Merry Christmas

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas.

I got the Amazon Kindle for Christmas and I must say that I'm totally addicted and fear I may never put the darn thing done.

On an upside Second Chances has become my obsession and have found the big holes that were missing and will not have to after all my hair pulling, almost crying and over-smoking of cigarettes, destroy what I am calling from now on My Child....lol j/k. But I really do feel attached to it and would love to share it with the world once it is done.  Although, I have heard that a writer never thinks their work is done....

The plot line to Rachel's story has been changed as well since it would technically be the sequel to Second Chances. (It is still titled Breaking the Rule but that will probably change)

I've also spent a lot of time over at Goodreads and you should swing by to check out what I'm reading at any given moment.  I also have several books up for swap.

If I don't post again before January 1st, I wish you all a Happy, Prosperous & Love Filled New Year!!!!!!

Unmasked by Paige Tyler - Review

I’ve read several books by author Paige Tyler and have never been disappointed.  Her writing makes you feel like you’re in the same room with the characters and that is never a bad thing.  A little bondage, lots of spankings and what do you get?  A night full of fantasies if you ask me.  Last night I started and finished Unmasked and I have to say, Ms. Tyler you have done it again!

Tabitha Buckley works in the marketing department of a record label.  The object of her desire, Robert, is in A&R.  When Tabitha’s friend gets them both invited to the hottest Halloween costume party and knowing that Robert will be attending and in what costume, the Phantom of Venice, it’s an offer they can’t refuse.  Little did they know upon arriving to the party that it was more then punch and h'orderves they were serving up.  A spanking party to titillate the senses.  Having being spanked before, Tabitha is game but when more than one man shows up in the same costume as Robert means she has to approach each one.  By the time Phantom #3 comes around and gives her the spanking of a lifetime Tabitha is sure she has found the right one.  With a great twist at the end, Unmasked had me on the edge of my seat, not only in anticipation but I was sure I could feel every hand going down on Tabitha’s backside.  

If you’ve never read anything by Paige Tyler you should.  A few other good reads from this author are:  Good Cop, Bad Girl; Mr. Right-Now and Caught Red-Handed (a free read)

Character Bios

I've been so engrossed with editing that I finally had a chance to do some new writing last night.  With no editing and no add-ons I had complete creative freedom on where the story was going.

It felt good to create a new world and new characters.  I like this process as I'm able create them from the inside out.  From strengths and weaknesses to hair color, height and tone of voice.

Some of my favorite characters have inspiring backgrounds, others you wish you'd never met in the middle of  a lonely street corner after dark and others you want to smack and say "Wake up and smell the coffee because what you want is right in front of you but not for long..." but overall they all have a spot in my heart.

My favorite character to date would have to be Rachel Avila.  She is a 28 year old freelance journalist from Boston. Growing up she was a tomboy mostly because she was raised by her widower father.  Rachel has a fraternal twin brother Raymond.  Physically she is tall, curvy, long wavy hair and if anyone could play her in a movie it would have to be Rosario Dawson.  Characteristically she is a good friend with a big heart but she was in an abuse relationship that left her emotionally scarred. Her weaknesses include Thai food, whiskey and hunky musicians. 

When Rachel is given the once in a life time opportunity to take the most sought after interview in the music industry will she be able to look past the fact that her abusive ex Noah is to be the replacement drummer for the band??? Or that Tony the lead singer has been the object of her fantasies for years???

Finally connected again!

I know I haven't updated in a few weeks but it has been because I've been busy and not because I haven't wanted to.  Boss was getting ready for a trip to the other side of the world and I was swamped with work.  Then taking advantage that he was not in the office I took care of all the work that he left for his 17 day trip in a week.  That was a blessing and a curse.

Now I have barely anything to do and he is not due back until next Monday but I was able to take a mini-vacation where I did not look at my phone or e-mail for three days.  I took my laptop to try and do some writing but that didn't happen.

