Friday, July 29, 2011

Flirty Friday and A Shout Out!!!

I've been crazy busy with a ton of things happening, but I wanted for Flirty Friday to post something I totally forgot was in the works...

My first chapter of What Might Have Been is over at D. Renee Bagby Presents First Chapters. Cook, eh?

http://dreneebagbypresentsfirstchapters.blogspot.com/2011/07/what-might-have-been-by-wendi-zwaduk.html

Go on...check it out! Comment and let me know what you think. :-)

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Thank You Thursday! A New Contract!!!

Ok, so I've kinda been sitting on this for a little bit, but I wanted to make sure I had contact in hand before announcing. Call me superstitious.

Coming soon (not sure how soon) from Liquid Silver Books ~ Somewhere I Belong!



Yup, that's the farmer. The one I'd kinda put off for a while. Well, I gave him fresh eyes, had a few more people look him over and ta da!

I'm so excited to count Liquid Silver as one of my publishers. They are all fantastic.

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

What the Wednesday? If You Can't Say Something Nice....

Ok, I want to preface this post with this notice: just because I'm talking about reviews, doesn't mean I'm crabbing about getting a bad one. Actually, I haven't read any of my reviews lately because, well, I've been too busy to. Sad, but true.

That said, this post is about the old adage, if you can't say something nice, don't say it at all.

When you're writing a review, there's something to consider. Are you bashing the book, because there are books you just won't like, or are you bashing the author?

It sounds sort of...silly in some ways to ask that question. Sure there will be books you won't like. We all have them. Some books you get to the end and want to cream the character because she demonstrated some serious too stupid to live attributes. Some, you want to pummel the hero because he was almost too hard nosed. Then there are the ones that don't have HEAs or HFNs. Those drive me berserk. I don't expect everyone to get married and tie things in a neat little bow, but doggone it, I want them to at least be together at the end.

Now, that point made, something reviewers can fall into is trashing the author in a review. Let's say, you don't like a book because there's a sexual situation you don't like. The responsible reviewer would say something along the lines of 'the book contains elements which I had a hard time dealing with, but I realize some people do enjoy this act and for those who do, this book is for them' or something like that.

A reviewer who doesn't care for the author might put something like 'this book stunk because the author wrote about unsafe sex. I don't know about you, but just because people do it, doesn't mean the author should include it. I think she should know better than to have characters in this day and age having unprotected sex. Doesn't she know there are diseases out there?'

While the point is made, it's not so much that the reviewer doesn't like the book, but more the choice the author made. Just because the character didn't use a rubber one time, does that truly kill the book? Think about it. The person isn't saying something constructive about the story. They are expressing a personal view and in turn, bashing the author. And really, just because you don't like it, doesn't mean someone else won't eat it up. Some don't mind if the characters go bare, play with food, or use monstrous toys. Yanno?

So my line of reasoning goes... are you writing more about the author and her/his choices or the actual book? My advice? You're in a public domain. Your opinions are yours and protected by the First Amendment. But, look at it this way, just because you are in that public domain, doesn't really give you the right to rip another person apart. Would you want it done to you? Probably not.

As an author, we don't really want bad reviews. We're all of the opinion--yes, it's true--that our work is fantastic and we want you to think that, too. We'd love glowing reviews, but if that's not possible, we'd like intelligently written reviews that say this is what I liked, this is what didn't work for me in the book. Not bashing the author for a character going bare during sex, not because it was in the wrong format, not because you thought the book was overpriced. We realize there will be critics and expect them, but we don't want publicly run through the wringer because the reviewer has a bone to pick. Save that for email or better yet, if you can't say something nice, pass and go to a book you can say something nice about.

Does that make sense? I'm not trying to whine, complain or act pissy. But from having spent a lot of time reading, lots of time writing reviews and lots of time writing...I've been knocked down, kicked, and learned from my scars and souvenirs. If I can share a little of that with you. By all means, I will.

Next week I thought I'd mention pricing. Yup, pricing. Who really sets those prices? Tune in next well. Well, actually you should tune in everyday, but that's up to you.

C-ya!

