Black Rose of the Wild Rose Press

Not a new resolution

2012-01-25T07:06:00.001-08:00

The New Year doesn’t mean new goals for me. I’m continuing projects started last year. The third book in my Finding Rhodes End is in progress along with several shorter writing projects. I'm returning several familiar characters to Rhodes End to face another cursed evil. In addition I’m blogging regularly on my personal blog, Barbara Edwards Comments.

Time is in short supply and I’ve seriously wondered why I can’t be cloned or add a wife to do all my chores.

I hope you’ve read my Finding Rhodes End series. Here’s a chance to learn more.

In Ancient Awakening, Police Officer ‘Mel’ Petersen investigates a death only she believes is murder. By disobeying direct orders from the Rhodes End Chief, she risks her career to follow clues that twist in circles to her backyard and lead the killer to her.

Her neighbor Stephen Zoriak is a prime suspect. Steve worked for a major pharmaceutical company where he discovered a weapon so dangerous he destroys the research. He is exposed to the dangerous organism. He suspects he is the killer and agrees to help her find the truth.

In the course of their investigation Mel and Steve find the real killer and a love that defies death.

Excerpt:

Steve’s fingers clawed through his rumpled hair as he absently adjusted the focus on his microscope. He needed another trim badly. His rapidly growing hair was more than an irritation. Along with his thickened nails, it was another symptom.

Frustrated when his vision remained blurred he closed his eyes. He had to take a break. He hadn’t slept since early yesterday morning. His ability to concentrate on the task at hand was keeping him sane, but his thoughts twisted with the implications of the discovery at the dump.

Swallowing a mouthful of the artificial protein drink he’d concocted when nothing else would settle in his stomach, he stared at the fresh slide sample.

What he’d seen of the bloodless corpse had poised him on the edge of panic. He couldn’t hesitate any longer. He pressed the heels of his hands against his eyelids to blot out the memory of Mel concentrating on the puzzle of the dead man, her changeable hazel eyes green with curiosity.

He didn’t want to think about Mel. The way she always moved like those too thin, sensuous women on the covers of glamour magazines, with slim hips, long legs and no breasts had his groin tightening. The longing to taste her lips added to his misery. He could smell her scent on the breeze.

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Ancient Blood, Book Two: Finding Rhodes End

Lily Alban escapes a murderous stalker, but his vicious attack leaves her with the ability to see auras. She finds safety in the tiny hamlet of Rhodes End where a stranger stands out like a red light. Try as she might to deny her growing desire for Cole, she seeks his help but soon discovers the man she loves is not a man at all.

Werewolf Cole Benedict resists his attraction to Lily. A botanist researching the healing herbs to find a cure for Lycanthropy, he’s determined to protect Lily from her stalker as well as himself even in human form, but instinct takes over when he changes to his inner beast.

Together they must use their extraordinary gifts to catch Lily’s stalker before he attacks again, but revealing their secrets to one another could destroy their growing love or save them both.

Excerpt:

“Lily?” His strong hands gently cupped her shoulders.

“Don’t, please don’t.”

She pulled away, fully intending to flee. Her resistance shattered, and she turned into his embrace. It was too late to escape. Pressing against his strength, she wound her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. His erection prodded her stomach, and she moaned. A heavy groan filled his throat as he lifted her from her feet. He kicked the bag aside as he sat her on the counter.

“I can’t wait,” he growled. His flaring aura spiraled with colors she couldn’t name. She caught her breath. One hand burrowed through her hair, keeping her still as he stepped between her thighs. “You’re all I could think about all day.”

Clasping her bottom, he slid her to the edge of the counter. With his lips claiming her mouth, he unbuttoned her slacks, than lifted her slightly to push them down and off.

The cold surface only made her more aware of his scorching heat. His rough denim pants scraped her inner thighs in contrast with the silky hair under her palms. Her pulse leaped, and she gasped. His male scent mixed with hints of the wild forest filled her nostrils. When his fingertip explored the heated moisture gathering at her juncture, she tightened her thighs around his hips.

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New Year, New Release

2012-01-12T05:00:00.000-08:00

Coming soon, the third book in the Mates of the Guardians series.

In Book 1, His Ship, Her Fantasy, Alastair--a Guardian Shield--finds his mate Ellie, a space engineer on the ship he's attached to. They both barely escape the spaceship before it explodes. But who sabotaged the ship and for what purpose is left to be determined...

In Book 2, His Hope, Her Salvation, Donovan, a Guardian Hunter, and his mate, Judith, succeed in freeing Judith from the tyranny of a brutal father and fiance in Georgian England only to receive an urgent message to return to Elysia, the Guardian's home planet.

Book 3 brings all the characters together on a new adventure, this time in Victorian England.

Masquerading as an American, Eallair, a Guardian Steward fromanother world, is searching Victorian England for the kidnapped mate of afellow Guardian. When he meets Miss Harriet Cartwright, he knows her for thespirited, intelligent mate he has longed to find.

Since the death of their parents, Harriet has used herintelligence and sharp tongue to guard her sister from fortune hunters, but nowthat Prudence is close to choosing a husband, Harriet can consider her ownfuture—one hopefully filled with adventure. When she meets Eallair, anAmerican rancher who likes to travel and isn’t put off by her outspokenness,she is intrigued.

But before Harriet and Eallair can explore theirattraction, she and her sister are kidnapped. While Eallair scours the countrysidefor them, Harriet discovers Eallair’s off-world origins. Now she must decide:just how much adventure does she want in her future?

Happy Holiday Memories

2011-12-30T03:28:00.000-08:00

As I write this, Christmas Day 2011 is already a memory, even though it’s still holiday time and it’s New Year’s Eve tomorrow. The frantic shopping, card-writing and present-wrapping rituals have, once again, all been done in time – just – and we wouldn’t be human if we didn’t breathe a huge sigh of relief.

One of my favourite Christmases was four years ago when our very good friends from Washington came over to stay. We took them on a whirlwind sight-seeing tour of London on Christmas Eve, stopping for lunch in an ancient pub in the heart of the City. We went up on the London Eye, walked round the Tower of London, St Paul’s Cathedral, The Mall, Trafalgar Square, Covent Garden ... and I don’t think I’ve ever been so tired in my life :)

But I do think it’s always so much more enjoyable seeing your home town through visiting friends’ eyes, experiencing their pleasure, and seeing everything so differently. How many times have I got out of the tube at Charing Cross and walked down the Strand to work, without even seeing the lions in Trafalgar Square or Nelson standing so high up on his column above the Square? Too many to count. In our busy lives we often miss many wonderful things around us, or simply take them for granted. I’m a Londoner born and bred, but moved to the Sussex countryside with my parents at the age of ten. There’s an old saying, ‘You can take the girl out of the City, but you can’t take the City out of the girl.’ So true, because after graduating from Art College, back I went to London!

That Christmas Day four years ago is one of my happiest memories of any holiday season. Traditions differ of course, but the sentiments are the same. We have the main Christmas meal at lunchtime and our friends have theirs in the evening. We traditionally have turkey, which they, of course, have at Thanksgiving. Also our ancient cottage is tiny, but we managed to squish eight people around our old oak table for lunch where our friends had roast potatoes – English-style – for the first time. The presents were handed round after lunch amid much laughter at some of the jokey ones, and at the antics of our cat as she burrowed in all the empty wrapping paper.

So with apologies for being a day late with my blog, all that’s left is for me to wish you all health and happiness for 2012, and to wonder (fleetingly) what vampires do for Christmas ...

Chirstmas Cheer from Forever Freed

2011-12-19T09:43:00.000-08:00

If I could make one wish for Christmas, it would be that each of you experience the kind of love and companionship and togetherness and happiness we so often read about in books. And, to show you just what I mean, please enjoy this Christmas excerpt from my bestselling and award-winning vampire romance, Forever Freed.

*~~*~~*

A merrier Christmas had never been seen at Orchard Hill in its more than two hundred years. Ollie tore through her packages like a tornado and demonstrated her riding prowess by making circles around the great room on her new bike. Griffin promised to shovel a clear path for her around the circular drive later in the day. The rest of my family demonstrated their affection for Samantha and Ollie by showering them with gifts. They were both thrilled, although Samantha was overwhelmed by their thoughtfulness. They had been drilling me for ideas for the girls for weeks.

Finally, Samantha couldn’t hold back any longer and insisted I open my presents from her. Everyone else had been exchanging gifts with their spouses, but all the activity quieted as Samantha led me to a tall object hidden beneath a loose-fitting decorated bag with a big red bow.

“First, the little one.” She handed me a red box with a white ribbon.

I looked up at her and smiled. Everyone watched me, and I think I would’ve blushed if I could’ve. Ollie danced around and tried to peer into the box when I lifted the lid.

It was an antiqued gold necklace with a tag-shaped charm. On its face were my initials: LAD. On the reverse was a hidden message:

the most magical

thing of all

I recalled those words vividly from our dinner in Milwaukee. I’d used them to describe her love for me. She was giving me her love to wear. I took a deep breath and nodded minutely in thanks when Catherine shot me a wave of reassurance and strength. I looked at Samantha and pulled her into my arms.

“I love it, Samantha. Thank you so much.”

I stepped back and pulled it out of the box, then clasped the chain around my neck. It was long enough to lie underneath my shirt.

Her smile was huge. “Okay, now the big one,” she said, pointing to the oblong bag behind me. The level of excitement in the room elevated.

“Can I help you, Lucien?” Ollie looked up expectantly.

“You take that side. I’ll get this side. We’ll lift it up slow, okay?”

She nodded and grabbed the edge of the bag. Samantha stood back and snapped a picture as Ollie and I pulled the wrapping over the top of the object. I dropped the plastic and looked at Samantha with an amazed expression. Standing before me was an antique mahogany two-sided music stand with elaborate carving. It was in excellent condition.
Samantha was so excited she could barely contain herself as she waited for my reaction.

When I didn’t say anything immediately, she explained, “One time you mentioned the name of your violin’s maker, which I now know helps you date it. This stand is French but was made at roughly the same time as your violin—”

I took two long strides across the room and grabbed her face gently with my hands and pressed my lips against hers. “It’s perfect.” I kissed her again. “No two gifts in the world could have been more perfect—more thoughtful—than the ones you gave me.”

She blushed. I wrapped my arms around her shoulders and rocked her gently back and forth. She smiled against my chest. Although I knew she had inherited money from her father, I was concerned about the expense of the gift. She was so proud of herself, though, I couldn’t express any hesitation about it whatsoever.

“Open mine now, Lucien!” Ollie held out a small box she had clearly wrapped herself.

I ripped off the paper and found a key chain with a pocket-sized digital screen. Ollie turned it on and dozens of images played on a slideshow: pictures of the three of us together, of Ollie from all different periods of her life, and images of some of Ollie’s angel drawings Samantha must’ve scanned.

“Ollie, this is the best present. Thank you so much.” I kissed the top of her head and handed the key chain to her when she stretched out her small hand. She sat with it next to Henrietta, who she’d taken to affectionately calling Henny—which Henrietta adored—and proceeded to describe the pictures to her as they changed.

I sat two presents from me on the couch next to Ollie. She eagerly ripped them open. The first was a collectible Golden Angel Barbie doll. She was beautiful with long golden hair, white wings with gold edges, and a flowing gown.

Ollie gasped and stroked at the plastic packaging over the doll. She set it aside but continued to look at it while her hands fumbled for the other package. Finally she pulled her attention away and ripped the paper until she could lift the lid. Inside sat a familiarly shaped black case.

“My own violin?” She gasped and flipped the clasps up on the lid to reveal a child’s violin.

“You’re always asking to play mine. I thought if you had your own, I could teach you, and we could play together.”

“This is so good, Lucien! Thank you! Can we play now?” She ran her hand along the length of the instrument.

“How about after everyone is done opening presents?”

She nodded and picked up the angel doll box. She didn’t seem to be able to decide to which to devote her attention. Henrietta laughed at her excited chatter.

I pulled Samantha down on the couch next to me. “Your turn.” I handed her a familiar blue box. She looked ready to protest. I kissed her and tapped the box. “Open it.”

She slid the ribbon aside and pulled the lid off, then opened the velvet box. Inside sat a solid circle of aquamarines set in white gold.

“It’s called an eternity ring, which is how long I plan to love you.”

She blushed furiously, which everyone would’ve sensed even if they weren’t looking at her. I slipped it from the velvet and placed it on her ring finger. To me, the gesture felt weighted with significance beyond the moment. She held out her left hand and admired it. “It’s stunning, Lucien. I love it.”

I brought her hand to my mouth and pressed my lips to the spot where the ring encircled her skin. “There’s one other thing.” I handed her a rectangular package.

She shook it. “It feels empty.” She laughed as she tore off the paper.

She lifted the lid and set it aside, then pulled out a manila folder. She pursed her lips and looked at me curiously. I stopped breathing in anticipation of her reaction. She opened the folder and frowned. She flipped haltingly through several of the pages. Her breath caught and she brought her hand up to her mouth. Finally she looked up at me with glassy eyes and shook her head back and forth.

I slid down to my knees in front of her and took her hand in mine. “Please say something.”

*~~*~~*

What could it be? Well, for that, you know what'll you'll need to do! *winks*

Thanks so much for reading, and have the HAPPIEST OF HOLIDAYS!
Laura Kaye

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About Forever Freed:

~Bestselling Gothic Romance!

~NJRW Golden Leaf Best Paranormal of 2011!

~NJRW Golden Leaf Finalist for Best First Book of 2011!

A heart can break, even one that no longer beats.

I stalk my new neighbors, a single mother and her child, drawn by the irresistible scent of their joy and love. I crave their blood, starved for some healing respite from my ancient grief. Now to lure them into my grasp.

But they surprise me. Little Olivia accepts me without fear or reservation--talking, smiling, offering innocent affection that tugs at my long-lost humanity. Her mother, Samantha, seeks me out when she should stay away, offering sweet friendship, and calling to the forgotten man within me. They lure me instead.

Ah, Dio, Lucien, run and spare them while you can...

A Writer’s Holiday Gift List

2011-12-15T18:39:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays!! Ah, yes! The holidays are finally here! As the gift-giving seasonarrives in full swing there are some things a writer might be looking to add toher holiday wishlist. Here’s a few ideas:

1. Laptop– For a writer needing to write in different locations a portable computer is extremely useful.Does the writer have a day job? She can take the laptop with her to work andwrite during lunch breaks. Or perhaps she has children? With her DH home towatch the little darlings, she can take her laptop to a lovely café for some interruption-freewriting time. Or at the very least hide in the bedroom closet where hopefullyshe won’t be disturbed. (I speak from experience here!)

2. E-Reader– As more and more books are being published digitally, it’s a good idea topurchase an electronic reader so the writer on your list can read thosemarvelous e-books that are being published on a daily basis. Hint: the KindleFire is on my wishlist (hopefully Santa will be reading this!)

3. DigitalVoice Recorder – A story idea can strike a writer at any moment! Let her beprepared to record that wonderful gem of an idea before it’s lost. Hmm…I wonderif they have water-proof voice recorders for those inspirational moments while I’msinging in the shower?? Something to look into…

4. Bookson Writing – A writer who wishes to learn more about her craft does in-depthresearch on writing. Some books to choose could be The Writer’s Market, OnWriting by Stephen King, How I Write by Janet Evanovich, The Writer’s Journeyby Christopher Vogler and How to Become a Famous Writer Before You’re Dead byAriel Gore (one of my favorites!).