I arrived this morning with only 3 hours of sleep, no chance for coffee and to find a little "present" on my bedroom floor from my dog.  Grrr!

On a positive note D (as she will be named) has finished chapters 1 through 7 of Second Chances and has kindly asked for the rest so she can find out what happens.  Guess that is a good sign.

The outline for my shape shifter story is about half way done.  I'm stuck on a few details but those can be worked on.  I have to do some research about the location where my story is taking place and also about the profession of our Hero, Xavier. (I'm actually considering renaming him now.  It does not seem to fit him anymore.)  I'll keep you posted on how it goes.

Lounging poolside on Saturday the idea for a new story came to me.  I have to put those down today so I can developed it further at another time. 

Going to try for a power nap then some writing.  After today I must rejoin the rest of the world.

Until then I wish you all a great week!

Writing

Working on chapter 3. Done with the editing of the first sex scene and sent it to my friend in New York. She's already told me she enjoyed it and that's it's pretty hot.  It still needs a little more editing but already feeling encouraged to continue writing in the erotic romance category.

Here's a tiny unedited excerpt of what I wrote:

...Alex knew he wouldn't last much longer if she continued like this but there was no way in hell he was going to make her stop.  Instead Alex grabbed a fistful of her hair and slowly guided her to a less torturing pace.  She moaned around him in response. He knew he hadn't hurt her. It was only a sign of her own arousal building. Vanessa confirmed this when she looked up at him...

Next up is the rewrite of the confession scene. I want it to be dramatic and heart breaking to hear the reason why Vanessa left Alex and what his reaction is.

Work in Progress

In between working on Second Chances (yes, I still haven't finished reviewing it) I've been creating the outline and character bios for a new paranormal romance story. 


It is currently untitled but revolves around a werewolf pack in the Catskill Mountains but there are pixie's, werecats and vampires involved in the story as well. I'm still in the process of world building so it will take me a little bit longer to put together then my contemporary stories.


I know the paranormal theme is very popular now and hope by the time I am done with my story it still will be.  What makes my story different from others? Lets see...It's placed in a present world but humans have known about shape shifters and other worldly creatures for almost 20 years when my story starts.  There are conflicts with other packs, family issues and a werewolf who can not shift. 


Here is my inspiration for some of the characters....

Thomas - The Pack's Beta

Xavier - Hero

Celeste - Heroine

What do you think?

This and That

I haven't posted in a few days because of my birthday festivities.  I've been celebrating for the past week and haven't done any reading, I still have to submit my assignment for writing class and finish Second Chances. 

But on a positive note, I received and e-mail from G.G. Royale and my short "Runner's High" is now available on her blog, for everyone to read.  If you have a moment go by and check it out then come back and let me know what you think.

Enjoy!

Updates....

June is finally here! I love June and not only because my birthday is days away but for everything the summer has to offer. Not that I have much to complain about living in Miami but this last winter was pretty darn cold for us.

Summer means getting out of the office and still having a few more hours of daylight. We can turn on the barbeque grill any day of the week, unless it's raining of course. And although we just started our "Storm Season" we don't mind a few light showers here and there.

Back to my updates, my short Runner's High is featured in erotica author G.G. Royale's June Newsletter. Sign up for it on her website www.ggroyale.com

I have revised Second Chances up to chapter 16 which means I only have 6 more to be complete. It has taken me longer then I had expected due to conflicts with my full time job and a bout of writer's block a few weeks ago but everything seems to be moving on track now.

Breaking the Rules my other full length is going to be the next project I have to complete. It's a little over half way done at approximately 22,000 words.

This will be week three of my eleven week creative writing class and so far I've received positive feedback on the two assignments I've turned in. I've had to really think outside of the box and look for things that otherwise would be overlooked. I should have a new assignment today which means I will have to make time over the weekend to get that done.

Hope it works out for me, family is having their annual reunion this weekend.

