Aphrodisia Authors :: Blog

First of all, take a look at my new book cover for Wolf Tales VI. Is this gorgeous or what? It comes out in July.

However, that’s not what I’m writing about!

This morning I packed up the finished manuscript for Wolf Tales VII, the thirteenth title in my series, and mailed it off to my editor. Then I immediately sunk into a deep and dark depression. Does anyone else do this? I think it’s the fact I’ve lived with the characters for so many weeks (or months, in the case of this one!) and when the story ends, my relationship with my characters ends as well…at least until I start the next book in the series! I keep thinking, when the time comes that I don’t write about my Chanku anymore, I’ll probably need therapy!

I’ve always been that way with every book I’ve written. I honestly think the fantasy world I write intrudes so heavily on my real world that it’s painful to get jerked back into reality. I look back over the months since I started this story, though, and there have been so many family and personal issues, that finishing the book became a major peak to conquer–my mother’s surgery, my own health issues, a computer crash, then Mom’s fall and broken bones, remodeling our kitchen, two weeks of snow in an area where snow is NOT supposed to come that often…it’s gone on and on and on. My story was the only thing I had any control over at all, and of course, once the characters gained a bit of power, I lost even that!

I will say, though, that through it all my readers have been absolutely amazing. I didn’t realize what a powerful support group I had until I sent out a whiny, grumpy plea for understanding on my newsletter, and got literally hundreds of replies from people offering me nothing but prayers and good thoughts. It made me realize just how lucky I am.

On that note, I’m going to close and head for the shower and bed. I need to get some sleep and start the next book, because I know I’ll feel better once I’m back in sync with my Chanku shapeshifters! Do you have the same issues? Sort of a post partum depression for writers? I’d love to hear how you deal with it if you do!

This has been a rough few weeks for me (whimper) and it’s all because of two things in my life I think of the least but which appear to affect me the most: My computer and the power company, things I use without thinking about them or their importance in my life. Well, now I KNOW how important they are! So important, I’ve hardly had time to agonize over the release of my latest book in the Wolf Tales series, Wolf Tales V. So, maybe all the trouble is a GOOD thing.

Nah. I don’t think so.

My computer crashed two weeks ago. Luckily I send my manuscript to my gmail account every night, so it’s saved online, because I lost a lot of stuff and I won’t know if it can be recovered until next week when the repairman finally has time to check the problem. One of the things missing is my calendar. I know I’ve committed to a lot of events this month because I have a new book out, but they were all noted in my Outlook calendar, which is totally inaccessible. If I’m supposed to be chatting with you or blogging or doing SOMETHING, please email me and tell me! I am seriously thinking of getting a “gasp” REAL PAPER CALENDAR. I was in the middle of running a contest for my newsletter group and I can no longer access the entries. Not a good thing. So many things going on, lost or in a file I can’t access.

If that’s not enough trouble, we’re in the middle of the “STORM OF THE CENTURY!” I have to write that in all caps because that’s how the weatherman keeps describing it. I’m always amazed at how many “storms of the century” we have, but will admit, this one has been spectacular. Seven inches of rain in two days, winds up to 60 mph, trees down, roads blocked, flooding…and no power. Which is why the blog post I think I was supposed to do this morning (remember that missing calendar?) isn’t getting done until now.

We live in a forest of huge pine trees–well over a hundred feet tall. In high winds they all blow and sway at different rates, depending on the size of the trunk and the thickness of the crown. My office is on the top floor, literally in the treetops. I’ve been seasick most of the day, watching the trees swaying to and fro! At least none of them have come down on me yet–many of you know of my intimate meeting with a fallen tree. If not, check out the pictures at www.katedouglas.com/fallentree It will give you a whole new perspective on the immense power of a large oak tree that’s ready to come down! You’ll also understand why I’m no longer as fond of trees as I used to be.

So, for me, anyway, this new year is starting out on a rather technical note. As in, me and tech are not getting along. At least my old-fashioned muse if functioning again, and my WIP, Wolf Tales VII, is coming along really well. While the power’s on, I guess I’d better get back to work. In the meantime, I hope your computers behave and your weathermen speak in lower case letters. And I wish you all a wonderful new year and smooth sailing ahead.

PS: I was dead serious about that request–if you know of something I’m supposed to do, please drop me a note and tell me! I don’t even have email addresses of the people I can contact to find out for sure what I’m doing….sigh. Write to me at kate@katedouglas.com. Thank you!