5. MagazineSubscriptions – Writer’s tend to read many magazines on writing or the subjectof their writing. Some subscription lists could include Writer’s DigestMagazine, RT Book Reviews, The Writer Magazine, and Poets and Writers.

6. OfficeSupplies – There are several items on a writer’s list for her office.Notebooks, Folders, pens, pencils, markers, file cabinets, desks, officechairs, bookshelves, etc.

7. Writer’sConferences – A valuable source of knowledge, inspiration, networking, andshear camaraderie comes from attending writer’s conferences. Every writershould have the opportunity to attend at least one for the education itprovides.

8. CaféPress items– This site has much to offer a writer who wants some items to makeher simply smile. T-shirts, tote bags, mugs, magnets, posters, and other giftswith fun sayings for a writer.

9. Music– Some writer’s use music for inspiration or soundtracks for the books they’rewriting. Each writer has different tastes concerning their writing music, butthose who know them well might be able to choose something unique and specialfor their writer friend to listen to as she crafts her next bestselling novel.

10. Reviews– One of the best gifts a published writer might like to receive is a review ofher book. Just remember to be kind. A good review is always welcome! :)

I hope this list helps anyone looking for some last minute gift ideas for their writer friends. Writers, did I miss anything? If you are a writer please share! What's on your holiday wish list this year?

About the author: Tricia Schneider is an author of paranormal and gothic romance. Before the supernatural took possession of her pen, she worked in a bookstore as Assistant Manager and bookseller. Now she writes full-time while raising her 3 children. She lives in the coal country of Pennsylvania with her WWII re-enactor husband. For more information about her books visit her website, Facebook, Twitter, or GoodReads.

Happy Holidays

2011-12-12T12:19:00.000-08:00

When next we meet, 2011 will have been rung out and 2012 rung in. Between now and then, I wish everyone Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year!

This year has been an exciting one for me with many new releases, though none in the Mates of the Guardian series, but look for Book 3: His Capture, Her Rescue in the new year!

Until next year, be safe, stay warm and enjoy the merriment!

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-10T16:40:00.001-08:00

Happy Holidays! I celebrate Christmas, but whichever holiday you celebrate this month, I hope that you have a wonderful one! This is my favorite time of year. I really like driving around the neighborhood to look at lights. It brings back memories from childhood.

One of my favorite memories is of driving around looking at lights. About 10 miles or so from where I lived growing up, was a neighborhood that the homeowners association made every house decorate for Christmas. Flocks of families crammed into cars to drive up and down the streets, slowly of course seeing how most of the town was also driving up and down the streets. Some enterprising neighbors would sell hot cocoa and apple cider and some would take paying customers on boat rides (the neighborhood was built on a canal system). It was a lot of fun and good memories.

What are some of your favorite holiday memories?

Reasons to be Thankful

2011-11-29T12:04:00.000-08:00

Well I didn’t want to write anything too schmaltzy, but it became quite difficult once I started thinking of the things and people I’m thankful for.

I’m grateful that my overbearing – almost to the point of being a control freak – father refused to let me attend dance college full-time when I was sixteen, and also refused to allow me to go to art school. (Two passions of mine are still dance and art – sorry Dad you can’t win ’em all.) But I did get to go to art school a couple of years later ... and I met my husband. If I had gone earlier, I would have actually left the college before he joined, and I’d never have met him. But I'm so thankful I did. Some things happen for a reason.

In a weird way I’m also thankful my husband’s rock band didn’t make the big time, but that’s purely selfish, because I doubt we’d still be together if it had. Although at one point it was almost on the cards, because their keyboard player at the time was Hans Zimmer, who is now very famous, winning Oscars for film scores all over the place. I remember the first time we realised just how famous; we were sitting in a darkened cinema listening to the beautiful score, and up came Hans’ name in ten foot high lettering. It was a Disney film and the exclamation from my husband was definitely not suitable for little ears! Our son repeated the words at horribly inopportune times for quite a while after that.

Which brings me to being thankful for my son – apart from the dirty washing, the sodden towels on the bedroom floor and the general mayhem – all of which returned to the house on his graduation from University last summer. My pregnancy was difficult, with dangerously high blood pressure and many stays in hospital, resulting in an elected caesarean several weeks before the due date. But ... and this is schmaltzy ... I agreed to have the operation with an epidural so I could be awake for my son’s arrival. Me! The biggest coward going. I’m scared of blood tests (way to go for a vampire writer!), frightened of the dentist, and absolutely rigid with abject terror at anything to do with hospitals. Yet I did it, and I’m pleased I did. I am of course, also grateful to the amazing people who helped bring my son safely into the world. Anyone who has had a baby, will know there is nothing so amazing as holding your child in your arms for the very first time. (Although for those who aren’t too keen on the thought of having babies, then holding a newborn kitten would work, and you don’t have to go through months of discomfort and childbirth.)

I couldn’t stop writing without mentioning friends – friends are also something we should all be eternally grateful for. None of us could survive without them. I value my friends and feel thankful for them every day.

Finally then, I am so happy to be published by The Wild Rose Press and I’m grateful to everyone there– especially Callie Lynn – for all the support and hard work it took to get Fledgling in print. Thank you, thank you ... I am so proud I could burst!

Black Friday Sale on All TWRP Titles!

2011-11-24T18:18:00.000-08:00

Go get 'em while they're hot!

A Thankful Thirteen

2011-11-19T00:01:00.000-08:00

Here's a fun exercise--write down the first thirteen things that come to mind when answering the question, "What am I most thankful for?" Don't give yourself time to think or organize the list or make it pretty or edit it or wonder what you're leaving out. Just write as fast and as stream-of-consciously as you can. I did, and here's what I came up with:

NJRW Golden Leaf Best Paranormal of 2011!

1) My girls
2) My writing
3) Being published
4) My family is healthy
5) My husband
6) I have a good job
7) My sweet/bad dog
8) My best friend Lea
9) Apple pie
10) Summertime
11) All my new writer friends
12) Today
13) Time

When I finished that, I was like But, wait! What about? And...? LOL But it was very cool to see what came out, and I agree with everything on the list, even without having paused to really think about it!

I'd love for you to share your Thankful Thirteen in your comment! Or even just a fewer number if you prefer!

ALSO, I'm celebrating FOREVER FREED's book birthday this weekend, and you can WIN!!! Here's how:

11/20 is the 6-month anniversary of my vampire romance FOREVER FREED! Woot! I'm celebrating by participating in a Thanksgiving Party over at The Romance Studio all weekend with GIVEAWAYS galore! Plus, your comments might help win me a year's worth of free advertising at TRS! See the link for more information on how to win, celebrate and help me out! *grins*

Thanks for reading & commenting! And hope to see you 'round TRS!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Laura Kaye

Buy Laura's Books

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Being Thankful

2011-11-12T05:00:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again. Lights are up. Christmas trees are out. Santa is ho-ho-hoing. And it's only the beginning of November.

While I'm not a huge fan of the marketing surrounding Christmas, I do enjoy the reminder that lazy days with the family are coming soon. Yes, things are hectic leading up to the event--whether it be Thanksgiving or Christmas--but then when the day arrives, it's all happy memories and laughter and good food. The decorations also bring to mind all the things I'm thankful for.

It's impossible to list everything at one time, or recall each special moment of the year up to this point, but every day, I'm thankful for the wonderful, supportive people I call family and friends. They are the ones who put smiles on my face when I'm down, share my happiness, get angry with me over real or perceived injustices, remind me that I'm not alone in the world. And, I try never to let too much time pass before I tell each and every one how special they are to me.

So to my Wild Rose family, thanks for the amazing support and helpful tips over the past couple of years. And to my readers, thanks for letting me know how much you enjoy my stories. As long as I have you two groups of people, I will continue to write and publish stories!

Thanksgiving

2011-11-11T17:51:00.001-08:00

The holidays (or holidaze as I like to spell it) are upon us and I'm already feeling the stress of the season. Despite feeling like I'm carrying the world on my shoulders, I am thankful for so much. All my friends, my family, my supportive, loving, caring husband. Even the economic problems have taught me things. I'm also thankful to TWRP for publishing two of my stories this year and contracting another one. Yay! And let's not forget to thank the men and women in the armed forces for serving to ensure our freedom.

So many things to be thankful about. Sometimes in all the rush and hurry of the holidays we need to slow down and remember the things that really matter: friends and family.

Here's hoping you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Tragedy and Thanksgiving

2011-11-03T21:20:00.000-07:00

Every year around this time Americans consider all the things in their lives for which they are thankful. November is the month we celebrate Thanksgiving. We spend time with friends and family. We eat. And we give thanks.

I'm no different than any other American. This time of year, I give thanks to God. Mostly, I'm thankful for the usual things: family, friends, a home, a job. And this year, I'm thankful The Wild Rose Press published two more of my books. I'm also thankful that on November 28, I'll celebrate my forth anniversary of my last radiation treatment for breast cancer. I'm now one year closer to that five year survival mark. I'm alive. But today at work, I realized once again just how suddenly life can end.

Besides being an author, I've been a radiologic technologist for almost thirty years. Six years ago, I got my certification in mammography.

On most days, I work in the mammography area of the x-ray department. But it's not unusual for me to help out in diagnostic radiology, taking routine and trauma x-rays when things get busy. Today was no different.

After releasing my last mammogram patient before lunch, a trauma came into the ER. There had been a head-on collision in the county with casualties, and Lifeflight was on the way. So, I carried extra cassettes to the technologists who were already in the trauma room with the doctors, nurses, EMT's, lab and respiratory personnel. The portable x-ray machine was set up and ready to go, but the patient was in full code. She wasn't breathing and her heart had stopped.

As the doctors and nurses ran the code, x-ray set up, preparing to take the x-rays when the patient was stable. But the patient never stabilized. Her injuries were too severe. Internal injuries, a nearly severed left leg, the bone and tendons exposed. She never regained consciousness. I pray she never felt a thing.

The woman from the other car didn't make it either. She was transported to the ER with no identification--no name. No one knew who she was. She remained a Jane Doe for five hours after she died. And that just breaks my heart.

Two women, headed in opposite directions left home earlier that day never knowing their lives were about to end suddenly and tragically without warning. Had they fought with their husbands that morning? Yelled at their children? Would their sudden death cause guilt as well as sorrow? Were they ready to meet their maker?
A single driving mistake and two lives are lost forever.

My heart goes out to the family of both these women who died so suddenly and so tragically on such a beautiful fall day so close to the holidays. I'm thankful I've never had to endure so sudden a loss. And I pray to God I never do.

A Blessed Samhain and a Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T13:00:00.000-07:00

Hello! Callie Lynn here:) I had a wonderfully informative post on the meanings of our ghoulish holidays, however, Google had other ideas. After primping, saving, and more primping my post went Poof! So with that said, I thought I'd just give a brief post on how I celebrate this wonderfully wicked time of year. Of course, Halloween and Samhain are on top of my list of favorite holidays. I do, in fact, go all out with the decorations much like Christmas/Yule.

Halloween has been special to me all my life. How can you celebrate this day without
watching the infamous "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!" and to dole out treats to all those adorable tricksters. But that is only a part of this holiday. Keeping Samhain is very special to me because I have a chance to remember all those that I have lost, those who have passed. Pets included. Some believe that pets do not have souls! I beg to differ. They are full of love and brightness. You can see their souls in the depth of their warm, loving eyes. But then, that is a different story.

Anyway, every Blessed Samhain, I light tealights for everyone that has passed from my life and honor their memory. Seems to grow in number the older I get but the sweetness of their memories warm my heart.

Now I'm off to prepare for all the ghouls, ghosts, and goblins that will be passing through this Hallow's Eve. May your eve be hauntingly ghoulish and your Samhain be blessed.

Callie Lynn
SE Black Rose Line
www.thewildrosepress.com
callielynnwrp@aol.com

Spiral Dance

2011-10-31T12:08:00.000-07:00

Dear Black Rose Readers,

I've been Wiccan since 1968 and had the wonderful opportunity to attend Starhawk's Spiral Dance a few years ago. Samhain is a special time for Wiccans as it is the time when the divide between the visible world and the invisible worlds is thinnest. It is a great time to honor the ancestors, for if it were not for them, we would not be here. Their messages are written in our DNA and there to read if we open ourselves to it.

Starhawk's Samhain celebration was held at Fort Mason in San Francisco the year I attended. Fort Mason is right on the Bay, so all the elements were there: earth in the hills around the Fort, water in the fog and the Bay, air in our breath and fire in the candles on the altars around the perimeter of the building. These altars had pictures of people who had passed on that year and art honoring them. Through incantation, reading the names of all the dead who had passed that year, and of course, the Dance, the dead were honored and called.

Have a happy and safe Samhain!

Carolina

Some my Favourite Vampires

2011-10-31T02:51:00.000-07:00

Aidan Turner as Mitchell, in the BBC's Being Human

James Marsters as Spike, in Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Alexander Skarsgard as Eric Northman in True Blood

Sir Christopher Lee as Count Dracula

Halloween . . . mmmm . . . one of my favourite times of the year. The clocks have gone back and the evenings are darker – with many more shadows – perfect for the creatures of the night. My favourite dark creature is, of course, the vampire. No question. And my favourite vampire is . . . Count Dracula.

Dracula . . . there’s a very good reason why Bram Stoker’s book has never been out of print since it was first published in 1897. Its dark atmospheric pages literally pull the reader in, never letting them go. I first read the book at school and it definitely instigated my love for the paranormal. Beautifully written – once you get used to the Victorian way of speaking of course – with such cleverly observed characters. In an era where women couldn’t vote and were very much dominated by men, Stoker introduced Wilhelmena Murray, a feisty intelligent woman far ahead of her time.

In my humble opinion no-one has, as yet, ever produced a Dracula film which is loyal to Stoker’s book. All have been glamourised and the story changed beyond all recognition. Coppola’s Dracula had the temerity to be titled, ‘Bram Stoker’s Dracula’ which it wasn’t. The first appearance of Gary Oldman’s Count has him dressed in scarlet robes with a white wig which looked uncannily like Princess Leia, when the book clearly states he was ‘clad in black from head to foot, without a single speck of colour about him anywhere.’ Bit like me really! The Hammer Draculas were a little over the top, even ‘hammy’ but I just love them! My favourite being Dracula Prince of Darkness, it’s so gothic and creepy. The film’s one fault is not allowing Dracula to speak in the film, reducing the character to snarls and hisses. Although I still think Sir Christopher Lee is the best cinematic Dracula to date, with (ironically) a marvellous voice.

I think the BBC’s 1977 version of Dracula still remains the best version of the book itself. Starring Louis Jordan in the main role with Frank Finlay as Abraham Van Helsing and Bosco Hogan as Jonathan Harker. Judi Bowker plays Mina, a role which I saw her play again in a theatre production of Dracula last year. Strangely she doesn’t seem to have aged at all, which made me wonder if she is, perhaps a vampire?

