A Sexy Valentine ~ @oddlynn3 #MySexySaturday #Saturday7 #MSSAuthors #LynnCrain

Welcome to week 79th week of My Sexy Saturday. The week’s theme is A Sexy Valentine.  I realize I don’t know what short and sweet means since last week was longer than expected. I apologize but I love to yap a lot and share things with you all. My cold is gone and all I’ve got to say is thank goodness. Now if I can get off this crazy sleeping schedule, I’d be one happy girl. For the moment, I’ve been getting up sometime between 4 and 5:40 am then taking a nap around 9 am when I get tired. At first, I was mad at myself and tried to go back to sleep but when that didn’t work, I decided that I needed to just go and write. So, it’s been a very productive week.

My multi-day post on my Facebook author page where I tell you five things about myself is still going because I just wrote the last post. And hopefully, you’ll love it because you’ll see just how true it is. Yup, I love those shiny new objects then there are the squirrels. Let’s just hope it gets posted this weekend ends. Yes, I know this is something I should have my assistant do and believe me, I will from now on. The giveaway for the $25 Amazon gift card will still take place, so keep those comments coming.

The weather in Austria has been odd again this week, so it definitely matches my temperament. It’s gone from cold to snowy to rainy to sunny and in the 50s. Yes, the weather here is definitely having a problem. I don’t know, maybe it’s having hot flashes too. Did I mention those? Ever since I had to take steroids for my illness a couple of years ago, I’ve had a resurgence of the things. Maybe that’s why there are nights I don’t sleep well and days where it takes me hours to focus. I’ve been told that they never stop and all I can think is heaven help me. Still, I spent most of the week inside since the cold kicked my butt for 7 days and that’s with meds that made me feel better almost immediately. It is what it is.

With the cold totally stopping life as we know it, my new weekly column, My Writing Life, didn’t get started like it was supposed to at all. At least I’ve got it written and scheduled. So look for that on Tuesday. I did mention I’ve been writing more…right? Love those early mornings!

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone and since it’s the theme this week, I had to figure out just what I was going to do. Yeah, you’d think a romance writer of any subgenre would have at least one story about this special day written. Oh, no, not me. Not one shred of this romantic day could be found in any of my books. So, I went digging for something that would be fun and interesting. I thought about putting up something from my book Captive Illusions ~ Iain and Kelsey as it would help celebrate the 50 Shades opening. Then I decided against it because that book really wasn’t my style though all you who are going, please enjoy it as the reviews are coming back surprisingly positive. Personally, I give the credit to the actors myself.

So…what to post…what to post. I finally decide on a story that I hadn’t done in a while, Shopping Spree. It’s a fun, fast little read and it’s one of the books that my traditional epublisher still has on sale. It’s about a very special dress shop and what happens when someone wants to try on the clothes in the buff. Here’s the setup and it is short and sweet:

When Jonas watched a nude woman start to try on clothes in his exclusive women’s boutique, he didn’t know that her next item to try on would be…him.

I love writing short stories and novellas, especially on those days when my own attention span is short. LOL! And apparently, so do a lot of women. From the surveys I’ve seen, it’s mainly those who have a daily commute where they sit on a bus or a train to get to work. The shorter reads can be done either coming or going meaning these things are being devoured by the thousands every day. Now that doesn’t make them any easier to write, just sometimes faster as an author can immediately get a feel for where to start and where to end without a lot of planning. Like many of my books, it can be found at eXtasy Books and it’s in the list below as one of my books they are having a sale on. Enjoy my snippet of seven paragraphs!

            “Really? Hey,” Jonas started to protest but her lips stopped the words. She ran her tongue along his mouth and nipped at his lips before covering them with her own. Her tongue snaked out and began to war with his in a dance as ancient as time.

            “You taste good,” she murmured, looking up at him. Pulling him to her yet again, her limber tongue caressed the inside of his mouth making him wonder what it would feel like on his cock. Reaching down, she ran her fingers along his bulge, grabbing him and pressing into him, making him yearn for so much more.

            “You feel good down there, too,” she said and pushed against him even more, making an already strained situation even more painful.  If he weren't careful, he would lose his load before he even began.

            “Ah, you might want to slow it down a little…I don’t even…” He groaned as she pulled his shirt from his pants and snaked her hands up his bare chest to tweak his nipples. God, this feels so good, he thought as he arched into her hands, allowing them to continue their play.

            Leisurely, as if it were an erotic dance, she began to unbutton his shirt, placing light kisses along the way. At his nipples, she stopped and sucked until they were hot, tight peaks before continuing down his body. Laving his belly button, she got on her knees and looked up at him, going even further, gently biting the front of his crotch.

             “My, my, what do we have here?” she asked in that seductive whisper he realized was all hers and hers alone. She continued to massage the bulge in the front of his pants as it continued to grow. Reaching up, she began to unbuckle his belt. “It’s so nice to see a man with a belt nowadays. Most of them have those funky sports shorts. Nothing erotic about taking those off at all.”

            Did she just say funky? he wondered as he watched her, helpless as she played his body to perfection.

Like I mentioned before, my traditional ePublisher, eXtasy Books, is currently having a $0.99 sale on some of my books. Today’s snippet selection is one of those. If you’ve never read any of my stories, now’s the time to get them at a great discount and see if I write stories you like. Pick up your copies today!

