My apologies for not starting sooner. Mia culpa everyone. But now that I'm here, let the curtain decend on the morning light and allow our chat to be done in the dusky mysteries of the evening twilight, shall we?
For those of you who aren't familair with me, allow me to sneak up on you and zing you with my works. I write paranormal romances. Writing about the things that go bump in the night and the women who love them is one of the most fantastic things in the world for me to do. It's what I enjoy.
Right now, I currently have 3 to 4 books in the works, and a Trilogy already in place.Ever wondered what happens when the Olympian gods meet mortal women who could care less about what they are? Well, meet three of them. Poseidon, Ares, and Thanatos. All combined in a 3 story book. Poseidon's Heart, Ares in Chains and Dancing with Death. I don't have a release date yet, but I can tell you that these three novels will be scorchingly hot to touch, let alone read. Shall I tell you about them?
Posdeidon's Heart is about a certain Sea God who ran his mouth one too many times about his 'ahem' conquests, so Aphrodite conspired with another goddess to steal his Trident and Crown, thereby stripping him of his powers. Oh, not all of them, just the ones that made him Ruler of the oceans. Banished to a small island off the coast of Bora Bora, he had to wait until Jamie Lakewood came into his life. A Sea God who needs a mortal woman to get his goods back and a Mortal Woman who could care less about an arrogant man who thinks he's gods gift to women. Let the sparks begin.
Ares in Chains was fun to write. A War god and an ex con who start off at odds with each other, yet are chained at the wrist by a pair of special bracelets. The only problem is, there's a 'key' to those cuffs and the mystery is.. "where or what is the key?" Follow Ares and Sharon Laroux through the twists and turns of the storyline and feel the heat as the two of them finally begin to let down their guard with each other. Can you find the Key to unlock the chains? Turn the pages and find out. Dancing with Death turned otu to be a short story in itself. I couldn't use Thanatos in the title because it really was a mouthfull, so I just used DWD. And yes, I was watching Dancing with the Stars when I wrote the title. :D A former government assassin on the run, a Death God out to save her from the hordes of government ops groups that really either want her bask so she can't tell any secrets... or dead. Gives a new meaning to Wanted Dead or Alive, dont you think? Yeah, tell me about it.
The above three books will be sold as one E-Book once we get a title and cover art worked up. I'll let everyone know when that happens.In the future, I've got 3 books I'm working on. Post apocalyptic Centaurs, Shapeshifting Lions, And a futuristic, Non-Apocalyptic storyline going on.
You can find the books I DO have published:
Shadow Demon
Mystique Rogue
Bletane Fire
Wassail Woes
Jade Kitsune
And
MerLion's Pleasure
over at:
http://www.firedrakesweyr.com/store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=74
With that, I'll open the floor to questions and mischief.....
Other places you can find Diane Taylor:
http://dianet-write.weebly.com/http://paranormal-minds.blogspot.com/
http://groups.google.com/group/order-of-demented-dreamers
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Please Welcome Author...Diane Taylor!!
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
The Give and Take of Inspiration
As I travel the Internet on my self-designed virtual tour for the promotion of my debut novel, I am often asked variations of the same question: What inspired you to write? Or, what inspired you to write this book? Everybody wants to know what started it all. What started me on the path to publication and how the story idea came into being. I love answering these questions because inspiration plays a major role in everything we do. This is especially true for writers.
Well, recently, I was introduced to a different type of inspiration. Not the internal kind that affected my choices for career path and story ideas, but rather, an external form. I have become the inspiration for others. Just within the past two weeks, I have inspired two of my family members to write their own stories. One is my older daughter, who assured me that she still plans to attend college next year to pursue her degree in nursing, and the other is one of my nephews, who didn’t even like to read until he picked up my book. Not only did my book set him on a path to reading more, he was inspired to write his own!
Inspiration is a heady thing, whether you are on the receiving end of it or the one dishing it out. With inspiration, you can literally scale the heights of the world’s tallest mountain, explore the depths of the ocean, find the cure for cancer, or create a heart-breaking work of cinematic beauty. With inspiration, you can mold the mind of an eager child and encourage her to reach – or even surpass – the heights of her own imagination, to become whatever it is that she wants to become.
As I sit here writing this, I think about the legacy I want to leave behind for my children and their children when I’m no longer here. Inspiring others to try something new and reach for dreams they didn’t even know they had until they read my book is quite a legacy to leave behind.
What inspires you?
Margay Leah Justice
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Review of Decadent Deceptions by Keta Diablo
Gracen Miller gives DECADENT DECEPTIONS by Keta Diablo
Five out of Five Moonlit Kisses 
Olivia and Morgan were extremely enjoyable characters for me. Easy to read, believable and had me turning the page—er…rather scrolling to the next page—quickly. Morgan was sexy and just overbearing enough not to be stifling, while Olivia was witty, determined and funny.
Typically, I’m not a historical reader, just dedicated to a remaining few authors and that is it. I prefer my romances, dark and sultry with a paranormal setting. So, I went into this book thinking I’d read a couple of pages, a chapter or two at most and then get back to my own writing. Ha! Boy, was I surprised when I didn’t want to stop reading it! To add further insult to injury, I was forced to stop reading it long enough to eat dinner with my family. I was the most unsociable individual that night at the dinner table because all I could think about was getting back to Decadent Deceptions.
This was a hot, erotic read, with a little bit of spicy voyeurism thrown into the mix. The characters Ms. Diablo created were fun, witty and even zany at times. They were a joy to read and I found myself sad when the novel ended just because I loved the characters. So, I give Decadent Deceptions by Keta Diablo Five out of Five Moonlit Kisses!