Monday, July 25, 2011

Monday Moans ~ Berto and Remi... Because YOU Asked For It

ACK! Berto! Man, we forgot to post today. I'm telling you, we'd forget our heads if they weren't attached.
To each other.
Bad.
But you like it.
Well, Wendi gave us permission to chatter on her blog, so here we are. I am the fantastic, wonderful
And handsome
Handsome, Remi Wayne!
And I, am the charismatic...suave
Oh for heaven sakes, he's Berto Katz.
Fine. Anyway, Miss Wendi gave us free run of her blog. I must say it's pretty. I like the red and black.
Yes, it is pretty. Now, if you read What Might Have Been then you probably read about us. I can see the wheels turning in your head. We've had lots of suggestions for our own story. Well, maybe.
Maybe, my buns. We're going to get our own story. She can't possibly make us wait forever.
Well, she can...
She won't. I have faith.
You also have a nice ass.
Can't you tell we've been together for too long? And thank you. I do have a nice ass.
We do have our eye on a certain cover model, but I happen to know he's in a relationship.
So are we.
True.
But if he asked, I'm pretty sure we'd probably trip over each other to get to him. I mean, Chris is hawt.
True.
We'll put another bug in Wendi's ear to get our story written. See ya!
B~

By Berto. I'll be along in a moment. (checking to make sure he's out of the room) Since he's gone, I'll finish. Yes, I'd like to clarify something. First, yes, Chris is hot, but he's in a relationship and so are we. Second, I'm not in the habit of sharing my partner. I had to do that once before and it just about tore my heart out. Third, Remi is all I want. But, as Berto would say, I'm letting my emotions run away with me again. Oh well. We'll see what Wendi comes up with. As long as she writes us ending up together.
~Remi

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Flirty Friday

It's that time of the week. Time to do the Friday Flirts.

I've got news, but I want to be cautious about spreading it, so I'll wait a little longer. Hey, can't blame a girl for being cautious.

I'm working diligently on the stripper story. It's almost there. We'll see.

Megan and I have been on a super Queen jag, so maybe I'll pop in the cd and we can crank out the stories.

I got the print cover for Please Remember Me. No idea when it will be available in print, but I'll let you know.

Found out Savin' Me will be in audio form, print form in the antho, and a single title release. I'm psyched.

The plan is to finish stripper story, then get moving, really moving on Gypsy's story. We'll see.

I'm taking Ever Fallen in Love on tour through Goddess Fish in August, release week. August 15-19. I'm stoked. Also in August, I'm going to be a spotlight on Whipped Cream. Cool, I know.

Ta for now. I've got essays to write.

Thank You Thursday

Borders. Yup. Unless there's a buyer, the Borders stores will close. Now, I'd like to say thank you. I lost my local Borders store right after Christmas and it sucked. Why? Because I love print books. I do. I like the feel of holding a book in hand and reading it. Sure, I love using the reader to read. Heck, I love going to the publisher stores to buy the ebooks. But as I've got a print book out, I like being able to see it--where it is available--in the store. If there's no store, then there's no books to hold. Yeah, I know. I hold the reader. I'm deeply saddened and wish them the best, but I will miss my Borders.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

What the? Wednesday... Don't Blame Me!

I've got lots of friends, writers and non, and I was given a gigantic piece of advice. Don't whine on the blog. I'd like to think I don't. I'd like to think when I get frustrated and soap box that I'm...just voicing an opinion. Yanno?

Now I just talked to a friend who read my yesterday post. She loved the cover, didn't comment. She actually emailed me instead. Ok, so here's her issue, and I find lots of authors with this problem or this set of problems.

Authors take a lot of heat. A Lot. Her issue was a review. I haven't had any new reviews that I know of, so I can honestly say this isn't me talking about me in hypothetical. Her problem wasn't that the reviewer didn't like the book. Nope. Wasn't a spelling issue, editing issue, or even a gross cover. The person rated her a one star of five because the book wasn't on the format the person wanted.

I'm sorry?

Actually, I'm not. You see, writers have some control over what happens with their work. Some houses want the author to change the name of the work if it's too close to another published title in their arsenal, some even request the author change her name. Most are pretty okay with your name being your name. Authors get input on covers, but they don't always get the last say. Sometimes, you're stuck with what you've got. We usually don't get to say when the book will be released. It's the nature of the beast.