The Thing About Elves ~ Book 2 in the Santa’s Elves series

The Haunting of Maggie Grey ~ Award-winning Scottish Historical about a woman doctor

Iain and Kelsey ~ Story about a woman’s darkest fantasy

Fluke ~ Book 1 of the Orchid series, sci-fi romance

An Elf’s Desire ~ Book 3 in the Santa’s Elves series

A Love for Eggther ~ Book 3.5 in the Santa’s Elves series

Shopping Spree ~ Story about a very special dress shop

Don’t forget to visit all the great authors from the My Sexy Saturday weekly blog hop listed below. They have even more amazing and sexy snippets to share.

Have a great weekend...see you next week with another My Sexy Saturday edition!

Lynn 

Our Sexy Love ~ @oddlynn3 #MySexySaturday #LynnCrain

Welcome to week 53 at My Sexy Saturday and this week’s theme is our sexy love. I can honestly say that I had no sexy love for Vienna this week. The humidity was oppressive and within moments of me stepping outside, I was a wet noodle. These are the days that I love to write and look at the world from my 5^th floor flat.

Never mind that we had thunderstorms all week that made Pup Harry hide in the closet for hours at a time. I felt sorry for the little dog because there were a couple days that the internet was off and while we could distract ourselves, he couldn’t at all. The thunder was loud and the lightning cracking every few seconds. Still, he turned three on August 1^st and was a very happy dog from all the attention.

How’s it been going in your neck of the woods? And don’t forget that every comment you make this month will be entered into my monthly contest for a $20 gift certificate. And believe me, you’ll have plenty of opportunity.

Like I said the theme this week for My Sexy Saturday is our sexy love. Now, I’ve had a lot of stories with sexy love. Here’s the set up for this week’s story, Shopping Spree: When Jonas watched a nude woman start to try on clothes in his exclusive women’s boutique, he didn’t know that her next item to try on would be…him. And here’s my sexy seven paragraphs from this short novella. You can get it here at eXtasy Books. You can pick up your copy today for just $0.99…it’s an excellent way to try me out!

“You didn’t answer me. You do own the shop…right?” She stood there patiently, arms at her side.

Jonas just couldn’t move, not sure what to say. It had been a while since a beautiful woman stood before him so scantily clad. “Umm…yes, I own the shop…why do you ask?”

She smiled slowly then, seductively. “Well…I just didn’t want to do this to just anyone…you know.”

He didn’t have to wait long for ‘this’ as she crossed the short distance between them, the silk fluttering from the movement, as she pushed herself on to him.

“I saw you when I came in and decided that I just had to have you. But a girl has a certain criteria, you know?” Running her hands up his chest, she reached his neck and pulled him forward.

“Really? Hey,” Jonas started to protest but her lips stopped the words. She ran her tongue along his mouth and nipped at his lips before covering them with her own. Her tongue snaked out and began to war with his in a dance as ancient as time.

“You taste good,” she murmured, looking up at him. Pulling him to her yet again, her limber tongue caressed the inside of his mouth making him wonder what it would feel like on his cock. Reaching down, she ran her fingers along his bulge, grabbing him and pressing into him, making him yearn for so much more.

Don’t forget to visit all the great authors from the My Sexy Saturday weekly blog hop listed below. They have more amazing and sexy snippets to share.

Have a great weekend...see you next week!

Lynn 

Loving the Scotsman ~ @oddlynn3 #MySexySaturday #MSSWeek26 #Saturday7 #LynnCrain

It’s week 26 at My Sexy Saturday and welcome to one of the sexiest Saturdays ever.

I’m with My Sexy Saturday and it is a weekly blog hop where authors share sexy snippets of their books with 7 words, 7 sentences or 7 paragraphs. Each week we entertain you through our snippets that we post. This is for you, our readers, as we value and appreciate each one of you.

This week we’re still in my fabulous story Loving the Scotsman. We’ve progressed to Chapter 3 and after a hot, sizzling Chapter 2 is it any wonder that they’ve made love. This is a story told in 1st person POV from both the heroine and hero as all the books in the series will be. It’s a unique approach, and I love it! Here’s the rehash on Loving the Scotsman is this: the lovers are being drawn together after 15 years apart. Here are my sexy 7 sentences for the week. Enjoy!

I laughed. "Is that what you're calling it now? A heated negotiation? Must be a new phrase in lawyer speak."

She frowned then gave a grimace. "I really don't think this is the time or place to talk about my private conversation. Do you know how thick your accent gets when we're…we're having…you know, sex? Your eyes…your eyes get so dark…and —”

Please visit all the great authors from My Sexy Saturday weekly blog hop listed below. Have a great weekend...see you next week!

Lynn 

My Sexy Saturday ~ The View From Santa’s Sleigh ~ @oddlynn3 #MySexySaturday

Hi all!

Welcome to the first My Sexy Saturday blog hop! Hope you enjoy what we all have to offer.

Today, I’ll be starting on my elf series aptly called Santa’s Elves. I realized early in that even though the stories started with a Christmas theme, overall, they’ve gone away from there. There are eight books so far in this series with two more to be released. It’s been called the ‘sweetest erotic romance’ by one reviewer who gave it 5 stars.

Here’s my seven paragraphs from Chapter 1 of The View From Santa’s Sleigh.

The arm tightened on her again and she moved the blanket slightly so she could see who shared the bed with her. A muscular arm dotted with a sprinkling of light amber hair was the first thing she saw. Pulling a little more on the cover, she exposed a wide chest with just a smattering of even darker hair. But the blanket still covered the man’s face, and she needed to see that face to understand why she was here. She never went to bed with strange men, but somehow this man didn’t seem like a stranger to her.

Tugging ever so gently, she removed the cover from the head resting on the pillow next to her. Oh, Lord, she’d died and gone to heaven.

