Hooked On Romance

Romance really can be found anywhere. We just have to look for it. I get wrapped up in work and all the things I have to get done that I forget to look for it, and I've surrounded myself with it.

Pictures of my kids and family, handmade presents they make at school, a picture frame that was gifted to me, a ceramic bowl that my sister took my girls to make for me one Mother's Day, a frog that came from CIS that says Kiss Me I am your prince charming, and my TV that required CIS to get in the blazing hot attic to run wiring for are only some of the items in my office that were given to me with love in mind. And to top all of that off, it's in my office that was once CIS' dark room. He got rid of his stuff, redid the space, and installed a window for me so that I had my own place to work. Seriously, if that isn't romance I'm not sure what is. And though it isn't a vase of flowers, there is a rose bush planted outside my window that CIS bought me.

So you tell me, where is the romance in your life? From where you're sitting right this minute, what can you see that reminds you of someone that you love?

As authors we either 1. have a neverending supply of ideas or 2. we struggle to come up with ideas without a lot of research or brainstorming.

Not long ago I spoke to an author friend who mentioned that she has always been amazed at my ability to think up new ideas. Every time we speak, it's easy for me to throw out something I've been tinkering because my mind never stops. I find a story in the simplest things and could probably pull it off. Now, if only I could turn out pages faster. I figured I have a lifetime to create and I'll try to get all those stories down one day. :)

Where do you get ideas? Does it come easily or do you have to be inspired, compelled, or collaborate to get the right story?

Currently I'm unpacking after the weekend move so this post is late in coming, but I'm sure you've got some great ideas lying around--so, what are you waiting for? Write it!

Literary Agent Emmanuelle Alspaugh with Judith Ehrlich Literary is our scheduled guest blogger Thursday, June 25th. Due to altered summer schedules and Emmanuelle's super busy schedule, we're going to do things a little differently this time around.

Starting today, you can email me at Nikki@NikkiDuncan.com with questions you have for Emmanuelle or your elevator pitch. I will compile the questions and send them to Emmanuelle, she will send me her answers, and then I'll post them back to the blog on the 25th.

With Nationals coming up, this is your opportunity to have some one on one time, even if it isn't face to face, with an agent. Find out from her what works and doesn't with your short pitches so you have time to tweak them.

Now, here's the really important part. We don't normally have many rules here, but this time we do.

~ Deadline is Sunday, June 14th.
~ You MUST send your question and pitch to my email.
~ You MUST put For Emmanuelle in the subject line of the email.
~ An elevator pitch is the short one or two sentence blurb about the story that takes about 5 to 10 seconds to say or read. Example: He's undercover FBI. She's posing as a call girl. They're both looking for a hypnotically persuasive killer.
~ I will not pass query letters or full paragraphs / blurbs along.

I'm filtering through a couple hundred emails a day right now and am getting ready to head out of town for a week. I have to send these to Emmanuelle before I leave and if you don't follow these rules I may miss you-I would hate to do that.

UPDATE **Congratulations Booklover1335 for winning either the eBook of DANGEROUS DECEPTION or your choice of print book from Katie's backlist. Please email me jaxcassidy @ gmail.com and I will be happy to forward your details and choice to Katie. Thanks for playing!!!**

**To be eligible for an eBook of DANGEROUS DECEPTION (or an autographed book of one of her backlist instead), just post a comment and you'll be automatically submitted into the drawing! The winner will be picked randomly and results will be posted on Friday**

How tumultuous was your writing journey? Did you have the support system you needed during this time?

I’m still not where I want to be in my career so it’s an ongoing journey. It has ups and downs but I love what I’m doing. My husband and family are amazing. I could go on for a page about all the things they’ve done to support me but it would just bore you. Simply put, I’ve been incredibly lucky as far as support goes and I never take that for granted.

Do you have a posse you write with? Do you suggest critique partners or beta readers?

People are so different so I’m hesitant to suggest what works for me will work for someone else. That being said, I work with two critique partners. We trade a chapter a week and when I’m finished editing I send the finished story to a trusted beta reader. Sometimes however, I won’t use anyone. I just finished a ‘quickie’ cowboy story for EC and of course I edited it before sending it to my editor, but for something that short, I knew when it was ready and I knew what my editor was looking for.