Sure we get say on the editing. A good editor will take the work and shape into something fantastic without changing the author's voice. There's also push/pull, give and take in editing.

What we cannot control is what format the book is on. Most publishers are great about making sure a book is on Nook, Kindle, the Sony version, pdf, HTML, etc. They want to make everyone happy and sell as many books as possible. I could be wrong, but I know with Kindle (I'm not sure about Nook) there is a conversion program that can be done, and most everyone can read pdf.

But to rate the book poorly for the simple reason that you couldn't get it on the format you wanted (this was a NY book, so really, it should've been in whatever format the bookstore sold but whatever), seems a little petty.

I've done reviews in my time. I still do. I like to tell the author what I liked/disliked/wanted more of in their work. I've written fan letters. But what seems to be lost here is what the point of a review is for.

Ok, this is my opinion so take it or leave it, get angry and tell me or not.

If you're going to review a work, don't give a huge synopsis--that's what reading the blurb is for.

Don't give spoilers, but if you must, MENTION that. Don't just plunk them in. Authors get snippy when a plot point that's supposed to be a surprise gets let out of the bag.

Tell what you LOVED about the book. Everyone loves praise. Authors just eat it up. Conversely, tell what you thought could've been improved--if there was anything--but do it in a positive fashion. I mean, if you said, the book was trash, well, how can an author improve on that? Toss the book in the garbage? Really? Probably not. But if you said, I liked the book because the hero has real stamina and he looks like Brad Pitt, but what pulled me from the scene was when he called the heroine by the wrong name. I realize editing mistakes happen because we're human, but a second or third look would've helped. See? That gets the point across without sounding mean and gives the author food for thought.

You can by all means say this book wasn't in the right format for me. But rate the book based on the work not the format. Chances are, the publisher goofed and is in the midst of fixing it.

What it all boils down to is this, if you're going to write a review, by all means do so. Make it intelligible. Get the point across. But give the author credit for things that are beyond their control. We grow from constructive criticism and wither from snark.

Just a thought. And since I know I'm going to make someone mad, feel free to comment. I'm open to changing my mind. Let me know.

Monday, July 18, 2011

Blog Fest Winners!!!















Love this pic and he seems fitting to announce a winner (since he looks like he won the war by being caught, even if he looks a little...miffed)

The Giveaway Winner for the BlogFest 2011, a $10 GC to Either BN or Amazon, for my site is.....

TINA WHEATLEY!!!

And because the fest was so successful, I decided to do a surprise giveaway, a second $10 GC to either Amazon or BN, for the 250th follower. The winner is....

KRYSYKAT - KRYSTA BANCO!!!!!


Congrats ladies!!!!!

Friday, July 15, 2011

I'm part of the Fest!!!

Photobucket
All you have to do to have your name in the hopper for the $10 GC to Amazon or BN is become a follower and leave a comment. It's that simple. :-) Can't wait to hear from ya!!!

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Thank You Thursday...Tunes!!!

Thought I'd share what I'm listening to right now. It totally helps me get in the mood to write and plus, I'm in a Transformers phase.


Delicate and hard at the same time. Plus it's a little quirky. I love quirky.



Luke Bryan is plain old sexy. This song is a great get in the mood kind of song and plus, again, there's Luke Bryan. He was part of the inspiration behind Tucker in my upcoming book, Ever Fallen in Love. Ain't he a cutie?




Personal favorite. Gary Allan, airplanes, and a reminder of Right Where I Need to Be.

Enjoy!!!

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

What the? Wednesday...I'm a Guest!!!!

I'm guesting over at Nichelle Gregory's blog. Now if you don't know Nichelle, she's an awesome writer and good friend of mine. When she asked if I wanted to be on her blog, the answer was...duh!! I am so there. Love her.

So click here and join me. I'm talking about who I'd love to see in a movie version of my books, What Might Have Been, plus I'm serving up a piping hot excerpt!!!

Join us. It's a blast and you won't want to miss it!

