Authors of Erotic Romance

June is the month of the Honey Moon. If the lovers in my paranormal release DESERT WILD were driving through The Sonoran Desert, the full summer moon would cast bright light over their Thunderbird convertible and the Saguaro cactus that symbolizes America’s most hostile desert.

Caitlyn Spencer and Sonny Wild Horse Hendricks would hear the sounds of coyotes, running deer, crickets and katydids in the distance. Desert Lavender and the citrus fragrance of Ragged Rock Flowers that grow through cliff side cracks would scent the night. The blend of The Sonora’s sights, scents, and solitude would create the perfect backdrop for love.

Assuming they had enough water and shelter to avoid dehydration, vipers, and mountain lions, that is.

Of course, “Guy,” the Thunderbird’s magical, slightly kinky GPS navigation system would guide them safely through the night. “Guy” isn’t exactly a genie, but has the power to locate whatever is needed most. He responds to a satellite system buried deep inside the atmosphere. Finding a safe, cozy spot for lovemaking beneath the light of the Honey Moon is a made to order assignment for “Guy.”

Wouldn’t you love to have a GPS system that could find whatever you needed?

*****
DESERT WILD by Adele Dubois

Summary:

Sonny Wild Horse of the Tohono O’odham Nation is a danger to a woman’s heart. Though he lusts after Caitlyn Spencer, his desire to live inside two conflicting worlds—the Sonoran Desert of his youth and the California coast where his future as a photographer is assured—tears the lovers apart.
When Sonny disappears inside America’s most hostile desert, Caitlyn borrows a unique Thunderbird convertible and embarks on a desperate search. The car is equipped with a powerful but endearingly kinky GPS navigator that grants wishes. Though not exactly a genie, “Guy’s” system locates whatever his driver needs most.

And Caitlyn needs to connect erotically with Sonny. Again and again. If only she can find him in time.

http://www.jasminejade.com/ps-7333-50-desert-wild.aspx

*****

While I wrote my paranormal erotic romance DESERT WILD I imagined my hero, Sonny Wild Horse Hendricks of the Tohono O’odham Nation, and watched my heroine fall in love. My hero was strong and well-built, with a sinewy, muscular body. He was handsome, with a firm, full mouth and serious dark eyes. His long, shiny black hair hung straight down his back and his clear, smooth skin was rich as burnished copper. His passions were his photographic art, The Sonoran Desert, and Caitlyn Spencer of Santa Barbara. How he would reconcile these often conflicting desires is at the heart of DESERT WILD.

Once I had Sonny’s image clear in my mind, I began to search the Internet for pictures of Native American men who resembled my fantasy hero. Periodically over several months I scrolled through hundreds of photographs, both vintage and new, but couldn’t duplicate the character in my imagination.

That changed when I found portraits of Native American actor and model Rick Mora and saw the eyes of my fictional hero, Sonny Wild Horse Hendricks, staring back at me.

Here are photographs of the character inspiration for DESERT WILD, used with the kind permission of Rick Mora, of the Twilight movie cast. 

http://www.rickmora.com/

DESERT WILD by Adele Dubois

Summary:

Sonny Wild Horse of the Tohono O’odham Nation is a danger to a woman’s heart. Though he lusts after Caitlyn Spencer, his desire to live inside two conflicting worlds—the Sonoran Desert of his youth and the California coast where his future as a photographer is assured—tears the lovers apart.

When Sonny disappears inside America’s most hostile desert, Caitlyn borrows a unique Thunderbird convertible and embarks on a desperate search. The car is equipped with a powerful but endearingly kinky GPS navigator that grants wishes. Though not exactly a genie, “Guy’s” system locates whatever his driver needs most.

And Caitlyn needs to connect erotically with Sonny. Again and again. If only she can find him in time.

http://www.jasminejade.com/ps-7333-50-desert-wild.aspx

*****

DESERT WILD by Adele Dubois

©Ellora’s Cave Publishing, 2009

 Excerpt:

“Don’t go,” she murmured, standing on tiptoes to nuzzle the side of his neck with her nose. He smelled of raw feral sex, damp sweat and crushed linen, and the primal scents sent shivers along her skin. She inhaled him deeply, pressed the small points of her nipples against his flesh and then opened her mouth to taste him as she laid kisses against his throat. Her tongue lapped the steady rhythm of his pulse and then dragged along his collarbone, drinking him in. Her mouth found the hard muscles of his hairless chest and moved down to lick and suck the dark circles of his areola in turn. His nipples hardened inside her mouth and the pungent tastes of salt and musk wet the back of her throat.

“Be with me,” she whispered against his breastbone.

“Ah,” he breathed, closing his eyes as she loved his body with her lips and tongue and stroked the silken skin on his hips with her fingertips. “I am here.” His fingers closed on the crown of her head and entwined in the layers of her hair as she dropped to her knees to bury her face against his abdomen. “Don’t you know you’re the only reason I come back?”

http://www.jasminejade.com/ps-7333-50-desert-wild.aspx

******
Adele Dubois is a former journalist who writes erotic romance that receives consistent outstanding reviews. Titles include DESERT WILD, DESERT FEVER, INTIMATE ART and DREAM TRAVELER. Look for additional titles in 2009 and 2010. Please visit Adele on her website at http://www.adeledubois.com/

I’m currently under a deadline.  Something most writers experience at some point.