Has writing for ePublishing prepared you for your writing future? How is it like writing for Ellora’s Cave?

I think it has prepared me as far as dealing with contracts, working with different editors, and becoming familiar with the publishing industry in general. Sometimes I see less than stellar comments about EC and it always surprises me because I’ve had nothing but success with them. My editor was incredibly helpful when I first signed with EC and never made me feel like a newbie for asking incredibly ‘newbie questions’. Above all, she’s always professional. So far my sales have been above and beyond what I expected. So, to answer your question, I LOVE writing for Ellora’s Cave.

You mention on your website that you love zombie movies. What is your all time favorite zombie flick and why do you love them so much?

It’s a tossup but I’m going to go with Resident Evil 2. I love them all, but the second one stands as my favorite. If you’ve seen it, you know why. If you haven’t, rent it now! I don’t know why I love them so much. Maybe it’s because zombies taking over the planet or a town is so far removed from reality, I just love the escapism.

What type of audience would you like to draw from your writing? Do you have a desire to write something outside of the erotic genre?

I hope I draw a variety of readers but so far my fan mail has been from women who enjoy a hot story with a happy ending. I actually do write outside of the genre. I enjoy writing erotic romance but I couldn’t do it full time and I’m impressed by people who do. I LOVE category books, probably because that’s how I discovered romance, and I hope to one day write for Harlequin Intrigue and/or Blaze. I’d also like to break into the single title market with romantic suspense/light paranormals. Currently I have a few fulls with different agents so hopefully that dream will happen sooner than later.

How many books do you write a year and what have you seen the most results in doing promotions?

I’ve only been writing a couple years and my first year I didn’t keep track of anything. Maybe I shouldn’t admit that but I didn’t know what I was doing. I just knew I wanted to write stories. I can tell you what I’ve written this year though. Since January I’ve finished three category style books (each between 55-60K). Two are with various agents and one I just finished last week so it’s definitely in the editing stages. I also finished a 15K quickie for EC and just started a new erotic novella. As far as promotions, I have no idea what works. The story I promoted the most had the least sales (but a ton of great reviews) and the story I promoted the least has had the most sales.

If you were a nail polish what would it be called and why?

I’m cheating b/c I have a nail polish bottle called fondola gondola and I think it’s hilarious every time I use it. I’d want to be called that. Seriously, what was their marketing department thinking?

What is the most adventurous thing you’ve ever done, and what did you learn about yourself?

I was about 21 when I put college on hold, packed up my tiny two door car with my limited belongings and drove to The Keys to live on a boat. It was an amazing experience that taught me I don’t need a lot to be happy. If I’ve got books and a computer (to write) I’m good to go.

What are you currently working on and what will we see from you in the future?

I’m currently working on an erotic novella and have started plotting out a single title paranormal that I hope to dive into when I finish the novella.

Any parting words for our readers? For our aspiring writers?

Thanks for having me at Hooked on Romance! For new or aspiring writers, my advice is to write every day if you can. Once you get in the habit, it’s tough to break. But don’t forget to cut yourself some slack. Don’t become so obsessed with writing that you forget the important stuff in life. And no, cleaning and laundry are not important.


DANGEROUS DECEPTION
Publisher: Ellora's Cave

Two years ago Sage Miller’s life changed irrevocably with one violent act. Longing for anonymity, she left her high paying job in New York and relocated to a growing town on the coast of North Carolina. Just when her life is settling down, a sexy man from her past shows up and wants to pick up where their explosive relationship left off. And this time, he’s the one calling the shots.

Trent Takoda lost Sage a year and a half ago. After spending a week with the most intense woman he’d ever met, she disappeared in the dead of night. Now that he’s found her again, he’s determined to win her heart this time. When a vicious stalker with ties to her past tracks her down, all bets are off. Her safety is now his number one priority. She belongs to him and it’s about damn time she realized it.

Purchase Dangerous Deception(e-book version)

**This excerpt contains adult content and is intended for those who are at least 18 years of age.**

EXCERPT From DANGEROUS DECEPTION:

It was him. How that was even possible, she didn’t know. “That’s your brother?” The question sounded hoarse and scratchy to her own ears and she doubted Jason missed it.