Stunned, she sat there and tried to put some perspective on what she saw.

The last she remembered, Jason Howell had dumped her...well, not really dumped her…she was never his girlfriend anyway. That, added to the fact she hadn’t even slept with him, made her pretty sure he only qualified as a friend. What was up with that? Never in her life had she had a boyfriend who didn’t touch her. That should have been her first clue.

But the man who lay beside her was nothing like the one in Reno. He was downright gorgeous. His amber hair, hanging in lush waves to almost his shoulders, made her want to run her fingers through it. His long limbs held just a touch of muscle and bulged in all the right places. A five o’clock shadow gave him that scruffy look she loved so much on a face with deep-set eyes and smooth lines. She tried to imagine what his eyes looked like when something caught her attention…his ears.

Oh, my God, Tessa thought, he has pointy ears. Leaning over him, she ever so lightly ran her fingertips over the cartilage protrusions. They felt soft and warm to the touch. She could really get into this. She jerked her hand back immediately when he began to stir. Waiting for a few moments, she reached out again to touch the luscious points when a hand caught her wrist.

“Do you know what that does to a man? A full grown elf-man?” the deep voice said sleepily.

I hope you liked a glimpse of my book The View From Santa’s Sleigh. It’s available from eXtasy Books.

Now that you’ve seen what I have to offer, please go check out all the wonderful authors listed below today for My Sexy Saturday. Thanks and see you all next week!

Lynn

Changing Things Up

I have been looking at other people’s websites and blogs for a long, long time. After months of deliberation, I am changing the look of everything. That means my website will be updated with a new look and some graphics as well as this blog.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I love this sexy, sexy picture on this blog. But I want – no need – it to reflect me and how I think. I don’t know anything about programming, nor do I really want to any more. I mean, yeah, over twenty years ago, I started as a hacker and moved up to what they called a power user. A power user is similar to today’s beta testers. I knew a little about programming and a little about testing. I could wing my way through minor corrections and understand what I was seeing. My real talents, even now, consist of the fact I can break anything and I see the big picture.

The big picture this time is me and my web presence. I want something people enjoy coming to and seeing. After a full month of promoting and writing every day on this blog, interest has waned. I can take it a couple of ways: 1) I’m not writing things which are really that interesting, which means I need to change it up and 2) my blog and websites are ugly. My personal opinion is that they are a little of both.

For right now, I’ve looked at the fact that I love what I’ve seen on Wordpress but I’m basically a lazy person and don’t want to change what I have. This means I have to get someone or myself to do something in blogger similar to Wordpress and incorporate everything I want in it. I also would love everything to match my website, blogger, twitter, MySpace, Facebook and any other social network I belong to at the moment. I belong to a few more but someone else owns them and I can’t change them at all.

All in all, this is a big dilemma for me as change is hard on anyone let along a writer. So today, I took one of my lesser known blogs and looked into the new templates Blogger has. All I can say is OMG! I don’t know what I was waiting for as far as that goes. Wait a minute, I know exactly what I was waiting for, time...I wanted a day to devote to playing with it...but I decided when I lost twenty pounds I would revamp my weight loss blog. You can go see it at http://journeyfromfat2fit.blogspot.com/ and I really shouldn’t say new. I’ve had the darn thing for almost three years as I try to win this battle. I might just do it this time...nope, wrong thing to say...I WILL make it this time.

So, let me ask you all a few questions: do you like erotic romance blogs to be plain? Do you like them with people? Or do you just want them to look nice and don’t care about the other graphics? See, I’m a widget gal and I just love the widgets on other people’s blogs. I’ve seen one with book covers and release dates, I’ve seen them where they track all my work-in-progress so you all know exactly where I’m at. What do you think would be cool in a blog?

Let me know...see you all tomorrow! And don’t forget to tell me about the new blog...I’d love your opinion!

Lynn

An Interview with Anne Douglas

I’d like you to help me welcome the wonderful Anne Douglas. I’ve worked with Anne in a writing group called EPIC. She’s a fantastic author and a more wonderful person who is generous and kind. She also knows more about Google documents than anyone I know.

Welcome to XtraOrdinary Romance, Anne!

At what age did you realize you wanted to be a writer?

Writing is something relatively new for me. I really wanted to be an artist…I even did a year at art school and all. Oh, and for some strange reason I wanted to learn how to read Hebrew. I still haven’t quite figured where that came from. But somewhere around 2004 I found erotic romance. Ellora’s Cave to be exact from the back of one of their print books, and from there Loose Id, Samhain, LSB etc. It wasn’t until late 2005/early 2006 that at the ribbing of some girlfriends that I sat down in front of the computer and attempted to write a story myself. That first story was an amalgam of all the things I wanted in a story – ménage, plus sized heroine, mmf rather than mf etc.

What has been your biggest influence on becoming a writer?

On becoming a writer? My wonderful editor Barbara at LI. Seriously, I am no grammar maven, and she’s been there to set me straight, offer critique on storylines, and make my stories better. I have some great CP’s that are more than happy to tell me where I went wrong – that’s a necessary too.

How did you feel when you got your first publishing contract?

Disbelief . Seriously.

Don’t get me wrong, I hollered and screamed with the best of them, but it took 3-4 more emails back and forth to Loose Id before I really believed it. I mean one month of writing, going over it for a couple of weeks of tweaking and then emailing it off with a wing and a prayer after studying half a dozen submission letter examples? Yeah, I was so going to get anything more than a belly laugh and a ‘thanks, but no thanks’ letter back. I was supposed to spend years and years slaving over manuscripts and refining my ‘craft’…not a month tapping away at the keyboard and a quick acceptance! (Don’t worry, that second story… well, I think the universal reply was ‘it sucks’  :-) )

How many novellas/novels have you published to date? When did you have your first sale?