All Romance E-books: http://tinyurl.com/dkufj8
Keta’s Author Home: http://ketadiablo.blogspot.com/
Keta’s Author Blog: http://ketaskeep.blogspot.com/
Keta has decided to graciously give away a copy of her book. I plugged everyone that commented to her blogs into random.org and had it pick a winner. And the winner is....SHEILA DEETH!!! Contact us at moonlightandlace@yahoo.com, Sheila with your e-mail address so you may claim your free e-book!!!
Monday, April 27, 2009
Wild Childe
Happy Monday Everyone!
Congratulations to Sherrie Hansen! Remember to send your info to Margay at Margay1122@gmail.com to claim your copy of Nora's Soul!
Yes, today may be Monday but it's a wonderful day for me as I have recently confirmed that I have graduated, which means I'm done with school, for now. All that's left to do is concentrate on my writing. After having recently judged a writing contest, I decided that my goal would be to enter a contest by the end of the year or at about this time next year. That means I need to get to work. The question is, where do I start?
During my last semester of college, I needed to write roughly 20 pages for one class and 20 for another. We could complete the assignment a little at a time or in one big chuck. Because I wanted to get all my writing done at one time, I decided to do all my writing in one big chunk. For class number 1, I wasn't sure at first what I would write, but then I thought this group would make good test subjects for something I had written previously (with pen and paper). So, I began to type the story into a WORD document. Well, what started out as a simple, short British mystery/crime story, morphed itself something else entirely.
I still had a British mystery/crime story, but with very big twists. For one, the story takes place on a planet on the other side of the known universe. While this planet can sustain life and the early colonists brought and planted seeds from earth, the make-up of the planet alters things quite a bit. Citrus trees (lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit, etc.) were planted and the trees appeared to grow normally, but when the fruit started to grow, the colonists noticed that each of different citrus trees began to grow the same fruit. It didn't just happen to the citrus fruits it happened to all of the fruits and vegetables the colonists brought with them. Like fruits blended with each other to produce one fruit, like vegetables blended to produce one vegetable. What was unusual about these fruits and vegetables is that they exhibited the characteristics of each of the fruits they came from. Yes, a strange phenomenon, but one they had to accept because no matter how far away they were planted, the same thing would occur, again and again. They would later discover that the ground of the planet connected like things together to establish some sort of harmony and balance and even though they started off with multiple plants, they ended up with one connected root system.
Yes, this complicated mess began to take over my thoughts, but it didn't stop there. For class number 2, I went to my idea pool and decided to use an idea that I came up with years earlier but sat in a "box" to be used on a rainy day. The idea was so different that I thought it would offer a nice balance between the two stories. That was, of course, until I began writing. Before long, this second story tied itself to the one for class number 1 (which was still untitled at this point) in more ways than one. At first, they were tied only because of the planet. As I rewrote and revised the pages of the story for class 2, however, the main character of story 1 and the main character for story 2 revealed that they were related. Talk about a frustrating and confusing mess!
Because this world seems to be growing bigger and bigger, more and more stuff needed to be identified and explained, so much so that my head began to need a break from it to recharge. Okay, so I pulled out story number 3, one I had started long before the semester began. However, as I began to reread it, it appears that even that one had ties, however unintentional, to this fictional planet.
It was mid-semester and this planet needed a name, so I called it Centurion 54. Now, the planet is real to me and so are the lives of the characters I have written about and those I have yet to write about.
Yay! I have a planet with an undetermined amount of history. I should be happy right? Don't get me wrong, I am very grateful for this whole world I'm discovering, but I'm finding it a bit troublesome too.
No matter what kind of storyline I come up with, when I go to write it and map it out, somewhere along the way it always ties itself to this world. Is this just destined to happen until I finish telling the stories, or will every story I now write come from the people of Centurion 54?
My greatest fear is that this planet will somehow find a way to absorb another story that I wrote over two years (and haven't finished because the computer it was on died and I only had it on hard copy). I love the character from this particular story and want to keep him separate from my planet world, but I'm not sure if that will be possible since there are several years of history unaccounted for on this planet.
How can I prevent this world I have given birth to from tying itself to every new story I write? Any hints or should I just not worry about it and see what happens?
Carrie
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Moonlight, Lace and Mayhem Contest Two
Hello, everyone, thank you for your readership of Moonlight, Lace and Mayhem. As the second week of our existence draws to a close, I am offering up a print copy of my debut novel, Nora's Soul, as a prize to one lucky commenter. As some of you probably know, it is the first book in a series about the struggle between two factions of angels: dark angels and light angels. And the hapless humans who come between them, of course! So I am going to open the floor to your angel stories. Have you ever encountered an angel? Would you want to? What would you do if you did stumble across an angel? And most important (to me), do you like reading about angels?
For those of you who do like reading about angels, check out Gracen's post from yesterday, Angels...Do You Believe? Informative stuff in there, I must say. And you can always check out my author blog for more tidbits about Nora's Soul at http://margayleahjustice.com. But to whet your appetite for this contest, here's a blurb of the book:
When angels of light and dark collide on earth…
Once he held a favored position in the heavens. But one moment of weakness casts Dante out and now he is cursed to walk the earth, collecting the souls of vulnerable women to buy his way into hell.
All hell breaks loose…
But standing in his way is Peter, an angel of light. Peter is everything Dante is not. Pure, above reproach. And determined to prevent Dante from achieving his goals. Peter will stop at nothing to protect the souls in his charge, even if it means achieving the impossible – leading Dante back onto the right path.