“Yeah. You know him or something?” She felt her boss’s gaze on her but she couldn’t tear her eyes away from Trent.

Broad-shouldered, midnight black hair, perfect bronze coloring and standing about six foot one. He yanked his sunglasses off and stalked toward them. Yep, he still looked good enough to eat. Staring at him now, she couldn’t believe she’d ever willingly walked away from him. The man was walking sex appeal.

Heat involuntarily pooled between her legs as his dark eyes roved over her body in a blatantly appreciative manner. She might be fully clothed but the way he stared at her brought back too many memories. Naked memories.

Her body alternated between hot and cold. His heated gaze made her feel like he was remembering the same things she was. Her nipples strained painfully against her bra but she was thankful she had one on. At least he wouldn’t see the effect he had on her body.

Every instinct she possessed told her to run and hide but her feet were leaden. The man who visited her dreams on a regular basis was walking right toward them. Well, stalking like an angry bear was more like it.

Despite her resolve to stand her ground, she took a small step back as he joined them.

“Sage?” Trent spoke, the deep timber of his voice just as sexy as she remembered.

Somehow she found her voice. Clearing her throat, she said, “Yes. I’m Sage Miller. Nice to meet you.” When she held out her hand, he stared at it for a confused moment before enveloping it with his much bigger one. She didn’t know why she’d pretended not to know him. The words had just popped out. The thought of explaining to her boss exactly how she knew his brother was beyond embarrassing.

After a few seconds, she tried to pull away but he held firm, tugging her a step closer. As if drawn by a magnet, she stared at their clasped hands. His darker skin against her ivory coloring painted an erotic picture. It shouldn’t but when she stared at their hands, all she could think about was what their bodies had looked like intertwined. Despite her resolve to stay strong, she could feel heat creeping up her neck. And with her fair skin tone, it had to be obvious.

“Wait a minute. Do you two know each other?” Jason’s confused voice interrupted them.

She jerked her hand away. “No.”

“Yes,” Trent said at the same time.

Jason let out a nervous laugh and out of the corner of her eye, she saw him take a few steps back. “Okay then. I’m going to catch up with Sharpe. Find me when you need me.”

Without looking at Jason, she couldn’t be sure who he was talking to but at that moment, she didn’t care. She and Trent stared at each other for what felt like an eternity. She broke away first and found an interesting spot on the ground to stare at. Yeah, she was a total chicken.

“What the hell are you doing working for my brother?”



ABOUT KATIE:

Katie Reus fell in love with romance at a young age thanks to books she pilfered from her mom’s stash, but she isn’t one of those writers who always knew what she wanted to do. After earning a degree in psychology she realized her heart wasn’t in pursuing a career in that field and she sort of fell into writing. She currently writes for Ellora’s Cave and The Wild Rose Press. She’s an active member of Central Florida Romance Writers, ESPAN, Kiss of Death, and Romance Divas. She writes romantic suspense and erotic romance, but no matter the genre, Happily Ever After is always a must.

For more on Katie, visit her online:

Website: http://www.katiereus.com/
Blog: http://www.katiereus.blogspot.com/

The last few weeks have been a whirlwind of activity for my family. Last Friday, my eleven year old son graduated from the fifth grade and is heading off to middle school in the fall. After the graduation was the fifth grade dance. It was really strange seeing him all dressed up and surrounded by gorgeous little girls who all wanted to dance with him. It was all I could do not to cry...soon I'll be watching him go off to prom and then he'll be in college.

Saturday found us at an eightieth birthday party for my husband's uncle. It was a formal affair, held in a posh downtown Orlando hotel. I had a pretty serious wardrobe malfunction and was a full two hours late for the event. However, once I got there, I had an amazing time.

This is also my son's last week of school for the year and all my days have consisted of helping his teacher break down the classroom and clean for next year's new crop of eager fifth graders.

I'm still doing line edits for THE CHOSEN ONE and they are due on Friday. The closer I get to this book being on the shelves is the more nervous I become. Is this a normal feeling?

Until the edits are complete, I've put FORBIDDEN MASALA on the back burner, but I'll be happy to get back to it as it is all I've been able to think about in recent days.

Please enjoy the rest of your week.

Until next time.....