First of all, writing IS my day job, and I work seven days a week, a minimum of 6-10 hours a day. It’s hard work, but I love it. There’s a discussion on one of my lists–all of us are published–about why we stick it out as authors through good times and bad, dry periods where we can’t sell a book to deadlines looming one after the other, often coming so close together we literally have no life beyond the imaginary one in our heads.

I’ve been chuckling over the answers that have come in from other authors: that if we didn’t let the imaginary people out to play they’d probably drive us insane, that writing allows us to focus all our compulsive/obsessive/control freak traits on our books instead of our family members, that we’d be writing anyway, whether we’re published or not…the list goes on and on, but I really laughed at the most often repeated answer of why authors love their jobs, (for those of us lucky enough not to have an outside day job) and the reason is, we never have to get dressed! We work every day in our jammies or sweatsuits without leaving the house. I had no idea how important that would be, but I have to admit, there’s a lot of truth to it. Why leave? Our imaginations take us to such amazing places–new worlds we’ve created or even more exciting versions of the real one. For whatever reason, it’s nice not to have to put on “grown-up” clothes every day and go into the day job–so now you know the real secret!

Another reason, and it’s one that’s right up there with flannel jammies, that really thrills me about this job is my books! They’re in bookstores–I mean right there on the shelves next to some of my favorite authors! I still get a charge when I see them. Plus they have really gorgeous covers, and they’re all mine…well, mine and my critique partners’ and the copy editor and my agent and my regular editor and the print setter and the art department and… you get my drift.

I’ve got a book coming out in a couple of weeks and I’m as excited about the release of Wolf Tales V as I was about the first book in the series. It’s got everything in it that makes me happy–sexy heroes, brave heroines, lots of sexual tension (and even more of the real thing) and it’s all wrapped up with an exciting plot and a very special surprise at the end. I hope you’ll take a look and let me know what you think. I promise to answer–I always do! And you’ll know that I’m sitting here in my old rocker, laptop in my lap, warmly dressed for work in my flannel jammies and an old sweater of my husband’s!

Just a note that if you have’t joined my newsletter, please do. I’m running another contest this month with books for prizes. I’m at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/KateDouglas/

Happy Holidays to everyone!

Well, to begin, I’m posting from the island of Oahu in Hawaii, specifically my son’s home in Kaneohe where I’ve been watching my adorable almost two year old granddaughter, Ella. Mommy is away for a week, which means Dabba (me!) has both her thirty year old son and Ella to feed and spoil and play with. I’d planned to write when Ella went down for a nap, but I quickly discovered that chasing a toddler is exhausting work (proof that motherhood is truly for the young!) and I’ve been napping along with Ella.

Today, though, I “worked.” Well, sort of…there is a wonderful romance expert at the local Borders book store, here in Kaneohe. Kellie Chang is absolutely amazing, and she’s gone above and beyond the call of duty! It’s obvious she loves the romance genre and she is a font of information about the various authors and titles. I’m convinced that if every bookstore had a Kellie clone, we’d all enjoy our shopping experience a whole lot more. For the second time, now when I’ve been to the island, Kellie has organized a little gathering with many of the romance readers she’s gotten to know at her store. Today there were thirteen of us at the local IHOP, munching away and gabbing about books and having a wonderful time.

That’s us in the photo–Kellie is third from the left, back row, standing beside her parents. That’s me on the far right, back row. Work? I guess so, if you can call spending over two hours with a fascinating group of women who love the same books and authors I do, work. Yes, it was a great chance to promote my books, but it was even more fun just being surrounded by readers who love the same stories. We ended up with a quick trip to the bookstore where I managed to add to my TBR pile, and it was really hard to leave, knowing it will be months before I see them again.

This is one of the things I love most about a career as an author–the interaction with readers. I feel so lucky to have these opportunities to sit and visit and get to know people who read my books and those who don’t, but who love to read romance just the same. My thanks to Kellie for organizing such a special time for all of us today.

And totally off topic–I just read Vonna Harper’s blog–what a thrill, to finally be sharing an anthology with a talented author who has been a friend of mine for so many years. Ain’t it great, kiddo?

Damn but I love my job!!!

