Thank You Thursday

Today I thought I'd post a kudos. There are lots of people who helped get me where I am and gave me that little extra nudge to get my fanny in gear.

Drumroll please.

My first thank you goes to my PIC and originaly crit partner Angie. We don't live nearby each other anymore and I wish I could see her more often.

She read parts of Right and Learning before they were anywhere close to publishing worthy. She pushed me to keep writing even when I got the 37 rejection letters, including one from Harlequin. From the beginning, she's been the blunt voice in my ear saying, hey, you're going about this all wrong.

She intends to be a writer herself and I hope one of these days she can get the time to sit down and do more than just re-edit rough drafts. I know she's got more than one great novel in her.

So thanks Ang. You rock.

Rhonda Carver - An Author You Should Know!

Let's get to know Rhonda: What made you decide to write? I am a hopeless romantic. I love to weave tells of romance where every fairytale ends with a happy ending.

What's the craziest thing you've ever done? Quit my job that paid very well to become a full-time writer. It was crazy but worth it.

Finish this sentence: I'll do anything for my writing, but give up my own fairytale love story. I have a true life, fairytale romance. I have found my soul mate. Nothing is better than reality. (Now tell us why.)

Your just took a trip to India, how's that going to shape your writing? Since I’ve come back I’ve written articles on Love in India—describing my day to days in the country. I’ve come back refreshed and that always helps in writing better.

Music on or off, tv on or off, or plain silence when writing? I don’t watch much TV. I find it to be a distraction. Silence works best for me, but I find I multi-task while I’m working.

You tend to write tough guy, badass heroes. Do the characters write themselves or do you shape them? Oh, my leading men always shape themselves and they certainly have a mind of their own. Sometimes I attempt to persuade a hero to do something against the grain, but if it doesn’t work…it just doesn’t work.

Advice for writers wanting to be pubbed? Read, read, and every chance you get, read. Find a handful of crit partners who will tell you the truth about your work. And don’t get discouraged by rejections. Every writer must start somewhere, and every writer has a few rejections, probably painful ones, in their closet.

What's your one can't-live-without food? Nutella

When you get a rejection letter, how do you deal? I stiffen my spine and say, “Yeah, watch this!!” It gives me the motivation to whip my work in shape and send it back out. Sometimes a rejection can needle underneath your skin, and I spend the day fuming, but the following day I tell myself, “Use it as constructively.”

What's coming up next for Rhonda Lee Carver? I am currently working on two. One is a sweet contemporary and the other is a no-holds-barred erotica.

Diamond in a Rose, releasing June 15, 2010

Blurb: Rose Donahue wants a peaceful life, but tranquility is the last thing she’ll get when the sexy, powerful Detective Clay Walker crashes into her life—literally. Clay holds secrets to her past and it will throw them into a whirlwind of betrayal and intrigue. Chasing after a murderer and a precious blue diamond worth millions, they find themselves encased in more than just a criminal case. They find danger in the form of passion. Will Clay cross the line from protector to lover? Will Rose deny herself the delicious magnetism that draws her to Clay? Love will shine as brilliantly as a fine cut jewel.

Excerpt

“Your husband got involved with a powerful group of people known quite well for their illegal dealings. From what I can figure up to this point, Donahue got into some trouble financially before the accident, gambling debt and business mistakes, and borrowed money from the wrong person. Delano Roberts is a loan shark.” He paused for a second. “When Donahue couldn’t pay Roberts back, he started devising a plan to keep himself alive. And what better way to take yourself out of the equation than by faking your own death?”

“Wouldn’t I have suspected him of doing something illegal, Detective?”

He looked her straight in the eye, “Would you?”

“Well, your five minutes is up.”

“Damn, woman. Haven’t you heard a word I’ve said?” He jumped up from the stool and heard the cracking of wood as the legs split in half. “Add it to my bill.”

“I’ve heard every word you’ve said and now I want you to leave, Detective.” She didn’t make eye contact with him. She didn’t want him to see her fear.

