Happy Monday everyone. It’s been a very busy day for me today and the blog ended up on the back burner as other things, like editing and new cover art, took precedence today. Being an author is darn hard and most of us work our patooties off just to produce a great produce. Then there’s the promotion and more writing, more editing...it just never ends...LOL! I was very surprised when at dinner last night, an older woman who I had given my business card to came up to me and told me in great detail just how she’d shared her knowledge of me. Truthfully, I am very simple. I have pretty simple tastes although there are days I wonder why I wasn’t born independently wealthy. Or like another author friend of mine has in his signature line: Lord, let me prove to you that winning the lottery won’t change me.
I had tons of you stop by between yesterday and today. I am really thankful that you’ve fit me into your busy schedule. I know it’s hard when life starts crashing in on you. Today’s winner is the lovely Marybelle. I’ll be contacting you with information within 24 hours. You’ll be getting a $10 gift certificate and a copy of my short, A Lover for Rachel. Congratulations!
Today is all about sharing for me. Over the weekend, I had a class on promotions on one of my author loops. While it didn’t show me many new things, I did come away with the feeling that it’s all about sharing. Authors can be a finicky lot and sharing one’s toys may be hazardous but not for me. A prime example is The Log Line Blog. If you all haven’t stopped by, you should. All it has is the cover, author information, buy links and the 25 -50 word, 1-3 sentence blurb called a log line that sold the book. It should be enough to attract readers and publishers alike. Many readers can tell with just one line if they will like the book or not. Check it out at www.theloglineblog.blogspot.com and see for yourself. There is a monthly give away of a $20 gift certificate and the more you comment there, the more times you’re entered into the drawing. As more and more people drop by, more and more prizes will be awarded.
As far as sharing on the readers part goes, I’d love for you to share with me what you’ve seen, what contests you’ve enter and how many blogs you’ve been hoping to during this Naughty After Dark Blog Hope. Have you only gone to a few? How many of you have gone to all of them? None of them except mine? I’d love to hear your stories regarding the hop. Tell me if you’ve enjoyed it and would love more. Can’t wait to hear your thoughts about the blog hop!
If you haven’t visited anyone else yet, you need to visit some of the other kick-ass blogs on the list of the Naughty After Dark Blog Hop. It was posted on February 15 and is still up on the blog. I’ll tell you all my favorites in a special blog after the event is over. Prizes tomorrow are an ebook from my backlist as well as a $10 gift certificate to one commenter on today’s blog. Unless you’re a multiple winner or course...then I’ll be doing something totally different for you! At the end of the Blog Hop, I will be giving one lucky person a $25 gift certificate to Amazon or ARe.
Again, I’d also like to thank these two ladies for sponsoring another great blog hop! Please stop by and show them some love!
Nikki http://closeencounterswiththenightkind.blogspot.com/ and Natasha Blackthorne http://natashablackthorneblog.blogspot.com/ are the two that have made this all possible.
Thanks for stopping by!
Lynn
Hi everyone!
Valentine’s will soon be on us and I decided I wanted to do something different for the holiday this time. All I can say is...wow...this is very, very different from what I normally do. I decided to join a Valentine’s Day Blog Hop. The contest starts on February 11, 2012 and ends February 14, 2012 at midnight. You can find all the details on this page http://thebloghopspot.com/event-page and while you’d there, you might as well gander at all the awesome prizes that are offered.
Did you notice just how many are participating? There are over 230 authors giving things away during this great contest. This is awesome and chances are good for winning. Scan the list and you’ll find me at 206. I was slow getting into the game...LOL! The bad thing is what it doesn’t say and that’s what my prizes are for the duration of the four days.
For my portion of this contest, I will be giving away daily 1 - $10 Amazon or ARe gift certificate and 1 ebook of the readers choice. At the end of the four days, my grand prize will be a $25 Amazon or ARe gift certificate and all of the Santa’s Elves series of ebooks, which is 7 books so far. All prizes will be chosen from those who stop by and comment on this blog during the contest days. All prize drawings are random and all winners will be announced on this blog immediately after the drawing or no later than the day after the drawing was held. Any prizes not picked up within 5 days will be forfeited.
We’ll have a lot of fun during those four days as I will bring you all up-to-date with what is happening in my life. I really promise not to bore you with anything mundane. I’ll be sharing things from Vienna, how my latest books are coming along, excerpts and more. I will also be tweeting all this information so if you haven’t followed me on Twitter, now’s the time to do it.
Can’t wait to see you all hear! Catch you all for the contest!
Lynn
My DH has been gone for a week and every time he leaves, life goes in the crapper. I don't have time to do my work and the rest of my family sucks the life out of me because they can't seem to do anything while he's gone. I always realize just what a good buffer he is but this time I'm really going to suffer. I have a book due that may or may not get done by the end of the month. I have an 18 yo I have to drive to college because he and DH didn't get his driver's license before he left and it takes almost a month to get an appointment.
The oldest is only working part time because he's a surveyor and we live in the worst place in the world right now for construction, Las Vegas. I don't mind helping but they always come to me when my DH is gone. And yes, that is his Dad we're talking about. The DH told me I was much too much of a soft touch. Maybe so but I can't allow anyone to starve. Right now, I'm thinking about going back to school to get a skill in the medical field as it is the only one hiring in this area.
Then I just got a notice from a contest I entered. Close but no cigar. Sigh. It makes me wonder just what I'm doing and if what I've wanted to be all my life is worth it. I started writing when I was 11 years old and sold my first piece at 12. Didn't sell again for many, many years but the fact I did had me jumping for joy. I can understand wondering just why one sits in front of the computer writing as there are days when nothing goes right. Recently, I had someone tell me that everything I wrote was awful and it's almost made me stop writing altogether for a while. I write dirty when I write fast then I clean it up afterwards. I've always been that way as I just have to get it down then rework it. I never thought it was something to worry about until this person made me feel awful.
