Tomorrow's Treat

Just thought I'd dangle this carrot for interested munchers. Tomorrow, May 1st, I'll be over at the Quill and Inkwell (my Charlotte Featherstone blog)giving away a few deets about Sinful and Lord Wallingford.
So if you're interested in that guy, come visit me tomorrow.

In other news, Velvet Haven is FINALLY coming together. Interestingly, I've been writing alot of sexy scenes for it this week. And a creepy scene with the Soul Steeler (he's a bad, bad magician!) I think, (keeping everything crossed) that I'm actually going to meet this deadline! Whoo Hoo!!!

Okay, till tomorrow, hussies! (said affectionately, of course!)

The Muse

So many things can inspire an author. For me, it's mostly just things that pop into my head. I'm not really sure where the ideas come from, there must be some well in my brain that periodically shoots up some strange thought! I never really lack for ideas. If anything,I have too many ideas that cannot rationally be coalesced into one book. This happened with Velvet Haven, which then turned into The Annwyn Chronicles.

For this series, I've been heavily inspired by the darker aspects of my research. I've also been inspired by music. Primarily, the first 60seconds of Loreena McKennitt's The Mystic's Dream. The tone is perfect for the darker aspects of the book, like magick and the sinister side of death and sex magick. In the chronciles we have Celtic shapehsifters and a Celtic goddess who rule in the Otherworld, Annwyn. We have a fallen angel who is creating chaos in the mortal realm and three human friends, who unbeknownest to them, make a sacred trine. One of them is an oracle, who's ability is needed in both Annwyn and the mortal realm. There's a quest for an amulet and a flame, as well as a Soulsteeler who is looking for a new apprentice. This apprentice is a magician who will be seduced by the Dark Arts and will either be able to save, or destroy both worlds. So, lots of conflict and little allegiance. Each side is searching for the amulet and flame for their own purposes.

This one minute of music was so inspiring, that its tone and sensuality, balanced with the dark feel vs. the singer's hauntingly beautiful voice inspired the entire first book, Velvet Haven. It always amazes me how something can do that. I mean, the whole book? But there you have it, pretty much the entire plot, as well as the overarching quest that connects the books.

So, I thought I'd might share the song with you. Here's a link for a youtube video of the song. Keep in mind it was primarlily the first minute of the song that inspired me, but the rest of the song is great, too. It's Loreena McKennitt's, The Mystic's Dream. The video has some wonderful fantasy images in it as well!

On the flip side of Loreena, the other songs I've been playing over and over while writing Velvet Haven are...

Magic Man by Heart
Control by Puddle of Mudd
Away from Me by Puddle of Mudd
Leader of Men by Nickelback
Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting by Nickelback
Never Again by Nickelback
Addicted by Saving Abel

Is anybody currently listening to anything? Anything put in the mood?

Getting Steamy With Velvet Haven

So, I've been busy writing the first draft of Velvet Haven (or VH as my my editor and I refer to it) and it's coming along well...finally. It was a bit of a trial to get Bran down. I wasn't sure about him and getting to know him was like pulling teeth. So, I sat down and did a stream of conscience writing. It's this exercise I do when I'm stuck trying to figure out what do with a character. It's a way to get to know him. Basically, I just write whatever the hell comes to mind. I become the character and just blurt out whatever he says or does.

So, I put my head down and started writing. He brought me to Annwyn, to a grove where he was doing a divination ritual. He was aroused by this vision he kept getting, and man, everything just fell into place. That bit of writing has now become the opening pages of VH.

Thankfully, I now have Bran. Interestingly, my heroines are usually the ones who give me a hard time. But Mairi, Bran's heroine has been an open book. Easy to get to know, easy to write and the perfect woman for Bran who is possessive. I Luuuuuuuv posessive males!
I envisioned Mairi looking a bit like Amy Lee from Evanescence.
I'm now at the point in the book where I know both characters well enough to write the sex. And let me tell you, their love scenes are really hot, and very emotional. There's a good connection between them. Lots of emotion and angst, too!

So, that's the update on Velvet Haven. It's coming along and once I get the okay from my editor, I'll sneak you a little bit of one of their steamy scenes, cause I know we got some hussies lurking around this place!

Have a good week. You'll find me back in Annwyn for the remainder of the week.

Hellllooooo

Ok, so I totally stole this fabulous picture from Ms. Moonlight's blog But how could I not???? Man, oh man, I likie!

I'm headed back to the Annwyn grove soon, and won't be coming out till I get at least 10pgs written. I'm behind, and I have to get this done because if I don't, then Sinful will get backed up, and we don't want Wallingford getting backed up! lol!

So, I'm thinking this hunk should keep us going for a bit.
Wow...me likie...me wanna touchie....
LOL!