Monday, July 11, 2011

Monday Moans!!! I'm Guesting!!!


Heya all, I'm guesting today over at Hitting the Hot Spot and talking about kink. Yeah, kink. Want to know more? Then you need to head over there!!!

But isn't this the coolest thing...I had no idea they'd done this on the Total-E-Bound Booty Box, but if you want my stuff...click here: http://www.cafepress.com/totalebound/7844604

I am so going shopping!!!

Saturday, July 9, 2011

Friday Flirts....on Saturday!!!

Ok, so the TEB sale is over...I know, I'm sad, too. I mean, who doesn't want to get stuff on sale? Anyway, I hope you got in on the fun and nabbed a few books you didn't have otherwise. I should've written a Friday Flirt yesterday, but I got a little excited. I mean, it was a sale!

So...what's happening...

I've gone back and revisited a few of my older WIPs. Yep, I've got some stories that are literally sitting on the hard drive...sitting. So, I happened to be talking to my CP about them. One of them said, you wrote a stripper story...why haven't I seen it? and the other CP says, yeah, and why am I not critting it? It's done. It should not be sitting. They both had a point. I mean, stripper is a side story to the Right and PRM books. 9k more and it'll be the same length. I sent it to CP. She gave me some food for thought and I'm working on that. In case you're wondering, Stripper is tentatively titled When You're With Me and is about Detective Drew Alwyn and Jude Nelson. I've been kicking it around for over three years, so yeah, it's been around a while.

The other WIP that I got back out is one that's from Ancient Greece. Now, this one I snipped a bit out and used for a short on Whipped Cream. It's titled Addicted. Will I keep that title? Dunno. But it's a nice and short story with lots of heat. We'll see what the CP thinks of that one. So far I've been told it grabbed her from page one. Shrugs.

I've got news to share but I'll wait til Monday since it's Saturday and I want to be certain before I share.

Still waiting to hear about a couple of subs, so we'll keep our fingers crossed.

Happy Saturday, stay cool, since it's blazing hot here in oHIo, and happy writing.

Friday, July 8, 2011

Total-E-Bound is having a Party and You can Cash In!!!

It's Total-E-Bound's birthday, but the presents are yours!



I am sooo there!

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Thursday Review!!! Waltz of Seduction by Natasha Blackthorne

Waltz of Seduction by Natasha Blackthorne
Ellora's Cave
Short Story (42 pgs)
Historical, m/f, light spanking, light bondage

A painful personal experience makes Lord Lockhart believe that a gentleman doesn’t inflict his passionate desires on a wife. The marriage bed is for begetting heirs, not animal lust. No matter how much he desires his wife. But under Lady Lockhart’s shyness is a determination to tempt her handsome husband, to satisfy them both and spend every night together in her bed.

Innocent waltzing lessons in their chambers soon become indecent, and may lead the newlyweds to overcome their preconceptions and learn to be lovers, as well as man and wife.


Ok, I'm going to start this out by saying, I'm not a huge fan of historicals. They don't, yanno, tickle my fancy. That said, this one is a great one. Really. The characters are full of depth and I felt like I was right there in the room with them. Maybe this is a short read, but there is a lot of heart in those forty-two pages.

I liked Colin. I could totally see him, steely-eyed and stifling his frustration. Maybe that's why I liked him so much. He's technicolor vivid, strong, and persistent--all the things a woman wants.

Then there's Sara. I'll admit, I was a little...flummoxed by her hesitancy. I mean, you've got a stud in the bed and ... nothing. At the same time, she's human and I could relate to her. She's SHY. Lots of people are and it's a hard thing to deal with. Once I really got to know her, I loved it. And pairing these two people is dynamite.

Ms. Blackthorne has penned a sure winner. Grab your copy today!!!

What The? Wednesday .... Never Enough...

Hours in the day. I'm not kidding. Seems like when I was a kid, the day went on forever. I'd go to bed and think, man, I can still see vivid green leaves, not the black like when it's night time.

I was so young.

There are nights now when I look at the clock and think, it's five...already? Where did the day go? I was going to write and promo and twitter hop...and I've done...what?

