Friday Flirts!

I have to start today with a *squee!* I got my release date for You'll Think of Me. Mark your calendar for November 22, 2010. Those of you who helped me work like a dawg on that story know Cade is one of the characters closest to my heart. Bringing him to life on the written page was hard and emotional, but I'm glad I did. I only hope readers see him as I did--a brave, wounded hero in need of his special girl.

Also, I worked again like a dawg to get my edits in for My Immortal. Yuppers, the edits are in and with the editor, so we'll see how many things I missed. Storm is my favorite vamp so far, and yes, I've written some others.



Where am I with the other stories? Spinning my wheels. Yup. I should have them farther along than I do, but gee.... Life gets in the way.

So a bit more promo and then I'm off.

Sunday marks the first day of the 3rd Anniversary of Long and Short of It Romance Reviews. Those of you who know me know they are near and dear to me. And hey, if you play the scavenger hunt, you could win a NOOK! Heck yeah, a nook is a great gizmo to have. I love my ereader. And did I mention, I'm one of the participants? Awww, you guessed it, Bethany... (and if you can name the movie that line comes --adapted a bit--from...)



BANNER TIME!!!

Thursday Thank You!

This week's thank you goes to Lora Leigh. Now if you've had the pleasure of meeting her, you will understand what I'm talking about.

When I met her down in Cincy for the Lori Foster Reader/Author Get Together last year, instead of talking down to me, or acting like I wasn't there, she sat at the table and laughed with us.

Now, you probably know by now that I am a TMI princess and love me a dirty joke or two. She cracked us (and yes, I wasn't the only one at the table) up with jokes, stories, little snippets of works to come, and was genuinely tickled that I brought Wild Card to have autographed.

(Did I mention I am also a fan girl? Duh.)




And when we asked her questions about the business of writing, she ANSWERED THEM, with details. I don't know about you, but there are a lot of authors who get to a certain point and refuse to share information. Lora Leigh's approach was more of the "I've been there and done this, learn from my mistakes." Heck yeah, I listened.

So for that, I say thanks. Just being friendly and wanting to spend time with fans is pretty darn cool in my book.

Okay, signing out before I sound mushy. (And I sound mushy so well....)

A Review! A Review!

I had to share this because I needed a good word today.



Now this was a nice review. Thanks to Deb from Dark Diva Reviews.

Deb's Review :

Must Be Doing Something Right by Wendi Zwaduk is a short spicy treat that will leave you melting as you turn the last page. Courteney and Nate’s story is not lacking in heart or heat. Nothing prepared me for such a delightful story. Courteney, is a fun strong heroine. Any reader can connect with her easily. Being done with men who have done her wrong, should she risk it again? To her surprise, in walks Nate, the one she wants. Being a playboy, could Nate love just her? Anything is possible with her dreams and the man who stars in them.

Nate, sweet, compassionate and rightly handsome just wanted to be liked for himself not his money. His feelings for his best friend Court comes to a head when he spends one unforgettable night in complete undiluted passion with her. . It will be interesting to see where this takes them both. Can these two make it out unscaved after their first round of office sex?

Wendi Zwaduk kept this story flowing nicely. The highlight for me was when Nate and Court truly realized what they were missing. This is a short story that I am proud to say, has made it to my “re-read” list.

If you want a great book to heat up your Summer then pick up Must Be Doing Something Right by Wendi Zwaduk and let the story flow through you.

Rated 5 Delightful Divas by Deb!

What the? Wednesday

Today for What the? Wednesday I wanted to talk about the dozens of trailers in movies.

You guessed it, I took the youngling to see a movie and we got there only ten minutes prior to the LISTED time. I figured we'd see some trailers. We were early. But it took, no joke, another 20 minutes past the listed time for the movie to start. Granted, they want you to see bits of other movies so you'll go back and see another movie, but come on. 20 minutes?

I dunno about you, but it's not what draws me back into the theatre. I'm looking at this from the standpoint of a parent. The kid is there to see the MOVIE not the trailers. Get it moving already.

