of the anthologies I’m in, The Hard Stuff is in its fourth printing, which is really great, so thanks to all the readers who purchased!

I was skipping around on the ‘net and noticed that there were a couple of books available for sale as collectibles. HMMMM. What could this mean, I wondered, then clicked over to see that indeed, a couple of first editions are now for sale. One of them has even been autographed by Sunny.

These first editions are priced at somewhere close to the original cover price. Very cool all around.
Makes me wonder how much people would charge for those few that have all three autographs. In the summer of 2006, Karin, Sunny and I were all at the RWA Conference Literary book signing and several people made certain to collect all our signatures. (I say several but in the interest of accuracy I should say four or five)

I don’t think we’ve all been at the same book signing with first edition copies available since then. So, wow.

Makes me think that maybe those few books may actually be worth, oh, say as much as $5.00 above original price, or maybe that’s a stretch. Either way, it feels a little weird to be included in a “collectible”. I think it would be akin to earning a lifetime achievement award at thirty-five.

And Hallelujah! I heading into the last days of work on BREATHLESS, my next Aphrodisia. As soon as I have a release date for the “first edition”, I’ll let you know.

Bonnie Edwards

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

Please stop by!

Bonnie

It’s nice to have a link running through your stories when you pitch an anthology idea. Many anthologies have exciting themes: shape shifters, BDSM stories, mystical legends or what-have-you. I’ve even been one of three in an anthology about men in toolbelts. (BUILT)

But me? On my own? I do underwear. Even I have to admit it’s
mundane, and on the surface, doesn’t even seem romantic.

Working on THIGH HIGH I got to wondering about men’s underwear for the ghost story, Parlor Games. I’ve got a bachelor auction happening in a haunted former bordello. Once I figured out that the underwear these guys wear is actually a hidden code for the bachelors’ predilections then mundane flew out the window. There’s some hot stuff out there in the male underwear department. Who knew?

Most times, when we think lingerie we think merry widows, or garters and stockings. For women. We think silky, slinky, sexy…for women! A quick google search proved me wrong. For men, we’ve got lace up pouches, g-strings, body strings. (ouch!) That’s just for starters. I’m not getting into the rubber! (Not ever)

So my next Aphrodisia title is BREATHLESS, where I have fun with even more underwear. (Ok, is this getting close to a fetish?) Since I once sold lingerie it’s a good fit for me. (Pun intended.)

Yesterday, I got the most wonderful note from a reader who’d just started reading THIGH HIGH. As an assault survivor she loved that there were hot, sexy scenes without any feeling of danger, no anal sex, or nearly-forced sex, or anything to trigger her memory. Which made me ponder the romance in my stories.

For those of you who have read THIGH HIGH, I’d like to hear which novella seemed the most romantic for you. The one that hit all the right buttons and made you sigh at the end. There’s an important reason for my asking this so, three people will win gift certificates for the online bookstore of their choice. It’s not as easy as giving me a title, I also need to hear what it was that made you love the story more than the other two. In other words, I need to know what novella was the very best romance read for you and why.

I hope I get lots of entries! The winners will be announced in Friday October 10. The contest will run all week, just email me at bonnie@bonnieedwards.com Thanks so much!

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!

Most of us have returned from RWA National in San Francisco, feeling good about the market, about the stories we’re writing and the support we’re getting from our fab editors and publisher. (anyone else snag an extra Aphrodisia lipgloss?)

But the conference itself is still somehting of a blur for me. I was so exhausted at one point, I read the program and discovered a delicious two hour gap built into the day. Whoo hoo! Time to myself! I could shop, go for a walk, see some sites…whatever. I ran up to my room to change, fell onto the comfy bed and passed out for an hour. The maid woke me.

I rose, kind of stumbled out of my room into a silent hotel. It was like a post-apocalyptic movie where everyone’s gone. The hall was empty, I had the elevator to myself, ditto the lobby. I wandered, without my name badge on, toward the street, dumbfounded by the lack of conference goers. Then I got hungry…because it was, after all, lunchtime.

One block down and around the corner, I discover Mel’s Diner, where I sit at the counter (first time since I was a kid!) and watch people cook, take food orders and otherwise behave like people who work hard in diners. I still had sheetmarks on my face, but, without a name badge on I thought, what the heck, no one knows me…doesn’t matter if I look a little dazed. As long as no one puts money in a cup for me, I’m good.

I had fish and chips and the best damn milkshake *ever*…they even bring the leftover shake in the aluminum mix cup! Eventually, I return to the erstwhile silent hotel and find everyone’s returned from wherever they’d been. How odd.

Seems I completely missed the RWA Awards Luncheon. The agenda for the conference was spread out over two books, and the luncheon wasn’t noted amongst the workshops. Considering it isn’t a workshop, that made sense.

I think I needed the nap, though, don’t you? At least no one knew the befuddled, sheet-marked woman alone at the counter at Mel’s. If I’d gone to the luncheon and fallen face first into my food, people who knew me would have noticed.

For sure.

And instead of recounting this story myself: everyone else would be pointing and laughing at me.

This way, I get to do it myself.

I’m hard at work again on BREATHLESS my next APHRODISIA. I missed the writing while I was away, but that’s okay, leaving home gave my mind time to wander and I’ve come up with what I think is a cool premise for my next single title Aphrodisia.

I’m loving the look of the new site and blog….how about you?

