Tag: OPen Mic Spice’

To be a writer is amazing.  Hands down the coolest thing I’ve ever done.  There are times that I can’t believe I actually did.  I wrote a book.  I landed an agent.  She sold the book.  Viola.  But it’s so much more than that.  To be able to conjure up worlds and characters and to get them down onto paper is a gift.  And it’s something I treasure every day.

Yes, 2010 is going to be a year to remember for sure.  My first book ever, a short from Samhain, Black Legacy, releases next Tuesday.  In April my first book for Avon, His Darkest Hunger releases…and so begins the crazy ride of a published author.

But I love it.  All of it, even the negative stuff.  It’s all mixed in there and I don’t care because I get to create and go places without ever leaving the house.

That idea got me to thinking about this first release Black Legacy.  It’s a time travel romance.  I’ve always been intrigued by time travel and loved writing about Frankie and her mission to save Dekkar.  How cool to be able to slip through time, going either forward or backward and jump between galaxies.

Where would I go and who would I want to see?  I’ve often fantasized about how cool it would be travel back to the 60’s. I’d love the chance to hang with Jim Morrison.  I’ve had a huge crush on him since I was a teen.  To be there, in LA when all that change was going on, to sit and chat with Janis Joplin would be mint.

In Black Legacy, Frankie is from 300 years into the future and she had to travel back in time to save Dekkar.  She was pumped because like me she’s fascinated by the past, but what about you?  If you had the choice and the chance to travel anywhere, in anytime, what would you pick?

In honour of my first release, I will give someone a free download of Black Legacy, as long as you comment and let me know the answer to my question!  Cool?

Here’s the blurb:

She’ll make sure he survives the night…even if it costs her heart.

Black Opals, Book 1

Frankie Black is a woman in need of a mission. For a Black Opal—a warrior woman who shifts backward or forward through time in order to, well, save the world—the last six months of downtime have left her bored. Restless. And with a feeling that something is about to hit the fan.

Finally, an assignment: save the life of Dekkar James, an infamous rock god living three hundred years in the past. Tattooed, ruggedly handsome and perfectly imperfect, one look at him and it’s as if her sleeping body springs to life.

One minute Dekkar is having the most mind-blowing sex of his life. The next, goons are breaking down his door, and he’s on the run with a woman who turns from lover to warrior in the blink of an eye.

Dealing with the New Order, operatives who manipulate time without regard for the consequences, is nothing new for Frankie. But this time their tactics have a more personal edge—they’ve found a way to seek out the Opals’ predestined mates.

Unless she can save Dekkar’s life, her future will be the first casualty in a battle for the fate of humankind.

Warning: Contains one hot  dude with tattoos, a woman who won’t take no for an answer, steamy sex, an ancient Harley and a little bit of time travel!

Leave your comment and I’ll check back and announce a winner on Saturday morning!!!!

www.julianastone.com

By Teresa D’Amario
EBook: AAllRomanceEbooks
Amazon.com KINDLE

Once the victim of scientific experimentation by the Government Control of Supernatural Activities (GSA), Damon doesn’t have a past, and he isn’t sure he has a future. He doesn’t even know if his ability to change from human to wolf is a virus, or magick. But the instant he lays eyes on the pretty cop from the local police force, he knows he has to learn the secrets of his past before they destroy her future.

Krystal is the best animal cop on the police force, hiding magickal talent beneath layers of excuses and quick thinking. For five years she’s tracked Peter Burke, a butcher who steals any form of canine to supplement his dietary needs. The day she saves a wolf from losing his head at the sharp end of an axe, her entire life changes. And then there is Damon, the mysterious, sexy ex-soldier with no memory of his past who awakens fantasies of dark and sensual nights.

But the GSA isn’t finished with Damon, and when the shadowy government agency joins forces with Burke, Krystal too finds her life in jeopardy, the target of men and women led by their own desires. Damon and Krystal must work together to stop evil and destroy years of illegal research.

