Friday, August 31, 2012

A writer's path is never straight or narrow

Today I'm double checking galleys for a short story I have in an upcoming Xcite anthology, Corporate Affairs, entitled Box, in which my character's get into some epic hanky-panky in an elevator because my heroine is afraid of them. Here's a fun little snippet:


It was official¾she watched too many horror movies. To the point where getting on the elevator wasn’t even a possibility because of the probability that something in the wiring was faulty and she would plummet to her death. Maybe it shouldn’t have been that way. Normal people used the machine all the time without taking the stairs. It was a good excuse to tone her ass. But as she stared at the shiny great doors¾nope, she couldn’t bring herself to get in there.
 “Another morning of contemplation for you, Lanie?”
Lanie nearly jumped a foot. His seductive tenor voice tingled up her spine and lingered at the base of her neck where all the short hairs stood on end. Charlie. This was not what she needed right now. Not after their one-up game in the boardroom this morning. A quick memory of his lips as he made his grand speech and his tongue worked so hard to grasp every word and make it stick with their clients. No denying he had a gorgeous mouth for oration. She wouldn't admit to herself where she wanted those soft¾often direct and to the point¾lips. Despite his intensity with their clients, when he spoke directly to her he played his own verbal game. It's like he knew, could sense it. Their own personal dirty distraction with all their clothes on in the middle of the office. All her attention for that baiting, infuriating, ripe mouth. Their eye contact with each other never lapsed.
If she moved away from the hot solidity of him now, almost flush with her back, well, he would enjoy that too much. It would be like he had won. Either she stood her ground or he would get too cocky. Stubborn anger rocked down through her stylish heels until she wanted to pin her body to the marble floor with the spike point stilettos. So many games in corporate already, did they need to create another one? Enough was enough.
“You don’t know how to leave things alone do you, Charlie?”
“But you bait me so well. Every morning you’re out here in the lobby, just waiting for me, staring at those doors like they’ll swallow you whole. What’s a man supposed to do with an opportunity like that in his path?”
He chuckled close to her ear and she swallowed, harder than she would have liked to admit. His laughter was a million bits of sound that hacked into her armor. Had she imagined the caress? His lips brushed the curve of her ear so every erotic nerve moved to push against her skin all at once. Hot breath still stung against her cheek like a slap. But that wasn't the least of her worries. For a millisecond it didn't matter where they were and what they bantered about, because the steel box reflected her needs right back at them in the high color to her cheeks. This wasn't happening. Not when she wasn't ready for him to pull back and do nothing¾like always. Every day he left her with empty words and the image of his grin for when she crawled into bed with her hand and a tongue simulator sex toy.
It would be so much easier to just snap.
 “You could be a gentleman about it, although I know that’s a foreign concept to you.”

I'll keep you posted for news of when Corporate Affairs will be available. I also have more than my fair share of projects in the pipes right now waiting for answers. Right now, I have to get back to my regular scheduled program, which is working on a lesbian short-short and a zombie one and maybe a few others before the weekend is out. Have a lovely Labor Day weekend everyone!

Monday, August 27, 2012

Announcement of Light, Joy, and Rainbow Unicorns with Sprinkles on Top

Well, life couldn't get much sweeter today, lovelies. That's because I just did something I thought I'd never do, have been afraid to do, and ultimately did on a whim. Let's go back four years when I said I was going to write full time and decided I was going to write erotica. Cue Alison Tyler's short-short contest every weekend with me entering like a mad fiend. That contest honed my writing more than a lot of the other pointless writing exercises I'd employed before and it made me stretch every, single, sentence.

Alison Tyler the heralded "superwoman of erotica" started me on my erotica journey. Her own stories and edited collections showed me the way to a new world where sex was awesome to write about and could be pretty, wicked, and fun. She was everything I wanted to be and her books led me to Sommer Marsden who led me to countless others. Who effectively changed my life and gave me the courage to be a full time writer come hell or high water. When I started this journey I told myself:

"Self, one day you will be an Alison Tyler edited book. And you will be in bookstores for all the world to see."

Lovelies, that day is TODAY! I just signed my second Short-Short contract for Cleis Press edited by none other than Alison Tyler. I've done the happy sigh, the happy cry, and now I'm sort of in shock. Despite all my prior accomplishments, I never submitted to an Alison Tyler book mainly because I almost always had some other prior commitment to handle. But now, victory is mine, the time was right, and I submitted and I was accepted.

Consider all my life's work validated. At least until tomorrow, when I have a normal bout of self-doubt. But that only happens about once every two days. Partying will commence in ninety seconds. I've got the sugar cookie tea out to prove it!

Sunday, August 26, 2012

So yeah, about posting

I know I've been sporadic these past months, mainly because I've been cranking out projects like I'm going to die any second now. But I have some very good news right around the corner! All my crazy submission efforts have paid off.

Right now I'm cuddling a little cat while thunder and lightening form a creepy backdrop to my morning. I love storms, but only the sound of rain which soothes me. When lightening and thunder are this close, there's nothing too soothing about it. But as long as I have a snuggly kitty, I figure I'll get through it all right. At least I can still concentrate enough on my WIP this morning to throw out some words here and there. I'm going through Furious Lust right now, my paranormal erotic romance, giving it a little tweak and pull overhaul. You'll like it after I'm done. And, oh shit, there went the power. Pray for me lol. I don't want to be without power today.

Got to sign off now, but I'll post up an excerpt of current WIP once the storm dies down. Wish me luck!

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Among the things I'm researching/brainstorming today....

Are thus:

  1. A female demon's gestation period in the Underworld and what it's like, how long it lasts, what are the chances of death before or after birth, etc.
  2. Demon flaws based on hierarchy and whether demon class impacts their levels of kill-ability.
  3. Difference's between born and made demons
  4. How do their biological systems work/if they have them
  5. How exactly were all demons created
It's going to be a long thought provoking day today considering these are only some of the questions I need to answer and incorporate into my paranormal, mythological series taken on by Secret Cravings Publishing. The first book, Furious Lust, will be out sometime Jan 2013 followed swiftly by the two other books in the series. But before I write book 2 and 3, I need to hammer down a more intensive, expansive world. One that has my brain hurting a little today. But it's all worth it to see my world come to life after a little over a year and a half. Life is good.

On the other hand I've come to the end of my writing hiatus and I've been sending off submissions like we're all going to die tomorrow. Hopefully, it increases my chances of getting accepted though the majority were short story submissions.

Now back to the demon imaginings and the warm kitten asleep on my lap. Because snugly kitties totally help me to think about demon's of the Underworld.

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Good News for Everyone

Hey guys and dolls, lots of new stuff going on around here including...wait for it...I have a newsletter where many a giveaway, excerpt, and other "in the know" goodies will be parceled out for your cranial enjoyment! If you want all the naughty, smutty goodness feel free to sign up here or at the side of this blog. Thanks!

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