Grocery shopped.
Shoe shopped for everyone but me.
Changed a litter box.
Refilled cat/dog food bins (we have those water jug looking things that self feed).
Cleaned up the kitchen from a recent food disaster.
Helped fill/unload the RV.
Vacuumed.

Gee, my life is so exciting. I actually talked to a friend from school about that. She thought I had such a fantastic life, being a writer. Um. If you look at that list...then no. I mean, yeah, I've had some great experiences. But day to day? I'm just an average, ordinary, everyday girl. With not enough hours in the day.

So I'm off to get some stuff done before the day actually starts so I can do the things I don't really want to do. But then doing those things now, means I can write later.

C-ya!

Monday, July 4, 2011

Happy Fourth of July!


Let Freedom Ring!!!

Peer Review For Please Remember Me!! I'm Squeeing!!!


Please Remember Me
by Wendi Zwaduk Reviewed by Sam Crescent

Please Remember me is a story about a young woman trying to discover who she is and gain her independence.

Jaden Marie is twenty three years old, has a very precarious past, a bad relationship with her father and just wants to be left alone to discover the woman she was meant to be. For years she has been living a lie, making sex tapes and living the high life where she didn’t care about anyone.

When she meets Deputy Marlon Cross, he makes her want to be a natural woman. She wants to be loved and wants to love someone in return.

I do not want to delve too much in discussing the main story line. The book speaks for itself and talking about the plot would ruin the experience of reading every single word.

Every page deals with Jaden and Marlon moving past their insecurities to find the love they truly feel for each other. Their relationship is filled with twists and turns but all of it is worth the roller coaster ride to the end.

I found this an emotional book to read. Any woman who has spent time wondering who the hell they were, will be able to relate to this book. Wendi Zwaduk really works on the emotions and describes the character’s fears and hopes wonderfully. The relationship was brought together beautifully, each scene working together into a wonderful ending.

There were moments that made me laugh and then made me want to cry, I got angry and sad. Please Remember me is a must have and I highly recommend this to anyone.


Thanks!!! Love It!!

Saturday, July 2, 2011

I'm Up for Book of the Week...Vote for Me...Please?

Howdy all,

I've got a favor to ask. My book, What Might Have Been, is up for Book of the Week on Whipped Cream Reviews. I'd love your vote. I'm up against some pretty serious competition--as it should be--so if you feel my book and the review for it is fantastic, I'd appreciate it.

Here's the link: http://www.longandshortreviews.com/WC/index.htm
Thanks and hope to see you at the polls and HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!

Friday, July 1, 2011

Friday Flirts ~ This is the Day....

So I sat down to write my weekly Friday Flirts post when I happened to be channel surfing, too. I mean, are there people who don't multitask and watch tv while listening to the ipod? Probably. And they are the energy saavy. Sorry. Not one of them. I have the attention span of a gnat sometimes.

Point is, I was watching the good ole VH1 Classic, kept typing Vlassic...must be a pickle reference...and happened on Empire Records.

Now I don't know about you, but that's like a slice of my high school life. No, I didn't work at an awesomely cool record store (but yes, I know what a record is and have many of them). I worked at a teeny tiny not quite department store that's no longer in business. And no, I didn't work with anyone nearly as super hunky as Johnny Whitworth or Rory Cochrane. Trust me. If I had, I would have soooo many more ideas in the memory bank.

So now that I've totaly rambled, I promise, I'll get to the point. It made me think of those songs and those times during high school. I wrote What Might Have Been thinking about my high school days. Good times. And speaking of good times, I've had some requests for Berto and Remi's story. I'm not sure how much they'll want to tell me, but hey, I'm game.

I'm still plugging away on Gypsy's story. She's being...well...Gypsy. I'll get there.

Turned in the prequel to Tangled Up, so for those of you who loved Arran and Mindy and wanted to know the whole story...well, fingers crossed.

I've got a story about a couple of teachers brewing, so we'll see where that goes. Got a request for Rhett's story and one for Felicity. Oh and while I'm at it, I'm supposed to write Maggie and Ray a story, as well as flesh out the one for Summer. Sheesh. I'll be busy.

Good thing I like busy. TTFN.