Oh my goodness! Chapter Eleven! Wow. We’re getting so close to the end, ladies and gentlemen. First, thanks so much, ladies of Naughty and Spice! You’re absolutely the best for letting me hang out today. Between this and getting furniture delivered today, I’m on cloud 9. And for a weather Geek, that’s an awesome place to be.

For those just joining us, for my blog tour, I’m creating something very special. A free read. And you get to help! Each blog posting will be a new scene or chapter of the book titled above, He’s no Faery Prince. Previous chapters can be found on my FREEBIE READS page of my blog. Then, at the end of my post for today, you’ll see some questions. They are designed to make life easier for me (or much more fun, at least) because the answers to those questions will determine the course of the story. Also, if you happen to think of something really awesome to add, not addressed by my questions, feel free to throw that in there too. I’ll be sure to take a look at it.

So let’s get started! When last we left our story, Sasha was handcuffed to a wall, and had met not only Ted’s evil brother, but his mother! Just what is his mother doing in the bowels of the GSA communications facility? And where is Tamed?

“Mother, you have no business being here,” growled Secora. “This is my business. Go home.”

“It’s not your business. This is your brother’s mate and you are to let her go. Now.” The command echoed with the power of royalty through the chamber. But it wasn’t the sound that shocked Sasha. It was the words.

Mate? Oh hell no, she wasn’t about to be labeled any Faery’s ANYTHING. She was a shifter. “Wait a second. Who said anything about Mates?” She tugged at the the silver cuffs. She couldn’t break the silver itself, and it was really starting to burn her skin. Maybe she could yank that sorry ass chain right out of the wall if she tried hard enough. The sound of metal ringing against brick startled her out of her struggle.

Secor stood there, a snarl on his face, a longsword in his hand, the blade beside her ear. Funny, he didn’t look quite as much like his brother as she’d thought. “You aren’t going anywhere.” (more…)

I recently got a bad review (ooh, and how those are like a knife through the heart!) that boiled down to, my story had too many words.

I brooded for awhile, ate some chocolate, and contemplated why the review stung. It’s because I’m a wordy girl. I love words. I like words that stand alone—Moon. Isn’t that a lovely word? If I repeat it to myself enough times, it becomes vague and silly and wonderful—and I especially love words strung together as story.

I’m a fairly quiet person in real life, but on the page I run amok with words. I can’t stop myself.

My heroes just roll their eyes. They tend toward the strong, silent type. After losing your soul to a repentant demon, maybe there’s not much left to say. And anyway, they save their breath for slaying the decidedly non-repentant demons creeping into the world of the Marked Souls.

They wouldn’t be stopped by a bad review.

So, in the spirit of my heroes, I’m on a campaign to write more words. And I’m calling on you to join me.

See, some random thoughts came to me as I brooded: This has been a hard year for many people, not just financially but emotionally. The holidays are meant to be spent with friends, family and good cheer, and yet some people feel more alone than ever. With the explosion of Facebook and Twitter, we send out more status updates to strangers than to our grandparents.

So here’s my dastardly plan to loose more words upon the world: This gift-giving season, forget the socks (unless you really like socks) and write a letter to your loved ones.

I know, I know. Pen and paper? With words? How quaint! But as a writer in love with words, I’m urging you to just give it a try.

Here’s how:

1. Buy paper and a pen. Since this is your only expense, maybe splurge a little. Not on the pen necessarily, since it just needs to be comfortable and flow nicely. But the paper can be something nice. It could be pretty note cards with matching envelopes, or you can find all sorts of gorgeous papers from craft supply stores and just cut them into squares. Or circles, whatever makes you happy.

2. On separate pieces of scrap paper, write down the names of people you want to give letters. Make a list or a word cloud (a free-form bubble of words) about the person to brainstorm what you’ll write. You might think about:

– Nicknames and pet names

– Your favorite quality about the person: Quiet strength? Big laugh? Lots of hugs?

– A funny or touching moment: Remember that time at the pizza parlor?

– Some way they helped you or made you think: A word of advice? A full-ride to university?

– What they mean to you: Love? Friendship? Support?