But what of other vampires? They’re back in vogue again – hooray – thanks to the emergence of Buffy the Vampire Slayer in 1997. (Thank you Joss Whedon!) Which brings me to another of my favourite screen vampires, albeit on the small screen. No it’s not Angel, but the totally delectable Spike, or William the Bloody, played so brilliantly by James Marsters. All sculpted cheekbones, leather jacket and a voice to die for. Definitely one of the sexiest vampires to grace any screen. I have to admit to being impressed by his carefully studied South London accent – apart from the usual mistakes of words like ‘chance, dance, patronise etc’ which still sounded Californian. But I can forgive Spike anything.

True Blood has its own collection of hunks too. Our own Stephen Moyer, the Brit who plays Bill Compton, and the delicious Alexander Skarsgard who plays Eric Northman. Eric is a brilliant character too, he’s just so evil, although he still manages to be charming. Another fave of mine is Mitchell, the vamp from the UK series of Being Human. Angst-ridden and desperately trying to stay off human blood, Mitchell makes Angel look like – in Spike’s words – ‘as interesting as a table lamp.’ Aidan Turner starred as Mitchell in the first three seasons, but then sadly for the show, got offered a part in The Hobbit.

I’ve only just touched on a few of my favourite vampires here, but I can’t stop writing without mentioning my own vampire. William James Austen, a three-hundred-year old vampire. Ex Duke, millionaire, property owner and Elder of London, he just happens to be tall, dark, charming, and utterly gorgeous too. What more do you want from a vampire? Check him out in Fledgling published in Black Rose of course – and yes that’s an unashamed plug!

Happy Halloween!

FOREVER FREED is NJRW Golden Leaf Best Paranormal of 2011!

2011-10-26T20:54:00.000-07:00

I am so, so thrilled to announce that my vampire romance, FOREVER FREED, won the New Jersey Romance Writers Golden Leaf Award for the Best Paranormal of 2011!

If that wasn't exciting enough, the book was also a finalist in this contest for Best First Book of 2011!

It was such a thrilling, surreal moment. My legs went numb and I got all choked up! Only because of a friend's death grip on my hand did I manage not to lose it altogether!!! LOL

A truly special part of this particular contest's awards ceremony is that one of their members reads an excerpt from the winning book before they actually announce which one it was. So, the only people in the room who know the winner while she's reading are the author and anyone who happens to have read the book. It was incredible hearing my excerpt out loud. And here's the one she read:

She searched my eyes for a long moment. Forever came and went while I waited for her to speak.

Finally she smiled. A warmth so healing rushed through me I had to close my eyes at the goodness of it. “All that I am, Lucien, all that I have…it’s yours. And it feels like it always has been.”

My eyes flew open. I sucked in a breath. That was all I’d needed to hear. I pulled her into my arms and pressed kisses onto her hair and face, then leaned back so I could look into her eyes.

“Thank you, Sam, thank God. Your acceptance of me…it eases the burden I have carried for the sin of what I am. Your love has helped me forgive myself. And that is a gift, Samantha, a priceless gift, this feeling of absolution. I have been searching for it my whole life.”

Every once in a while you experience something and know you'll remember it forever, and this was one of those times for me!

Thanks for letting me share!

Laura Kaye

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A multi-published author of paranormal, contemporary and erotic romance, Laura Kaye’s hot, heartfelt stories are all about the universal desire for a place to belong. Laura is the author of the bestselling contemporary romance and award-nominated HEARTS IN DARKNESS and the bestselling and award-winning paranormal romance FOREVER FREED (NJRW Golden Leaf Award for Best Paranormal of 2011), as well as an erotic romance novella, JUST GOTTA SAY. Her fourth book, contemporary fantasy romance NORTH OF NEED, is the first in the 4-book Hearts of the Anemoi series. Laura lives in Maryland with her husband, two daughters, and cute-but-bad dog, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.

The connection between fear and sex

2011-10-25T00:30:00.000-07:00

I'm Barbara Edwads and I collect weird facts.

Psychologists claim there is a direct correlation betweenfear and the need to reproduce. That fact doesn’t sound romantic to me. It remindsme of teenage boys taking girls to see a slasher movie so she’ll cuddle closefor protection. Did you come from a small town where the boys coaxed the girlsto go into a cemetery at midnight? Guess what they hoped would be the result?

So as the author of romances, I take the cold fact and twistthe feelings into a close encounter of the intimate kind.

In Ancient Blood, Lily and Cole develop a relationshipbefore Cole reveals he is a werewolf. Scary yes, but also sexy and passionate.Lily already trusts him. Love is a short leap away.

Steve and Mel face an immortal danger in Ancient Awakening.Fear drives them together. It’s a wonderful chain made of linking incidents.

The idea is to take the reader along with the hero andheroine as they experience the danger, the fear and the closeness of escape tosafety. There are a thousand different trails to that romantic ending. It’seven fun to stop them at the last minute so they are left panting for more.

Do you have a favorite story with these elements?

Ancient Awakening,Book One: Finding Rhodes End Series by Barbara Edwards

Blurb:

Police Officer Melanie Petersen is the only one who believesa suspicious death is murder. By disobeying direct orders from the Rhodes EndChief, she risks her career to follow clues that twist in circles to herbackyard and lead the killer to her. Her neighbor Stephan Zoriak is a primesuspect. While working for a major pharmaceutical company, he is exposed to adangerous organism that changed him. He suspects he is the killer and agrees tohelp Mel find the truth when the deaths continue. In the course of theirinvestigation Mel and Steve find more death and continued distrust that makethem wonder if love can defy death.

Excerpt:

“Don’t touch me, Mel, not unless you’re willing to do a lotmore,” he warned as her hazel eyes flared golden.

“Don’t threaten me, Steve. You’re…”

He pulled her into his arms despite the alarm bells clanging inhis head.

Danger! Danger! Danger!

Her widened eyes met his. Mel’s hands were trapped against hischest, but she didn’t push him away. Instead, her fingers curled into hisshirt.

Her mistake. His mistake was to crush her mouth under his.

Mel’s soft lips parted. Need exploded. The taste of blackcoffee didn’t hide her sweet flavor. As her tongue tangled with his, her armsslid around his neck and her fingers burrowed through his hair.

Steve hungered to peel the starched shirt off her softshoulders, lay her on the thick turf and ease his desire. He tasted her brows,her cheek, along her throat, seeking the source of her call. Her pulse whippedunder his mouth, awakening another need.

His teeth gently closed on the vulnerable vein.

He wanted, wanted, wanted…

Cold alarm chilled his pounding blood.

Steve gasped for air. He’d forgotten his own ironclad rule.Mel’s eyelids flittered open to reveal the molten glow of desire but he forcedhimself free.

He had no right to touch any woman. Not until he knew he hadn’tbecome what he had set out to destroy.

Author Web: http://barbaraedwards.net

Blog Site: http://barbaraedwardscomments.wordpress.com

Facebook: http://facebook.com/BarbaraEdwards

Ancient Blood http://on.fb.me/naHRY5

Twitter: http://twitter.com/barb_ed

Authors Den: http://authorsden.com/barbaraedwards

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B003F6ZK1A

Ancient Blood Buy link http://tinyurl.com/3f627vh

All I Want For Halloween is a Vampire! + Giveaway!

2011-10-19T00:01:00.000-07:00

That's right. My idea of the sweetest, hottest, naughtiest Halloween treat would be the bad boys of the supernatural world. Fanged. Furious. And desperate for a little red-blooded treat of their own.

Oh yeah.

And I like 'em every way they come...

Big, tattooed, leathered-up vampire warriors? Check! Nothing would make a better treat in my Halloween basket than the Warden's Black Dagger Brotherhood. Unf, Zsadist.

Old school, lace-sleeved, gothic renaissance vamps? These were the ones I cut my teeth on. Lestat de Lioncourt anyone? MmmMmm.

Uber powerful, good-hearted, were-vamp hybrids? I'm new to Underworld, and boy am I hooked on Michael Corvin. Scott Speedman reminded me why I love Canada!

Angsty, sparkly teenage heartthrobs? Come on. Admit it. You're a Cullen, too! Oh, Edward, you may be a bit stalkerish, but you sure are hot doing it!

Oh, Mick, my Mick. What could be better than Alex O'Loughlin playing a freaking vampire? Come on, now, people! You know it's true! 'Nuff said.

And, speaking of Alex-as-vamp, I have to mention my love for a tormented, brooding, good-hearted vampire by the name of Lucien Demarco. That's right--my very own vampire hero from my paranormal romance, Forever Freed. Alex O'Loughlin was the image in my head as I wrote Lucien, and The Wild Rose Press's cover artist did such a good job capturing his physicality on the cover!

So, who'd I miss? Who are your favorite vampires? And which one would you most like to find in YOUR Halloween basket this year?

One commenter will win an ecopy of FOREVER FREED! Must leave e-mail address! Open to international! Contest closes at midnight EST on October 20 - FF's 5-month book birthday! WOOT!

About Forever Freed:

Cool Forever Freed Facts:

Has 32 Amazon Reviews -- 25 are 5-stars!
Finalist for 2011 Best First Book in the NJRW Golden Leaf Contest!
Finalist for 2011 Best Paranormal Romance in the NJRW Golden Leaf Contest!
64 Ratings on Goodreads with an average of 4.11 Stars!

Thanks for reading! And good luck!

Laura Kaye

Buy Laura's Books

Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Newsletter SignUp

Don't miss Laura's Hearts in Darkness Dark Chocolate Book Birthday Bash!

October 20 at her blog! Big, so-so-sweet giveaways all day long!

Halloween Romance

2011-10-15T18:39:00.000-07:00

To someone interested in the paranormal, this is the besttime of year for romance. What girl doesn’t want to fall in love with a vampireor a werewolf? For an author who specializes in paranormal romance, you’d thinkI’d have any number of romantic Halloween moments I could share with myreaders. Sadly, I don’t. My husband’s idea of romance never included goblins orghouls, unless it involved going to see a horror flick at the theater for ourmovie night. And thinking back to the many holidays we spent together, Idiscover that almost every Halloween I spent working. As the Assistant Managerof a bookstore, I worked most holidays to allow the other booksellers who hadchildren time off to spend with their families. After all, kids love Halloweencandy, don’t they? And I didn’t have any children of my own at the time. But, Ialways had fun handing out the candy for Trick or Treat Night at the mall. Iloved to see the kids all dressed up in their Halloween costumes! So manycreative ideas for costumes! It was so much fun!

One Halloween night my husband and I spent together wasduring one of his concerts. My husband’s a singer and bass player in a bandcalled Mystagen. They played out that night and everyone who attended dressedup in costumes. Oh, I love dressing up! And listening to my husband’s sexy deep voice croon out the lyrics to one of my favorite blues tunes he’d writtenalways appeals to the romantic in me. I can always loose myself in his music.And, what a great way to close your eyes and imagine new romance stories whilelistening!

Honestly, my favorite romantic Halloween memories aredeceptively simple. It didn’t even occur to me until I really started thinkingabout it. Every year the month of October is filled up with ghost programs ontelevision. From haunted mansions, haunted history, haunted celebrities,haunted objects, you name it and it’ll probably air sometime in October. Thereis nothing I like better on television than watching something to do withghosts. Syfy’s Ghost Hunters is a favorite with both my husband and me (luckyfor us that show is on for more months than just October!). For the last fewyears, they film a Live Show on Halloween night. To some, this might seemboring, but I absolutely love it! I curl up with my husband and we watch intothe wee hours in the morning, searching for any signs of ghosts that Jason,Grant and the rest of the crew may stumble across. This is Halloween romance tome. Watching ghost shows with the one I love!

Tell me, what are some of your most romantic memories ofHalloween?

~Tricia Schneider worked at a bookstore for 12 years, 6 of those years as Assistant Manager. Now she writes full-time while raising her three young children. For more information visit her website, Facebook, Twitter or GoodReads or visit The Wild Rose Press to purchase her books.

Inspiration Time

2011-10-12T05:54:00.000-07:00

My inspiration comes from a variety of places: books, movies, songs, t.v. shows, etc. However, one of the most visceral sources is the weather. And, one of the best times of year is October, when autumn breezes carry the promise of cooler weather and the scent of freshly fallen leaves. Combine this with my love of history--and the possibility of dressing in period costume--and my enjoyment of horror and my fingers twitch with the need to be behind a computer screen writing. It seems only natural I'd also combine my interests and write a paranormal, period piece.

Donovan, the hero of His Hope, Her Salvation, is a vampire, but not the blood-sucking kind. I've been in love with vampires since I was a small child, but the thought of drinking blood always turned my stomach. When I found out about psychic vampires--people who feed off of other's emotions--it seemed the perfect fit.

People shed emotions without thinking about it. Happiness, sadness, anger...it's all out there for others to devour. Few people can effectively hide their emotions. So, there's plenty of food for a psychic vampire.

What's scary about psychic vampires though isn't their ability to passively feed, but that talented ones can manipulate people, conjure the emotions that provide them the most energy.

In the world of the Guardians--a people devoted to protection--a psychic vampire, or Hunter, would never intentionally cause harm to innocents. The solution? Find a mate who can provide them with the emotions necessary to keep them fed.

HisHope, Her Salvation

Promised inmarriage to an abusive oaf, Judith resolves to find out if there can be passionwithout love. Snatches of conversation overheard at the local inn lead her to amysterious American merchant who might be able to satisfy her carnal curiosityand capture her heart.

Donovan, aGuardian Hunter, is on the trail of a rogue Elysian in Georgian England. As theson of the First Hunter, he long ago gave up hope of finding his heart's mate.When Judith appears in his study, his inner beast and his heart demand heanswer her plea for help.

Will their passion answertheir hearts' pleas, or will it wither under the threat of reality?

Excerpt:

The voices inthe taproom of the Horse and Hound deafened us as we entered. A large group ofmen stood packed together in the center of the room. A roar ripped through thecrowd as it surged inward.

I shoved myway through the mass of sweaty bodies with Eallair following in my wake. Istopped when confronted with the scene that held the crowd enthralled.

A large,older, well-dressed gentleman gripped my mysterious guest from earlier by anelbow. He shook her and yelled, “You little whore!” He raised a hand andslapped her across the face with his open palm.

The crowdcheered as she collapsed to her knees, her shoulder wrenched as the hand on herelbow restrained her from crumbling into a heap on the floor.

The dead look in her eyes and the lack of any outward emotion testifiedto the regularity of similar scenes she must have suffered. With a bellow ofrage, I swooped forward and scooped her to her feet just as the old man raisedhis hand to strike her again. Placing my body between them, I snarled, “Releaseher.”

Available from The Wild Rose Press

Also at Amazon

Putting the Romance in Halloween

2011-10-10T06:00:00.000-07:00

Okay, I have a confession. I have no romantic Halloween memories. Sure, I have plenty of memories of haunted houses and grabbing onto the arm of the nearest guy, but I wouldn't call that romantic. More like self-preservation to stick my male friend between me and the crazy chainsaw carrying guy. One of my first dates with the Hubster was to visit a haunted house, but I can't remember it ended in a romantic way. Since I'm fresh out of Halloween romantic memories, I came up with a list of things to do to put some romance in Halloween.

