Saturday, March 31, 2012

SPRING BREAK CYBER-ROAD TRIP


Well not this kind of road trip, although with the warm weather everyone may be getting cabin fever and itching to take a trip--a spring break trip. So just in time for spring, my new book from Ellora's Cave, SPRING BREAK will be released on April 13th!!

I've planned a Cyber-Road Trip Blog Tour and there will be lots of prizes along the way. the tour, so far, will run from April 13-26. To enter the contests, just go to any or all of the blog stops along the tour and make a comment and leave your email address. At the end of that day a name will be chosen. And that person can chose an ebook from my back list. Easy-peasy.


Here are the list of blogs so far. Check at the column on the right on my website here for updates.

4/13: Cerise Deland's Blog
4/13: Mari Carr's Blog
4/16: NJ Walter's Blog
4/16: Francesca Hawley's Blog
4/17: Romance Lives Forever Blog
4/24: The Romance Studio Blue Blog
4/26: TRS Parties
4/26: Author Island Cyber Launch Blog

Thanks for helping me celebrate the release of SPRING BREAK. It's a fun and sexy, menage book. And it's not anything like the spring break you might've had in college.

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Spring Break - Not for Kids


I'm thrilled to announce SPRING BREAK, my new erotic contemporary romance from Ellora's Cave, has a release date! APRIL 13TH!

This is NOT the spring break you had in college. It does take place in Fort Lauderdale during spring break but there's a whole new twist. Here's the blurb:

Spring break beyond your wildest fantasies? If Justin Watkins can stop keeping watch over his college students like Big Brother, he might convince the prim-and-proper Mariko Maguire to be his sex partner at the invitation-only adult club called TropiX.

Mariko is in Fort Lauderdale on business, trying to secure new clients for her PR firm. Abandoning prior commitments for one wickedly lustful evening—a one-night stand of kinky sex—was not on her agenda.

Carter Bosworth is looking for an evening of sex games during his layover in the tropical playground. He’s a regular at TropiX and always open for a new thrill. His plans are sidetracked, but it may be to his benefit after all when he meets the beautiful Mariko.

The potent heat developing between Justin and Mariko tempts her into shedding her inhibitions, and an exploration in eroticism develops beyond her imagination at the fetish club.
 
Fort Lauderdale Strip
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'm working on other stories for this series that center around TropiX. Spring Break is the first book.

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Run For Your Lives



I don’t write zombies. I write demons, ghosts, a variety of shapeshifters and vampires. Okay, the vampire novel is unpublished, buried under my bed, awaiting revisions and possible resurrection.


But I heard about this event, a race—Run For Your Lives—and I had to share with all you Zombie lovers. If you’re one of those people who say you hate exercising and wouldn’t unless your life depended on it, then this race is for you.
Here's the Youtube Link: http://youtu.be/A4XvnVz9qDQ
It’s a 5 K race, part obstacle course, part escaping the clutches of zombies who are chasing you and eat your brains, well, trying to steal your health (flags represent your health and are attached to your belt). The race takes place on various dates and at various places around the country including Atlanta, GA; Austin, TX; Boston, MA; San Diego/Los Angeles, CA; Pittsburg, PA; Maryland; Florida; Colorado; Seattle/Portland, and Minnesota. Check out their website for dates and more information:


Also friend them on Facebook and follow on Twitter.

You start the race with three flags tied to your belt (your health) and you must go through a series of obstacles while the zombies are chasing you. The Goal:  Finish the race Alive!!! i.e: with at least one flag. Party and prizes at the end of the race. IF YOU SURVIVE!

 

On another Zombie note:  I’ll be attending the LibertyStates Fiction Writer’s Conference this weekend at the Renaissance Woodbridge Hotel in Iselin, NJ and signing books on March 17th. Check out their website for more details. JonathanMaberry the Zombie master will be there too signing his zombie books. So if you're a zombie fan you won't want to miss it. Even though the conference registration is closed, the book signing is open to the public from 5:30 - 7:00 PM.

Too indulge in my dark, paranormal side, I’ll be wearing Zombie shoes at the signing. What do you think?

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Author Interview: Zenobia Renquist

I'm interviewing Zenobia Renquist today. Zenobia writes for a number of publishers: Changeling Press and Ellora’s Cave as Zenobia Renquist and Samhain Publishing as D. Renee Bagby. She’s talking about her latest book from Changeling Press: Love Reversed. Also watch for her new release from Ellora’s Cave: Pet’s Pleasure, coming April 5th. BTW, I'm a big Vin Diesel/Riddick fan too. :)

-Tell us a little about the book and where did you get the idea to write this story.
Love Reversed by Zenobia  Renquist


Written As: Zenobia Renquist – http://zenobiarenquist.com

Genre: Erotic Fantasy Romance, Interracial, Suspense

Publisher: Changeling Press

Blurb:

It's only an even swap when both parties are satisfied.

Cinnamon came to the Hawaii celebrity retreat to meet her favorite actress. Calhoun crashed to find answers about his missing uncle. Neither of them signed on for the part of the tour that included body swapping. They have to find a way to switch back without anyone realizing their predicament. Long nights of searching for answers become even longer when curiosity takes over. It's a once in a lifetime chance to see how the other half loves, they don't plan to let it slip away.


Full first chapter online:



- What’s the best and worst part of being a writer?

The best part about being a writer is the ability to give my imagination an audience who enjoys the fantastical ideas I come up with. My stories entertain me, first and above all others. If I don’t like the story, then there’s no way I’ll subject someone else to it. Having a reader tell me they loved one of my stories as much as I loved it is one of the best things about being a writer.