I think the same thing about books, too. If I buy an ebook, which I do frequently, I don't want fifteen pages of previews at the end of the book. That's (IMHO) what blurbs are for. I hate thinking, gee, this is gonna be a great book. OOh, over 200 pgs, nice. Only to get 160 pgs in and find that, WHAM-O! I'm at the end and it's rushed, but also there are a gazillion pages of crap. I have been known not to read the book again.

Now, if you're an author, most likely, you CAN'T control this. Nope. It's the publishers. I know it happens, but it's still irksome.

Ok, jumping down off my soapbox. Gotta get some work done.

Toodles.

Monday Moans

Just a moment while I flip on a light. The gentle glow of the computer screen just isn't enough for me to see what I need to type and since I'm better at spying than typing anyway.


Ok, I'm back. So I'm sure you're wondering who Wendi let loose on her blog. Drum roll please! I'm Storm Richardson, nice to make your acquaintance. I'm posting this now because I am a vampire.


Shocked? Well, so is Stevie, but I'm gently convincing her its not a bad thing. I could look at her all night, feel her soft skin against mine, smell the sweet rose of her... Oh, but you want more about me...ahem.


What do you want to know? I like rock and roll music... the darker the better. (You saw that coming, didn't you? Meh.) I prefer to work by moonlight rather than lamplight. I've had at least five jobs in my deadtime. What? I've boxed, worked on a train--loading and unloading, and private investigating, among others.


At one time, I was a Puritan and lived through the Salem Witch Trials. I sleep nude and prefer to be cuddled up to someone warm--Stevie.


Want to know more about me? Well, I guess you have to read my story My Immortal. Since I'm the immortal, it looks like you have to figure out who I belong to. But I tell you, in my 340 years, no regrets.


Ah, but it's also almost 4. I need to pull the curtains and settle in for the day.


Good day. See you in the night time.

Flirty Friday

So we are at the end of the week and it's time for Flirty Friday!

I am just about at the end of my Farmer. Yes, I used my summers helping at my grandparents farm as fodder for the story. I have just a tad left and hope to have it to a CP by tonight.

As for the others... well... they're temporarily on the back burner because I have half a zillion other things to get to first. But I have an outline for Gypsy, one for Rhett, and some major edits on Jaden, but hey, if you aren't working, you're bored...I know I am.

Plus edits should be rolling in for My Immortal. YAY!

(Love this ad? So do I! Want one like it? Go to Goddess Fish. You won't be disappointed. I'm not.)

Thank You, Thursdays

This week I wanted to give a shout out to a writer who gave me an extra nudge when I was a tad lost and not sure how to get my buns in gear with my writing career.

Back about five years ago, I had these three manuscripts I thought were boff-o. Yeah, really great. There was one or two issues. One: I had sent them out to publishers and gee... no takers. Wonder why? Cuz they weren't polished enough. Duh. Two: I wasn't sure who to send them to. For some ridiculous reason, I thought I should go right to the top and send to Harlequin because if they saw I was plucky, they'd give me a shot. No.

I didn't lose faith, but I did gain some sense.

I joined some romance groups on yahoo... Read voraciously (I had since I learned to read, but I upped the ante) and made contacts. God bless the day I made contacts.

Who? The person I wanted to thank. Lori Foster.

Now don't think that I expected something from her, or pestered her into helping me. Nope. She's just a genuinely nice person. I posted a question asking for a bit of direction and she said, come to Cincy and meet editors. They might not take anything you've written, but in-person meetings are invaluable.

And wonder of wonders, she was spot on. Yup. I went to Cincy, met editors, got turned down yet again, but I made connections. They put a face to a name and saw my drive. Apparently it worked.

But I have to thank Lori for not only writing awesome stories that I read to improve my craft, but also for being approachable so I could actually learn something.

So thank you Lori Foster. You're one of my role models and friend.

What The? Wednesdays

This is a complaint pure and simple. Thought I'd better preface it and get that part right out.

This is also something I am terribly guilty of as well.

Characters that have a skill one moment, and then the next POOF! it's gone. You know what I mean? Example: my vampire, Storm. The guy has supercharged senses. Why not? He's my vampire. But my issue? Trying to REMEMBER he had the power he had. There's a lot to remember, I know.