First, take those candles sitting in the jack-o-lanterns and put them around your bath or in your bedroom. Please don't leave the candles unattended! Once you get the candles in the bed/bathroom, pop a romantic CD in, pour in some bubble bath and add the nearest guy (hopefully your hubby or significant other and not some stranger on the street). Stir well and enjoy. :)

After Halloween there is always extra candy. Save your child from hyperactivity and potential cavities and feed some of that chocolate to your significant other and let him reciprocate by feeding some to you. You know what they say about chocolate. :) Yummy!

What are your suggestions for leftover Halloween decorations?

Romantic Halloween?

2011-10-05T00:22:00.000-07:00

Our theme this month here on the Black Rose Blog is about warm and fuzzy memories of Halloweens past. But I have to tell you... I don't remember a single Halloween with a romantic twist to it. So when I sat back and thought about what I should write on this page today, I did remember all the scary movies I'd watched in the past. Often times I'd watch these movies with a special someone by my side... protecting me from the big scary monster in the closet on the screen. It wasn't until I was an adult that I realized the boys asked girls out to scary movies for the soul purpose of scaring the crap out of us. I know it didn't take much for me to jump and scream and imagine headlights following us home from the movies.

There is something psychological that happens in every one of us after we've been scared. The sympathetic nervous system, or fight and flight response of our body, is how we often respond to being scared. The parasympathetic nervous system, or feed and breed, is how we respond when we're relaxed and not in fear for our life.

So, note to guys taking girls out on a date this Halloween...

Scary movies = Girls running away and getting out of the mood for any Samhain nookie

Chic Flicks = Girls getting all those warm an fuzzy feelings that might increase you chances of some Samhain nookie.

This is life according to Catherine, which has no scientific data to back it up and should be seen only as her whacked out way of looking at life.

Then again, I just might have something here.

Catherine Bybee, Author of Soul Mate. Fictionwise, ARe, and Amazon Bestseller in Anthology's

Halloween Punk

2011-10-04T03:04:00.000-07:00

As a child, I always loved Halloween almost as much as Christmas. Besides picking out a costume weeks before the big day, there was almost always a party or hay ride or something fun. As I grew older, those fun events grew fewer and farther between.

Then in 1980, I got married. My husband had been laid off for almost two months before the wedding and had only recently landed a job as a route salesman. I was still in college. We lived in an old house that had been divided into four apartments. Ours was on the ground floor and only had three rooms. Money was tight. But that first Halloween my husband and I went to see this movie. A first of it's kind called a slasher movie. (Or as we called it back then, a teen sex and die movie.)

Friday the 13th had been released on the West Coast in May of that year. It may have made it to the East Coast prior to October 1980, but my husband and I went to see it with friends our first Halloween.

I don't really remember how it happened, but we somehow ended up coming home in separate vehicles. I think my husband was late getting home from work and met us there. He'd parked in a different parking lot or something and I think I left my purse in my friend's car. So, I told my husband I'd ride home with them and meet him back at the apartment.

There was limited parking behind the apartment and any visitors had to park on the street. But when our friends bought me home, the street was packed. I told them to drop me off and I'd walk. It was less than a block.

But I'd just seen Friday the 13th. And I was alone. Still, I was trying to prove I wasn't a wuss. I was a married adult woman. I was twenty. lol!

I remember walking down the sidewalk beneath a street light that had blown. It was a mild October night. A cool breeze made it feel chillier than it probably was. The half-moon did little to illuminate the dimly lit sidewalk. My heels clicked against the cement. Orange and brown leaves swirled around my feet.

Chills shivered up my spine as I thought of a particularly gruesome scene from the movie. This hot guy--played by Kevin Bacon--who later became one of my favorite actors, was a new face at the time. In the movie, he was stabbed from underneath his bed.

As a child, I was terrified of the underside of my bed. No limb ever hung off the mattress. Yep, I knew I was going to have nightmares that night. I walked faster.

As I entered the front hall of the old house and struggled with my keys, my hand shook. As I came through the front door, I heard something at the backdoor. My heart nearly stopped beating. Knees knocking, I peaked around the corner as my husband stepped through the door. I screamed. He laughed. I slapped his shoulder.

My heart was still pounding. But he was laughing. Yep, I had to get even.

Halloween 1980 fell on a Friday and because my husband had rushed home to make the movie in time, he didn't take a shower. So, before going to bed that night, he got in the shower. This was my opportunity!

I thought about the way he'd scared me. I thought about all the times he turned on the hot water in the sink while I was in the shower so the water in the shower would turn ice cold. He thought that was funny. I thought it was time for some payback. And boy, was he going to pay!

Yes, I had evil on my mind. I thought about the movie, smiled, and got a bottle of ketchup out of the fridge.

The tub in that old apartment was an antique clawfoot with a thick shower curtain that wrapped all the way around. I slipped into the bathroom. Steam rolled across the floor. He never saw me coming.

As quiet as Mrs. Vorhees before she drilled the spear through Kevin Bacon's throat, I stood on the toilet and looked down at the top of my husband's head as he washed his hair. I raised my arm and...

Poured the whole bottle of ice cold ketchup over his head.

He screamed like a girl and I never laughed so hard in my life. From that moment on, we started "punking" each other. And I've loved every minute of it. So, October 31, 1980 stands out as one of the best Halloweens ever.

Happy Halloween and A Blessed Samhain to all!

2011-10-03T07:47:00.000-07:00

A very spooky Halloween to you all. Beware the goblins and ghouls this haunted holiday. Watch for those who deceive with charismatic conversation and surreal magnetism. Be expecially care of those hunky shifters and weres. They can glamour the coldest, heartless witch this night! And have her trembling in her pointy little witchy boots...

Hello, my name is Callie Lynn, Senior Managing Editor of the Black Rose Line. I picked this special day because it is one of my personal favorite times of the year. I celebrate both Halloween and Samhain.

I thought it might be a good day to explore the meaning of each holiday.

Origin of name
The word Halloween is first attested in the 16th century and represents a Scottish variant of the fuller All-Hallows-Even ("evening"), that is, the night before All Hallows Day. Although the phrase All Hallows is found in Old English (ealra hālgena mæssedæg, mass-day of all saints), All-Hallows-Even is itself not attested until 1556. (ref. wikipedia)

Historian Nicholas Rogers, exploring the origins of Halloween, notes that while "some folklorists have detected its origins in the Roman feast of Pomona, the goddess of fruits and seeds, or in the festival of the dead called Parentalia, it is more typically linked to the Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-an or sow-in)", derived from the Old Irish Samuin meaning "summer's end." Samhain was the first and by far the most important of the four quarter days in the medieval Irish calendar and, falling on the last day of Autumn, it was a time for stock-taking and preparation for the cold winter months ahead. There was also a sense that this was the time of year when the physical and supernatural worlds were closest and magical things would be most apt to happen. To ward off these spirits, the Irish built huge, symbolically regenerative bonfires and invoked the help of the gods through animal and perhaps even human sacrifice.

Snap-Apple Night (1832) by Daniel Maclise Depicts apple bobbing and divination games at a Halloween party in Blarney, Ireland.

Halloween is also thought to have been heavily influenced by the Christian holy days of All Saints' Day (also known as Hallowmas, All Hallows, Hallowtide) and All Souls' Day. Falling on November 1st and 2nd, collectively they were a time for honoring the Saints and praying for the recently departed who had yet to reach heaven. By the end of the 12th century they had become days of holy obligation across Europe and involved such traditions as ringing bells for the souls in Purgatory and "souling," the custom of baking bread or soul cakes for "all crysten [christened] souls."

In Britain the rituals of Hallowtide and Halloween came under attack during the Reformation as protestants denounced Purgatory as a "popish" doctrine incompatible with the notion of predestination. In addition the increasing popularity of Guy Fawkes Night from 1605 on saw Halloween become eclipsed in Britain with the notable exception of Scotland.

North American almanacs of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century give no indication that Halloween was recognized as a holiday. The Puritans of New England maintained strong opposition to the holiday and it was not until the mass Irish and Scottish immigration during the 19th century that the holiday was introduced to the continent in earnest. Initially confined to the immigrant communities during the mid-nineteenth century, it was gradually assimilated into mainstream society and by the first decade of the twentieth century it was being celebrated coast to coast by people of all social, racial and religious backgrounds. (ref. Wikipedia)

There you have the formal history of Halloween. Today, the day represents a time where we can dress up and be anyone we want to be. Ghouls, vamps, ghosts, jack-o-laterns, wolfmen, Freddy or Michael have been joined by Sponge Bob, Princess Diana, President Bush, clowns, Raggety Anne/Andy, present TV/Movie characters or anyone/anything your little heart desires. Trick or Treaters are seen wondering on the streets, homes are decked out in yellow, orange, and black in the true spirit of the season much as we do for the Christmas/Winter Holidays. Along with this, I am sure to practice the more spirtual Samhain. In our house, we light tealights for all who have passed including pets! This is very important to me. Each tealight represents a specific person or pet.

So amongst the tricker treaters, the festive and ghoulish decor there is a deep spiritual meaning behind the holiday. Please take a moment and remember the lost ones. May their souls be blessed and move on.

Thank you for joining me today.

Blessed be,

Callie Lynn Wolfe
Senior Editor, Black Rose
http://www.thewildrosepress.com/
callielynnwrp@aol.com

Mad, Bad and Dangerous to know

2011-09-29T11:24:00.000-07:00

The above line was said of Lord Byron, and one lovely reviewer of Fledgling on Amazon said the same of my vampire, Will. Women are often attracted to the bad boys – they don’t necessarily keep them for long, but bad boys are the forbidden fruit who can tempt women to stray.

I adored writing Will’s character, although it almost seemed that he developed and grew on his own. I had enormous fun picturing his face in my head, then his hair, his eyes ... his build. I knew he would be tall – my husband is over six feet tall and I have a ‘thing’ for tall men! But once he ‘fleshed out’ in a manner of speaking, his personality was the next most important thing. I felt he needed a dry sense of humour ... he’d need it after all those decades on this earth. He would be ruthless, powerful and passionate. Also, let’s face it, after three hundred years, he’d know how to win a woman over too, or at least he did until he met Elinor!

A character clash is always fun to write, and I wondered what would happen if the very modern Ellie didn’t swoon at the elegant feet of the Vampire Elder of London as he expected her to. He wouldn’t be accustomed to rejection that’s for sure. Ellie’s character became the foil to Will’s old-world charm. She scoffs at him, turns him down, and leads him a fine old dance, which is how it should be. He, in turn, is bemused, angry, frustrated, yet totally besotted.

A man from Will’s era, particularly a member of the aristocracy, would have been used to everyone deferring to them at all times, and his character had to have moments when the 18^th century Duke peeked through. I needed to show parts of the story from his point of view in order for that to happen, and for his occasional frustration at not understanding Ellie to become obvious.

I have lived side-by-side with Will and Ellie for a while, and they have become a permanent part of my life now, almost like old friends. I find I talk about them sometimes as though they’re real – which I suppose in my imagination they are! Will has actually become the Elder of London and he really does live in Highgate, North London. I know what he would say at almost any time, and I know what Ellie would retort back.

The dialogue between characters is what helps make them real in my opinion. It is so important to get right. I made a decision early on not to allow Will any contractions of speech, so he would always say, “I do not” instead of “I don’t.” It helped create the illusion of great age and his ‘Duke-ness.’ He is usually very courteous – except when he isn’t – and is totally unpredictable. Sometimes it has been difficult to rein him in, he’s a very forceful character after all, but thank goodness for Ellie!

Neither of the two main characters are based on real people, although I’m sure bits of my own personality comes out in them both. It’s inevitable I think. Some of the secondary characters in Fledgling have odd characteristics, some of which I’ve noticed in people I’ve met, liked or disliked, and I think that’s probably true of every author. Writers do tend to soak up atmospheres and personalities, which occasionally, pop up in various guises in their books. Having said that, none of my characters are based solely on one person, they are all a mish-mash of different traits and foibles I’ve observed over the years. Some good and some bad! I wanted all of the characters in Fledgling to shine, and to ring true in their own right, no matter how minor their part in the story. I hope I succeeded.

Excerpt of the part where Ellie begins to notice Will as something other than her oppressor.

Will led the way through the other cellar, to the door which I now knew opened onto the walled garden at the back of the house. We went out into the cold night. The dark sky was clear, with just a sliver of winter moon, shining bright and alluring. I stared up at it, feeling an affinity with her cold beauty. “It’s so beautiful.”
“As are you,” said Will.
“Okay, who are you, and what have you done with Mr Spooky?” I responded to a compliment in my normal flippant manner, much to my own surprise.
“Is that who I am?” he murmured, and I twisted around to look at him.
The moonlight shone on his dark hair, and illuminated his pale chiselled features, accentuating the cheekbones. His eyes glowed with an ethereal light. I looked at him as he gazed down at me with those incredible eyes. Oh yeah, there was definitely something really spooky about him. His expression appeared softer than usual, which I found confusing, and I stepped away from him in sudden panic. His expression instantly became amused again.
What would it be like to be held throughout the night in those strong arms? The thought leapt unbidden into my head, followed by more treacherous thoughts…

What's an ennagram?

2011-09-25T08:11:00.000-07:00

I took a wonderful class by Laurie Schnebly Campbell about using Ennagrams to build characters. I'd never heard of ennagrams before and found the class fascinating. It divides personalities into basis types. When we write we assign characteristics to our people and this is a basic tool. For more information Laurie can be found at www.BookLaurie.com

Here is a breakdown of what notes I took giving all credit to Laurie for the list.

1. To the Perfectionist life is always right or wrong; moral decisions black or white and he sets high standards for himself and others.

2. A Nurturer is constantly giving and doing for others. She is always proud of being needed, sometimes secretly by acting humble
3. An Achiever can be either a Prince Charming or a Golden Girl with a facade concealing his weaknesses.
4. A Romantic displays his powerful emotions and her grand visions for life. Her reality is always less than her ideal.
5. An Observer is analytical and detached. He prefers private study to involvement in emotional situations.
6. The Skeptic is always doubtful. She constantly considers possible risks to loved ones and to oneself and is hesitant.
7. An Adventurer is one who loves trying new things and constantly seeks excitement.
8. The Leader is our hero, confident and in control. As a villian he can have a lust for power. He hides a vulnerable core.
9. The Peacemaker shows her balance. She never takes sides and tries to keep everyone content.

Can you guess from my excerpt what types my hero and heroine are?
From Ancient Blood

“Whatmakes you so important? Or is this another secret?”

Cole’s eyes darkened. “Lily. I’m pushing theline with you. Give me some slack.”

“I want answers, Cole.” She grabbed his armas he turned and pulled him to a halt.

He gently, carefully drew her fierce gripinto his grasp. His golden eyes heated as he lifted her hand to his lips. “Ialready told you, Lily. You’d have to mate with me to learn all my secrets.”

Urgent need raced from his lips to hercenter. His scorching gaze melted her from the inside out. All her being longedto step into his arms, to become one in a way she’d never known. She trembledas she recognized the danger.

For those of you in New England, I'll be at the
WriteAngles Conference 2011
By writers, for writers — in our26th year in Western Massachusetts Mount Holyoke, East Hadley MA

PANEL SESSION II – 11:15 am to12:30 pm (Choose one)

Exploring the Avenues andLanes of Sci-Fi/Fantasy (Andreola Room)
Moderator: Tanya Shersnow
Panelists: Holly Black, Corrina Lawson, Barbara Edwards
This panel will explore the sub-genres within this ever expanding genre, givingattendees a sense of what’s new in 2011, and offer advice and inspiration aboutassociations and publishers within this genre.

