I’m over at Word Whores, talking about repetitive stress injuries – writer physical ailments and how to prevent/combat them.
How to Prevent Repetitive Stress Injury
//Month: August 2015
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Bubonicon Ho!
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I’m off this afternoon to one of my favorite local conferences – Bubonicon in Albuquerque, New Mexico. If you’re in the neighborhood, you can still get entry passes at the door. At $45 for the weekend or as little as $15/day, it’s a real steal! Especially with authors present like Tamora Pierce, Catherynne M. Valente, Mary Robinette Kowal, George R.R. Martin, Carrie Vaughn, Darynda Jones and… ME!
Seriously, I still get a major thrill that I get to be on panels with some of these authors. It can be surreal!
In other news, we have the DARK SECRETS anthology up for preorder now!
It’s already a bestseller at ARe, and in the Kindle Top 100, so very exciting! I’m really proud to be part of this fun collection with so many brilliant authors.
Apparently, this is my theme today!
So, if you’re at Bubonicon, be sure to say hi. Would love to chat and squee over all the cool writers there. 🙂
Happy weekend everyone!
The One Essential Element for Writing a Successful Series
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I’m up in Maine with friends and family, celebrating my birthday, along with my aunt’s and stepfather’s. Here’s my celebratory lemon-drop martini (of course).
Fortunately our list-makers over at Word Whores have chosen a one-hit list for this week’s topic: The most essential element for writing a successful series.
Reading Until Dawn Scavenger Hunt
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I’ll be at the Reading Until Dawn Con in October. To start the fun early there’s a scavenger hunt where you can win some really awesome prizes:
One of the main goals of Reading Until Dawn Con is to give our readers a chance to get silly and have fun with our authors. We’ve got a full schedule of games planned for October… but we thought it would be great to get the party started a little early. That’s right… some of us Featured Authors and Bloggers are getting a head start on the fun times and hosting a SCAVENGER HUNT! Authors and bloggers will be posting their logo/game graphics from August 17th through the 21st, and Reading Until Dawn Con will accept entry emails through August 25th. Since the Scavenger Hunt IS a game, there has to be a prize, right?? One grand prize winner will win DINNER WITH OUR EMCEE, DARYNDA JONES at Reading Until Dawn Con!! That’s right, just you and Darynda, chilling out and chatting over a meal, our treat. We’ll also have four runner up winners, who’ll each receive special book and swag packs from a few of the Featured Authors. So… who’s ready to start playing?? If you haven’t registered for Reading Until Dawn Con, now’s the time to get that done, so you’re ready to enter to win a meal with Darynda! Good luck, everyone… and happy hunting!
Scavenger Hunt Details:
There are twenty (20) logo/game graphics hidden on 20 of the feature author and bloggers websites. A schedule is posted at Reading Until Dawn Con, so you can see who will have their graphic up on which dates. All you have to do to play, is check out the website and/or blog posts of each of the authors or bloggers on their scheduled date. Keep track of who has which graphic, then once you have all 20, just email your list, along with the name/address you used when you registered for Reading Until Dawn Con, to ReadingUntilDawnCon @gmail.com
Are you registered for Reading Until Dawn Con this October in Denver, Colorado? If not, why not?! Join us for fun, games, snacks and possibly pants-optional dancing.
REGISTRATION is now open! Come party with the authors who keep you up all night.
Be sure to keep up with all things Reading Until Dawn, by following it via your own personal social media drug of choice: Facebook |Twitter | Google+ | Up All Night Reading Challenge | Pinterest | Tumblr | RSVP at the Facebook Event.
Should Women Write More Like Men to Succeed?
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I got taken out for a surprise breakfast yesterday, so James switched with me, taking over my usual Sunday post. Thus, I’m at Word Whores today, talking about romance in science fiction and fantasy and whether the female POV is unfairly dismissed.
Of Grapes, Blue Moons and Real Writers
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My attempt at capturing the blue moon, the morning of August first. It’s a mark of how fast this month is flying by that it’s now August 14 and I’m just now putting it up on the blog.
What have I been doing? I’m not at all sure…
I’ve been writing and working in the grape arbor quite a bit. That means I sit too much, but I kind of hate being inside at the treadmill desk when the weather is so beautiful. The grapes are all ripening and it makes me happy to see them hanging heavy and full of sunshine around me.
I’m working on a new book – a contemporary erotic romance. Or maybe it will be just really hot. I’m not writing this one to contract or spec this time – for the first time since, wow! 2012 – and it feels different. Totally my choice to do it this way, as there is a PLAN. I’m excited about the concept but the hero and heroine both have *totally* different lives and careers than anything I know well or understand. Just to make things difficult on myself! Interestingly, my author buddy Anne Calhoun is writing a new book with similar themes. And yet our two stories are completely different. We talk out plot ideas and brainstorm, so we know what the other is doing and still the tales wend in different directions. I’m always fascinated when that happens. She texted me on Wednesday about her progress and I texted back that I was in the midst of interviewing a guy so I could learn about my hero’s career. Then yesterday she had lunch with a guy so SHE could learn about her hero’s career. I laughed and said “Look at us!” She replied, “all researchy like real writers.”
This is an ongoing thing, feeling like a “real” writer or not. The number of books out there, the publishing contracts from which houses or not, the awards, the reviews – somehow none of it ever feels like it cements the “real writer” identity. Maybe because each book feels like such an immense new challenge to write. That’s probably good, because it means I’m stretching myself. Growth is painful, right? Knowing that doesn’t abate the discomfort, however.
I’ve also been teaching an online class the last couple of weeks, on building sexual tension. That’s always fun. Teaching other people how I do something helps clarify some of it in my mind.
Next week is the traditional family Birthday Weekend. We’re spending it in Maine and New Hampshire this year! David has never seen New England so I’m really excited for this.
Also: fresh lobster!
Happy weekend everyone! 🙂
Why Fighting is Sexy
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I’m participating in the very fun STOMP VS. ROMP party! Stop by The Book Nympho’s terrific blog for my argument for #TeamStomp. Yes, it features Ursula from THE TALON OF THE HAWK. And there’s a giveaway of this lovely necklace molded from a real hawk’s talon. I liked it so much, I bought one for myself, too!
Will Contemporary References Crash and Burn a Novel?
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MASTER OF THE OPERA, my erotic retelling of The Phantom of the Opera set in modern day at the Santa Fe Opera House, originally published as a serial ebook, is now available in print! Exclusively from Books A Million for the time being. You can read a snippet from the book at That’s What I’m Talking About today. Also, if you like my contemporary erotic stuff, you can vote for a scene from UNDER CONTRACT here for six more hours! Finally, over at Here Be Magic, we’re celebrating August with Beach Week. I’ve got an excerpt of Ursula at the beach – a scene I really love.
This week at Word Whores, we’re talking about whether topical or contemporary references should be avoided in fiction.
Food and Sex – Why They Go Together
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I’m over at the Contemporary Romance Café, talking about my erotic romance, RUBY, and why I think food and sex go hand in hand.
RT Booklovers Convention 2016
//The 2016 RT Booklovers Convention will be held in Las Vegas, NV at the Rio All-Suites Hotel & Casino, April 12-17 2016
The RT Booklovers Convention is the book-industry event where you can mix business with pleasure. Attend more than 200 workshops as well as numerous parties and reader events that will keep you informed and in touch while having fun. It’s where friends new and old come together to learn about the industry we love and to have fun with authors and fellow book lovers.