He ran a hand over his hair. “Rose, listen to me. Your husband wasn’t alone in this crime. You’ve been on my list of suspects since I started tracking Donahue.”

Her back stiffened. Enough. “I’m innocent, and so is my late husband.”

“Then help me, cooperate, prove your words are true.”

“How am I supposed to do that?”

“Tell me everything you know regarding your husband, where he could be staying, who his friends are.”

“You’re wasting your time, Detective.”

Want to know what's coming up next for Rhonda? Read on!

Double Dare releases August and Second Chance Cowboy releases in November, bth with Lyrical Press

excerpt from Massk of Bravery. My WIP

The mattress lowered under his weight and her body slid a few inches toward him. She gained her pose on the bed, as her breathing grew heavy in her ears. Her heart beat so fast she wondered if he could hear the heavy tempo.
Although she’d expected his touch to come, she jerked when his fingers touched her ankle. She giggled at her reaction, but it fizzled as his touch sent rivulets of heated sensation up her leg and exploding in her loins. A sigh fell from her lips before she could snatch it back.
Slowly, and deftly, his palm trailed a frenzied path up her leg, past her knee, and settled against her inner thigh.A shivering gripped her muscles and she couldn’t control the feeling. The tip of her tongue slid out and moistened her lips on its own accord. She didn’t care that desire plagued her with physical signs of longing. All she knew was that she wanted this man inside her.
With both hands, one on each thigh, he parted her legs wide. She anticipated a finger, but was shocked when the feel of his hair brushed against her skin. She squirmed, started to reach out to touch him, but his one large hand clutched her wrists and held them tightly. “I want to touch you.”
“No,” his voice came on a gruff whisper.
She didn’t argue, and wouldn’t have been able to, because his warm breath met her pink folds as his tongue slid past the barrier. He flicked her clit with the tip of his tongue and she arched her body as sharp tingles darted upward into her stomach. Not able to move her hands, she clenched her fingers into tight fists.
He pressed his lips against the silken delicacy and blew lightly, sending vibrations along the delicate tissue. She’d never felt something so glorious…so satisfying. As he licked and prodded, she gyrated her hips, welcoming his tormenting attention. Floating on a cloud, she lost herself in the moment. Nothing mattered but finding release.

NEWS!

After the semi-depressing day that was yesterday, I kinda forgot about the fab news I wanted to share. Sick kids take the fun out of news... and when it comes at 2 AM, well, I plum forgot.

So what is the news?

Remember my vampire story? Well, I ended up naming it My Immortal because Just the Way You Are sounded too...sweet. Yes, there are sweet little moments in the story, but come on. It's a vampire story. Not every moment will be Hallmark. So I renamed it. Back in February, I sent him out into the world and hoped he'd find a home.

HE DID!

Total-E-Bound decided to contract it. How cool is that! Would I consider myself a paranormal author? Um... I'll hold judgment til it comes out and reviewers get a hold of it.

But at the same time, my editor paid me a high compliment. Now working with Jess, like working with most editors, isn't wine and roses all the time. But, there is a faith and trust factor. She trusts that when she asks me to do edits, I'll do them up to snuff. I trust her to not slice and dice with my story. So I told her that because she was willing to work with me and has been up front with me on all my TEB submissions and contracts, she rocked. In return, she replied, you are one of the easiest authors to work with because you listen, but you're proactive. It's a joy to work with you because I know what you can do and have seen it.

Talk about a compliment!

Oh and then, have to add this one in, m a very good friend of mine who, when she critiques my stuff honestly... she scares me because she's wicked thorough and wicked good at what she does. Well, she's hard to please as well, but then again, when looking for quality, you should be hard to please. Anyway, she told me that she was proud of me. "If you keep writing and learning and submitting... you'll get published. And you do. I'm proud of you.. you keep on keeping on."

Imagine my shock.