Amusing Abi

This is Hooked on Romance, right? Well, I've been thinking lately and decided to focus my Tuesday posts on romance and where it's found.

This picture is in it's own way romantic. It reminds me of the covers of romance novels from long ago. It also makes me wonder what an attractive and attracted couple would do if they were forced to spend a night in a secluded castle on a stormy night.

At the same time, it gets me thinking about how much romance novels have changed over the years. I grew up reading these books and my mom never cared. Today, most moms would flip at the thought of their young daughters reading romance novels. While the stories have grown sexier and as writers we take more risks with the stories we write, some things have stayed the same.

Romance novels, old and new, all have the same core. Romance. A story about a couple and their growing dedication to each other. So you tell me, what does this picture make you think of? How else have romance stories changed?

First off, thanks for popping in on my Guest Blog segment last Thursday, even though I'm a regular staple here on Mondays. :) Made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside because of the attention. LOL

Okay, I thought I'd ramble a bit today so I've broken it down...

Exciting News

I'm happy to announce that SUNSWEPT is now available through Phaze Publishing! Woohoo! You can go HERE to purchase the trade paperback. Help support eBooks & small press and feel free to spread the word...it really helps keep the little guys alive!

What's on TV

So You Think You Can Dance aka SYTYCD. I totally LOVE LOVE this show. As a kid I was so in love with dancing and even though I didn't pursue it professionally, I enjoy watching talented individuals in this competitive show. I promise that even if you don't like dancing, you'll love all the routines choreographed by award winning choreographers. Last year I was HOOKED! I didn't want the show to end because the dancers who made it to the top were Off da Hook! The official dance challenges aren't happening for another two weeks but this week is the group dances and eliminations for the Top 20 spots. I've already got a handful of favorites in mind from the last two week's auditions. Seriously, don't miss this show on Wednesdays and Thursdays if you can help it!

Call me silly but I'm excited about this new show called The Listener. Here's what NBC has to say about it:

A Gift or a Curse
If you had the ability to hear people's thoughts, would you use it to help yourself or someone else? The Listener premieres Thursday June 4th.

Okay, then there's The Philanthropist coming out on June 24th. Another NBC project that I'm wanting to watch because I love the lead actor James Purefoy. Those Brits are just HOT!

This is an eight-part drama that follows the heroic adventures of Teddy Rist, billionaire playboy-turned-vigilante philanthropist.

FOX has a new show I started watching last week called Mental. I'm pleasantly impressed by it and the cutie Chris Vance who plays Dr. Jack Gallagher. Another import that is quite sexy.

MENTAL is a medical mystery drama featuring Dr. Jack Gallagher, a radically unorthodox psychiatrist who becomes Director of Mental Health Services at a Los Angeles hospital where he takes on patients battling unknown, misunderstood and often misdiagnosed psychiatric conditions. Gallagher delves inside their minds to gain a true understanding of who his patients are, allowing him to uncover what might be the key to their long-term recovery.

Upcoming Events

I don't know about you, but I'm freakin' out that RWA Nationals in Washington DC is just around the corner! I'm already starting to pick out cute outfits and shoes for the week! I'm still debating what to get for the awards ceremony. Should I go snazzy cocktail dress or plain classic? Last year I got to doll up in my black Victorian-esque Betsey Johnson but this year I'm not so sure with the limited suitcase room. I'm SO last minute and might just go for the simple little black dress. I'm sure there will be a smaller turnout this year due to the state of the economy, but I'm hoping to be able to blog my adventures from there. Maybe I'll try to schmooze a bit and get into the top VIP parties. I'm small enough, I can slip in...LOL -- It's always a nice treat to see all my friends and I am certain there will be plenty of conference action. If you're not attending the conference this year, Romance Divas always put together the NOT GOING TO CONFERENCE CONFERENCE. You just have to register for free in the forum and there's plenty of fun, prizes, and learning to be had. Again, all for FREE. How can you beat that?

I really need to consult with Nikki to see what she's already picked out for DC. I'm sure we'll be hanging out and being proactive about trying to add to our list of Guest Bloggers. I'm going to even sneak in some sightseeing time!

What's New with You?

What do YOU have planned this week? Got any opinions on how we can make HoR more entertaining? Talk to us, give us your opinions because they totally count!