Days go by without my ever leaving my office. I’m not complaining…
considering I hang with my Wolf Tales characters (Anton! OH. MY. GAWD.) it could certainly be worse. However, I’ve been feeling really awful lately, a combination of weird ailments and general exhaustion, and my husband agreed that I needed to see some fresh scenery. We took off to the high Sierra for a quick glimpse of Fall colors. A photo can never do justice to the magnificence of the high mountain passes in October. We had hoped to go for three days, but with a big winter snowstorm blowing in, we made due with two. Still it was unbelievably satisfying to see the rugged granite peaks and the brilliant splashes of bright yellow aspens.

We followed the Mormon Immigrant Trail, a winding mountain road that made me wonder about the people who crossed these mountains in something a lot less comfortable than our SUV. The road is a challenge with an engine for power–I can’t imagine the fortitude (or even the shear stupidity!) of men leading their families, their wives and children, into such an inhospitable wilderness. Then we reached Highway 88 and Kit Carson Pass. The meadow is huge, the views spectacular, and you get an idea of what drew these people onward.

We’d had the news on the radio and had listened to predictions of a fierce storm due in the following day, so after spending the night in Tahoe, we took a leisurely trip home through Truckee and then down Highway 49, another point of California historical interest. Following the Yuba River, it’s still possible to see remnants of the gold mining and logging of years ago. Whole hillsides were washed away by hydraulic mining, and foundations have crumbled beside the river.

We were gone less than 36 hours, but I came home with the feeling I’d been away for weeks. Healthwise, I’m still not feeling 100% and recovery is taking longer than I want, but the trip to the High Sierra had exactly the effect my husband hoped for me. Those mountains have always been my sanctuary, the place where I go to recharge. We live in the mountains, in the coast range, where the trees are as tall, the scenery as lovely, but it’s not the same as those high, granite peaks. Seeing that grandeur, reminding myself of the often tragic yet amazingly powerful history on those trails, is like a tonic. My body reacts, and my mind suddenly fills with ideas, with the sense of how many stories are yet to be told.

What do you do when the well is dry and the muse is tired? Where do you go for inspiration, for the chance to recharge your batteries? How long does it take? For me, a couple days is actually better than a long vacation, but I would love to hear what works for you.

Okay, I guess I should be writing about something writerly, like how to put a story together or find the right tone for a character’s voice, but today I was thinking about spouses, in particular MY spouse. That’s him on the left. We’ve been married for over 35 years, so I figure I know him fairly well–or I thought I did. Then, last week, he turned everything upside down. Doug got hired as an extra for a movie. Now you have to realize, in this family, I’M the one always seeking the spotlight. Not my husband. But he recently retired and saw an ad in the local paper for a casting company looking for vintage vehicles for a movie that takes place in 1975. As the proud owner of a 1972 BMW motorcycle, Doug thought his bike would be perfect. He sent in a photo, was asked to show up, and in the early morning hours made the perilous trip down the mountain to the movie set. The casting director took one look at the bike, and more looks at Doug and hired him on the spot. I imagine his long hair and beard had something to do with it, but suddenly my fairly quiet spouse was an extra in the movie Bottle Shock, a film about the beginning of the modern wine industry in the Napa Valley. He was wearing blue jeans. He needed bell bottoms. They were short…REAL short, but he said later that he recalled his pants were always short back in the early seventies. Of course, the fact that he’s REAL tall might have had something to do with it! Anyway, his one day of “stardom” turned into two, and then more. He got called back with instructions to dress as a “biker dude.” Anyone want to guess what the kids and I are calling him now? Needless to say, I couldn’t wait for Biker Dude to get home at night to hear the stories from the front–he had me laughing so hard I almost had a wreck! (I know…TMI) I found myself looking forward to his tales of Hollywood–there are some notable actors in the movie, including Alan Rickman (Professor Snape in the Harry Potter movies) and a young heartthrob I’ve never heard of named Chris Pine. (No, I don’t ever go to movies. Sorry, so if he’s your favorite, I apologize!) I found myself seeing my husband through new eyes and wondering how the camera saw him. I hope his scenes don’t all end up on the cutting room floor. I hope I get to see him playing pool in the background of the bar scene, or walking up to Alan Rickman in the street scene. I want to see him in the fantasy that is a Hollywood production, because I realized that his experience mimics, in many ways, what I do every day. He was a part of fiction, of fantasy, a character in someone’s image of a certain point in time, playing a role determined by the scriptwriter, the director, the other actors. I create fantasy every day with my stories. My characters are all fictional creatures who arise from some well of experience in my mind, and my husband obviously, is part of that experience. He’s a little bit Stefan, a lot of Anton, a smidge of Baylor and even a touch of Luc, because he’s so much a part of my experience. I can’t wait to see what he’s like on screen…a part of another writer’s imagination. I hope they don’t mind, though, that I’ll continue to pull parts of his personality, of his humor and his appeal, and use it when I write my books. You know what they say…we write what we know.