My first sale was early 2006, and Persuading Jo released in July 2006. Since then I’ve had published 10 other short stories, novella and short novels. (I won’t list them all, you can find the pretty covers here: http://annedouglas.com/blog/?page_id=5 )

Tell me about your latest release. Please include if it is part of a series or a standalone book.

My latest release was quite literally yesterday!! Yes, His Intimate Submission (the follow on story from Curious Intimacies) released at Ellora’s Cave December 16th. Curious Intimacies was all about exploring through sex, but His Intimate Submission takes things a little further. No threesome this time, instead a flip to female domination with a little fetish thrown in for good measure.

The blurb:

Months ago, on a hot Florida night, three friends explored one another. It’d been good enough that they’d explored together some more.

But while the sex is as amazing as ever between the couple, Jason’s shutting Lucy out of the everyday things. He’s searching. Lucy doesn’t know what Jason is seeking, but she’s scared that might mean leaving her behind. It’s time for her to pull up her big girl panties and figure out what’s wrong before things go really bad.

Jason surprises her—he’s not cheating and he’s not about to leave her, but he has an overwhelming desire he’s worried to admit. Lucy will have to demand her lover’s intimate submission to set them back on the path to happiness.

What was your inspiration for this book?

I’d originally written Curious Intimacies for another publishers call for ‘summer’ – or partly written at least. I just couldn’t turn it into a romance so it petered out and I started on something different (which turned into Red Skirt, Cool Fountain…eventually). I kept going back to the first story and I finally hit on what was wrong, I was writing erotica but trying to make it romance. Ding ding ding, score one for Anne! LOL

When I got to the end of CI (only a short story) I wanted more for those characters, and at the end of CI the character Jason was heading somewhere quite different than I’d expected. There had been two tops in CI, and Jason wasn’t one of them. After that I had the burning need to write a story where the woman was dominant - and one that didn’t involve heavy BDSM and all that comes with.

How do you categorize yourself: pantser or plotter?

I used to be purely pantser, now I usually work with an expanded synopsis. Basically it helps me from waffling like I do in real life :-). But it also means I can make up what happens between those major plot points, so I get a happy medium. I don’t usually use plot boards or cards unless I get real stumped and have to get inventive: http://annedouglas.blogspot.com/2008/07/when-authours-get-desperate.html

How do you handle the editing/revision process?

I revise somewhat as I write. Usually I read back the last 500 or so words before I pick up and start with the next, that way I catch many of the typos and half-baked sentences. After the first draft is finished I print off a copy and edit by hand, then enter those edits on the document, then another read through again. I’ve just added moving the manuscript to my Sony Reader for a read through. The change of venue makes a huge difference at catching dead/needs reworking areas.

You’ve received some fantastic reviews...how do you feel about them and why?

I feel kind of awed to know people have read and like my book enough to write it a review. Good reviews are an ego boost for sure, but strangely, it’s the bad ones that usually do me the most good as they give me places to look at for improvement.

Share a little bit of the ‘real’ you with our readers. What do you do besides writing? Any hobbies? Dark secrets?

I like to think I’m a bit of a crafty person – that art school stuff coming out :-) - I also run Anne’s Addictions on Etsy.com where I sell covers for Sony eBook Readers. Before I started writing I was designing and selling children’s clothes on eBay and Anne’s Addictions is way of me combining my love of fabric and my tech whoreishness…and to reduce my stash of fabric (quite a considerable pile) out in the garage!

How much of yourself can we find in one of these books? Do you ever make yourself a character?

While you won’t find ‘me’ as a character, I think there’s a little of me in all my books – turns of phrase or some of the silly situations that you’ll find. The ironic sarcasm? That’s all me :-). I have written someone I know into a book though. I mentioned Kelvin Jones in Tea for Three (set back home in NZ), we’ve since lost him, but indeed he really was an actor in the area Tea for Three is set in.

Is writing a lonely career for you?

I do find it so at times, but at the same time I really don’t mind being by myself. After all, friends are only a phone call away. I think it’s more that I get bored, then I start wandering, then…well, then nothing gets done.

What does your significant other think about your writing?

Apparently, when I write a scifi or fantasy epic with lesbian protagonists he’s going to be the first one to read it. Until then I’ll have to live with the faint praise after being forced to read 2 chapters of “Hey, this really isn’t too bad”, the astounded surprise of ‘wow, people really pirate your books?!’ on finding a listing at bitorrent and ‘when does that royalties cheque arrive again?

What’s the first thing that comes to you: the story, the setting or the characters.

Actually, it’s often the title. Then from the title comes a snippet of how the story starts. From there the characters.

Is there a message you want the readers to take from this book?

That exploring your sexuality is a good thing. But sometimes, things just don’t go the way you planned, and that’s perfectly fine because mistakes can be good things. I also hope I show that contrary to much out there that is labeled FemDom it doesn’t have to be about humiliation, and that a strong man’s submission is a beautiful thing.

Do comments or letters you receive from fans and other writers influence you in any way?