Bonnie Edwards

Here’s to you!
The other day I found myself checking email and fell into a mid-day I.M. session with a reader. It was cool. I don’t use instant messaging for anything, but there I was…chatting. The next day, I did it again with a different person.
So, in two days I talked with two different readers in a way I haven’t before. The first reader has a blog where I’ve been interviewed and she’s excited about the traffic she’s been getting lately. Other readers are finding her blog and enjoying the interviews with writers she puts up there.

Pretty cool! She hosts readers connecting with writers connecting with readers. Readers connecting with other readers who like the same books…passing along author names and titles to be read.

It’s all a circle which begins with a writer getting an idea. If writers didn’t sit at their computers and work that idea into a story, the circle wouldn’t begin.

The second reader is simply a fan of romance who loves to spread the word about her favorite authors and stories. We talked about family, we talked about the stuff of life, about other sites where I’ve seen her kind comments and we talked about what I’m working on.

While I’d been fretting that I’m not busy enough, that maybe other writers are more prolific, she pointed out that I’ve got a lot of work to do with two publishers and multiple contracts.

Being entirely focused on the story at hand tends to blur the big picture for me. I worry so much about what’s happening in the moment for my characters, that I forget I’m also working toward larger career goals. Weird, but then, what writer isn’t?

It was a lovely conversation and I was reminded of the circle again. Writing can be isolating. There are days my phone doesn’t ring…my voice is actually rusty at the end of the day because I’ve only used it for brief comments to the pets. “Wanna go pee?” doesn’t quite exercise the vocal cords.

The brief break I took for these conversations energized me. I went back to my WIP and looked at it with fresh eyes. It isn’t a flat story with flat characters that everyone has seen before. It’s the start of a circle of contact between strangers.

So, here’s to our readers! They cheer us on, they love our stories as much as we do and they happily join our circles to talk and share.

What a fabulous way to spend my time! Thanks so much to every one of you!

After a very short break between my last deadline and the first draft of BREATHLESS, my anthology for Aphrodisia, I found myself falling in love.

All over again! I’m a fickle woman and it’s taken me years to see it. Now, now, I’m married to a wonderful man. The love of my life, and all that stuff.

I’ve fallen in love with 6 new characters! Right now, they’re ready to launch me into 3 wonderful new stories of love, hot sex and deeply (can we say deeply) satisfying romance. And I’m in love again.

Their stories, Breathless, To Die For, and Body by Gibson stretch before me: perfect, golden, exquisitely written. So far, there’s not a darn thing wrong with them. The characters are wonderful: head strong, but trainable, gorgeous, but not perfect, warm, willing, sexual, but scared of committing.

All these things are waiting for me to explore. And it’s one of the very best moments in writing. Because I’m in love.

You see, by the end, I’ll hate every one of them for being difficult, demanding pains in the butt. They’ll argue, stomp off…want sex I don’t want (g) and will generally try to take over. I’ll hang onto my plot, and only that, by the seat of my pants.

I’ll fight with them, down and dirty, scrabbling in the bowels of the book to keep the point-of view straight, the words flowing, the love brewing. And it’ll work, because I always win.

I’ll win because by the time I’m fed up with these characters, I’ll have discovered another set that wait for me: perfect, shiny, and agreeable. I’ll finish the whole anthology BREATHLESS and send it in to my editor.

And then, like a miracle, I’ll fall in love again. Fickle me!

Now, what does it take for you to fall for a writer? Why keep picking up the same writer’s books time and again? Is it consistency in the type of books? Or the fresh, new twists? What makes you say: This writer is a must buy?

Bonnie Edwards

The writing life’s been wild and wacky lately. In February I accepted an offer from Harlequin Blaze for a book that would never fly with my editor at Kensington. I love knowing what will work and what won’t with my Aphrodisias. It’s taken time to learn, but as things move along, it’ll save me time. And time, for writers on deadline, is more valuable than gold.

I’m probably one of the, ahem, sweetest of the Aphrodisia authors…not a lot ‘o kink in a Bonnie Edwards Aph, so here’s hoping I have some cross-over readers. {ok, I suppose some people would substitute the word boring for sweetest - LOL - and if you’re one of those people don’t tell me}
The Aphrodisia call came a couple weeks ago. So….big cheers here!… I’m also signed on for two more Aphrodisias.

First up is my single anthology, BREATHLESS, which will be released in 2009. BREATHLESS is a trilogy of novellas linked by underwear above the waist: a corset with a time-travel twist, a Vegas showgirl’s bustier and a body art competition. I’ve got a mystery, one last visit to Perdition House, and a sexy carpenter in BREATHLESS. And I can’t wait to write them all…I think it’s a great combination of stories. A little of this, a little of that…just fun!

Like I said the writing life’s been a little wild and wacky. This is the first time I’ve had to balance so many projects at once. I have two editors to answer to. I’m thrilled to rise to this challenge, but it meant some heavy duty thinking about how to write so that all my books have enough time to gel.

I write four drafts of every book. That’s four official drafts…that’s not counting the endless revising I seem to do on a daily basis. So, yes, this takes time and balancing my writing life with my family responsibilities was a challenge this time.

Life emergencies happen and when you can see them on the horizon it’s better to add time to your due dates at contract time, than to ask for an extension when the books are due. It was difficult to sort through my life (and those life emergencies that are a guarantee) for the next year. Talk about needing to see the future!

So, it’ll be 2009 before BREATHLESS makes an appearance on the shelves. Here’s hoping the second Aphrodisia isn’t such a long wait. That one will be a single title.

The wait seems impossibly long for me, I just hope readers will be happy to hang in there with me!

Back to work for me,


Bonnie Edwards