The worst thing about being a writer would have to be the waiting. Waiting for acknowledgment of a query/submission. Waiting for a request for more. Waiting for a contract or rejection. Waiting for edits. Waiting for final lines. Waiting for a cover. Waiting for a release date. Waiting for reviews. Waiting for the sales figures. Everything about this profession is waiting. While I am a patient person and try to take it all in stride, it starts to wear on me.

- Are you seat of the pants writer or plotter?

I am pantser who plots. I have a general idea of where I want to go, but I have no clue how I’ll get there until after I start writing. The twists and turns my characters take are as much a surprise to me as they are to my readers when they finally get the book.

- If you could turn any of your books into a movie which book or series would it be?

I would love to see the Caveat Emptor series written under my pen name Zenobia Renquist for Changeling Press turned into a movie. I think it would make for an interesting pre-summer movie. Or better yet, a made for TV mini-movie series.

- Which actor screams SEXY to you?

Vin Diesel all the way. I love that man. Seeing him in Pitch Black and Chronicles of Riddick was heaven for me. I even gave him a nod in my book ERIS written under my pen name D. Renee Bagby for Siren Publishing.

- Do you write full time or work outside of the home?

I graduated to writing full time back in November 2010. I quit my day job and have never looked back. I love all the time I have to do everything or nothing, and I’m very pleased with the amount of books I’ve managed to finish since becoming full time.

- Who are your favorite actors/actresses and could you see them playing your characters if your book became a movie?

I used Luke Goss (known for Prince Nuada in Hellboy and Nomak in Blade 2) as the model for Lucien in my book ERIS. If ever that book were made into a movie, I would absolutely love for him to play the part. For actresses, I am partial to Zoe Saldana (known for Neytiri in Avatar and Uhura in Star Trek) and would love for her to play the lead role in SERENITY (written as D. Renee Bagby for Samhain Publishing) if it ever went to movie.

-Do you write a novel straight through? Or revise as you go? Plan a whole series in advance? Or does the series evolve?

I write books a scene at a time. Those scenes aren’t necessarily in order. Rather than rush through from beginning to end to get to the parts I want to write, I write those parts first and fit everything else around them. I read and re-read my work constantly, so I do a lot of revision as I go. I also like to do one final read through once the story is finished to make sure I connected everything properly and that I’ve caught as many of my editing mistakes as I can.

My stories always evolve. Even when I think I have the whole thing planned out, a character will do something unexpected that will change the whole game. Originally ERIS was supposed to be a mainstream m/f romance, however Ranulf demanded equal time, turning the book into a ménage.

- Do your books have a particular theme or premise?

My books are usually fish out of water or beauty and the beast or both. Beauty and the Beast is my absolute favorite fairy tale (and Disney film). A woman having to overcome a man’s gruff exterior to see the love within is a theme that resonates with me, so I always fall back on it even when I don’t mean to. As well, I was grew up a military brat so moving was common place for me. I was always the new kid. As a result (and you’ll find many authors with a military background do the same), my stories tend to have a fish out of water element to them. I thoroughly love tossing my characters into the unknown and making them cope and adapt.




Sunday, March 4, 2012

VOTE: Book of the Month at LASR



SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES is up for book of the month this weekend only. Check out the books that are up for the award. There are a number of awesome ones listed. While you're there, please VOTE for your favorite. I'd be honored if you chose our title. Thanks for your support. This book was on the Amazon New Release Best Seller list for a number of weeks. Love the stories and authors in this collection. If you haven't had a chance to check it out, it's well worth it. This is volume one and there will be three other volumes coming out from Ellora's Cave.

VOTE Here: http://whippedcream2.blogspot.com.au/?zx=92260077e774351c

Voting is up for only this weekend March 3 and 4. Have a great week!

Thanks so much!!

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Censorship: Alive and Rampant


Hard to imagine, and sad to think, that in this day and age censorship is still alive and rampant. I just read a blog post on Dear Author from February 24, 2012. Besides a plagiarism issue it talked about the issue that Smashwords is dealing with concerning Paypal's terms, aka threats.

Read the full article here:


Here's another very good article about the problem:
http://selenakitt.com/blog/index.php/2012/02/19/slippery-slope-erotica-censorship/

Paypal has issued an ultimatum to Smashwords to remove titles that contain certain themes or they threaten to deactivate their service. Smashwords, like Bookstrand and All Romance, is pulling titles from their cyber shelves that contain those themes: Erotica books containing incest, rape, bestiality, or sex with underage characters. (Where these themes are used to titillate.)And bestiality does not include shapeshifters as seen in paranormal stories like werewolves. Thank goodness because most of my books would be gone. Not on Smashwords, I don’t have any self-pubbed books, but Bookstrand and All Romance.


If you check out the Bestsellers on Amazon for Erotica there are numerous “Daddy” books. Why these are so popular, I have no idea. And as an erotica writer, I’m not thrilled to see these types of stories available. I have mixed feeling about them. I know fiction is fiction, and everyone has the right to explore their art in their own way, but I would never write them.

I deplore censorship, and I really don’t like anyone telling a bookseller what books they can and can’t sell. I may not like those books, but no one is making me buy them. Some television shows or movies may offend me too, but I change the channel, no one is forcing me to sit there and watch them.

Would Paypal consider censoring books about underage children fighting in an arena to the death while an audience cheers them on and watches for entertainment? Ah, Hunger Games?

I think Smashwords is handling the situation as best as they can considering their options. They say it would be very difficult and I imagine expensive to change to a difference form of payment. What do you think?

And Paypal, who elected them the moral gatekeepers?

There's an on-line petition to sign appealing to PayPal to respect our rights to
write and read what we like:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/7/stop-internet-censorship/