Being that I’ve written a number of Polyamory stories, I often hear how they (ménage/poly stories) are pure fantasy, unrealistic or idealistic. Many stories are impossible set ups, it’s fiction; we’re allowed to do that. But now and then I get an email from someone you might least expect which makes me outrageously happy – like the guy who just wanted to say thanks for writing a bisexual male who was uneasy and unsure about his sexuality. It made the story so much more real for him because the people were human. Those emails don’t influence me so much as reassure me that’s it’s okay to write all variants of male, not just the alpha male who is so popular. Yes, I have a soft spot for geeks and beta males :-)

Where can readers find out more about you and your work?

http://AnneDouglas.com/blog

http://Twitter.com/annedouglas

http://www.etsy.com/shop/annesaddictions

www.Loose-id.com 

www.Ellorascave.com 

Anne’s BIO: Anne started writing sexy romance stories in 2006 on the advice of her girlfriends who declared, “You’ve read so much of that stuff you should be able to write it in your sleep!”

Turns out it wasn’t such a bad idea.

Not one to be shy, she jumped into the publishing pool with both feet and is now multi-published, as well as award nominated.

She’s a transplant, like most of the rest of Florida, although she came to the Sunshine Peninsular via Auckland, New Zealand.

No, she doesn’t know why she moved from such a lovely country (although her husband might have had something to do with it); no, she doesn’t know any hobbits, nor any orcs; and yes, her accent is kinda sexy!

She has an Eppie Finalist certificate hanging on her office wall, as well as top ten nominations in the Preditors and Editors yearly polls.

Thanks for taking part in my 2 for Thursday promotion, Anne. I’ve really enjoyed learning more about you and your writing!

Lynn

An Interview With Jojo Brown

Welcome to today’s second interview with the wonderful Jojo Brown. Help me in welcoming her to XtraOrdinary Romance. Welcome Jojo!

At what age did you realize you wanted to be a writer?

I am sure if you asked my mother she would tell you that I was born with a pencil in my hand and a story on my lips. LOL The first true memory I have of thinking this was where I belonged I was around nine years old. I wrote a story about my dad for a contest, illustrated with a drawing of him sitting with his feet up, big hole in his sock reading the paper. I don’t remember what I wrote, but I do remember how it felt to do the writing as well as the sense of achievement when I finished. Also, I was pretty tickled when I won the contest. I thought at the time how lucky those mystical creatures known as author must be.

What has been your biggest influence on becoming a writer?

People. People’s reaction to what I’ve written. First and foremost my oldest friend, Janet. Even as children she always raved about anything I wrote, even if it was just a note. She told me that I HAD to do something with it because she loved the way I used words, plus she’d be really angry if I wasted it. She passed away this year, but I still think of what she would think of anything I write. My next biggest influence would be my mom. Over the years I have written many short stories and poems for her, I love it when something I write brings a tear to her eye. She reads just about everything I write before it even goes to an editor. She’s a great beta reader.

How did you feel when you got your first publishing contract?

Ecstatic! I carried that contract around with me for ages. I showed it to anyone that I could pin down for more than five minutes. I am sure everyone in my small town knew that I had a contract, within days.

How many novellas/novels have you published to date? When did you have your first sale?

I have thirteen books available right now as well as stories in two of eXtasy’s anthologies. My first was A Risk Worth Taking. I signed the contract for that one back in September 2004. The first royalty payment a couple months later wasn’t a great amount, but I felt like I had just won the lottery.

Tell me about your latest release. Please include if it is part of a series or a standalone book.

My latest release is Cuban Matings. It’s a standalone book. In this story you will meet Max and Anna, best friends and co-workers. Max convinces Anna to join him on a two week Cuban vacation after she survives a terrible marriage and equally hard divorce. Outlandishly flamboyant, gay, Max and insecure Anna are both searching, but for totally different things. Max plans to follow his very active gaydar and bed as many hot Cubans and tanned tourists as he can find. While, Anna hopes to find herself out among the swaying palms and shifting sands. When she meets Dimitri on her balcony it’s possible that she might even find love.

What was your inspiration for this book?

Believe it or not it came from a conversation I overheard between my 22-year-old daughter and her best friend. He was trying his best to convince her to go on a ‘Rainbow Cruise’. He finally settled for her accompanying him to gay pride day in Toronto. I just starting thinking how much fun their sort of couple could have on holiday.

How do you categorize yourself: pantser or plotter?

I think I am a little bit of both. When I start a new story I sit down and write out a loose plot. Then as I get into the story there is lots of flying by the seat of my pants. Nine times out of ten the story heads off in a totally unexpected direction. But, I think that’s all part of the thrill of writing.

How do you handle the editing/revision process?

I actually enjoy the process. When I receive edits from the editor, the first thing I do is scan through quickly to see how much red there is. Then I glue my butt to the seat and slog through one sentence at a time. Sometimes I don’t agree with the changes they suggest, but I always try to work with them to make the story as good as possible.

You’ve received some fantastic reviews...how do you feel about them and why?

Thrilled! That doesn’t even seem to be a big enough word to express how I feel. To know that the words that I wrote, words that came together from my imagination to make a story touched another human being is the most amazing sensation I can think of. When it causes the emotional reaction that I hoped for, it is absolutely the most amazing feeling I can think of.

Did anything odd happen while you were researching this story?

Not really odd, no. Something nice happened. I got to know one of my fellow eXtasy authors a bit better. Annie Alvarez helped me with some of the translations and since she is of Cuban descent she was a wonderful source of information.

Share a little bit of the ‘real’ you with our readers. What do you do besides writing? Any hobbies? Dark secrets?

Is there anything other than writing? No, I’m only joking! I enjoy knitting and crocheting. I knit a lot of hats, mitts and scarves for the local Christmas hampers every year. I also draw, dabble in painting and sew. This year I’ve been busy designing and making the costumes for our float in the Santa Claus parade in town.