Second Chances and Updates

If you've been keeping track of my blog you know that I have been revising Second Chances since mid-March. It's been a bittersweet project because it has gone from 30 short chapters to 22 longer chapters. I am also happy to have taken my time with it because I found a few gaps in the story compared to the outline I created.

Last night I tried putting some things together but I felt like I was just writing nonsense so I'm going to let it sit and hopefully I can get inspired.

On a positive note, Runner's High has been chosen for the June edition of G.G. Royale's Newsletter and Blog. I was told it should be up as of June 1st so sign up on her blog to receive it.

G.G. is an erotica author and an editor from New Orleans. Her book The Lovely Kittengirls of Mew Orleans is an erotic, BDSM themed (D/s) with a unique concept (at least I had never heard of kitten play before), captivating characters and wickedly hot sex scenes. Margot is a sub in need of a master and Max seems to fit the part but he has to conquer his own fears in order to be what they both want.

I truly enjoyed this page turner (or mouse clicker since I read it as an e-book) and I am sure fans of this genre will enjoy it as well. Ms. Royale has two new books coming out soon so I recommend that you check out her website.

Flash

Here is a piece of a short story I wrote a few months ago for a writing class.  Enjoy.

Looking down at the little boy holding her hand
Jessie sighed.  Andy, her best friend's son had his
mother's dark curly hair and the same deep blue eyes as
his father.   Jessie had contemplated many times what her
children with Steven would be like during the thirteen
months they had been engaged.  She imagined a little
boy with his reddish brown hair and wicked green
eyes.  Sometimes it was a little girl with her fair skin
and her cinnamon freckles.  Unfortunately her dream
was taken away one dark rainy night two years ago.

Inspiration

I wanted to share what inspires some of my characters.

What do you think?

Research and Writing

I've been trying to write as much as I can lately on everything from scrap paper to napkins. It seems to be an obsession that will not shake so I just go with the flow. If there is something that comes to me and I can not write down at the moment I will usually just pull out my Sidekick and jot down a few lines so I have some sort of recollection of what it was that I needed to put down.

On another note, I'm almost done with my own self editing of Second Chances, my first story, current word length 43,485. I keep getting side tracked with everything else going on in my life. Work, friends and family keep me otherwise tied up. I'm hoping before the end of the summer I can send it out to an editor.

When I'm not writing you can usually find me doing research for a character, location or job descriptions. One of my latest characters is a CEO for a company that specializes in biometrics research, manufacturing and development, i.e. fingerprint and iris scans. The research is fun but very exhausting.I have to practically learn the basic insides and outs of what is involved in the process so I can write a credible story. Wish me luck!

Other than that, I'm just trying to keep my hopes up that once I am done writing someone will be interested in what I have put together.  I know that there is a reader out there for just about every genre of books I just hope that a publisher will agree with me.

Here is a small excerpt from the unedited: Second Chances

Placing the pan on the back burner Vanessa stepped back from the stove and gripped the edge of the counter. Forcing her eyes shut, she tried to regain her composure. She might be awake at the moment but even asleep her body responded to him. Unfortunately for her every night she had the same dream and every night she woke up panting for him, her body aching for his touch. Damn, it’s been too long.


It had been a warm, humid, late-August night and the thermostat had not been below 95 in over a week. With the constant black outs the central air conditioning unit that had yet to be replaced finally went on the fritz. Vanessa had spent her days in a bikini and a lightweight cover up but even that became too much in the sweltering heat. Thankfully the pool cooled them off, for a while.


Exhaustion from the heat finally caught up with her, Vanessa went to one of the over sized lounge chairs and laid face down, trying to stay as still as possible to avoid creating body heat. Alex on the other hand, opted for skinning dipping, taking advantage of the privacy provided by the tall trees surrounding the large pool


Climbing out of the water he looked like a nude Adonis. She remained still as he sauntered over towards her, water rolling off his tattooed chest and down his rippled stomach...