Add the pirates to this and it makes life horrible in a lot of cases. I don't get as many pirates as most but the ones I do get are totally annoying and without scruples. It makes me wonder just why these people think they are entitled to have things for free. People aren't entitled to anything for free, as someone will have to pay for it somewhere. Life just isn't free at all, in any way, shape or form. I do believe we need to help people when we can but there are just some times we can't. I know most of the very rich don't think about this at all. There are weeks I pray for the lottery and I don't even live in a lottery state.
I read an interview once about Kate Winslet and its stuck in my mind. She had said in this interview that she woke up every day thinking that someone would find out she was a fake, that she couldn't act and didn't deserve the accolades or lucky breaks she'd been given in her life. When I get this low, I think about that often because it makes me realize no matter who you are or what you have, self-doubt is part of life when you're in a creative field. Luckily for me, it doesn't come often but when it does, it's hard and bad. I just stop writing and a part of me dies.
Then something happens. I see a movie or read a book or play on line and I remember I have a story similar to what I've seen or read or done. Maybe, just maybe, someone along the way will like what I wrote and read it. Maybe they won't but surely someone will love the hunky hero or sexy heroine which is out to save the world or kickass or whatever they do in the story. Maybe my story isn't so bad and it will get out there. Just maybe. Yes, I flip-flop through the emotions of the whole thing and slowly but surely, I'll land back on top.
But the journey is incredibly bumpy and long sometimes and sad. But I always get back to where I need to be somehow and it certainly helps to know I am not alone.
Thank you all for being with me on this journey. I do appreciate your support.
Lynn
Happy Saturday everyone! I have an all day writers meeting today which leaves me very little time to put together a huge blog. It’s something called Plotapalooza and you guessed, we have a full day of plotting for us in store. It should be a good day as I always learned something new. I’ll be talking about it in tomorrow’s blog, which brings me to the subject of today’s blog.
As many of you know, I belong to an online writing group called EPIC. The organization has the longest running ebook contest and need judges to fulfill their commitment to that contest. Here’s the plea they put out for judges and contest entries:
EPIC is seeking industry professionals for judges; people who enjoy seeing what mischief their peers have gotten up to this past year. We are seeking judges for all genres from fiction, romance, erotic romance, non-fiction, poetry, to children's and YA. Judging information is available at: http://bit.ly/eBookJudges.
There are lots of great books to be read and new authors to be discovered. Aren't you curious?
EPIC's eBook Awards is open for entries. Interested? The entry rules and guidelines are at http://bit.ly/eBook2011. Entries are accepted until midnight, Aug. 15, 2010.
Please help if you can. This contest is wonderful and I’ve been a finalist in it, which was a wonderful experience.
That’s about all for today! Sorry I couldn’t be more talkative...I’ve been writing...and my brain is mush. Yuppers, you will see some of this in unedited form the moment I turn it all into my publisher.
See ya tomorrow!
Lynn
Help me today to welcome good friend and fellow writer, Celia Jade. We’ve known each other since we met online at eXtasy’s reader yahoogroup. She has some great books and here’s a little about her latest release.
BLURB
Cheryl Parker has come to accept her reserved nature. Her tight ponytail and glasses are not eye candy for the average man, but that’s fine by her. Therefore, she’s taken aback when Matthew Cooper, a hunk of a man, shamelessly propositions her for a no-strings, intimate relationship. What in the world does he see in her?—and more to the point—what can she possibly offer him when he can practically have any beautiful, experienced woman? But she’s tempted beyond reason, and without much thought, she’s swapping her glasses for a pair of contacts…
Excerpt
He came closer and her body stirred in response. “I want to have you over for dinner tomorrow evening. I’ll cook.”
Her eyebrows arched. “You mean, like a date?”
“Yes…and a little more than that.” When she continued staring at him, he added, “An intimate date.”
Several confusing emotions slammed through her. Finally, she leaned forward. “Are you asking me to sleep with you?” she whispered.
“Yes.”
Warm tension curled in the base of her belly and spread to her sex. She pulled her gaze away from him, but he caught her chin, leaving her no choice but to look at him.
“Tell me what you’re thinking.”
She hesitated. “I don’t sleep around,” she replied flatly, with a stab of disappointment.
“I’m not implying that. I’m asking you to share something special with me.”
She frowned. “But we’re not dating…”
Understanding seemed to dawn on him. “Relationships complicate things, Cheryl. Two people can share pleasure without the drama. It’s much easier, trust me.”
“So, just sex?”
His thumb caressed her cheek, sending frissons of pleasure over her skin. “No, because we like each other, too. It’s a bonus.” He traced the line of her bottom lip. “Think about it—no headaches or heartaches. We do as we please without the pressure of rules. Just pure, simple pleasure.”
Her knees went weak and she placed a hand on the book spines. Oh, how tempting…with him…the man who’d invaded her thoughts day and night for so long. Tears of uncertainty pricked her eyes. She made to speak, but he silenced her with his finger on her mouth.
“Don’t respond now. Think about it. Tomorrow, at seven.” He lowered his mouth to her ear. “You know my address.” And he turned around and left without another word.
Cheryl raised a shaky hand to her cheek. Oh my…She glanced around, hoping no one had witnessed this, and started back toward the desk. It was unexpected. Shocking. Wonderful. Naughty. Exciting. Yes, definitely exciting.
Again, I will be checking comments as the monthly blog contest is going on until the end of the month. If anyone sees Author Guy, send him our way as he hasn’t picked up his prize yet.
I'm off to do more writing and editing and submitting!
You all have a great day, see you tomorrow!
Lynn
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