Aphrodisia Authors :: Blog

First, the exciting news. Men on Fire, the Aphrodisia firefighter anthology from November 2009 is September’s Red-Hot Read in Cosmopolitan magazine. How cool is that?

The novella they excerpted is Jodi Lynn Copeland’s “Playing With Fire.” Hurray, Jodi!! And hurray also that the book’s co-authors, Rachelle Chase and I, get a little free promo too, since our book cover is featured. That makes twice in Cosmo for me this year – my own Sex Drive (December 2010) was the May Red-Hot Read.

So, of course I bought the September Cosmo, and as I browsed through the articles, I found this tidbit. This man who’s 30 says he owes his seductive skills to buying “dopey romance novels” (excuse me???), ripping out the sex scenes, and memorizing them until he can recite the “tacky phrases” (double excuse me???) word for word. He says they’re like cheat sheets for getting a girl’s undies off.

On how many levels is this just plain wrong? If he thinks romance novels are dopey, then clearly he thinks romance is dopey (and who uses the word “dopey” anyhow?). Well, obviously, if his goal is getting a girl’s undies off, he doesn’t give a damn about romance, does he? This is a man I so don’t want to know!

But, seriously, would a woman fall for this? Some guy who doesn’t look at her, isn’t interested in her, doesn’t care about her, just reciting seductive phrases from a novel with his tongue firmly planted in his cheek, with the sole goal of having sex with her? I’d really like to think she’d laugh her head off and walk away from the shmuck.

On the other hand, for a man who really cares about women and wants tips on how to please them, reading romance novels is a great guide. There are insights into what women want and how they feel that are invaluable to the good guys. Hint: it’s about the romance, the genuineness, the connection, not the specific words! Yes, having a guy say something romantic can be a turn-on for a woman, but that “something romantic” has to ring true. It can’t be a sleaze-ball line delivered in a bar by a virtual stranger. She has to believe it’s personal, genuine, meaningful, and not just some “tacky phrase” he’s only saying to get her into bed.

I’ll keep writing romance novels, and when I picture men reading them, it’ll be the good guys I have in mind. As for the sleaze-balls, I hope they get exactly what they deserve.

So, just as I was congratulating myself on what a good writing session I was having, I took a short caffeine-fix break, which led to a quick email check, which led to a visit to MediaBistro.com, where I was one mouse-click away from signing up AGAIN for the magazine article writing class that I’d previously taken, but never finished. But, the money Gods were watching, forcing me to close my browser.

What else can I do while the coffee’s brewing? I asked myself.

I know. I’ll look through my book idea file for new projects (despite the 9 unfinished ones staring back at me).

An hour later, I was still scrolling through the pages. Then, the following idea caught my attention. In December 2006, as I was sitting in Starbuck’s looking around and inventing lives for various patrons – something else I do to procrastinate – I saw a woman alone who looked rather sad and was staring at the door repeatedly, which triggered the idea for this Christmas story:

A woman sits expectantly at a table at a restaurant, convinced that Mr. Right is going to waltz through the door. She checks her makeup repeatedly, can barely finish each course, and glances at the doorway each time someone walks in. In between courses, she replays scenes from her life — past Christmases of heartbreak. But as dessert is served, followed by her third cup of coffee, and the last guest leaves, she must accept that Mr. Right is not coming. No one has ever come to here rescue, so why should this Christmas be any different. She asks for one last cup of coffee and takes the handful of pills she’s carried along with her. As she drifts off, she hears sirens in the background, before gazing up into kind brown eyes. “You came,” she says, then laughs, coughing, “I’m sorry I didn’t wait.” The reader is left to wonder if Mr. Right really came or if she has died and it was her last dream.

Now, there’s a cheery story! What had I been thinking about beforehand?

And, then I remembered why I’d jotted down this idea – because, each year, I get more and more turned off by the excessive commercialism and forced good cheer of the holidays. I was rebelling, in my own childish way, by forcing myself to come up with an unhappy Christmas tale.

Uh, yeah. Well, I think I succeeded.

Hmmmm…Supposing that I didn’t make the heroine come across as a Pitiful Pearl (as my friend Leigh Michaels says), do you think anyone would buy it if I wrote it? Now, that thought is good for at least ten more procrastination minutes…

But I’m going to be strong and resist the temptation – and struggle to get New Year’s Resolution #1 back on track. Further exploration of that idea will have to wait, perhaps forever.

Here’s wishing everyone success with this year’s resolutions!

Best,
Rachelle

So, to celebrate, as well as give folks a sneak peek, I decided to do something different, so I created an audio excerpt of SIN CLUB, as well as the sin-sual book video below:

And I redesigned my web site to make it sexier to match the books I write.

Well, what do you think? I’d love to know, so please leave a comment here or on my blog about either the new web site or the SIN CLUB book video, and you’ll be entered into a drawing for a **free** copy of SEX LOUNGE and an autographed mirror. Then, enter the December Happy Holidays Contest for a chance to win a handful of books by Jasmine Haynes, Leigh Wyndfield, Dee S. Knight, Rachelle Chase, and a $20 Amazon gift certificate from TL Schaefer.

And speaking of contests, the SEX LOUNGE Finding Derek CONTEST – my previously mentioned online contest where sexy guys competed to be Derek, the hero of SEX LOUNGE, has ended. Check out the photos, audio clips, essays, and videos of the 37 hunky guys who made the cut, as well as the winners, by visiting www.FindingDerek.com/entries .

That’s all for now. I hope you’ll enter the contests and share your thoughts!

Happy Holidays,

Rachelle

It’s my turn to blog today and, well, since making videos is my #1 procrastination activity, I was going to post a videotape of me, dressed in surgical garb — complete with gloves and surgical mask — cleaning out my refrigerator. But … sigh … fellow Aphrodisiac, Amie Stuart, talked me out of it.

So, instead, I’ll share a bit of news …

I’ve got two fantastic guests coming up on “Chatting with Chase,” my live talk show. First up, this Sunday, 11/11, at 4:30 p.m. PT will be Tara Janzen, author of the wonderful CRAZY book series, which features hot cars, kickass heroes, and tough heroines and is packed with all the weapons, tactics, and danger an adrenaline junky could want. Join us, as we discuss cars, guns, love, adventure, her new book, ON THE LOOSE (October 2007), and more!

Then, on Thursday, 11/14, at 6:00 p.m. PT, Sheila Clover English, CEO of COS Productions will be my guest. She’ll talk about screenwriting, book trailers, authors, her favorite Derek (she’s a judge in my contest), and more.

Please join us – and call in and ask your questions. Details can be found on the Chatting with Chase page or at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/chattingwithchase.

Next up, web site visitors have picked the 12 Finalists in the SEX LOUNGE Finding Derek CONTEST. Stop by the site and leave a comment and you’ll be entered in the drawing to win a copy of SEX LOUNGE and a beautiful autographed, handcrafted mirror and pendant. And here’s a sneak peek at the finalists:

Hot, huh? Next week, the celebrity judges will pick the winner(s), so check back on November 14th.

Well, that’s it for now. I’ve must get back to my refrigerator …

Best,
Rachelle

Okay, I know Lucinda just “tagged” me – and I really will respond this weekend but … in the meantime, I just had to share my exciting news …

Rachelle
http://www.FindingDerek.com
http://www.RachelleChase.com