I can be found:

Author Web: http://barbaraedwards.net

Blog Site: http://barbaraedwardscomments.wordpress.com

Facebook: http://facebook.com/BarbaraEdwards

Ancient Blood http://on.fb.me/naHRY5

Twitter: http://twitter.com/barb_ed

Authors Den: http://authorsden.com/barbaraedwards

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B003F6ZK1A

Ancient Blood Buylink http://tinyurl.com/3f627vh

Writing Characters - Hero Style

2011-09-19T00:01:00.000-07:00

I. Love. Heroes.

Of course, what's not to love? They're big, protective, complicated and tormented, and sexy as hell. I could read about what's going on in the hero's head and heart from page one to "The End."

And that's why I love to write them, too.

Our theme around here this month is characters. For me, heroes come much easier than heroines, which is maybe odd, of course, since I'm not a guy! But in most of the books I've written, it was the hero who spoke to me first and most consistently. It was the hero whose motivations, backstory and feelings I understood best. It was the hero who I most personally identified with.

My love for writing heroes is part of what led me to write my vampire romance, Forever Freed, in first person point of view from Lucien Demarco's perspective. First-person POV romance is not as common, as you know, because the readers want to see the romantic relationship come together from both sides. And that makes sense. But Lucien insisted that wasn't how his story was to be told. And it truly was his story. The romance is absolutely central, but his character arc is, by far, the most dramatically transformed of the two. And, so, first person point of view...

But, for this story, that was what made the most sense. It allowed me to really delve into the depths of his thoughts, feelings, reactions, and needs. It allowed me to put the reader right into the heart and mind of a vampire and make them sympathize with him when he wasn't always acting good or moral.

Here's a passage that builds empathy for the hero's plight:

I entered my dark parlor, knelt down before the hearth and built a fire. Starvation clawed at my gut. The girl’s unprecedented observation nagged at my mind. I needed a distraction.

Pulling a chair closer to the radiating heat of the fire, I bent and flipped the latches on the antique case. Raising the lid revealed one of the few mementos I permitted myself from my human life. The neck of the reddish-brown instrument filled my hand and felt like the only home I’d ever known. Nothing helped fill my endless time like my violin.

The instrument smelled of pine rosin, reminding me of idyllic days in Italy. Whenever I played, my human memories echoed as loud in my head as the notes sounded in the room.

Any pain those memories brought…well, it was deserved.

Soon, rich yearning tones filled the room. The melancholy of the anniversary hung over me still, and my dire need for sustenance didn’t help. It didn’t take long, therefore, before the image of the smiling blonde girl transformed in my mind’s eye into another girl, with olive skin and chocolate ringlets.

A girl who had once been my whole life.

A daughter whom I had failed.

Who's not feeling a heart pang after reading that? Now, in this excerpt, we know Lucien's on a very wrong path, but we empathize with why he's behaving this way:

This new source promised freedom from my ancient dependency on the weak blood of animals and the punishing blood of evil-doers. Imagining what that freedom could mean for me, I wound my way through the hospital corridors towards a side exit.

And gasped as I walked into a haze of pure bliss.

A young woman approached the same exit, wearing the green scrubs of a doctor or nurse. Her golden blonde hair hung in a thick braid well past her shoulders. Her arms were tanned and, as I caught up with her, I could see where the sun brought out a light freckling across her upper cheekbones and nose. The color of her eyes was striking—a dazzling blue-green with nearly black edges around the iris. She was young and vital and pretty in a girl-next-door kind of way.

As beautiful as she was, her most remarkable quality had captured my attention in the first place: the extraordinary feelings of joy, affection, gratitude, and contentment washing off her. Her emotions tasted sweet and gripped every part of my body in warmth and pleasure. My borrowed euphoria left me dumbstruck as she hurried through the door and around the hospital drive. The intensity of the feeling diminished in direct correlation to her growing distance from me.

I gasped for more. Having lived without such feelings for so long, this reminder of true unqualified happiness beckoned to me. So I followed her. I stalked her emotions, grateful for the cloud-covered evening, and learned the location of her residence.

And then an unbidden thought entered my brain: If her emotions felt this good, what would it be like to consume her blood?

Certainly I’d feel her regret. But what came out of her would also be life-giving, humanity-restoring, beautiful, and sweet.

The thought of it was intoxicating. She was a temptation of such magnitude, I lost all capacity for reason or rationality. I simply had to have her, had to have that one fleeting feeling of light in the darkness, that one richly sweet moment free from pain and grief.

In that instant, I was so far gone it never occurred to me that my efforts to avoid the blood of bad humans led me to plan to kill a good one.

****

Driven by the promise of rapturous relief, I lurked around the edges of the beautiful woman’s life that night, but had no opportunity to claim her. She always seemed to be surrounded, as if the humans she knew were equally drawn to her.

I wasn’t interested in taking out others to get to her—hell, going after her at all was unconscionable, violated the rules I’d created to try to bring meaning and structure to my unnatural life. But defying her pull was about as possible as a moth resisting the lure of a flame....

Stalker much? LOL But don't you still feel just the littlest bit of sympathy for his plight? That's selling your character, and making your reader care even when they're misbehaving. And I don't think that would've been as possible without the first-person approach.

Plus, for the vampire lovers among us, who doesn't want to spend the majority of their reading time in the vamp's head? Come on! Tell me I'm wrong!!! LOL

So, that's my take on characters. For my money, I'd rather read a character-driven story with a more common plot, than a plot-driven story with characters I don't care much about, like, or identify with. What do you think?

Thanks for reading!

Laura Kaye

Buy Laura's Books

Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Newsletter SignUp

A multi-published author of paranormal, contemporary and erotic romance, Laura Kaye’s hot, heartfelt stories are all about the universal desire for a place to belong. Laura is the author of the bestselling contemporary romance Hearts in Darkness and the bestselling paranormal romance Forever Freed. Just Gotta Say is Laura’s third published book, and she has a fourth releasing in November 2011. Laura lives in Maryland with her husband, two daughters, and cute-but-bad dog, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.

GIVEAWAY ANNOUNCEMENT!!!

In celebration of the 4-month book birthday of Forever Freed tomorrow, TWRP author Calisa Rhose is interviewing Lucien at her blog and I'm giving away one signed copy of the book! Stop on over on 9/20 and visit me, Calisa, and Lucien!!!

OH!

A BIT MORE GOOD NEWS!

Forever Freed is a dual finalist in the NJRW Golden Leaf Contest for Published Authors in the best first book and best paranormal categories! I'm thrilled!

The People in My Head

2011-09-15T05:26:00.000-07:00

My characters are the peoplewho talk in my head. No, I don’t think I’m crazy. I have a little movie playingin my brain and those people acting in that movie are my characters. Basically,I just write down what I see, hear and feel. Those people are born (okay,created) to play that role. Most times, I learn about my story people as Iwrite them. It surprises me, just as my readers, that the hero is a vampire!Well, okay, I might give that one away early, as in Sebastian’s case from The Witch and the Vampire. But, I didn’tknow Lillian had a sister until she contacted her through her magic in The Witch and the Wolf. As soon asMelora appeared, I knew I had to tell her story, too.

Many authors I know create acharacter chart or conduct interviews with their story people to get a betterunderstanding of who these people are and why they behave the way they do. Itried several times in the past to do this, but that method never worked forme. I found it too constricting. Perhaps it’s just that my story people like torebel! But, now that I’ve started a series with The Merriweather Witches, I’ve found I need to keep track of theirpersonalities and appearances. I’ve started an in-depth character chart foreach of my characters. I’ve included details such as eye color, hair color, allthe way through family history, likes and dislikes, and what sort undergarmentsthey wear (don’t laugh, this is important when they’re undressing each other!).The trick with my method is I can’t fill in the chart until after I’ve finished their story. Itmakes it a little more difficult when plotting (especially if you’re not apanster!), but I feel like I know them better after the story is finished.

It’s sort of like if you meetsomeone for the first time at work. You see them every day, you know what theylook like and how they appear, but you don’t really know them until you’ve spent some time with them, perhaps gonethrough a crisis or two together (why isthe fax machine not working?, or worse,who spilled coffee on my notebook!?!). Then you begin to understand theirlittle idiosyncrasies. You understand why they’re always late or always early,you find out about who they’re dating, if they’re married, do they havechildren, why they like to always wear blue. You must give them time to telltheir story.

That’s how my characters andI operate.

Lillian Merriweather appearedin a snowy lane one day.

I was curious as to why shewas there and where she was going. So, I followed her.

Characters with Character

2011-09-12T08:42:00.000-07:00

We've all met boring people. Some might even say I'm boring, if they were unfortunate enough to meet me on a zombie-like day, which are fewer and farther between now that my sleep schedule is returning to normal. (I've heard that happens as children age.)

But I digress. Boring people exist. They are characters with character merely by the fact that they are so boring, whether by droning on and on in monotone about how the fungus Gliocladium roseum produces hydrocarbons--not necessarily boring to those interested--or sitting in stoic silence while everyone else laughs uproariously at the funniest joke on earth--or course, that might just make the bore a boarish.

However, no one wants to read a book about a bore, or at least not one where the bore is the only character in the book, but I still bet the reader would remember the character if the writer were consistent enough in making him, or her, a bore.

Consistency is key in making characters with character. Even the mercurial character must consistently, though hopefully only in the most unpredictable ways, maintain the role by doing the unexpected or responding with an unlooked for biting or supremely witty response.

But how does one write a character with character?

Personally--assuming somewhere along the way I've managed to actually learn how do this--I've found it is impossible to do this in the first draft. The first draft captures the essence of the plot, provides a rough sketch of the character. It's the polish that brings out the shine though. Like an artist painting, pass after pass illuminates certain aspects of the characters, draws the reader's eyes to main features.

So, don't look at writing as a race to the finish. Don't think the first draft is the piece de resistance. Instead, take your time. Set the first pass aside for a day, a week, a month, whatever it takes to gain some perspective then layer on a second coat. Repeat until your work shines.

Characters

2011-09-10T06:00:00.000-07:00

What makes a good character? A character needs to be realistic, to say and do things that a real person would. It throws me out of the story if the hero starts talking in a way I've never heard a guy speak. Cardboard villains are a pet peeve of mine when I read a story. However, that's rather hypocritical seeing how I have the worst time writing villains and having them seem real. :) I once read something that said when you write a villain, give them a trait the reader can like. As in the psychopath that loves animals. Or the demon with a case of OCD who lost her Jimmy Choo shoes. You as a reader might hate what they do--being evil--but you'll still have a bit of sympathy for them.

I've used the occasional character trait from a real person, but I've never modeled a character after a person. Ok, I lie. My very first book (which is hiding in the closet never to see the light of day again) was based on a guy I knew in HS. It didn't work out so well, and I've never done that again. :) My characters come to me when I think of the next story I want to write. So I know a bit of their backstory before I begin writing, but the way they express themselves, their particular character traits, don't come out until I start writing.

Who is your favorite character and why?

Fuel for Characters

2011-09-07T13:13:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone

It's been a little while since I poked my nose in here at the blog. I thought I would drop by to talk about where the fuel for building characters come from (for me anyway).
Characters... where do they come from, how can a writer create a realistic person on paper? For me I like to think of characters as a fire. To build a good fire, that will burn strong and true, you need the right fuel, and you need to lay it out right.
My characters are always a mishmash, part out my head, and part from the real world. I've never used people I know in my stories, but things they've done add elements or shadings to my characters. Mostly though, it's little bits and pieces I pick up around me as I go about my day-to-day that help me build characters.

Here's an example. I recently went to a wonderful writers conference and one of the workshops was on sword-fighting. It was hosted by 4 wonderful gentlemen, dressed for a fight, with real swords in hand. Not only was it informative, but seeing real fighting in action was great. Not only that however, those men and their enthusiasm etc... were fuel. A little twig here, a larger log there, all fuel for future characters.

You looking for a little fuel of your own, or just want to watch two guys whack each other with swords? Here's Nic Harrison & Shay doing a demo (they kept things pretty slow so we could see what they were doing).

Hope you enjoyed :)

Louise Delamore
http://LouiseD.weebly.com

It's all about Character

2011-09-04T03:00:00.000-07:00

It’s all about the characters-

Or maybe not. Plothas a lot to do with whether a book is good or not. If the plot is too big orthe characters get lost in all the subplots, then the main plot isn’t strongenough. Or, the author wandered off course and forgot what the story is aboutor whose story it is. But even a goodplot can get bogged down by too many characters or characters with, well, nocharacter.

When a writer creates a character, that character has tohave a personality. And a backstory. But every character in a book can’t havehis/her entire backstory spelled out. Then it wouldn’t be a book. It would be alist of traits and historical facts on people no one cares about. The backstoryhas to be woven into the characters’ personalities. Events from the past motivate the charactersto do what they do or think the way they think. The past shapes them and the writer must betrue to each character’s personality when making them act, re-act, or speak.Nothing is more irritating than male characters in a romance novel that allstart sounding alike mid-way through.

If a secondary character is a prankster, then don’t have himbrooding like the hero or saying things that aren’t in his nature. Remember who your characters are and be trueto them and their goals.

I have a tendency to get bogged down in the plot, but I don’treally have a problem with my characters. Except when they insist on becomingsomething I never intended.

Released May 2010

Set to release 9/28/11

While writing Out of the Darkness, I didn’t initially planto make it a series. I had two historicals I was editing for submission. But vampires were hot and I thought I had a unique twist. So, I concentrated on OTD.

Published 6/3/11

Initially, I wasn’t sure if Gerard was going to be untrustworthyor unforgiving of Vincent for turning him into a vampire. But Gerard wassure. He wantedhis own book and he wanted to be the hero. So, I let him have his way. Now, I'm working on his story, which is the sequel to Out of the Darkness. Now, a couple of other characters are whispering in my ear..."Tell my story next."

So, with a bit of luck and some plot changes, I hope to finish Gerard's story this year and submit it. Then, I just might have to listen to those other characters.

All three of my books are available from http://www.thewildrosepress.com/index.php?main_page=advanced_search_result&search_in_description=1&zenid=1cfe0ab9ef1e11005af7c84a1b7a9ec6&keyword=Lilly+Gayle&x=45&y=7

And don't forget to check out other TWRP titles. www.thewildrosepress.com There's a romance for just about every taste!

Sizzling Scenes

2011-08-29T03:43:00.000-07:00

The first love scene in a book is really crucial to nail I think. I’m not too bad at writing sexual tension, but I always find it more difficult to allow the heroine to finally give in to the gorgeous protagonist, and grace his bed with her presence.

Some authors allow their main characters to leap into bed together within a few pages, but I prefer to make the male MC work hard for his woman! When I reached the (long awaited) love scene in Fledgling, I did wonder at the time whether it had been worth waiting for, and as my editor thought not – albeit very politely – I felt the urge to spice it up.

Easier said than done. Getting the balance just right is not as easy as it you might think. In the UK there’s an award for the ‘worst sex scene in a novel’ and some very famous UK celebrities have won it. But the very fact there is such an award, shows just how easy it is to make a love scene laughable.