And no one is safe from the fall-out.
Nora Kendall believed in angels. Once. But then she lost her brother to cancer despite all of her prayers – and she lost her faith in all things angelic. Now, she is a lost soul who wanders through life like a sleepwalker, playing it safe and leaving the risk-taking to others.
Kyle Cameron is one of those risks. Burned by a bad marriage, his only concern now is providing a stable life for his children, who are left motherless by the unexpected death of his wife. This means working overtime to grow his architectural firm into a viable business – and leaving the care of his children to the care of someone he trusts. Despite his past connection with Nora, Kyle isn’t certain that she’s the right person for the job. He also doesn’t want to reconnect with her and repeat history.
But fate – and the machinations of two angels – has other ideas.
The winner will be picked by Random.org and announced tomorrow, Sunday, April 26, 2009. Be sure to check back and see if you have won.
If your name is drawn as the winner, you will need to e-mail me at Margay1122@gmail.com with your e-mail address to claim your prize.
Please note: New winners will be chosen from the remaining entries if prizes are not claimed within one week of drawing. There are no exceptions.
Best of luck!
The Moonlighters
Friday, April 24, 2009
Angels...Do You Believe?
TGIF! *waves* It’s been a long week in the Miller household. I saw my cardiologist Tuesday for a routine checkup on my mitral valve that has now turned into a series of tests. Yesterday I had an echocardiogram and now I’m hooked up to a 21-day heart monitor. These electrodes are itching the hell out of me! >:( So, anyway, that’s life right, the way things roll.
I’d already planned to write about angels, my cardiologist appointment had nothing to do with this week’s blog. So, anyone that ever read any of my Deadly Vixens’ posts, you know I’m a freak for the supernatural.
"And I have no privacy, whoa - oa - oa..."
Are they among us? Are they even real? Do you believe in them? Are they heavenly sent?
"I always feel like somebody's watching me..."
Is there an Angel standing over your shoulder right now as you read this blog?
"Who's playing tricks on me?"
There is a lot of lore out there about Angels from the Holy Bible to just the difference in basic beliefs and concepts.
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, states the following facts:
Hmmm…. Angel off Buffy the Vampire Slayer—and of course let’s not forget his own show entitled appropriately enough just Angel—wasn’t his real name Angelus? Interesting….Okay, back on track because this isn’t about the fictional vampire Angel.
Wikipedia goes on to state the following:
While that is all fascinating and I love the way the Hebrew and Arabic spellings look (they’re so pretty to me), it is still a little technical and boring for me as well. For me the word Angels inspires biblical principles and ideologies. Growing up in the church, one cannot run from the teachings of Angels. Biblically, Angels were often times messengers of God. Sometimes Angels were sent to lead God’s people. They were always sent by God though. In Revelations, Angels are harbingers of plagues and destruction.
But where there is good, there is also evil. That I believe even for today. There’s good and evil in the world, unfortunately identifying between the two isn’t always easy.
Most of us know that Satan was considered the most powerful, most beautiful of all angels before he rebelled against God and was cast out of heaven to wander the earth. It is referenced in 2 Cor. 11:16 that Satan masquerades as an angel of light, being the proverbial false prophet.
But beyond that, do you believe in Angels? If so, what do they represent to you?
For me, do I believe in Angels? Yes. But when I think of Angels, I do not necessarily picture the winged angel prevalent in popular culture today. Neither am I picturing Leo off of Charmed, although I rather liked that one. I do believe we sometimes meet angels disguised as humans and we may not even be aware of it. I believe there are different types of angels also.There are those among us, guardians if you prefer, that protect us and even send us messages to guide us along the correct path. Whether we hear those messages, is strictly up to how perceptive or open we are to the supernatural noise around us.
I also believe there are warrior angels that fight demons. Maybe, they’re even whispering in the ears of our military guiding them, leading them to safety, giving them a helping hand without any of them ever being the wiser…calling it intuition if you so desire. Maybe, angels are whispering in the ear of evil dictators, staying their hands for one brief show of leniency before allowing them to further inflict bloody atrocities against humanity.
Whatever their real purpose, for me I believe they are here to oppose the minions of evil. To protect us from ourselves or even real supernatural evil. But what I was most interested in was how you all feel and what you think about Angels. So, I posed this question to my fellow internet sisters on Sn.tv:
“Do you have any opinions about angels? Do you believe in them at all? If so, what specifically do you believe about them? Do they help us? Or are they only for God's direction and loyalty? Are they messengers or harbingers of disasters, like the mothman prophecy? Tell me anything and everything you'd like to share with me about your thoughts.”
They were not quiet on the matter. So, once you finish reading their comments, share with me your beliefs.
“I don't know if I believe in them, I've never SEEN them so I really don't know. I'm open to anything really, I don't care if they exist or not, I just live my life, not worrying if anything else is out there unless I FACE it.”
“Far as the angels....hell yes I do.
“Being raised Roman Catholic I was taught to believe in God and therefore Heaven, Angels, Hell and Satan. I attended Church every Sunday, said my prayers, went to Communion, etc. At 10 I was becoming more aware of world events and could not understand how God could allow all the suffering and cruelty to exist without interfering; this is when I stopped believing He existed or more to the point this is when I no longer needed to believe in Him and therefore Heaven/Angels, etc. When I was 16 I stopped attending Church knowing my parents would respect my wishes at this age. I did, however, continue to go at Easter and Christmas knowing it would please them as well as pray for a friend or family member in need as this would give them comfort. That might seem hypocritical but just because I didn't need to believe in Him doesn't mean it is wrong for others to believe.