The only dark secret I can think of isn’t really much of a secret… I live in a haunted house. Our one constant presence is an old man who inhabits the stairs and landing upstairs. The others come and go.

Did someone ever give you a great piece of advice along the way? What was it?

Yes. “Don’t think too hard…you can do it!” I don’t remember who said or where I read it, though. But it affected me so deeply, I wrote it on a card and pinned it to the corkboard over my desk. Whenever I find I am stuck, I look up and read it again. It really does help.

Is your family a constant source of interruption when you’re writing or are there ground rules?

My family is great! If they do have to interrupt me, they poke their head in and ask quietly if I am on a roll. If I don’t answer them right away they know the answer is yes and go away. They only truly interrupt if it is very important.

What is the biggest piece of your advice you can give a beginning writer?

If the first thing you think of when you wake up in the morning is your story, you are a writer! Stick with it. Don’t let rejections get you down; they are part of the process. And keep a pen and paper with you at all times, you never know when an idea for a story will come to you. I also have a handheld tape recorder by my bed for those middle of the night flashes of inspiration.

Do your characters take over the story?

Absolutely! It’s like they stand behind me and read over my shoulder. All the time they whisper (or shout) in my ear what they want to say. These are not my stories they are theirs, so it makes sense that they’d know it better than me. If I try to ignore them and write it the way I want to, it just doesn’t work. I’ve fallen into long times of writer’s block because of that stubbornness, before.

Jojo’s Bio: “We all have fantasies, I just write them out!”  Jojo was born in London, England in 1961 and brought to Ontario, Canada at the age of three. She has been an army wife, in Oromocto, New Brunswick, during her first marriage. She’s also been a farm girl all over southern Ontario, a waitress, seamstress, party planner, wedding coordinator and videographer, personal care worker and costume designer. Now happily settled with husband number two and three daughters, she enjoys the small town life. With so much quiet time to devote to her writing, she lets the muses take her where they may.

Places where Jojo Brown can be found:

YAHOO ID: jojobrown_can

WEBPAGE: http://www.jojobrown.webs.com/  

AMAZON: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B002DEZHKY

BLOG: http://www.jojo-brown.blogspot.com/

TWITTER: http://twitter.com/eXtasyJojoBrown

FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1565534427&ref=name  

MYSPACE: http://www.myspace.com/jojosramblings

Thanks for being part of my 2 for Thursday promotion, Jojo! I really enjoyed it!

See you all next week!

Lynn

An Interview with Stephani Hecht

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Hope you all are having a great turkey day! Today I only have one author for our 2 for Thursday promotion as the other is MIA. Sorry, everyone but it does happen sometimes. But today we have the wonderful Stephani Hecht. And I hope you will help me welcome her to XtraOrdinary Romance. Welcome Stephanie!

At what age did you realize you wanted to be a writer?

As far back as I can remember, I always dreamed of being a writer. I think it may have been the first “chapter “ book that I read as a child that really put the spark in me though. It was Charlotte’s Web and to this day I still love it.

What has been your biggest influence on becoming a writer?

I think it would have to be some of the teachers I was blessed with in middle and high school. They were the ones who taught me to love a story. By that I mean, fall in love with the beginning, savor the middle and treasure the end of a book.

How did you feel when you got your first publishing contract?

It was amazing and surreal. I still sometimes expect someone to come up and tell me it was all a mistake and that my dream isn’t really happening. *G*

How many novellas/novels have you published to date? When did you have your first sale?

I’ve had twenty-eight novellas/novels published to date. (Wow, I didn’t realize it was that many until I went and actually counted. Boy, has time flown.) I was first published in 2007 at the now defunct, StarDust Press.

Tell me about your latest release. Please include if it is part of a series or a standalone book. 

I had Angelic Rapture, Book Ten of the Archangel Series, come out on November 15th. Next up will be A Cherished Christmas on December 1st, it will be a short story that has some of the Drone Vampire Chronicles characters in it. Then on December 15th, will be Feral Desires, Book Two of the Lost Shifter Series.

What was your inspiration for this book?

All of the characters in these stories started off as secondary characters in other books and they developed such strong personalities that I had to spend more time with them. So I guess you could say they were the inspiration.

How do you categorize yourself: pantser or plotter?

Pantser all the way! I never know where my story will take me.

How do you handle the editing/revision process?

Just like how you would go about eating an elephant…one bite at a time. I know, it’s a cheesy statement, but it is so true with so many things in life. When I start writing a book, I do the first draft then I go back several times, editing and revising, each time adding more layers to the story and making it richer.

You’re received some fantastic reviews...how do you feel about them and why?

I love it when I see someone has enjoyed my books. What writer wouldn’t? The real thrill is when the reviewer says my book touched them on an emotional level. Then I know I did my job right.

Did anything odd happen while you were researching this story?

For the Lost Shifter Series I did a ton of research on feline breeds and my eight-year old daughter helped. She’s a huge animal fan and just loves to look up stuff on the internet. When she finally saw my cover for Primal Passions, she was so thrilled and wanted to know if eXtasy was ever going to do a cartoon of the series.

What’s your nickname?

Oh boy, now this is really embarrassing. I have an aunt who likes to make up really strange nicknames. Mine was…I kid you not…Sneezledorf. To this day she still calls me it!

How long does it take you to complete a project?

It depends on the book, but I usually write 3-5K a day. If I’m feeling really froggy though, I can finish a novella in a weekend. Of course by the end, I’m babbling to myself and given to bouts of crying, but who says writing is glamorous?

Is your family a constant source of interruption when you’re writing or are there ground rules?