Of course we authors at Black Rose write about paranormal romance, so that presents even more of a challenge. After all, if the hero is a centuries-old vampire, he would be very experienced in the art of making love. Vampires exude sex, they’re sensual and predatory, and if they just happen to be drop-dead-gorgeous as well ... who would ever resist them?

My heroine, Ellie managed to keep Will at bay for some time, she’s definitely a stronger woman than me – I think I’d have given in long before she did. Although if memory serves, Laurell K Hamilton’s Anita Blake didn’t succumb to the beautiful Jean-Claude until the fifth book in the series, although possibly that stretched things a little far. But once Anita got going, there was no holding her, and her role call of lovers now sounds like the Twelve Days of Christmas (as in, ‘One Werelion, Two Wereleopards, Three Lovely Vampires,’ and so on!)

The most difficult thing in writing a love scene is to make it believable. If you’re writing in the first person, it’s a little easier, because you can write from inside the MC’s head. Senses, thrills and fears can be experienced through the heroine, enabling the reader to become the heroine.

In Ellie’s case she felt really nervous, inhibited, and terrified she wouldn’t be able to hold Will’s interest, yet she wanted him with all her heart (eventually). I think these would be natural emotions to feel the first time one sleeps with a vampire – not that I have!

My editor advised me to never write anything I felt uncomfortable with – anything that wasn’t really me. This was very good advice, because it’s all too easy for embarrassment to show through the writing. I admit when I first started writing the scene, I felt awkward, almost like a voyeur, but then the characters took over, and the more I wrote, the easier it became. I’m very proud of the end result, and I’m now actually in the middle of a passionate love scene in my new book – without a blush in sight!

Excerpt . . .

When we were both in the bedroom, I turned to find him closer than I’d thought, and a twinge of panic fluttered through my stomach.

Will leaned down and rested his forehead briefly against mine. As he raised his head, he cradled my face in his hands. “Elinor, I will never hurt you, you know that.”

His soft lips brushed mine, and his arms encircled my waist, as he pulled me close. I breathed in his expensive cologne and the heady masculine scent of him, and reached up to wrap my arms around his neck. His tongue flicked a path along my lips as it sought its way into my mouth and began to tease my own tongue in a slow sensuous dance. Any coherent thoughts I had scattered, as I melted under the onslaught of his hot passionate kisses. I felt positive my legs wouldn’t support me for very much longer.

His hands slid down my back, and with one swift movement, he cupped my bottom, lifted me effortlessly, and carried me over to the bed. When he’d put me down, he positioned himself close to my body, and propped himself up on one elbow, watching me with feral eyes that glittered with nefarious promises. I looked at his handsome face, so close to mine, as he ran his forefinger slowly down my neck and between my breasts. “We appear to have too many clothes between us.”

http://www.thewildrosepress.com/index.php?main_page=index&manufacturers_id=829

http://bernistevens.blogspot.com/

Love Scenes or Sex Scenes

2011-08-25T07:06:00.000-07:00

I have a real problem writing the intimate details of a romantic sex scene. I've had readers ask if I'm writing from experience and know I blush. My response is always the same. I have a very good imagination, but my head fills with all kinds of pictures. Me tumbling around on tangled sheets with my dark, dangerous hero? Me sprawled on the top of a desk? Me in the forest on a carpet of flowers? Wow!

Writing sex is passionate, but writing a romantic love scene takes a lot more to make it real to my readers. It isn't enough to describe where he puts his hand or kisses. His emotions must show, too. He not only wants sex, he wants love, fulfillment, a committment for her so he can be fulfilled.

And the heroine? Her emotions are tearing her apart even as she recognizes what being with this wonderful man will mean to her. Somewhere deep inside she knows she loves him, but is she also wary? Longing for him to commit? Afraid he will disappear with the dawn?

I took my hero and heroine on this journey in Ancient Blood.

Excerpt:
“Lily?” His strong hands gently cupped her shoulders.
“Don’t, please don’t.”
She pulled away, fully intending to flee. Her resistance shattered, and she turned into his embrace. It was too late to escape. Pressing against his strength, she wound her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. His erection prodded her stomach, and she moaned. A heavy groan filled his throat as he lifted her from her feet. He kicked the bag aside as he sat her on the counter.
“I can’t wait,” he growled. His flaring aura spiraled with colors she couldn’t name. She caught her breath. One hand burrowed through her hair, keeping her still as he stepped between her thighs. “You’re all I could think about all day.”
Clasping her bottom, he slid her to the edge of the counter. With his lips claiming her mouth, he unbuttoned her slacks, than lifted her slightly to push them down and off.
The cold surface only made her more aware of his scorching heat. His rough denim pants scraped her inner thighs in contrast with the silky hair under her palms. Her pulse leaped, and she gasped. His male scent mixed with hints of the wild forest filled her nostrils. When his fingertip explored the heated moisture gathering at her juncture, she tightened her thighs around his hips.

Blurb
Lily Alban escapes a murderous stalker, but his vicious attack leaves her with the ability to see auras. She finds safety in the tiny hamlet of Rhodes End where a stranger stands out like a red light. Try as she might to deny her growing desire for Cole, she seeks his help but soon discovers the man she loves is not a man at all.
Werewolf Cole Benedict resists his attraction to Lily. A botanist researching the healing herbs to find a cure for Lycanthropy, he’s determined to protect Lily from her stalker as well as himself even in human form, but instinct takes over when he changes to his inner beast.
Together they must use their extraordinary gifts to catch Lily’s stalker before he attacks again, but revealing their secrets to one another could destroy their growing love or save them both.

Author Web: http://barbaraedwards.net/
Blog Site: http://barbaraedwardscomments.wordpress.com
Facebook: http://facebook.com/BarbaraEdwards
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Putting the Heart in the Heat

2011-08-19T00:01:00.000-07:00

Sex scenes. For my money, no good romance is complete without ‘em. I like them hot, steamy, full of sexual tension, and apt to leave me breathing harder by the end.

But the thing sure to get me most worked up is when the author gets into the head and heart of the characters, and makes you feel what they’re feeling—not just physically, but emotionally. Why does the physical connection feel so good with this person? Why is this liaison meaningful and significant to the characters? What does this partner make a character feel that no one else has ever brought out in them before? What former hurts or insecurities does this joining begin to heal? How and why does each sex scene bring the hero and heroine closer together?

When an author puts that kind of heart into the heat of a sex scene, it can go right off the charts.

For me, writing the physical action of sex scenes is relatively easy. I have the great fortune of seeing my stories play out in my head like a movie, and I can move around within them as if they were 3-D sets, seeing how bodies are positioned, where hands are placed, etc. This usually helps me create detailed descriptions of the physicality of the scene. More challenging for me is to get the emotional reactions to each physical experience. Something I’ve learned about myself as a writer is that, in first drafts, I tend to nail the physical action and dialogue, but skim over the emotion in places, so further developing the emotional reaction is always on my revision agenda.

Here’s a peek at some heartfelt sex from my paranormal romance, FOREVER FREED:

And then she lowered herself down fully and took me inside her. And it was over. At that point nothing mattered. Not the past, nor the future.

Only now. Right now. This second. This feeling.

I’m home.

I’d had other women. But everything I thought I remembered about being inside a woman was obliterated by the intense pleasure and sense of connection I felt with Samantha wrapped around me. Decades had passed since I’d felt the slick ecstasy of a man and woman joining together. More than a century had passed since I’d experienced how true love could make the act a spiritual experience full of bliss.

Samantha lifted her body up slowly, nearly to the top of me, before lowering herself down again. I watched myself disappear within her, a sight so full of belonging and eroticism, I simply surrendered to the perfection of the moment.

“Ah Cristo, I’ve wanted you.”

So, that’s my take on this month’s topic: love scenes. Hope you, ahem, enjoyed!

Laura Kaye

Hot, Heartfelt Romance – Because everyone longs to belong…

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The Secret of Love Scenes

2011-08-12T05:40:00.000-07:00

A good love scene draws me in, makes me feel like I'm one of the characters. I feel the best way to accomplish this is with the sensory details. If we're talking about a kiss--because yes a love scene can be made of a single kiss if done properly--then where are the hands, what are the feeling? How does the breath feel caressing the cheek before the kiss? What does the person taste like? Details. Details. Details. That's the key.

That said...details, details, details is also the hardest thing for me to write. I have to go back again and again and picture the scene happening to make sure I get everything just right. This, of course, means the easiest thing for me to write is the down and dirty action.

The first love scene I ever wrote hasn't been published yet. I'm actually in the process of editing the story with hopes of getting it published. The first love scene I ever wrote that has been published was for His Hope, Her Salvation. Click here to read the blurb and excerpt.

I will freely admit the whole thing had me squirming when it went into edits. Whenever I write a love scene, I feel like a voyeur, and then to have someone critique the scene makes me feel like I've been caught in the act of spying. Maybe this is the very sensation that inspired my first erotica, Twice is Not Enough, which is also available from The Wild Rose Press?

Love scenes

2011-08-10T06:00:00.000-07:00

When I first started writing romance, I had the worst time writing love scenes. Oddly enough, it wasn't so much the embarrassing aspect of people I know reading about my take on bedroom activities, but that the scenes had about as much emotion as a squashed tomato. No one wants to read about a squashed tomato. You know it's bad when you don't want to read your own love scenes!

So I turned to some of my favorite authors for advice. Good thing some authors post writing advice on their webpages for newbies. :) One of the authors stated that to make good love scenes, you needed for each scene to bring the hero and heroine closer together. It's not about tab A into slot B mechanics, but it's about drawing the reader into the emotions. Showing how each stroke, each kiss causes the hero and heroine to fall more in love. I try to do this when I write now. At least I can read my scenes, as opposed to yawning my way through them. :)

What do you look for in a love scene? Is it sex for the sake of sex, or do you prefer to see the deepening emotional attachment of the hero and heroine?

Love Scenes

2011-08-04T05:07:00.000-07:00

Writing love scenes isn't as fun as well, making love. Getting the right words on the page and trying to convey emotion as well as sexual tension is often difficult. I don't write erotica or erotic romance, but I do write full-exposure love scenes. And sometimes, it's hard for me to write those scenes without blushing. My mother and daughters read my books!

In a non-erotic romance, there should be more to a love scene than just inserting tab A into slot B. A love scene should serve a function besides expanding on the romance. It should somehow move the plot forward or reveal something about the hero and/or heroine. A love scene should be written in such a way that the story line would suffer if it were removed from the book. Which isn't to say that it shouldn't fulfill the readers' expectations. A love scene should have sex. Hot, wild, or romantic sex. But it needs to be peppered with internal or external dialogue that allows the reader a closer glimpse into the characters' hearts and minds.

And while there needs to be a physical description of the act, there are certain words I never use in my romance novels. Maybe it's my age, Baptist up-bringing, or a combination of both, but I can't use any of the "C" words. The "D" word also makes me cringe. And, I don't particularly like the "F" word either--unless it's used as a profanity. And Lord help me, I've used it myself in that manner. But, I just don't feel that a heroic hero would ever refer to making love in anyway that utilizes the "F" word.

But, maybe that's just me. What do you like or dislike about love scenes?

Things I wished my Editor Knew ...

2011-07-29T01:47:00.000-07:00

... A whole bunch of useful journalists at the New York Times, who would automatically give my book a fantastic review just because of who my editor is ...

... Inside knowledge as to whether a book will sell a few copies, shed-loads – or none at all.

... When my birthday is maybe? J

... But seriously, Fledgling is my first published novel and I was absolutely over the moon when I signed the contract. But I couldn’t help a teensey twinge of trepidation at the thought of it being edited. Would I have to rewrite whole chapters? Cut out vast chunks of the story I really liked? Change the plot – or horror of horrors – even lose some of my beloved characters? I’ve worked in publishing long enough to know all of the above can sometimes happen.

My editor had read the whole manuscript by the time I signed the contract of course, and I had no doubt she would have earmarked some of it for changes, there would be areas which needed work and almost certainly some tweaking. What she potentially didn’t know, was how I fretted and stressed about the possible changes. Edits hung over my head like The Sword of Damocles. (I wonder how many editors realise this about their authors?) I’m sure it can’t be just me.

Luckily for me, my editor didn’t leave me stressing for long, she allayed my fears pretty early on – or would that be my paranoia? She pointed out one detail, which needed to change and why, and then told me gently to ‘spice up’ the love scene. I agreed, I always felt the love scene read back a little too tame for a three-hundred-year-old vampire. It was, as the old-time London villains used to say, “a fair cop!”

The author/editor relationship is incredibly important and things can go horribly wrong if that relationship doesn’t gel. The worst thing, obviously, is waiting for either acceptance or rejection. There’s no easy way to reject an author’s work, but I’m sure most editors know that a short sharp shock of a rejection is better than keeping an author hanging on tenterhooks for months – or longer. I’ve talked to many other authors who have had their work with various agents/publishers for more than a year without any communication whatsoever. This often results in the author emailing every month asking for an update. One author friend of mine had her trilogy of SF books with a well-known UK publishing house for three years. They eventually rejected them. Why oh why couldn’t they have rejected them after a few months? I do know how many submissions editors get, and how difficult it is to keep track, but it has to be easier in these digital times to keep submissions in chronological order at least, so as not to keep authors in limbo for years.

I have to say this was not my experience with Black Rose. There was always communication and updates. I never once felt ignored. But then I’ve been blessed with my editor, Callie Lynne, and the best advice I can give anyone is, if you’re unsure about something, or (like me) just a little bit paranoid ... talk to your editor. See if she does know what you’re worried about – and my guess? She probably does!

Fledgling is published in Black Rose, 23^rd September 2011

The Editor-Author Relationship: It's all about expectations!

2011-07-19T00:01:00.000-07:00

Check out the stellar reviews!

Key to any good working relationship is setting realistic expectations that all sides can count on. My contribution to this month's topic - what authors wished editors knew - is therefore on the topic of expectations.

Writers need to know what to expect and when to expect it. For new writers, this is important because, having never been through the process before, they have no idea what to expect. They have no idea what's normal or typical--and asking established authors isn't all that helpful in this situation since every author and every book's situation is different. For established writers, this is important because they likely have multiple books in various stages of the writing/revising/editing/publishing/promoting process, and juggling all those schedules works best when they know when edits will be received or are due, etc.

One of the things that impressed me with The Wild Rose Press from my first submission was the editors' consistent assignment of a date by which I'd next hear about the progress of my manuscript. Those three weeks or six weeks or twelve weeks might have felt like a world away, but at least they gave me the peace of mind of knowing when things would happen, and kept me from the (admittedly) obsessive checking and rechecking of email that you endure when you have no idea when to hear back. (Come on, admit it! You do it too!)

Key to making those self-imposed deadlines work, however, is setting realistic dates for those next steps. Yes, twelve weeks might seem like forever to an author, but if you deliver it to her in ten, she'll be overjoyed to receive it early and think you're the coolest, most hard-working, most gracious editor ever because this exceeded those expectations! However, if you feel bad about telling her twelve weeks, and tell her six instead, and then deliver the work at week ten, she'll probably be stressed and frustrated and sitting around wondering what happened because this violated those expectations.