Some people do not like operating under a deadline. It kills their muse and makes them struggle.

Me? I love it.  I seem to do much better when I’m on a deadline with writing daily and keeping goals than I do when I’m not under deadline. Even if it’s a deadline I set myself.  The stories I do not have deadlines for, either self inflicted or publisher inflicted, seem to linger.

My family is getting used to the fact when I’m a deadline, my mind is constantly writing.  That sometimes chores get neglected as I try and wrap up one last scene. They’ve learned to be patient.

I wasn’t going to take on any new projects for the summer because the kids are home. *blinks* but the publisher asked for something (in a roundabout way) and there’s this multiple author series that might get going…

Which would involve setting or making deadlines.  Whoo hooo.  LOL.

How do you work? Do you do better with a deadline or worse?
Mechele Armstrong aka Lany of Melany Logen
Where Sensuality and Wonder collide
http://www.mechelearmstrong.com
http://www.collector-series.com
The future’s never been so sexy
http://www.melanylogen.com

Buyers Remorse. We all go through it. We go through it for a variety of things. The hubby and I just bought new cell phones over the weekend. We needed them, the old ones really are not working very well at all. But we got fancier ones than we really needed. These text and do other things, and neither of us do any of that. We just need them to make phone calls. But I am tired of the cheap flip phones. These were only 25 bucks apiece, after rebates, etc, but I still feel like we went over board.

But this blog isn’t about cell phones, is it? I was thinking about buyer’s remorse when it comes to books. Hubby and I buy books. A lot. Sometimes too much. Gasp! Yes, you can buy too many books. I have gotten to the point that I will only buy books when I go to Barnes and Noble or Borders that are on the clearance/bargain section.

But then how do I get my favorite authors? Not all of them make it to the clearance/overstock/bargain section. I make exceptions for paperbacks . I also have been known to ask for books and only books for holidays/birthdays/anniversaries.

I love to read and I would usually rather read than do almost anything else in life. (almost anything else). But I do not have an unlimited stash of funds. So that makes me be careful about where I spend my money. I hate spending fifteen or twenty bucks on a book that all I want to do is throw it against the wall before I am even done. When that happens, I go through a buyer’s fear almost. I am afraid of buying another new book until I have tried it out, or until I know what the author is capable of. And my library is not known for its wide choice of books.

That’s where ebooks can come in handy. (Now I am not going to even begin to discuss my inner argument over a Sony Ebook Reader versus a Kindle, and the potential buyer’s remorse a purchase like THAT will give me). Instead I buy ebooks and read them on my computer. They are usually less than paperbacks, always less than hardcovers, and take up no room in my house that seems to be getting smaller and smaller thanks to all the books we’ve already bought.

Not to mention the fact I buy ebooks because there are some authors that are only on ebooks. I, myself write in ebooks. But in the case of the more mainstream authors, ebooks are a very sensible option.

So, do I still experience buyer’s remorse when I get a crappy book? Yes. Is it as bad? No.

Reach Goals, Claim Rewards by Adele Dubois

During the production process of my upcoming paranormal release DESERT WILD from Ellora’s Cave Publishing, I re-read Christopher Vogler’s The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure For Writers. This landmark work is based on The Hero’s Journey, the universal elements of storytelling, as identified by mythologist Joseph Campbell. 

Vogler’s chapter on Threshold Guardians was of particular interest to me, because these character archetypes often separate mediocre fiction from great fiction. They represent the obstacles protagonists must overcome to win their rewards at the end of a story. Threshold Guardians test the protagonists’ determination, while also adding tension and increasing story conflict. While their tactics may be overt or subtle, their purpose is the same—to stop the protagonists from reaching their ultimate goals.

As writers, we meet countless Threshold Guardians that thwart our efforts and test our desire for achievement. Procrastination, nagging self-doubt, fear of success, confidence-shaking rejection letters, poor reviews or negative critique partners may erode our resolve. Unsupportive family members who ridicule our need to create may wear us down. Conflicting demands on our time slow our progress. For us to become successful, career-focused authors, we must learn to recognize and outwit these Threshold Guardians. As Vogler suggests, we must either make them our allies or defeat them and keep going.

While my heroine in DESERT WILD escaped vipers and bobcats in The Sonoran Desert, I found a way to eliminate chronic back pain and keep writing. When my hero from the Tohono O’odham Nation confronted the inner demons that threatened his future, I closed my office door and turned off my Internet access. No outside forces deterred us from our paths. We tackled one problem after the other until our goals were reached.

What are your Threshold Guardians? The challenges may change from day to day. They may be friendly forces or hostile, yet they stall our progress. Once we learn to identify roadblocks we can make them our allies or learn to outwit them, and ultimately reach our goals and claim our rewards.