3. Give yourself a little time to think about what you want to say but don’t worry about being perfect. The holidays are the best time of year for pure, heart-felt sentiment. Did anybody hold back in It’s A Wonderful Life? No, and you don’t have to either.

4. Now write. It doesn’t have to be long. In fact (and this is hard for me to say) shorter can be sweeter. My XY writes a poem every year to send out with our Christmas cards—I’d have to send a Christmas novella—and it’s only a paragraph or two long. Feel free to cut up your pretty paper into whatever size you need to hold your words.

5. Don’t forget the kids on your list. Sure, they want Wii 2.0 or whatever, but I still have a note my dad wrote to me. Just a few short lines of encouragement I needed once, and I keep it on my writing altar as a reminder.

Yeah, this might be harder than buying socks. It’s often harder to give time and thought and a bit of yourself. If you feel funny about sharing your feelings, you can always tuck your letter into the socks. Or you can just blame me, the wordy girl. But imagine, if everybody in the world wrote letters to the people they loved… And if everyone they loved wrote back…

Wow, that’s a lot of words.

To get the words rolling, have you ever received a letter that you kept? Is there a letter you’d like to write? Can you give us a couple of the words you’d say that might inspire us to start writing?

One random commenter will receive a signed copy of SEDUCED BY SHADOWS (with all its many words), a custom @1 temporary tattoo (inside joke from the book), and a pair of Possession In Pearl earrings inspired by the storyworld. Chapter 1 of SEDUCED BY SHADOWS is online at http://jessaslade.com and a free short story, “Boys’ Night Out,” introducing those strong and silent heroes is exclusive at Borders http://www.tinyurl.com/MarkedSoulsPrequel

I think the last time I was here I whined about “how big is too big” and talked about heroes turning into humongous behemoths lately.

<gulp> I’m now guilty, too.

In BREATHLESS I’ve got three heroes, one of whom is huge. In the novella Breathless, you’ll meet Dr. Colt Stephens who’s tall and lanky, with a distinctive lopsidedness to his grin. He’s a rather straitlaced hero. Unless you consider that he doctors the women at Perdition House in 1913! Yes! Another bordello story that provides some closure to previous stories set there.

My heroine, Blue McCann slips into a gorgeous antique corset and into the arms of the good doctor.

In To Die For, we meet Stack Hamilton and Tawny James. Guess which one is HUGE? (With a name like Stack?) As soon as I watched him walk across the stage of my mind, I knew he was Stack. He’s got raven hair and shoulders to die for. Tawny is easily a match for him. Stack might say she’s almost too much woman. . .

In Body by Gibson, I’m pleased to offer Danny Glenn, a carpenter who knows his way around a woman’s body and is only too happy to please. Mariel Gibson is an artist in crisis and using Danny’s body is her way of finding herself again. (Okay, I admit it…I love men with hammers and low slung jeans and tool belts)

At this point, I’m collecting some nice reviews but my favorite so far is from Sashet at You Gotta Read Reviews:

In Bonnie Edwards’ first release in almost two years you don’t have to worry that she’s lost her magic touch. Each story in this book will have you wanting to turn on the air conditioning no matter how cold it is outside. She takes you on the gamut of emotions, worry, fear, determination and most importantly she’ll make you fall in love with her too sexy for a woman’s good heroes.

So, if you like your books scorching hot run, don’t walk, to your nearest bookstore and pick this one up. Because this one – You Gotta Read!

This is my second anthology in a row for Aphrodisia, but my next book with them is a single title. I’ve just delivered Men Times Three. (can we say BIG? These brothers remind a heroine of Paul Bunyan!)

On occasion I hear that anthologies don’t sell as well as single titles, so I ask: Which would you prefer? I love anthologies because they’re quick reads, usually not too heavy because there’s not a lot of room for heavily involved plots and well, the hot scenes show up pretty darned early!

I also enjoy finding new authors in multi-author anthologies. . . but here I am with another anthology that’s all me. So, what’s the consensus: Multi-author anthos?  Single author anthos?  Or Single title novels?

I’m excited to offer one commenter an autographed copy of BREATHLESS!!

www.bonnieedwards.com