Overpromising is something everyone struggles with--at least that's true of all us people-pleasers! People want to be the hero. They want to make others happy. They want to seem like they can do it all. And that sometimes leads us into promising more than we can possibly deliver in the time we have available. Writers make this mistake, too--promising they could deliver a manuscript draft or a set of revisions in less time than it will really take. And, of course, unexpected emergencies or projects sneak into our schedule, throwing everything out of whack just when we were sure we had everything under control. In that case, of course, open communication is critical--a simple email before a missed deadline can reset expectations and avoid stress and frustration on all sides.

So, those are this lowly author's two cents! LOL I can say, unequivocally, that my editor at TWRP improved both my manuscripts tremendously, and any success I have on these books I must share with her!

Thanks for reading!

Laura Kaye

Hot, Heartfelt Romance - Because everyone longs to belong...

Win a kindle! Must play to win!

Forever Freed:

A heart can break, even one that no longer beats.

I stalk my new neighbors, a single mother and her child, drawn by the irresistible scent of their joy and love. I crave their blood, starved for some healing respite from my ancient grief. Now to lure them into my grasp.

But they surprise me. Little Olivia accepts me without fear or reservation—talking, smiling, offering innocent affection that tugs at my long-lost humanity. Her mother, Samantha, seeks me out when she should stay away, offering sweet friendship, and calling to the forgotten man within me. They lure me instead.

Ah, Dio, Lucien, run and spare them while you can…

Find me on the interwebz:

Website: http://www.LauraKayeAuthor.com
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What I Wish My Editor Knew...

2011-07-12T04:25:00.000-07:00

I have been blessed many times over with wonderful editors. However, each has been wonderful for her own reason, and no two have the same style. So, I've compiled a list of my favorite editorial behaviors.

Rejections

No writer likes them. Try and include strengths as well as weaknesses.

Rewrites and Resubmits

Details. Details. Details. Please.

It's not enough to say a scene doesn't work. Why doesn't it work? Does it violate house guidelines? Do the characters act out of character? Does the scene make one or more of the characters unpalatable? Does it not add anything to the story? Does it detract from the story?

Don't like a character? Why not? Is the character not three-dimensional enough? Are character flaws or actions unbelievable? Don't understand the character's motivation or goals?

Revisions

I love Microsoft Word's ability to track changes and add comments. I like to see both good comments and constructive criticism comments. I want to know what my editors really like or hate.

Communications

I like to hear the status of edits every couple of weeks, if possible. Nothing elaborate, just a note to let me know when I might be able to expect revisions. I know editors are busy, but so are writers and a little heads up allows us to clear our schedules to return edits in a timely manner.

Generalize

2011-07-10T16:23:00.001-07:00

This post will be short and sweet – well, relatively. I’ve been very ill and unable to participate for over a year now so I could get a bit wordy, but as I get back into the swing of things, this tip might save editors a bit of time. My experience with TWRP has been great. Renee edited and suggested revisions for my story, “Raven’s Shelter.” It’s one of five novellas in “Taming of the Wolf 2.” She was very professional, personable, and did a fantastic job, so the only suggestion I have is this: generalize whenever possible.

Much like my beloved English teachers of long ago, I read portions of my students’ papers, offer specific corrections, examples, and suggestions enough to ensure the student understands, and generalize from that point. Most writers have a tendency toward particular strengths and weaknesses, and most of us are aware of our weaknesses but still struggle with them and need examples and reminders from time to time. My strengths are characterization and punctuation :) My main weaknesses include taking forever to finish a story, and over-using the word “that.” I think examples and reminders of general rules of usage help develop the writer’s self-editing skills.

Unfortunately, I don’t know how to rid myself of perfectionism and write faster, but critique partners and editors have been a big help in eradicating my over-use of and apparent fascination with “that” by pointing out specific instances where the word is not needed and reminding me of general rules to follow in terms of its use.

My Editorial Wish...

2011-07-04T05:49:00.000-07:00

Before The Wild Rose Press published my first book, I sometimes waited a year or more before hearing from a publisher. Or, I'd go several rounds of revision letters without a contract only to get rejected, often because the book didn't follow a certain formula the publisher found marketable. I didn't have that problem with TWRP.

From the moment I received an email acknowledging receipt of my first manuscript until the email congratulating me on a release date, the editors at TWRP kept me informed and up to date on the progress of my submission. I signed my first contract in May 2009 and Out of the Darkness was published in May 2010. In the length of time it took to get a rejection letter from other publishers, my book was accepted, contracted, edited, and published by TWRP.

Lill Farrell edited my paranormal romance, Out of the Darkness, and Alison Byers edited my historicals. Slightly Tarnished released 6/4/11 and Wholesale Husband is set to release 9/28/11. Both ladies were knowledgeable and dedicated.

They did a professional job and at no time did either Lill or Alison suggest changes to make my books fit a "formula." The rules for TWRP are simple. The stories must be well written and have a happily ever after ending. And the editors make sure of it.

I do wish TWRP books were available in bookstores or WalMart. And I wish we got an advance. But since neither of those things are in an editors' purview, I have no complaints or suggestions for either of my editors. Lill and Allison are the best. Thanks ladies!

Oh, and since today is the 4th, I'd like to take this opportunity to wish all Americans a Happy Indepence Day. And thanks to the men and women in uniform who keep us safe!

Head-Hoppers Anonymous

2011-06-28T07:56:00.000-07:00

My favourite POV is first person. I know it isn’t supposed to be popular, but I like both reading and writing in the first person. I enjoy being in the MC’s head with the gamut of emotions – fear, love, pain, happiness etc. – somehow it makes the story real for me, and definitely makes the character more alive in my opinion. It also gives the reader the opportunity to ‘be’ the protagonist, and hopefully ‘feel’ whatever he or she is experiencing.

There are a few classic clangers with first person – like how to get your main character’s appearance across. What do a lot of authors do? They make their character look in a mirror and describe their reflection. (Apparently this is one of the clangers.) But who am I to judge? It works ... well it works as long as your main character isn’t a vampire, because everyone knows they don’t cast a shadow, and they don’t have a reflection. Yes, I know it’s folklore, and in fiction the author can bend the folklore to his or her heart’s content – unless you’re me of course, and you’re a stickler for folklore.

In Fledgling, my main character Ellie, and Will, the man in her life, are both vampires. The book is told from her POV, so she can happily describe the hunkiness of him with no problem at all. But how to describe herself? It’s easier than you think, because she can of course remember what she looks like, she knows she isn’t very tall, and she knows she’s very slim because she’s a dancer.

i.e.

‘Now, I’m used to people who stare down at me. I’m a little over five-foot-three in height, so believe me, I’m not easily intimidated by tall people.’

•

‘I froze at his words. I had heard them but I didn’t understand them. I felt more and more as though I were somehow trapped in a horror movie, and destined to be turned into some kind of body suit. Although if memory serves, most of the women in that particular movie were large and as I am a professional dancer, I didn’t think there would be too much of my body to make up a suit. Certainly not one that would fit him anyway. I mentally cursed whoever had made me watch that DVD.’

•

Gradually a mental picture of Ellie is being built for the reader, without the aid of mirrors! I think to have her describe herself in one paragraph would pull the reader out of the narrative. It’s different to have her describe Will of course, because she’s looking at him, and the reader is seeing him though her eyes.

‘I stared at him, trying to think of a reply. He stared back, his face expressionless. He could have been a waxwork for all the emotion he didn’t show. His pale skin stretched tautly over well-defined cheekbones and a straight, aristocratic nose. Glossy thick black hair, almost long enough to reach his broad shoulders, framed his face, and dark eyebrows frowned above incredible green eyes, which appeared to glow in the dark. The eyelashes framing his eyes would have made him look feminine were it not for the sheer masculinity of his features– eyelashes most women would kill for. But it was his eyes that drew me back to staring at him every time. They weren’t just green; they were like a cat’s eyes. Unblinking. Intrusive. Like a predator. I shivered. His full lips twitched into a slight smile as I stared at him. I decided to carry on pretending I felt brave.’

•

Will, at some point, admires the vivid blue of her eyes, the colour of her hair, and tells her many times that she’s beautiful, so ... job done!

In Fledgling I decided to go a step further with the POVs, and added journal entries by Will. Getting into his head was a real challenge – and I loved every minute of it. Ellie may be feisty, and the epitome of a modern young woman, but Will is something else – centuries old, Machievellian, arrogant and completely ruthless when he has to be. He doesn’t suffer fools and he isn’t above the odd bit of torture or cold-blooded murder either.

I could also get him to wax lyrical about Ellie when needed. Having two POVs, both in the first person, has been such fun to write, I hope it’s as much fun to read. J

‘Elinor lay like a sleeping angel, and her newly-washed hair fanned out across the pillow, like glorious living flames. Her thick eyelashes, several shades darker than her hair, cast little shadows on her flawless cheeks. God, she is beautiful. Part of me felt shame and sorrow for having wrought this existence on her, but the selfish, ruthless part of me felt only joy that she was here. With me. Had I not turned her, she would be but dust beneath the earth now, and that would have been a travesty.’

•

Fledgling will be published in Black Rose, on 23^rd September – and I’m thrilled beyond belief.

•

My favourite book ever, is Bram Stoker’s Dracula. This is a brilliant example of multiple POVs in one book and it’s oh-so-cleverly done. The story is told by a collection of papers, journals, letters and newspaper articles. The journals are written by Jonathan Harker, Mina Harker, Lucy Westenra, and Dr Seward. There’s a phonograph diary as spoken by Professor Van Helsing, postcards and letters between Mina and Lucy and a press cutting. Everything except the press cutting is told in first person. Obviously a lot of the language is Victorian, which for me only adds to the book’s timeless charm and gothic atmosphere. Even now – many readings of Dracula later – I find it amazing that Stoker successfully got into the heads of both Lucy and Mina; making Lucy a spoilt, rich girl unable to resist flirting with (and stringing along) several eligible men at once, whilst Mina is intelligent, strong-willed and totally loyal to Jonathan. Strong, intelligent women weren’t thought of too highly in that era, which makes me admire Stoker all the more. All of his characters are beautifully drawn and each POV has its own individual voice.

•

Head-hopping is another matter. I admit it drives me mad. Books from the eighties and nineties (and obviously before) had head-hopping going on all over the place. But I do think the reining in of multiple hopping is a fairly recent thing.

I appreciate it’s tempting when writing in the third person, to hop from character to character and get several different POVs, but why oh why do some authors hop from head to head within the same paragraph? Honestly, it’s more entertaining to write those paragraphs then it ever is to read them. There have been times when I’ve had to go back several pages and re-read them just to find out who the hell is speaking. Changing POV after an obvious break is all right, as long as it is obvious, but it’s so easy to slip into multiple POVs and confuse your reader. I’ve just finished a paranormal romance by a very well-known author that nearly had me running for the hills with all the head-hopping. Confused? Moi? Oh yes.

There’s a popular teen vampire series (no, not Twilight!) which had me tugging out my hair too, when I read the last book in the (very long) series. Each chapter was from a different POV and, to be fair, they were all titled with the character’s name, so the reader knew who was speaking, yet it was still confusing. However, the final chapter – which should have been in the first person as told by the female MC – started in the third person for three paragraphs, then suddenly switched to first person (same character.) I re-read that chapter three times before I convinced myself it had to be a mistake. A mistake missed by the author, the editor and the copy editor. Interesting huh? It would never happen at Black Rose!

Third Person, First Person, Head Hopping

2011-06-27T16:57:00.000-07:00

Several writers, many of them New York Times bestselling authors, who have presented at my local chapter meetings told us that romance is best told from third person point of view. In third person, your reader can cast herself as the heroine if you put your story into third person.

For example, in one scene from my TWRP dark angel book, Sacred Guardian, the heroine first encounters the hero after she has taken an accidental overdose in her apartment, with no one around to help her. She can't remember what happened but finds herself in the bathroom, after *ahem* getting rid of the overdose, and "She looked down at the floor to steady herself and saw . . . feet? Raised her gaze higher. Knees, encased in worn khaki. Muscled thighs. An ivory T-shirt stretched across the broad expanse of a man's chest. A face. Her jaw creaked before her mouth dropped open. A man stood there scowling at her, but damn, what a face he had!"

The same scene, written in first person point of view: "I looked at the floor to steady myself . . ." H'mmm. If it were in first point of view, the rest of that portion of the scene could have stood as it is written, except "her" would be "my." This is known as "deep" third person point of view, where the reflections of the character are so into the character that they could be from a first person point of view, yet the reader can cast herself as the heroine.

The advantage of first person point of view is that the author can have a character so vivid that this character can carry a series. Examples of this are Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake and Janet Evanovitch's Stephanie Plum. Readers eagerly await new books by these authors so they can spend time with the heroine.

I tried this point of view in a book years ago and entered a contest with the first chapter. I got ratings as low as '1' and as high as '5'. The people who did not like it stated that they hated the character. The people who loved it stated that they loved the character. I didn't know any better so I scrapped the manuscript for a while. Recently, a very big author talked to my chapter and said, "When you get really low ratings and really high ratings for the same manuscript in contests, it means you are getting a passionate response. Keep going."

Oops! I ended up rewriting the hundred pages I'd written into deep third person point of view because I'd written myself into a corner. In first person point of view, you can only know what the main character knows. I missed being able to go into my hero, so I rewrote it. Now I happily go into my hero's point of view and accept my limitations in terms of first person POV.

So. Writing in deep third person point of view has its own limitations in scenes where you have your hero and heroine interacting. I bow to all the gods and goddesses who can successfully zip into one person's point of view and seamlessly into the other point of view without losing the audience.

I can't do it. I just can't. I need that scene break noted by a line of stars or a section break in a manuscript. Usually I give an entire chapter in the hero's point of view, then another chapter to the heroine. When I am reading, I don't really care about point of view. If an author grabs me, that author owns me. If I find I can't put a book down, it does not matter to me if the author goes into the hero, heroine, the heroine's poodle and the hero's mechanic in the same scene, as long as I know whose head I'm in. As for first person, I am delighted to spend time with vivid characters like Sookie Stackhouse.

Do you have a preference concerning point of view? I'd love to hear from you :-)

Carolina

Point of View by Barbara Edwards

2011-06-25T07:39:00.000-07:00

When I started writing I had never heard of POV. What? Is it catching?
Point Of View turned out to be the biggest bugaboo in the bag of writer’s tricks. I spent months trying to get it right. Checking all the things I need to watch out for, for a consistent read made me want to throw up my hands and scream: “I don’t care!”
I finally realized POV wasn’t the most important part of the process. I worked on my plotting, on my characters, conflict and resolution. And ended up with a manuscript titled Another Love.
Rewrites turned out to be the time when I checked POV.
Like Humphrey Bogart’s character Rick said in Casabalanca, “Here’s looking at you, kid.” I realized POV was in the eyes of the beholder.
So the speaker can’t see her own expression or the color of her own eyes, okay. This is fixable. The other important part of POV is deciding whose viewpoint the scene should be in. That is determined by the character most affected by the action. I used this in Ancient Awakening and Ancient Blood to heighten the tension.
POV is another tool to use building a good story.