I know if evil exists, which it does, then good must exist as a balance. But the question remains are God and his Angels and Satan and his minions actual physical entities or just labels used to represent good and evil; or is this just 2 aspects of humanity with no preternatural connotations?
As you can see Belief is very difficult; having blind Faith is simply not in my nature.
I have never felt the presence of my Guardian Angel, we all have one apparently. Having said that I have beaten certain death twice (without medical intervention) and grievous injury, also twice, with nothing more than a few bruises.Was that just luck or do Angels and therefore God really exist?”
“I know that Angels are sexless, neither male nor female, but when they come to us they come to us in a form that we are familiar with. They too have free will, hence Lucifer's fall. Some say the UFO's are actually Angles, Ezekiel had a vision of a fiery wheel that some say would look liked an UFO, written about in the first or second chapter of Ezekiel. Contrary to popular belief we humans cannot become Angles after death.”
“Lets see do I believe in angels. Lets work on the definition here do I believe in winged harp playing messengers from God? No. Do I believe in some sort of being that isn't nessecerily in a bodily form on this plane of existance that has a purpose to guide and or guard the human race as a whole or has one or a group of specific charges? I'd certainly like to and due to various evidence, personal experience and the amount of people who can hold testimony, Alessandra for example narrowly escaping death and the like. I'd probably err onto the side of believing.
I hope to hear what you think about Angels.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Please Welcome Author...Keta Diablo!!
Give us all websites where you can be found, where your books can be purchased, etc. Anything to promote where folks can purchase it!
Noble Romance: http://tiny.cc/m5EEj
Thank you for asking. My books are published through Noble Romance, Ravenous Romance, Phaze Books and the Dark Roast Press. Keta’s Keep, one of my author blogs, was recently voted “One of the Top Fifty Romance Blogs to Watch in 2009.” So of course, all my books are listed there (http://ketaskeep.blogspot.com)
I think many of them are on Amazon, All Romance E-books, Mobipockets, and a host of other third party sites. You can always find them at the above publishers’ sites.
How do you feel about fans doing fan fiction and/or roleplaying on the web based on your or other author's works?
I just recently read about this. I don’t like it, and think if they want to post fan fiction, it should be their own. Today, we have to deal with an enormous amount of e-piracy, and I don’t think peeps realize how much this truly hurts an author. Swapping, sharing files, trading and uploading e-books with friends, directly cuts the author out of hard-earned royalties.
What are you reading right now?
Ÿ
For Christmas, I received a nice gift certificate for Barnes and Noble. I went on a buying spree two weeks later, and the books are still sitting on my nightstand . . . unread. Let’s see I bought one or two by Helen Kirkman, and Red Fire by Deidre Knight. There’s one or two erotic novels in the pile, and I think one by Betina Krahn. I hope to get to them before next Christmas, when, no doubt, I’ll receive another gift certificate and be off to B&N to repeat the process all over again.
What are your 10 favorite books —and why?
I don’t know if I have ten; I’m really picky. I loved Gone With The Wind, To Kill a Mockingbird, and Windflower. The last one was written by a husband and wife team who wrote under the pen name of Laura London, I believe. For some reason, that book really resonated with me. I’ve read it so many times, the pages are worn and tattered, and I often pick it up today, turn to any page and laugh. Descriptive writers, I fell in love with their prose and their characters. Their secondary characters were so well written (and strong) they could easily have had their own stories. Too bad, they no longer write.
Favorite films?
The Last Samaria, The Last of the Mohicans, Legends of the Fall, Cold Mountain, Kingdom of Heaven, and The Missing. Can we say historical??? Oh, yes, my all-time favorite is not a historical, wonder of wonders, Man On Fire. I know every line, every scene by heart. I’m rather obsessive that way. If I like something, I really, I mean, really, really like it, and will watch it over and over. My boys threatened to lock me up one year when I watched Last of the Mohicans thirty days in a row. Seriously, Keta, get a grip.
Give us three "Good to Know" facts about you. Be creative. Tell us about your first job, the inspiration for your writing, any fun details that would enliven your page.
I have a very good, if not odd, sense of humor. I once picked up my youngest boy at school one day when he was 13 – you know that very don’t-even-breathe-wrong-to-embarrass-me age – dressed up as a scary old man. The whole shebang, mask, trench coat, long red wig, scarf, dressed to the nines. He bounded out of school like he did every day with a big smile on his face. The smile turned to abject horror as he neared my car. He walked right past me as if he’d been stung by a hundred bees. It took me two blocks to convince him to get in the car. And, of course, I was laughing so hard, I could barely see the road. He was traumatized for weeks, but now says it’s one of fondest memories of his life.
I spend too much time at the local animal shelter trying to figure out a way I can bring them all home. I adopted Emma LaPounce last year hours before they were about to put her down. I’d visited her for three weeks, and she wouldn’t have a thing to do with me. The family she lived with for six years moved out of town, took their furniture, but left her. I mean, what is wrong with people??? We’re bonded at the hip now, and we’ve dubbed her, “Queen of the Abode.”
How do you structure your day for writing?
I’m more of a night writer than a day writer. It’s not unusual to find me up very late at night when inspiration seems to be at its peak for me.
What do you consider your best work and why?
Truly, I consider my best writing to-date between the pages of Decadent Deceptions. Don’t’ ask me why, but sometimes I pick up the book and read a chapter and think someone else must have written it. Yet, Land of Falling Stars has done remarkably well in the market. Most of the time, I know if a book clicks while I’m writing, and know enough to tear it up if it doesn’t.