Promo Quandry

One thing I've learned since being published by the bigger 'mainstream' publishers is that the romance community is so supportive. From authors, pre-published to NYT Best Selling authors, to readers, everyone loves to chat and support our favorite genre. So, I thought I'd come to you, the readers, to ask you what you're looking for when you're searching for new books or authors? What catches your eye and makes you take notice of a book?

I'm debuting my Sophie name and it's a bit harder then it was for my Charlotte name, simply because I already had a bit of a base from my small press days. But this name, as well as the genre is all new to me.

I've toyed with doing a blog tour, a book trailer, expensive ads, but just didn't know where to start. So, do book trailers work, or are they just a neat thing? Blog tours with book giveaways? Have you every bought a book or a new author based on an ad you saw on the web or in a magazine? What about a 'spread the word' campaign where people post about the book on blogs, and the poster reports back with the posts and gets entered to win a big contest prize?

Any thoughts at all? What would you like to see?

Shout Outs...

To, Barbara from the Happily Forever After blog and VampFanGirl from Lovin' Me Some Romance blog
for all their help and support in spreading the word about my debut release, Hot In Here.

Thanks, ladies!!!
Both VFG and Barbara have posted about the book on their blogs, and Barbara gave me an awesome Easter gift, my very own (and very first) widget for Hot!

Thanks again, and do stop by their blogs. These ladies have excellent taste in books, write up great, honest reviews, and I can tell you my TBR has grown immensely since I've been reading their reviews!

Happy Easter, everyone!

My New Baby...

For years now, I've wanted an English Springer Spaniel, and this weekend, we went to a breeder and had a peek at some one week old puppies. Well, guess who is getting one???? lol! Well, I knew I was going to get one, the visit was merely a formality!

So, my husband and I are leaning towards the liver and white colored one (in the middle) She's a she, and my daughter picked the name Bella for her. Which I find very interesting because my daughter's middle name is Isabella, and I frequently call her Bella, and her dad calls her Belle. However, I think the name choice might be part of the Twilight Craze she's currently ODing in! lol!

So, this is little Bella, and she'll be coming home in May, right smack in the middle of deadline hell! (What can I say, I'm an overachiever!)

So, what'd you guys do this weekend?

Friday Treat

Hey, I gotta treat for everyone, it's the back cover copy for Velvet Haven (Book 1 of the Annwyn Chronicles) What do we think? And the pic is the inspiration I used for Bran!

Hidden from mortals for all eternity, Annwyn, the Otherworld, is home to shapeshifters, wraiths and dragons. But in a nightclub called Velvet Haven, desire brings humans and immortals together…

Built atop the mystic passageway to Annwyn, the gothic nightclub Velvet Haven has seen its share of lost souls—both mortal and immortal. It is here that Bran, the shapeshifter king of the Sidhe, searches for his brother, who is ensnared by a centuries-old curse. When a vision foretells his own death, he knows his time to find Carden is running out.

For help he must turn to Mairi, a mortal woman with an unusual aura. Bran has never liked humans, other than using their sexual pleasure to restore his magic energy. But with Mairi everything is different. Her lush curves and teasing caresses enflame him like no Sidhe has ever done. He has no idea that the woman he’s falling for holds the key to his destruction – or his salvation.


Happy Friday!!!!

This will be me tomorrow....

Well, with a bit more dignity than that, I can, after all, be a lady at times! lol!
Tomorrow is one of those 'me' days. I'm not going to spend it sleeping, but I am going to spend it doing whatever the hell I want. And that would include driving to a bigger city and hour away to go to Chapters. I'm looking forward to perusing the bargain books (always have fabulous research finds for cheap!) and load up on my to be bought list. I know of five books I'm buying. Then, I'm going shopping for something to wear at the Harlequin and NAL publisher parties at RWA in Washington in July. And I might stop at Pier 1 Imports if the mood strikes me.
Then, I'm stopping at Cinnabon for one of their ultra gooey and yummy pecanbons and eating it all, guilt free.

And then, I am coming home and opening a new book and relishing the fact that its Friday and the weekend is just beginning and I have three full days to read and relax! Ah.....the life!

So, what are you doing this weekend?

And the winner of the TBR is.....

Joey W. Hill!!!!!!!

I agonized all night about what I was going to pick from morbidly obese TBR pile. Did I want a historical or a dark paranormal? Did I want sexy or emotional? I felt like romance, that I knew for certain. So, I went with Joey Hill, an author who writes hot and emotional. I'm totally digging her mermaid and angel stuff (you know me, I gotta thang for angels!) so I decided to do a re-read of A Mermaid's Kiss. I thoroughly enjoyed it the first go around, but I felt like I rushed because I knew I had deadlines looming. So, first the re-read of Kiss, and then on to A Witch's Beauty. REALLY looking forward to that. I've already got A Mermaid's Ransom on my wishlist. Can't for that. I think it comes out at the end of the year.

So, the coffee pot is on, hubby is back at work after coming home for lunch, and I don't have to pick the kidlet up from school for hours yet....sounds like Heaven to me.

What's everyone reading now?