Contest: I’m giving away an e-book copy of Ancient Blood on June 30 to celebrate. It is available at the Wild Rose Press. Just go to one of my June blog appearances and leave a comment where I’m appearing from June 1- June 30, 2011 or at my blog. Enter often by leaving a comment. The winner will be randomly drawn on June 30, 2011 at midnight.

Benefits and Limitations of First Person POV

2011-06-19T00:01:00.000-07:00

I'm very excited to make my first appearance on the Black Rose blog! My debut paranormal, Forever Freed, released a few weeks ago and I couldn't be happier to be part of the Black Rose group of amazing authors.

Today, I'd like to add to the discussion on point of view by talking about First Person point of view, which is the POV in Forever Freed. First person POV is when the narration comes entirely from one character - the main character - and is the most intimate point of view because it allows the reader to get right into the head of the lead character. I love how it allows the reader to feel the emotions, see the rationale for beliefs and decisions (no matter how skewed or unreliable), and hear the internal dialogue. In addition to intimacy, first person can create an immediacy of thought and action, because you're right there in the moment with the POV character. Done well, first person can also lead the reader to identify with the POV character, to develop a real sympathy for and understanding of him, even when that person acts in ways that aren't good or honest or moral.

Here's an example from Forever Freed, a story about a reclusive, empathic vampire who falls in love with a woman he planned to kill and her young daughter, then must fight his ancient guilt, bloodlust, lie by omission, and an old vampire rival who threatens everything he holds dear:

Soon, rich yearning tones filled the room. The melancholy of the anniversary hung over me still, and my dire need for sustenance didn’t help. It didn’t take long, therefore, before the image of the smiling blonde girl transformed in my mind’s eye into another girl, with olive skin and chocolate ringlets.
A girl who had once been my whole life.
A daughter whom I had failed.

In hearing how Lucien Demarco hears the music, in knowing what's going through his head as he plays his violin, you are right there in the midst of his sorrow, guilt, and grief.

Here's another:

The next morning, I emerged from a normally restorative trance - a semi-conscious state that was my only form of rest - agitated and strung out. My body craved more blood, my mind yearned for Samantha’s joy. Jesus, I was just hungry.
One thing was for sure: I had to get out of my head. All night, the most punishing memories had assaulted me. I thought of Lena, my beautiful wife who crossed an ocean at my request, her body rounding with our second child, only to die at the hands of a monster who forced me to watch. I saw the tumble of my little Isabetta’s dark curls sprawled out over a blood-covered blanket. My conscience also pulled in Catherine, my best friend in this dark existence and also my lover for a time.
I had loved all of them. Failed them. Lost them.
I muttered my aggravation in my mother tongue as I stalked into the bathroom. Setting the shower water just shy of scalding, I stepped in.

Here, the reader knows Lucien's planning something that's wrong (stalking the heroine with the intent to kill), but being inside his head, you also know tragedies that have brought him to this moment, the angst and guilt he feels, and you sense he carries all of this around like an unbearable weight. First person allows you to manipulate your readers' emotions, even when you're character isn't behaving himself.

This excerpt, from Lucien and Samantha's first official meet, illustrates the idea of the immediacy of first person:

How ironic I’d been stalking her for days and now encountered her out in the open—though the comings and goings of patients, staff, and visitors continued to protect her. I swallowed thickly, acknowledging my rather dire undernourishment. Nearly six weeks had passed since I’d fed on a trio of wolves on the shores of Black Lake north of the city.
I scoffed. I’d gone this long before without feeding, and now she had me doubting my control as if I were a neophyte. I was used to the clench of hunger in my gut, had forced myself to endure it for much of my existence--I usually didn’t tempt myself by intermingling with humans, though, let alone with one who was so appealing, but I was eager to taste and feel her happiness again.
So I resumed walking. Her feelings intensified within me as I approached. Forty feet, then thirty. By the time I was within ten feet, my mouth was so alive with the rich sweetness of her joy, I was salivating and struggling to keep my fangs retracted.
Her emotions provided such exquisite relief I couldn’t force myself to pass her by. Without a conscious decision, I stopped in front of her, her allure locking me into place as surely as if I were shackled. She looked up and smiled. Her teal eyes settled on me like a caress. In that instant, I needed to be in her presence. I hadn’t intended to, but I was going to have to talk to her now.
“Would you mind if I asked you a question?” I finally asked, working hard to make my voice relaxed, casual—the exact opposite of the tense anticipation that shivered over my skin.
Her brow dropped and her expression became a little guarded, but she smiled. “Sure.” Her eyes widened and her heart rate increased as she took me in.
I walked over to the bench and hesitated as my nineteenth-century manners resurfaced. “May I?”
She nodded uncertainly, her pose less relaxed.
So close to her for the first time, it took everything I had not to reach out and cup my hand behind her neck and pull her into me, particularly as her pounding heart pumped blood into a blush that spread from her face down her throat.
Touch her. Feel her. Taste her. I shook the urges away.

The reader is right there in the moment with Lucien, experiencing all of his initial reactions to the heroine. This excerpt also illustrates one of the limitations of first person--the meet is entirely from Lucien's point of view. Aside from his interpretation of her facial expressions and body language, and her dialogue, the reader doesn't know Samantha's reaction to him. Understanding that is a key to successful first person point of view - you can't include things that happen outside of the point of view character's first-hand, personal experience. This made Lucien's empathic abilities very useful, because he could sense her reactions in a way that was a bit more reliable than simple impressionistic interpretation.

Two other considerations for successful first person are limiting the number of sentences beginning with "I" and avoiding filter words. Both are completely doable, though take some attention and practice. Here's an excerpt that shows the difference between first person filled with "I" sentences and filter words, and a more effective one without:

The edited version:

Someone ran up behind me. I turned defensively, nearly dropping into a crouch, and was floored to find Ollie darting across the empty street while Samantha gaped.
“Lucien!” Ollie cried as she flung herself around my legs.
I froze. My mind was everywhere at once. The girl. Her heat. Her touch. Her scent—the spring hyacinths again. I held my breath, a last-ditch effort at restraint.
Samantha’s confusion rolled through my body and played out across her face.

Same excerpt, but with "I" sentences and filter words:

I heard someone ran up behind me. I turned defensively, nearly dropping into a crouch, and was floored to find Ollie darting across the empty street while Samantha gaped.
“Lucien!” Ollie cried as she flung herself around my legs.
I froze. My mind was everywhere at once. I saw the girl. I felt her heat. I felt her touch. I smelled her scent—the spring hyacinths again. I held my breath, a last-ditch effort at restraint.
I felt Samantha’s confusion roll through my body and saw it play out across her face.

See the difference? Starting too many sentences with "I" is not only repetitive, it's also redundant. In first person point of view, everything happens to the main character, so the "I" is often understood. Similarly, filter words such as I saw, I heard, I felt, I realized, I touched, I smelled, I noticed add a layer of distance (the filter) between the reader and the immediacy of the action, and are also redundant. Again, everything that is seen, heard, felt, realized, touched, smelled, and noticed is done so by the first person narrator, making filter words usually unnecessary.

So, do you enjoy first person point of view (reading it or writing it)? What are your favorite first person stories, and why do you think that POV works so well in that story?

Thanks for reading!

Laura Kaye

Website: http://www.LauraKayeAuthor.com

Blog: http://laurakayeauthor.blogspot.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/laurakayeauthor

Twitter: @laurakayeauthor

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About Laura Kaye:

A multi-published author of paranormal, contemporary, and erotic romance with four books releasing in 2011, Laura Kaye’s hot, heartfelt stories are all about the universal desire for a place to belong. Laura grew up amidst family lore involving angels, ghosts, and evil-eye curses, cementing her life-long fascination with the supernatural. Though an avid fiction writer as a teenager, a career as a historian took her in other directions until recently. Now that Laura’s inner muse has awakened, she’s constantly creating new story ideas! Laura lives in Maryland with her husband, two daughters, and cute-but-bad dog, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.

Forever Freed Blurb:

A heart can break, even one that no longer beats.

Ah, Dio, Lucien, run and spare them while you can…

Point of View

2011-06-15T07:48:00.000-07:00

Our topic this month is POV, otherwise known as Point of View. I won't go into describing the different kinds of POV since I'm going to assume our readers have read the previous blog posts on the subject. So, instead, I'll get right into what type of viewpoint I like to read and write.

Although I've heard it's not the most popular viewpoint, I absolutely love reading stories written in first person POV. I enjoy being immersed in the main character's perspective so that I see the entire story from his/her eyes. It gives the impression that you, the reader, are living this story. You only know and see what is revealed to the main character. So, if a whispered conversation is taking place in the next room, while the main character is arguing with someone on the phone, you won't discover what was whispered until the main character does. It really adds to the mystery and suspense, and for me that equals page-turner!

Here's an example of some of my favorite novels and stories written in first person point of view: Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, Twilight by Stephanie Meyer, Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Anita Blake series by Laurell K.Hamilton, The Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich, The Hollows series by Kim Harrison, and most of Kelley Armstrong's books, such as The Summoning.

Currently, my published e-books are all written in third person POV. I needed to see through the eyes of more than one character in these stories. Third person works very well for a romance story since you can visit the viewpoint of both the hero and the heroine to get inside thoughts on what they are thinking and feeling about each other.

One thing I desperately try not to do is head-hop. Bouncing from one perspective to the other in the same scene irritates me and jars me out of the story. I break my viewpoints with scenes or chapters, so it's clear to the reader that we're looking through a different character's eyes.

A great writing tip I learned from the fabulous Suzanne Brockmann is about deep POV. Basically, it gives you the impressions of first person POV, but it's actually written in third person. For example, write a scene in first person (using I's and mys), then swap out all the pronouns to third person (using he's and she's). You've delved deep into the character's point of view so it reads with greater impact and brings the reader closer to the character.

What POV do you like to read?

Tricia Schneider worked at a bookstore for 12 years, 6 of those years as Assistant Manager. Now she writes full-time while raising her three young children. She lives with her WWII re-enactor husband in the coal country of Pennsylvania. For more information visit her website, Facebook, Twitter or GoodReads or visit The Wild Rose Press to purchase her books.

P.O.V.

2011-06-12T03:51:00.000-07:00

Despite having multiple stories published, I am a novice writer, so my take on point of view is ever-evolving.

First Person

First person provides an insight into one character. Many readers are turned off by only seeing events through one character's eyes. However, I believe, with the right character, first person can be really engaging.

His Hope, Her Salvation is written in first person. It's told from the perspective of the hero. This was a challenge for me as a writer, but I felt it was crucial that the story be told from his point of view to fully appreciate the care with which he approached the heroine.

Limited Omniscient

The story is told from the perspective of one or more characters in third person. This can be done in many ways.

One Character - One Story

The advantage of this over first person is the reader can be given additional information crucial to the story without being limited to the information available only to the main character.

His Ship, Her Fantasy is written like this because I felt the style drew the reader more into the action.

One Character - One Scene

Each scene is told from the third person perspective of one character. This is a great way of showing how scenes affect a character and helps evolve character-driven stories.

Head Hopping

There are writers that can write a scene that provides multiple perspectives. However, I am not one of them. I find it distracting. The most effective execution I've seen is where the head hopping occurs at paragraph breaks. Done properly, it appears almost seamless.

POV

2011-06-10T08:41:00.000-07:00

Head hopping drives me nuts. I can handle it when POV changes at the beginning of paragraph, but not in the same paragraph. Confusing. In my writing, I switch a POV by a line break. Sometimes it's a scene break, but other times it's not. However, it is clearly defined to the reader that a POV is changing. That's just me though. :)

My favorite POV to write in is first person. Since I like to read romances with both the hero and heroine's POV, I had to switch to third person when I started writing romances. This was an extremely difficult switch! One of the advantages of first person (in my mind anyway) is that you can show only what the protagonist sees. So if your protagonist is an optimist, then they have their rose colored glasses on and miss out that the world is going to seed. Then you have the ability to ensure that things aren't as they appear until the protagonist and reader finally figure out what's going on.

When writing in third person, I feel more of the character if it's written in deep POV. It puts me into their head without the writing being in first person. Do you like this way of writing?

Whichever POV you choose, the only advice I'll give is to please, please, please not head hop! :)

POV: To Hop or Not to Hop

2011-06-04T05:38:00.000-07:00

Head-hopping is when a writer expresses multiple characters' thoughts or points of views (POV) within the same scene. If a scene starts with our heroine, Jane Doe, watching the hero, John Smith, walk into the room and the writer starts describing Jane's facial expressions, then the reader knows it's no longer Jane's thoughts being expressed. Because, who thinks of his or her own facial expressions while thinking? So who's watching Jane's face and wondering what she's thinking? Is it John? Maybe. Maybe not. What if John's evil twin brother Josh is in the room?

Not establishing a clear POV can leave the reader scratching his or her head and wondering. Is John watching Jane's face light up, hoping he put that smile on her face? Or is Josh watching Jane, plotting ways to foil her budding relationship with his brother?

When an author jumps from one character's thoughts and POV willie-nillie within the same scene, it can be confusing. It also makes it difficlt for the reader to connect with the characters. And suddenly switching viewpoints in the middle of a scene, or worse, in the middle of a character dialogue, can not only leave the reader scratching his/her head, it can throw the reader completely out of the story.

If a character speaks or thinks or notices another character, the reader needs to know which character is doing the speaking, thinking, and notcing. It's usually easy to tell which character is speaking because the author will use action or dialogue tags. But during segments of internal dialogue or thought, the author needs to establish POV early on so the reader can connect to that charater.
This is not to say that a writer can't write in multiple POV. But switching POV whenever a character speaks will drive a reader crazy. In general, most readers don't care what a minor, secondary character is thinking. If it adds nothing to the plot or storyline, then don't add it at all. Stick to the main character's POV and only switch at scene breaks or chapter breaks. Occassionally, a writer can change POV flawlessly within the same scene without confusing the reader. But it takes skill and finess.

One very famous romance writer head hops, but for the most part, she has that skill and finess required to keep the reader imersed in the story without the confussion often caused by head-hopping.

A multi-published author in my local chapter compared successful POV changes within a scene to a video camera. When a camera is focused on one subject we see that subject. The same with the written scene. When in the heroine's POV, the reader is focused on the heroine. In order for the camera to focus on another subject, it must first zoom out. If the person behind the camera tries to pan over to another subject while still zoomed in, the film will blur and those watching will get dizzy. So, the camera must first zoom out, pan the room, and then zoom in on the next subject.

It's the same with writing. In order to change POV, the writer must first zoom out, pan, and then zoom onto the next character before expressing his/her POV. And that's what I try to do.

If I'm going to change POV without using scene breaks, then I pull back from the character whose POV I'm currently in, insert a descriptive statement or two and an action or dialogue tag and then slip into the next character's POV. And I stay in that character's POV until the next scene or chapter.

This technique seems to work well if not abused and it doesn't feel as if the author is using an omnipotent POV to accomplish the switch. It also enables the author to slip into a deep POV so the reader can "feel" what another character feels within the scene without confusing the reader.

In my historical, Slightly Tarnished, released yesterday, I used this technique of panning back and zooming in to switch POV's, and I think it works. Check it out and see for yourself. http://www.wildrosepress.us/maincatalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=191&products_id=4543 Slightly Tarnished is an historical, but there is an element of the paranormal at the end. I just couldn't help myself.