Have you ever gotten to a point where a story wouldn't come? If so, how did you get back on track?
Yes, I have. You’d be amazed at how many pages I’ve tossed into the garbage or deleted with one click of the button. All writers live with this horrible insecurity that a second grader can write better than them. Some days, maybe they can.
If you could choose one thing to be remembered by, what would it be?
Can I have two, please? My love of children and animals, and my ability to laugh at myself (which I do often).
Do you use a pseudonym? More than one? Why?
I do have a pseudonym. I write for New Concepts Publishing and The Wild Rose Press under another name. Only one, and did you ask me why? Hmmm, I’m not sure. I think because I started out writing sensual historicals, but that’s no longer true. All my novels are erotic now. Come to think of it, I no longer need that pseudonym, do I?
Is writing your full time job or do you have another job also?
I’m very fortunate that I do not have another job. But before you groan, this is only a recent change in my daily living. I love the freedom I have to write full time . . . or not write full time as the case may be.
When you are researching a book, what is your most valuable resource?
I have an enormous library of personal, historical reference books. If I can’t find what I’m looking for among mine, I head for the local library.
What do you do to unwind in your free time?
Can you spell that for me? I used to know what those two words meant. Seriously, I have very little free time. In the winter I don’t particularly care, but I love to spend time out of doors and I love gardening. If I have some spare time, I’ll play with my animals outside or garden. I might sit on the porch and read one or two chapters from a book, but this is rare.
Thank you so much for having me. I enjoyed the visit and loved the questions. Hope to see some new names visiting my blogs and author home. While you’re there, don’t forget to enter my contest to win free books, and sign my guest book if you’re so inclined.
Keta Diablo
http://ketadiablo.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Distractions
Today is a good day to write. This is the thought I have every morning when I get up and power up the computer. Quickly followed by thoughts such as, I am going to get a lot done today or I’m going to reach my writing goals today.
But then something happens. After the computer is turned on, I decide to “clear the decks” by checking my email. If I do it first thing in the morning while my brain is still waking up, then the day will be clear for me to write. At least that is the intent. Even as I write this, I am tempted to check my email again, just in case I received something important in the two minutes since I checked it last. Or perhaps one of my favorite blogs sent out a new post that I should be reading now. Then there is that list of author questions I should be compiling for the interviews I have lined up, so many authors to follow up with, and shouldn’t I do at least one thing today to promote my own book?
Okay, that’s out of the way. Time to write. I’ve got the document open, the idea in my head, and I’m ready to go. I just have to remember to call the pediatrician to give her permission to release medical information to the orthopedic doctor. Perhaps I should contact the G.I. doctor to give him permission to talk to the orthopedic doctor, too. I have to make a follow up appointment with him for my daughter anyway; I can take care of both things at once. But it’s still so early, no one will be in the office yet. Write a reminder. Okay, good, that’s out of the way. I hope the appointment goes well tomorrow. It’s not every day you have to take your daughter in for a CT scan, after all. Should I be worried that the orthopedic doctor moved up the follow up visit from May 1st to April 27th? Could this mean that he wants to do the surgery sooner, too? I’m not ready for this, everything is happening so fast. How can I concentrate on writing with all of this hanging over my head?
Ah, distractions. All of us are faced with them, in various forms, many times throughout the day. Those little things that, if we let them, will completely take over our minds, pushing everything else out and keeping us from achieving anything that day. I know. I am often the victim of distractions mostly because I allow myself to be. I can’t help it. I’m a worrier – and a thinker. That is a dangerous combination. Especially for a self-proclaimed procrastinator. Put the three together and you have the ingredients for the perfect storm. Because I think too much, mulling things over and over in my mind, and worry about the outcome of everything, I often allow myself to put off other things until a later date.
I’ll do better tomorrow, I decide. I’ll reach that goal of ten pages, or five sets of interview questions, or whatever is on my plate that day. Today, I need to concentrate on tying up all of the loose ends before my daughter’s surgery. Maybe I’ll take the computer with me and work on my book while she’s in surgery. If I’m lucky, the hospital won’t have a wifi connection so I won’t be distracted by the lure of the Internet. But I will be thinking about the surgery, so will I really be able to concentrate on my writing?
The funny thing is, no matter what is conspiring against me at any given time, I always manage to get things done. I don’t know how I do it, I just do. So I have every confidence that I will get the interview questions together and sent out, the bits of promo completed, and maybe a page or two of my WIP written. So what if it’s not the ten-page goal I set for myself? The important thing is to just write, even if I stop at two pages, to push through the distractions and not let them beat me.
So what do you do to get through the distractions? I would love to hear your tips and tricks. Who knows? Maybe I’ll discover a new way to keep myself on track and take one more step toward my writing goals today.
Margay Leah Justice
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Please Welcome Author...Keta Diablo!!
GIVE US ALL WEBSITES WHERE YOU CAN BE FOUND, WHERE YOUR BOOKS CAN BE PURCHASED, ETC. ANYTHING TO PROMOTE WHERE FOLKS CAN PURCHASE IT!