©Adele Dubois, 2009

********

DESERT WILD will release June 17 from Ellora’s Cave.

Adele Dubois writes paranormal and contemporary erotic romances for Ellora’s Cave Publishing that earn consistent outstanding reviews. Titles include DESERT WILD, DESERT FEVER, INTIMATE ART and DREAM TRAVELER. Visit Adele Dubois at www.adeledubois.com/

My friends all know what a struggle it has been for me to continue writing with this full time job I now have to have if I want a roof over my head and food on the table for me and my children.

I have downsized my volunteer work. I am now officially done until next September, and then when it starts back up again, I will be doing very little compared to what I used to. And though I am sad, I also feel this relief.  It took away from not only writing time, but family time. I no longer enjoyed it.

Though I am no longer volunteering, I have put those four hours a week into something else. (Still not writing, though )

I have taken up Tennis! And I love it! So now I play tennis for about 3 to 4 hours a week, the same amount of time I spent volunteering, but I’ve found time to write. And the will to write. Why? Because I am doing something for me. Something that makes me happy. Something fun and freeing. Something that must have triggered my depressed muse into action. I love it!  I feel better about myself, I have something to look forward to twice a week, AND I have now found that I WANT to write again.

I’m not sure everyone who is stuck in writer’s hell should take up Tennis, but perhaps if you found something that makes you happy to replace something that makes you unhappy, you will find yourself more relaxed, less stressed, and more able to write.

Good luck and happy writing!

Michelle Hasker

My part time job has recently moved into a full time plus position temporarily and I realize that I have really horrible time budgeting skills. Now, this job really is taking over 80 hours a week, but I should still be able to squeeze some writing time in. But I haven’t. That tells me that A- I need to write something different. Or B – I really need to manage my time better and make time for writing.

It is hard enough to get others in the world to view those of us that write at home as having a serious occupation. As really working even though it looks like we aren’t doing anything. When I don’t treat it serious enough, then there really is an issue there.

I am going away for a few days with the hubby, and when I get back the full time aspect of my job will be over. So even though I haven’t managed to learn better skills, I will still have extra time.

That either makes me really lucky or still in need of a wake up call.

What the hell? It’s May already??

Ack! 2009 is nearly half over and what have I got to show for myself this year? hmmm… not a lot, unfortunately.

Remember how I posted my grand plans - I was being all organised and stuff. Oh my, that so just did not happen. I can’t blame anything bar my own inconsistency. Seems this year I have become an incompetent hot mess. I’m not entirely sure why, but a certain inability to get a good nights sleep rates right up there as guess #1.

So where am I going with this post? Well, I’ve been beating myself up a hell of a lot about my production, which makes me feel like writing less and less, and I realised something a couple of days back: It’s okay just to be a reader for a while.

Reading is how I got into this game, and reading is no doubt how I’ll get out of it at some stage, so why am I beating myself up about being a reader for a while, instead of a writer? Being a good writer is hard, you  pour much of your heart and soul into getting stories just right. It can take a lot out of you. So why not jump back onto the other side of the fence for a while? Be a reader and just enjoy the wonderful stories other people have written.

After all, without readers there would be no need for books!

I’m pleased to announce my upcoming paranormal release from Ellora’s Cave publishing, DESERT WILD, the sequel to my current release, DESERT FEVER, a short novel that has garnered outstanding Five Star and Top Pick reviews.

DESERT WILD features hero Sonny Wild Horse Hendricks of the Tohono O’odham Nation of The Sonoran Desert. His love for heroine Caitlyn Spencer of Santa Barbara is complicated by his desire to live inside two conflicting worlds–the desert he loves and the coastal region of California where his future is assured.

Look for returning character GPS navigator “Guy” in DESERT WILD. “Guy” isn’t exactly a genie, but has the power to grant wishes by locating whatever the heroine needs most. “Guy” plays an integral role in bringing Caitlyn and Sonny Wild Horse together in a dramatic rescue inside America’s most hostile desert.

DESERT WILD will release in Summer, 2009. For more information please visit my website at Adele Dubois www.adeledubois.com/

It seems like forever since I last sat down and wrote. I mean well. I really do. I go and log on. I check all my email. I open my document. Then I have to get drinks and snacks for the kids. Then I sit back down and reread where I left off. Then hubby is calling me because he wants to show me something. Then it is time to get the kids settled down. Then I try to write again but they want drinks. They are scared. This is getting ridiculous. Last night I tried to watch a television show with my husband. It took two hours to watch a one hour show, and that included fast forwarding through the commercials. My family is suffocating me.

I told my CP that it seems as if everything is conspiring against me. I want to write. I try to write. But then all hell breaks loose and apparently I am the only one capable of saving the day. Every time.

I need your help. If anyone has any ideas or suggestions, I’m open. I may have tried your idea already or maybe I haven’t, but I’m willing to hear your comments. I love writing and I want to find that groove I used to have and lost somewhere in the last year.

Sorry that this post is a little different from our usual helping blog posts, but hopefully others can find solutions in the comments to my dilemna to help them.

Michelle