A conversation on one of my online author lists last week has stayed with me. A member wrote in, commenting on an article that referred to romance novels as “guilty pleasures and bodice rippers” and a number of others wrote back in defense of the genre, with, of course, their own stories on insults hurled and offensive comments made about romances in general. What’s stuck in my head is how defensive everyone is. Personally, I’ve had it with feeling a need to apologize for what I love to read AND write.

First of all, reading romances, for me at least, is a guilty pleasure, but certainly not because of the content. It’s because when I’m reading, when I’m lost in that wonderful world another author has created, I should probably be writing my own world—but that book in my TBR pile has called to me louder than the work in progress.

As far as the bodice ripper description? That label got hung on the genre when the covers depicted exactly that—some overbearing alpha male ripping the bodice of the heroine’s dress, and we, as readers, didn’t let that stop us. We devoured every one of those books with pure delight, but times change. Covers change, stories change, but the label lives on. Instead of taking it as an insult, we should learn to appreciate the fact the genre we love is so much a part of the American lexicon. Of course, that doesn’t excuse the folks who, when they learn what you write, think nothing of referring to your work as smut or women’s porn.

My answer to that? “Really? I thought they were just terrific stories about love and life with a guaranteed happy ending.” Face it…in today’s world, it’s hard to disagree with anything that promises a happy ending! I quit apologizing a long time ago for what I write and love to read. It’s especially important now, because I’ve moved on into a genre that is edgy and sexy, stories that skirt—and often cross way over—the comfort zone for a lot of people.

I’m proud of the fact I write erotic romance and I don’t hesitate to say so. When the eyebrows go up, as they inevitably do, I take the topic and run with it. It’s not easy to get published in this huge and horribly competitive market, and I’m not about to let anyone try and take my sense of accomplishment away from me. Another thing to remember—romance drives the publishing world. Our books sell! Do not try to intimidate the 600 pound gorilla…

Of course, it means you need to have your “stock replies” available for the snide put downs! My favorite is, “Oh, you write those smutty books for women.” We’ve all heart that one, right? My response? “Yeah, but it’s very good smut—and it sells real well.” That always turns the conversation in my direction. It’s hard to insult someone who loves their work!

I told you mine…now tell me yours!

Love those sexy covers! This is my new one for the next book, coming out in January 2008. You know when you see a cover like this that the book is going to be hot. Sizzling hot. Firecracker hot, right? (Well, it IS the fourth of July!) So how do we do it? What lifts a story beyond mere romance and makes it erotic?

How about taking three little steps to better sex…

Someone asked me the other day what the secret was to writing those really HOT sex scenes without blushing. I laughed, because I know my answer wasn’t what she expected. I told her there were three things to keep in mind. One, she had to get rid of her mother. Not actually, of course, because we love our mothers—mostly—but figuratively speaking, it’s almost impossible to write hot sex with that imaginary mom hanging over your shoulder. Remember, the one who said you can’t SAY those things?

Much less, write them!

Okay…so you’ve taken care of the judgmental grown-up. Hypothetical Mom’s not frowning and shaking her finger at you. Step two? Turn your inner bitch free. We’ve all got one—she’s hovering in there behind the rules and responsibilities and the daily chores that keep her chained, but she’s in there. I like to think mine’s an alpha bitch. We’ll call her AB and she’s the one who can use those words that Mom said we can’t say. AB calls a cock a cock (or a dick or even a penis, but never, in her wildest imaginings, would she refer to that part of the male anatomy as a purple helmeted warrior or a steely pleasure shaft!) and she’s not afraid of her own body—or the bodies of her characters. She knows that sex is messy and not always perfect, but AB’s convinced that she deserves an orgasm and isn’t going to be happy with a man who ignores her needs. She’ll take a good vibrator over a bad lover any day, but she’s really holding out for “Mr. Perfect.”