Noble Romance: http://tiny.cc/m5EEj
All Romance E-books: http://tinyurl.com/dkufj8
Keta’s Author Home: http://ketadiablo.blogspot.com/
Keta’s Author Blog: http://ketaskeep.blogspot.com/
Now, for the first-part of Keta's two-part riveting interview:
I’ve always written in one form or another. Even as a child, I loved to create short stories and name characters. My mom tells when of the first stories I wrote was called, “Santa Lives With Me.” I imagine I was talking about my dad, who loved Christmas. In 5th grade, a teacher introduced me to “To Kill A Mockingbird” and I’ve been hooked ever since. It seemed amazing to me that you could open a book and be transported to another place and time in a matter of minutes. Of course, in order for this to happen, the writer/author has to have a knack for stringing words together, and a basic understanding of what makes a scene work. More importantly, what doesn’t. Then the day came that I was innately curious about my family’s origins and started reading true-life stories about the pioneers of this great country. Many of my historical novels are spawned from those intriguing tales.
Who are some of your favorite authors?
Helen Kirkman, Julia Quinn, Margaret Mitchell, Harper Lee, of course, and most authors who write historical erotica.
How long does it usually take for you to research a book?
If I’m writing a historical, research is most of the battle and consumes much of my time. Occasionally, I write fantasy and an author has a lot of freedom to create her/his own world, and not rely so much on historical facts.
Many authors are doing strictly e-books, do you think this is just a trend, or does it spell the end of real books?
E-books, along with Audio books are the way of the future I believe. Even is this dismal economy, booksellers and publishers are reporting record sales. The younger generations are really into technology and this has had a tremendous influence on the market. A year ago, I scoffed at downloading an e-book, and now I prefer them to paperbacks. I think there will always be peeps who love to hold a book in their hand, but they are becoming fewer and far between. E-books are here to stay!
How long does it take for you to write books?
Again, that depends on what genre I’m writing in. With me, I plan every book out in my head perhaps months ahead of time. I run through every scene, every conversation between the characters, so by the time I sit down to write, I know where I’m going. I don’t write outlines or use indexed note cards. I’ve tried all those methods and they only slow me down. I think every writer needs to develop a system that works for them and stick to it.
A historical takes months to plot, and another two months to write; whereas my gay fiction, either historical or contemporary, are much shorter, and I can generally produce a novella (25,000 words) every month.
Is there any character in your books that you can really relate to?
I love Morgan from Decadent Deceptions. He is as tough as nails, except when it comes to Olivia. When he’s dealing with her (and sometimes not too well) he sort of morphs into this caring, tender man we don’t see much of when he deals with others in the book.
My most controversial character to date has been Sophia from The Land of Falling Stars. While reviewers rate the book very high, they never fail to mention their frustration with Sophia. I didn’t intend for her to be controversial, and to me, she isn’t. It must be a subjective matter. Sophia goes through numerous trials and tribulations in the novel, most of which would crush a grown woman today, yet she survived. Like Olivia, she was difficult to deal with at times, but in the end, won the day.
Recently, a reviewer who read Crossroads and Valentine’s Vindication, my recent gay fiction novellas, struggled with my “incorrectly political” characters. I wonder . . . is that same as “politically incorrect” characters? In any event, I took this as a compliment. I have no intention of writing cookie-cutter characters and formulaic plots – the stuff New York has shoved down our throats for years (no offense). Human beings on their best days come with warts and flaws, so why does a reviewer think heroes and heroines in a book shouldn’t? I write them as I see them, and sometimes, it’s down and ugly. If you think about, there are few humans who are designed like those in the romance novels in the last twenty years. To create and develop characters in this manner is to me, hypocritical nonsense. Give me a private eye like Frank McGuire in Crossroads, who not only dabbles in the sixth-sense type mysticism, but also dabbles in naughty sex scenarios with younger men.
In Valentine’s Vindication, one of the main characters (a gay man) cheated on his partner before the story began, and it did end up a HEA, but the reviewer was mortified that I wrote about infidelity. Hello . . . can we say REALISM?
Do you see yourself writing in the same genre in 10 years? If not then what?
The Good Lord willing, I hope I’ll be writing in ten years, and if so, I imagine it will be what I write now – erotic historical and erotic gay fiction. The possibilities in these genres are endless, paranormal, suspense, thriller, etc. I love what I write and I hope it shows.
Although I do venture into the contemporary world on occasion, I don’t read contemporary novels and I’m not real fond of writing them. Only if a character is tugging at me to spill his guts will I venture down that road. I’m more comfortable writing about the good old days.
What advice do you give to those who are just starting out or trying to become published?
Recently I edited an anthology for Noble Romance and am in the process of editing one for Ravenous Romance. I was really amazed at the inferior quality of the submissions. People often say (and I’ve often heard them), “I think I’ll write a book.” Under my breath I say, “Good luck with that.” It’s much, much harder than it looks, and there are so many do’s and don’ts, most of which you should learn and practice when it comes to the basics (sentence structure, point of view, noun and verb usage, and a host of others). It isn’t as simple as, “I think I’ll write a book,” although many must think it is and so they do.
I would encourage anyone who has the heart to try, anyone who harbors a strong desire because he/she loves the written word. I would tell them to learn everything they can about writing BEFORE they write the book. Of course, many say the best way to become an expert writer is to write every day. I believe that’s true in part, but a big part is a natural talent, a ton of perseverance and a hunger to learn. You can write until you’re blue in the face, but if you don’t’ recognize a dangling modifier when you see one, you’re in trouble.
Two other things astound me – the books that are published by very poor writers, and the writers who never make it to the big houses and yet, I’d give my eye-teeth to write like them. I find that rather contrary.
Where do your story ideas come from? Do you use people you know as characters sometimes or even sometimes a certain event from real life happenings?
This happen a lot with me. The brainchild of Land of Falling Stars stemmed from a real life article I read about cousins who fought on opposite sides in the Civil War. And then my distorted view of the world ventures of into a thousand what-ifs. What if the men who fought on opposite sides loved the same woman? What if one killed the other on a smoke-filled battlefield? One of the one who lived had the terrible burden of telling the woman? So, you can see where this is going.