They know when Mom is doing edits to run and duck for cover. How I generally handle it is I put my earbuds in and listen to music. That drowns out most of the yelling and crying. That still doesn’t stop my daughter from coming up and putting her head in front of the monitor so I have to pay attention to her, though.

What is your favorite genre to write in?

I adore writing paranormal and I really love writing M/M. It’s a thrill to bring to hot, alpha males together and watch the sparks fly.

What is your most favorite thing to do?

I live to watch my daughter dance and my son ski. I have always enjoyed watching all forms of dance and I get such a kick out of seeing my daughter perform. With my son, it always amazes me to watch him go through the gates of the ski slope since I can’t even do a proper snow plow.

Stephanie’s Bio: Stephani Hecht is a happily married mother of two. You can usually find her snuggled up to her laptop, creating her next book.

Where can readers find out more about you and your work? (List them all.)

http://www.stephanihecht.com/  

http://www.myspace.com/stephanihecht

http://www.extasybooks.com/

She loves to hear from her fans at: archangelwriter@yahoo.com

Stephanie, thanks for taking part in my 2 for Thursday promotion. I really enjoyed having you here!


Lynn

Interview with Annie Alvarez

Everyone please help me in welcoming Annie Alvarez to XtraOrdinary Romance.

Annie is a relative newcomer to the scene but I find her stories utterly fascinating and I hope you will as well.

Welcome Annie!

At what age did you realize you wanted to be a writer?

I've always fiddled around with writing but it wasn’t until I turned the ripe age of 40 that I started getting serious about it. Call it my mid-life crisis.

What has been your biggest influence on becoming a writer?

Giving something to the lesbian community. Let’s face it the straight world has a ton of wonderful movies, books and what-not’s but lesbian really don’t have a role model, per se. Bella’s got Edward, Sookie has Bill, and now Izzy has Tamara.

How did you feel when you got your first publishing contract?

Oh my god, I just about fell out of my chair! I couldn’t believe it when I got the email from eXtasy’s EIC saying they would take my book.

How many novellas/novels have you published to date? When did you have your first sale? 

To date, I have 3, For the Love of Blood, Cheating Death and Dying to Live.

My first book, For the Love of Blood was published on April fool’s day 2009. Pretty cool isn’t it?

Tell me about your latest release. Please include if it is part of a series or a stand alone book.

Well, my latest release is, Dying to Live, book 3 of the Hightower series and it’s all about Izzy helping Tamara deal with becoming human again. And no, it’s not that simple, you see, in becoming human, Tamara is dying and Izzy must find a way to save her while dealing with the vixen, Celeste. Lustful Torment, book 4 is all in Tamara’s point-of-view so we get to see things from a different angle on that on. What was your inspiration for this book?

To give our community a vampire heroine to call their own. Kim Harrison has Rachael and Ivy. Jasmine Galenorn has Menolly. Underworld has Selena. Now we have Izzy and Tamara.

How do you categorize yourself: pantser or plotter?

Definitely the pantser! I get an idea and run with it. I run hard too, letting nothing get in my way of the ultimate goal- a fantastic story! If I start the whole planning process, I get too involved with the what-ifs and never get around to writing my stories.

How do you handle the editing/revision process?

I love it! Tex is a wonderful editor and makes the whole editing/revision process painless. He always has wonderful suggestions and is a charm to work with. I couldn’t ask for a better editor!

You’re received some fantastic reviews...how do you feel about them and why?

I couldn’t be happier. I think they hit dead-on considering that I’m still technically a new writer. I’m hoping that as time goes by and I get better that my reviews will get better too. It takes time and patience to get where I want to be, but it will happen.

Did anything odd happen while you were researching this story?

Funny you should ask that. Let me start by saying that my life is odd to begin with but yeah, things have gotten even stranger. I’ve had a few strangers randomly ask me if I believe that vampires exist or mention that erotica is a hot subject right now and carry on full conversations at the checkout line about this. Strange…

Do your characters take over the story?

Absolutely! I basically let my character have full reign and they’re not shy, they take it believe me. Sometimes, it’s Izzy screaming the loudest in my head, sometimes it’s Tamara that takes over and before I know it, I’m writing out a scene for her that should have been Izzy’s.

How much of yourself can we find in one of these books? Do you every make yourself a character?

My partner once said that there is a little bit of me in all my characters but that I resemble Tamara the best. Maybe it’s my charming personality or my sinister sarcasm. Either way, Tamara and I do have a lot in common, for instance, we both love black biker boots. :-)

Is humor important in today’s women’s fiction?

Of course. Let’s face it, life is too serious as it is and just because someone writes an erotica or a romance book doesn’t mean that you can’t be real about it. People say funny things, we think funny things, hell, sometimes we even do funny things in the middle of a crisis. I once heard about a friend having a major argument with her husband and she dropped her pants and told him to talk to her cheeks. That’s funny! So yes, humor is very important. :-)

Are love scenes difficult or easy for you to write? Why?

Both. The basic premise of a love scene is always the same, person A meets person B, and sparks fly. What’s difficult is writing it in such a way to entice the reader. What if person B, has other plans for person A? What if, it’s not as simple as sparks fly when they meet? Now you’ve got something different to offer the reader.

What is the biggest piece of your advice you can give a beginning writer?

Don’t ever, ever give up! I sent my first book out to a plethora of publishing houses and when I did get a response back, it was the standard, no thank you. I did this for 2 years, finally got tired of the rejection and packed everything up. Yes, I gave up on it. One day, while surfing the internet, I found this one publishing house I had never heard of and guess what? They took my story and ran with it. Now I have three published eBooks, and I’m working on my fourth. So again I say, don’t ever give up. If one publisher doesn’t like your book, try another, have faith in yourself.