Well, we write the fantasies that make women happy, and that means we OWN Mr. Perfect—or at least we need to convince our readers we do! Unless we’re comfortable with the language and the detailed descriptions of the sexual acts themselves, (even though we’ve probably never done half the things we write about) our readers are going to know we’re faking. Our discomfort will show through in every word we write. If we feel awkward writing those graphic encounters, our reader will feel the same way.

Not good.

So, get rid of Mom and get comfortable with your new vocabulary.

But what’s the third thing, you ask? (and if you’re not asking, by golly, you should be!)

We need to fall in love. Simple, right? And who is the object of our affection? Our characters—all of them who might be tumbling in or out of bed—or wherever we want them to do the deed. If we don’t love them, we’re not going to make our readers love them, and if our readers don’t feel a deep emotional attachment to the characters in a story, they won’t give a rat’s ass about the sex in the story. Without emotion, without the bond we, as writers, create, the sex becomes mechanical and boring. We all know how it’s done—there’s no mystery there. Creating those sexy scenes within the context of a good story filled with strong characters and powerful emotions is what lifts the truly erotic far above the level of what could easily degenerate into nothing more than crass pornography.

By the time I get to the first sexual encounter in my books, I’m already so heavily invested and involved in my characters that the graphic sex scene is the next natural step in the progression of character and/or plot development. I write the scenes because the story requires them, not because my editor wants more sex in the book.

There’s an amazing sense of freedom in creating well-developed characters, letting them fall in love and not shutting the bedroom door in the reader’s face. It’s simple, really. Just tell Mom to go away, let your inner bitch out of her closet, and turn yourself free to fall in love.

I sat down this morning to start a new book in my Wolf Tales series, and realized I’ve reached a point I never imagined would actually come–this is Wolf Tales VI, the last novel in my contracted series (so far!) and one that seemed so far away when I first signed my name on the dotted line. This has been a most amazing year for me, starting each new story with only a hint of what was to come. I’ve always been a “pantster,” which means my synopsis is nothing more than something I send to my editor before the characters start me off on yet another new ride. This upcoming book, for instance, was supposed to be the continuation of Adam Wolf and Eve Reynold’s story–they will be introduced in the novella, Chanku Destiny coming out sometime in 2008. Suddenly I had a new character appear–Mei Chen. She, like Eve, was raised in foster care but her life has taken a decidedly unhappy turn and she is now homeless. Once Mei showed up, I realized she carried secrets none of my other Chanku would understand, and I’m still not sure how they’ll be resolved. That, of course, is why I love my job! There’s always a surprise, always a twist, something whispered in my ear that leads me astray. I never realized just how much fun it would be, to have the chance to follow those wonderfully mysterious voices. In fact, I think they’re calling me now!

I was walking the dog this morning, which is something I do every day. It gives me time to think about the work in progress and what I’ll write on any particular day. Today I got sidetracked (not unusual) and started thinking about heroes in romance–what makes them not only hot and yummy, but unforgetable? What makes you, as a reader, sigh and wish the hero had his shoes parked under your bed? Because I’m most familiar with the men I write, I went back through my “men of Wolf Tales.” In order of appearance, I’ve got Stefan Aragat–brash and cocky but with a soft heart and a powerful desire to please his packmates. There’s Anton Cheval, the most powerful of all my Chanku. A wizard as well as a shapeshifter, he’s also one of the older characters, and, in Chanku Journey (fall 07) becomes a father for the first time, something that scares him spitless. There’s Lucien Stone from WTII, Mik and AJ, and Tinker McLintock–all alpha males, but each with a character trait — call it a weakness, if you will — that gives them a softer side. Do you see where I’m going with this? Even Jacob Trent, my Chanku “bad boy” has secrets that make him vulnerable, and that, I think, is the necessary ingredient in creating a perfect hero. It’s not how handsome he is, or even how good in the sack. It’s that vulnerability that tempers all the tough-guy traits. If he’s always hard-edged, always the tough guy without a bit of softness, he doesn’t need love, right? But, if he’s vulnerable in some way, a vulnerability he shares with the heroine, it gives him a sense of humanity the uber-alpha male lacks. At least that’s my opinion. I’m curious about what you think? Do you want your hero to have at least one small chink in his manly armor? I’d love to know what makes a hero unforgettable for you, and if you disagree with me, do your best to change my mind!