Half the time, I'm not even sure if she likes me or puts up with me because she has to. (I love it because it sounded like an old Allman Brothers or Lynard Skynard type of song).

So, I'm not trying to brag, but I wanted to share my good news. Hopefully, I helped another friend and she'll have great news to share soon too.

Toodles.

Thankful and Sad but Happy at the Same Time.

I know, that sounds like a silly and somber title for a post.

It is.

Over the past year, I've met some great friends, learned A LOT about reading, writing, and editing. I learned what HTML is and that it's not just some strange binary code or something. I felt the joys of editing because I got a contract, and the lows of oh hell, the editor didn't want it, please send again or better yet, never. I've read more ebooks than I ever thought possible. And I managed to drive my family crazy on more than one occasion.

Highlights:

February - I joined LASR/WC. (PS - I love it.)AND I saw Clint Bowyer at the Auto Show!
March - saw Gary Allan in concert where he played Right Where I Need to Be.
April - a whole lot of reviewing went on.
May - I got the contract for my first novel - Right Where I Need to Be through The Wild Rose Press. I also subbed a short story that got shot down at the editor level.
June - went to the Lori Foster Get Together and got a crash course in promotion
July - more reviewing and editing for the novel
August - see July
September - got the contract for my erotic short story Learning How to Bend through Total E Bound
October - worked like a dog on a couple of ideas for novels and short stories and did reviews
November - the craziness of NaNo, but I won!
December - more reviewing, writing, editing, and critting, and writing a short or two for WC (well, five on the year). (Did I mention I have a new CP? Yup and I'm making headway!)

And I have the edits for yet another novel idea done for the moment. I love it when things come together and work out. For a little while I lost a little faith in my writing abilities, but a kick in the pants from a couple of CP's got the ball rolling.

I have some sorrows, but they can wait until later.

Toodles.

Interview with Kiss Carson!!!!

One of my close friends and critique partners is Kiss Carson. She's got two fabulous releases from the Wild Rose Press: Illusions of Destiny and Jewels of the Sun. Both are red hot and fun to read.

Welcome Kiss! Thanks for stopping by. Just a few questions so we all get to know you a bit better.

1. How long have you been writing?

I’ve been writing since I was 13. I started writing stories about my favourite music stars eg Duran Duran (I was Mrs Simon Le Bon for years!!!! Hehehe). At about 15, I started writing paranormal and fantasy romances. I guess it’s in my blood.

Very cool. I thought I'd be the next Mrs. Jordan Knight from New Kids on the Block... ah such is life.

2. Do you ever suffer from writer’s block? If so, what do you do about it?

Writer’s block. Ewwww! I can’t say I’ve ever suffered badly from it. I usually say I’m on holidays. I read lots of books and watch all my favourite movies to try to get my mind working again. Other than that, I kill everyone in my current manuscript in a furious rage and go back and rewrite later.

Isn't it nice to know you can't get into trouble for it! : )

3. What comes first: the plot or the characters?

My characters always come first. For me, the characters shape the plot. I’m a panster so I never really know what’s going to happen when I start typing.

4. What are you reading now?

The Idiots Guide to Writing Erotic Fiction. Hot and steamy has never been my forte!!! I’m also reading The Bride and the Beast by Teresa Medeiros.

5. How do you come up with the titles to your books?

I usually take something from the story. Illusions of Destiny came to me when the heroine believed her destiny was nothing but an illusion. Jewels of the Sun is named after the diamond pillars in the book. For the most part, I name my books after the heroine until something strikes me. I don’t stress over the names of my books.

6. What inspired you to write your first book?

Illusions of Destiny. I’ve been asked this before, and honestly, I don’t know. The book started out as a time travel. Then, the hero grew wings and the heroine turned into a sceptic divorcee. I had been watching lots of Barbie shows with my daughter, so I don’t know whether something crept into my subconscious from those.

Thanks for the great interview. You can get your own copies of her books by going to WildRosePress.com or to http://www.kisscarson.com.au/