Updates / New Story

I haven't taken any time to take care of the revision of Second Chances,  my first novel. Instead I'm still working on to a new story. It's currently an untitled romance about Marley, a chef and James, a bar owner. I'm almost 4,000 words in and the story is flowing out nicely.   Here is a tiny unedited excerpt of my story:

Untitled: Marley & James

James stood back as Marley walked past him, her glorious hips swayed from left to right. He swallowed hard and curled his fists to control the urge to bend her over the counter and press against her ass and let her know how hard he was whenever she was around.


The load gasp that followed told him Marley found the kitchen. For the limited menu he offered,  the kitchen he had installed was first class with subzero freezers, brand new gas ranges, two grills and a large flat top.

Following her in James found Marley in the middle of the spacious stainless steel kitchen. She looked like a kid in a candy store.  Her green eyes wide and a cute little smile on her face,“James Croswell you’ve been holding out. Look at this!”


He was happy that she was impressed with the kitchen. “What’s your honest opinion?” he teased walking over. Leaning against the metal counter top and just watched as she took everything in.

Turning to him there was a smile on her face, “How dare you not have anything else on the menu with a kitchen like this?”


“I was planning on expanding, eventually. I just hadn’t found a chef yet” he winked at her....


Let me know what you think!

Runner's High

I finished my short story, Runner's High last night. It's about two friends, Jason and Kimberly, who share a drunken kiss at a friend's wedding and expect their friendship to remain intact. But when Jason agrees to join Kimberly at the park things go from friendly to frisky. The entire story is told from Jason's POV.

I've just submitted the short to an author who is requesting short stories to be published on her newsletter. If my story gets chosen I will post a link to her site.

Cross your fingers and wish me luck!

New Writing, Old Writing

I am supposed to be finishing my manuscript but I have not taken any time to do so. Instead I have been writing an outline for a short story. It's been beating at my head since last week and I had to put it together.

Tomorrows is Good Friday and have the day off from my one and only paying job. I'm going to remain indoors all weekend and not answering my door or phone for anyone or sneak off to the beach to enjoy what is sure to be another beautiful day in Miami.

I really want to get this done. My friends have been so supportive of my lack of a social life over the last couple of months. Thank you for understanding what I am going through. I promise when we finally do go out the first round is one me.

Writing

I've had this blog account for almost four years and have never sat down to actually blog about anything. What have I been doing for four years? We'll that's easy...working as a legal secretary, being married, watching Heroes, reading lots of books and over the course of the last year I've started writing again.

Last September while doing a late, spring cleaning I stumbled upon a sealed box marked "Personal Crap/Junk" Inside I found old CD's, photo albums, old notebooks and all of the junk from my old desk. Going through the notebook I found a short story I wrote during a rainy Saturday night with nothing to do.

At the time I was living in my first apartment. It was a small little studio apartment but it was mine. All I had was a bed, a hand me down couch, a book case full of encyclopedias and a small alarm clock radio. My car was acting up, again. My friends were busy with their boyfriends while I was single, again.

I have always been a big reader and when nothing was available to read, I wrote for my own entertainment. So there I was with a pack of cigarettes, a bottle of wine and a spiral notebook.  That night I sat on my bed and wrote "For the Love of Rock and Roll". Re-reading the story almost six years later I realized it could use some major editing. I powered up my laptop and put it together. On my computer the story seemed shorter; it was only six pages long so I started writing. Every chance I had I would sit in front of my computer and add a little bit more.

After a month my friends started to ask me what I was up to. When I shared that I was writing they encouraged me to continue.  Two of them have started to read portions of my now 44,000+ word, 198 page long story. They also seem to have positive feedback on it.

So that is where I stand now, trying to put the finishing touches to my story so I can have an editor take a look at it. After that I want to finish a few other stories I have been working on in between. It looks like For the Love of Rock and Roll is going to be a series of at least 4 stories. I already have the outlines done for parts two and three and have a pretty good idea what the fourth one will be.

I will be posting updates of my progress here so check up on me in a few days. I'll let you know how it's going.