Annie’s Bio: I live in Texas with my partner of 12 years. I never really understood why biographies are so serious, after all, it is about getting to know the author better, isn’t it?

I started writing a few years ago, and have had all of my friends read everything I write. Some stories are good, and some deserved what I call the file 13 (a really big Texas size shredder!) I finally found a niche that I do well in…erotica. I figured this out when I would send copies of a rough draft home with friends, and they would return it with missing pages. Yes, it took me a while to get it- my girlfriend says I'm a little dense.

I have two published books, For The Love Of Blood and Cheating Death, both are part of The Hightower Series I'm working on and Sessions is at the publishers waiting for its debut. I’m hoping that you like my style enough to keep reading. I love writing lesbian erotica because I am a lesbian, and because my mind has its own way of working, I occasionally write about… straight sex. And yes, I need to seek outside help when I write about guys. Yeah, yeah, it’s been that long and don’t give me the, it’s like riding a bike. Bike’s have a nice cushy seat on them!!

I hope to see more of you at the bookstore.

You can find Annie at:

http://www.anniealvarez.net/

http://www.extasybooks.com/

Amazon

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/

http://www.goodreads.com/

http://www.hs.facebook.com/AnnieAlvarez

http://www.myspace.com/anniesreality

http://coffeetimeromance.com/board

Thank you, Lynn! It’s been fun. We’ll have to do this again soon.

You are so very welcome, Annie! I really enjoyed it!

Readers, don't forget to get your name in the hat for a free ebook from Annie by commenting. One winner will be announced next week.

Have a great week everyone!


Lynn

An Interview With Halloween Hooligan, Jambrea Jones!

Welcome Readers and Writers!

I’m here today with one of eXtasy Books Halloween Hooligan’s author Jambrea Jones.

It’s great to have your here, Jambrea.

At what age did you realize you wanted to be a writer?

I was about ten or eleven.

What has been your biggest influence on becoming a writer?

Just reading. I’ve always had a pretty active imagination and while I read I thought, ‘I could do this.’

How did you feel when you got your first publishing contract?

OMG! I was a screaming mess. Lol We were on vacation when I got my first yes, followed by my first no. lol So it was a very up and down moment. I know I cried.

How many novellas/novels have you published to date? When did you have your first sale?

I have three published to date with one release a month until the end of the year. My first sale was 8/23/2008. Wow, that really isn’t that long ago. LOL! It feels like forever.

Tell me about your upcoming release. Please include if it is part of a series or a stand alone book.

My next release is with eXtasy and it is called Unseen Path. It is book one in my Silar series and will be released Oct. 31st.

What was your inspiration for this book?

I entered a Halloween contest last year on the Seven Wicked Writers blog. I was one of the finalists and was offered a contract. At the time, I only had to write 500 words so I really had to think about what I wanted to do.

How do you categorize yourself: pantser or plotter?

A pantser all the way.

How do you handle the editing/revision process?

I LOVE editing. I am someone who thinks edits only make my baby better.

You’re received some fantastic reviews...how do you feel about them and why?

I love reviews. I was a reviewer myself and realize that reviews are only one person’s opinion. I’ll take the good with the bad. I’ve been very fortunate so far, for sure. I know I’ll cry at my first bad review, but I’ll pick myself up, re read the review and see if there is something can do to make my writing stronger.

Did anything odd happen while you were researching this story?

Not really. It would have been cool if it did though because it IS a Halloween story.

Do comments or letters you receive from fans and other writers influence you in any way?

Always. If they have a suggestion to make me a better writer, I take it. I have one person, Rhonda, who tells me to write longer..so I’m trying. LOL! She tells me it is because she always wants more. She also has a couple she really likes, so I’m going to try to do more with them. Of course, I know you can’t please everyone, but If I can use the idea or it helps, you’d better believe I’ll let it influence me. I have someone, who is now a friend, T, who wants a story line written, so I’m going to try and work on that for her. We’ll see how that one goes. LOL!

Is your family a constant source of interruption when you’re writing or are there ground rules?

I should have ground rules, but I don’t. My five year old comes first. I usually always have a story open on my computer, but if he needs something, I take care of it. I try to do my writing when he is asleep.

Is humor important in today’s women’s fiction?

Humor is ALWAYS important. I think laughing makes a person healthy. I know that I love to read a book laced with humor.

What’s the first thing that comes to you: the story, the setting or the characters.

The first thing that comes to me is an idea and then the characters form. I have to have character names before I can really dig into the story. The setting is a back drop for me. My focus is usually the characters.

Do your characters take over the story? My characters take over every chance they get.

I think it is because I’m a pantser. I let them dictate what I write. To me they are the most important part. I like to think all my stories are character driving.

Where can readers find out more about you and your work?

http://www.jambrea.com/

http://internationalheat.wordpress.com/

http://jambrea.wordpress.com/

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Heat_Wave_Readers/?yguid=80421025

Jambrea’s Bio:

Jambrea wanted to be the youngest romance author published, but life impeded the dreams. She put her writing aside and went to college briefly, then enlisted in the Air Force. After serving in the military, she returned home to Indiana to start her family. A few years later, she discovered yahoo groups and book reviews. There was no turning back. She was bit by the writing bug.

She enjoys spending time with her son when not writing and loves to receive reader feedback. She’s addicted to the internet so feel free to email her anytime.

Thanks for taking part in my 2 for Thursday promotion. I had a great time with the Hooligan!

Lynn