For Decadent Deceptions, I read an article about old-time brothels, and again my curiosity propelled me into that dark, secretive world. I knew very little about them when I started, and now I think I could work at one, given the other attributes I would need. (lol).
What is your favorite part of writing?
I’m asked this often, and without a doubt, my answer is always the same—to hear from a reader that he/she loves my book, and it brightened their day or broadened their horizons. Perhaps they learned something after reading it, or maybe they view the world a little different now. While I love writing, it’s a lonely occupation, more so if no one reads your books and likes them.
Do you have any projects you are currently working on?
I’m working on the sequel to Crossroads, aptly titled Crossroads Revisited, due out in May or June from Phaze. I’m writing another full-length novel set during the Civil War for Ravenous Romance (main characters’ genders as yet undetermined), and I always have about five novellas or short stories in the works. I wish I had more time or I wish there were more hours in the day. If I live to one hundred, I’ll never be able to write everything rambling around in my over-active brain.
Do you write your stories out with pencil and paper first or do you work straight on the computer?
From the computer, but see above. I might have some post-it notes lying around but everything is stored in my mind. I’m not good at staring at a blank cursor trying to prompt it to move across the page by staring at it. I have to have the story in my head before I achieve success.
Getting back to your books coming out soon. Tell us a little about what to expect from them.
Crossroads Revisited picks up with the main characters Frank McGuire, private investigator, and the younger family friend, Rand, who ultimately saves Frank’s life in Crossroads. This time perhaps Frank will save Rand’s life. And, yes, Virginia, Frank will appear with all his nasty habits and warts!
I just finished a gay fiction novella, a vampire story (my first), called The Sin Eater’s Prince. I don’t know yet who will publish it, but I’m confident you’ll see it out in the next six months. Carnal Cravings, another gay fiction will be released by the Dark Roast Press in May, and then from there, I’m not sure.
Join us and Keta again this coming Thursday, April 23, 2009, to read the second part of her interview!!! And then next Tuesday, April 28, 2009, Gracen Miller will debut the review of Decadent Deceptions.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Another Mayhemic Monday!
I hope everyone had a great weekend!
I know I appreciated our first glimpse of warm weather we up here in Wisconsin had on Saturday. It was nice to be able to sit outside, grill and drink some good beer with friends. Before I get started, I'd like to offer a huge round of applause for Claire, the winner of our Saturday drawing! Be sure to email Gracen at gracen.miller@yahoo.com to claim your prize.
As a beginning writer, I started getting curious as to what the future story trends will be. I know that there are places on the Internet where I could find the answer, but I thought I would try a different route. As a longtime reader, I often wondered if the book market often works like the TV and movie markets. I'm not sure if you noticed, but there happens to be an awful lot of cop/law/crime related dramas and comedies out there, including the new ones. If it isn't crime related, it's medicine or a combination of both. If it isn't that kind you have home life (comedies and dramas) or some supposed "reality" TV show. [Note, I'm not including cable channels like DIY, Food Network or any of those specialty channels because not everyone gets those channels.]
Even though I like many of the shows out there, I feel like the markets are just over saturated with these types of shows and, while I might enjoy them, I find myself screaming for something new and different. I find that I am spending more time on the Internet or reading books and less time watching TV these days. I'm wondering if anyone feels that something similar is happening in the book world.
Since readers really determine what books will and won't sell, I decided to ask our audience to talk about their feelings of the types of books currently on the market. I would greatly appreciate it if you would take the time to answer these questions in your responses. Feel free to add anything that I might have missed.
Do you feel that books and stories are getting too predictable? Do they feel too formulaic to you?
What about variety, is there enough to keep you happy or do you find yourself searching for something more? If so, what are you searching for? What need are you looking to satisfy?
Are you able to easily find a book to read or do you struggle to find something that strikes your fancy?
What does strike your fancy?
Is there any type of story that you feel is played out and boring or that the novelty of the type has worn off and you'd like to see something new?
Is there any type of story that you'd like to see more of or something you feel is missing? What would you like to see more of? What types of stories are missing?
What is your favorite kind of story, you know, the one you just can't get enough of no matter how many books you read?
How adventurous are you? In other words, do you stick with what you know or do you like to try new and different styles from time to time?
In general, as a reader, what type of story do you want to read and what do you want from the book you read?
Just for fun, do you get enough mayhem in your reading? If not, why not? What kind of mayhem do get in your reading?
I don't know about you, but I think that's enough questions for you today. Thanks for visiting and I look forward to hearing your thoughts! I'm curious to see what direction our discussion will take us.....