So in all reality, I sympathize with the authors that forget or make the super all the sudden a little more human. It means the author is human.

Now back to my complaint. The books where the super gains a power in one frickin scene. In the beginning of the book, he can leap tall buildings with a single bound, but in the middle when she's stuck on the top of the Empire State Building with the monkey, he has to climb it like any other Joe.

Or, better yet, he DOESN'T have the power untilhe needs it, then all the sudden it materializes. To me, that's like the author said, oh crap, I wrote the hero into a corner and now I have to get him out. What do I do? INVENT A POWER! If he's psychic and that's the moment he accepts and USES his gift, but he's had it all along, that's one thing. Otherwise,--and I hate this word--it sounds contrived. I got myself into a jam and this was the only way I knew to get out.

And really? It short-changes the reader, too. If the only way he can save her is to snap his fingers and plunk them into a parallel universe that didn't exist up until that part in the book, then I want to toss the book across the room never to be opened again. And yes, it doesn't matter if it's a tried and true author or a new to me author. I'll pitch a book across the room.

My point? Take an extra moment, day, week, whatever... and let the character tell you what they want to do. Don't just make them. Trust me, that's fixing yourself up for a pissed off hero. Been there, done that. If you take the extra time and care, it'll pay off big-time.

Monday Moans

Wendi stepped out of the office for a few hours today and asked one of the boys to write a post for Monday Moans. She said we needed to introduce ourselves, let the readers know who we are, why we're moan-worthy...and to have fun with it. I'm all about having fun. So I chose to go first. Oh, and I exerted my overt dominant tendencies and locked Logan in the closet. For some stranger reason he thought he needed the limelight. And he wonders why I don't carry movies at my store...

Oh, but you're here to meet me. Blushing. I occasionally get ahead of myself.

Who am I? Well, glad you asked. My name is Savion Welles and I am a proud owner of The Feathered Edge Bookseller. Yes, I sell books all day and love the scent of a brand new paperback.

Want to know more?

Good, I'm in a chatty mood. A gentleman doesn't share his age, but I will tell you I am happily involved with the bartender-slash-pizzeria owner of my dreams, Arran Mayes. Oh, and we just got a pair of cats. I tend to let my emotions rule my actions, even though I know it'll get me into trouble. It's a gift.

Now about that bookstore...why a bookstore? Besides having an affection for the scent of ink and paper (sounds a bit kinky, doesn't it?), I love the written word. There is something beautiful aboout being able to describe the exact moment a kiss happens, to feel the texture of his lips, to hear the rumble of his strained voice, and scent of desire in the air. Sigh.

I need to hunt down Arran.

But before I go... where can you find me? You need to read Learning How to Bend and Must Be Doing Something Right. You'll find me eventually.

Enjoy your day and make sure you read a book (in addition to this post).

~Sav

Flirty Friday

Today's the day of the week where I decided to share a little of the in-progress stuff I have going on.

I turned in the submission for Arran's story, Tanged Up. This (I think), is the final story in the group. I could be convinced to do one more, but it all depends on response. If I'm asked to write a story for one of the secondary characters, I'll give her her story.

So what's on the horizon?

In My Immortal, my PI has a sister who is screaming for her own story. It just so happens that she decided to finally TELL me her story. When I get five minutes to sit down and write it, I think it'll be a good story.

Do you remember my story You'll Think of Me? It's one of my Air Force stories. It was picked up by Total-E-Bound and should come out this November. There is a wise-cracking secondary character named Rhett. I've had plenty of people ask me for his story because they loved him and wanted to know what he's up to. Well, fear not. Rhett is as talkative as Gypsy, but he's not quite so joyous right now about how things are playing out. I think he'll be happy in the long run, but he can't have everything he wants--right now.

I am going back to my farmer and getting him in shape. Funny how every time I think he's ready to go to a publisher, it's not quite right. It will be. (I hope.)

And one of these moments I am going to get back to my reunion story. Tanner and Macy really want me to give them their say. Ah, but that means bugging the CP, too. :)

I also have an idea for a menage story for this spring. Music and threesomes. We'll see. I can't tell you everything.

So there's the flirts. You know things are in the works and coming together.