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Phantasm Friday Archives
TBA - 02/19/10
Author Tina Donahue - 02/12/10
TBA - 02/05/10
Jacuzzi January
Author Cooper McKenzie - 01/29/10
TBA - 01/22/10
Author Betty Ann Harris - 01/15/10
Review of Blood Talisman - 01/08/10
Phantasm Friday Apology - 01/01/10
Decalescent December
Gracen's Off Day - 12/25/09
Events That Shaped My Life - 12/18/09
Review of Poetry - 12/11/09
Recipes - 12/04/09
Noble November
Thanks to All Our Readers and Followers - 11/27/09
What I'm Thankful For - 11/20/09
Review of Absinthe Eyes and Other Lies - 11/13/09
Her Master's Gift - 11/06/09
Paranormal October
Halloween Post - 10/30/09
Gracen's Freaky Friday in the Moonlight - 10/23/09
Tara S. Nichols Takes a Bite Out of the Moonlight - 10/16/09
Jill Noble Spices Up the Moonlight - 10/9/09
Anida Adler - 10/02/09
Monday Posts April 09 to September 09
Men May be From Mars, But Edits are From Hell!!! - 09/25/09
Another ePublisher Out of Business - 09/18/09
Guilty Pleasures - 09/11/09
Selkies...Myth or Fact? - 09/04/09
Gracen's Day Off - 08/28/09
Books That Rock Your Socks - 08/21/09
Friday Spawned From the Pits of Hell! - 08/14/09
Lost Muse...Reward! - 08/07/09
Too Busy to Think - 07/31/09
Review of Carnal Cravings - 07/24/09
Pucker Up! It's Heart Healthy! - 07/17/09
A Crazy Week... - 07/10/09
Happy 4th! - 07/03/09
Author Lynn Reynolds - 06/26/09
Tarot Card Reading... - 06/19/09
Which Super Villain Are You? - 06/12/09
Which Superhero Are You? - 06/05/09
Your Three Wishes Are Granted - 05/29/09
Hodgepodge of Distraction - 05/22/09
Author Kenzie Michaels - 05/15/09
Mother's Day Trivia - 05/08/09
Sex!!! Love it...or Not? - 05/01/09
Angels Do You Believe? - 04/24/09
Dark Landscapes - 04/17/09
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Twilight Thursday Archives
Fiery February
Author Jan Bowles - 02/25/09
Author Angela Kay Austin - 02/18/09
Author Lisa Troy - 02/11/10
Author Dee Dawning - 02/04/10
Jacuzzi January
Author Sandra Sookoo - 01/28/09
Author Keta Diablo - 01/21/09
Author Tierney O'Malley - 01/14/10
Author Carrie Lofty - 01/07/10
Decalescent December
Happy New Year! - 12/31/09
Author Nichelle Gregory - 12/24/09
Author Kat Martin - 12/17/09
Author Kelly Abell - 12/10/09
The Heart of Christmas Anthology - 12/03/09
Noble November
Escape With Romance - 11/26/09
Author Melisse Aires - 11/19/09
Author Pat Bertram - 11/12/09
Author Anjuelle Floyd - 11/05/09
Paranormal October
Author Tamela Quijas - 10/29/09
Author Penny Ash - 10/22/09
Author Charlotte Boyett-Compo - 10/15/09
Author Etienne D'Artagnan - 10/08/09
Author Keta Diablo - 10/01/09
Thursday Posts April 09 to September 09
Author Susan Wiggs - 09/24/09
Author Claudia Dain - 09/17/09
Author Joan Kayse - 09/10/09
Author Christine Wells - 09/03/09
Author Sierra Wolfe - 08/27/09
Author Karen Harrington - 08/20/09
Author A.F. Stewart - 08/13/09
Author/Editor Chris Evans - 08/06/09
Laura J. on Heidi Betts - 07/30/09
Author Reese Johnson - 07/23/09
Author Barbara Bonfigli - 07/16/09
Author Leslie Kelly - 07/09/09
Author Leslie Parrish - 07/02/09
Author Kate Douglas - 06/25/09
Author Carly Phillips - 06/11/09
Authors K.M. Daughters - 06/04/09
Author Sherrie Hansen - 05/28/09
Welcome Author Denyse Bridger - 05/21/09
Author Cher Gorman - 05/14/09
Author Lori Handeland - 05/07/09
Welcome Author Diane Taylor - 04/30/09
Welcome Author Keta Diablo - 04/23/09
Welcome Author K.T. Bishop - 04/16/09
Return to Archives List
Wistful Wednesday Archives
TBA - 02/23/10
TBA - 02/16/10
TBA - 02/09/10
TBA - 02/02/10
Jacuzzi January
TBA - 01/27/10
TBA - 01/20/10
TBA - 01/13/10
Distractions - 01/06/10
Decalescent December
Resolutions - 12/30/09
Christmas Presents - 12/23/09
Memories of a Christmas Past - 12/16/09
Are You Crafty? - 12/09/09
NaNo Failure and Other Goals - 12/02/09
Noble November
Margay's Treat - 11/25/09
Attitude of Gratitude - 11/18/09
Cheryl Wyatt - 11/11/09
NaNo Anyone? - 11/04/09
Paranormal October
Jane Austen Society Pages Excerpt - 10/28/09
Frazzled Nerves - 10/21/09
Marilyn Meredith - 10/14/09
Melissa Burmester - 10/07/09
Tuesday Posts April 09 to September 09
Review of According to Jane! - 09/30/09
Changes - 09/23/09
Under the Weather - 09/16/09
An Extra Hour a Day - 09/09/09
Marcus Dino - 08/19/09
To Plot or Not to Plot - 08/12/09
Delilah Marvelle - 08/05/09
Time Management in an Instant - 07/29/09
My Muse is on Steroids - 07/22/09
Crash Into Me - 07/15/09
Whose Idea is it Anyway? - 07/08/09
Planning - 07/01/09
Nikki Goldstein - 06/24/09
Rites of Passage Part II - 06/17/09
Review of Frankie the Walk-n-Roll Dog - 06/10/09
Rites of Passage - 06/03/09
Julianne Moore - 05/27/09
From Conception to Birth - 05/20/09
What a Character - 05/13/09
Remembrance - 05/06/09
Give and Take of Inspiration - 04/29/09
Distractions - 04/22/09
Beginnings - 04/15/09
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