Coffee Time Romance Inteview

I've been interviewed! To read all about me, click here.

Have you ever wanted to be a villainess?

Do you admire Cruella DeVille?
Does the evil stepmother in Cinderella make you want to pull out a mop and bucket for your own kids?
How about Ursula, the Sea Witch. Doesn't she just want to make you clap your tentacles?

Disney seems to have the corner on evil villainesses. But darn it, I want a piece of the action -- and here's your chance to help me.

I am currently in the throes of writing the sequel to Postcards from the Dead...(it's title will be Phone Calls from the Dead and it's even spookier than Postcards!) I need to name the villainess -- this woman works at an airline as a reservation clerk...but she's luring people to their deaths unless Rosalie Hopkins and Tavon Williams can stop her and her evil cohort, Manuel (Manny) Tsangas.

So, help me out here...give me a name (your or someone you, ahem, love) that will make a reader's blood run cold! The winner will...you guessed it....name my villainess AND be named in the books dedication.

Just post your answers here....I'll collect names until the end of the month and then announce the winner!

Thanks!

Presenting - Denise Rossetti & Strongman

Brokeback with a Happy Ending

When the credits rolled up for Brokeback Mountain were you in tears? Denise Rossetti was.

Then she got mad – two souls who were destined to be together, so much love, so totally wasted. All because of the society those men lived in. But what if a similar situation occurred in another place, at another time? In a world Rossetti knew well? Her writer's brain started churning...

Enter Stage Center - Fortitude McLaren, a hard-bitten mercenary who’s had a gutful of mud and blood and death. Brought up in the bigoted society of the Straight Church on the fantasy world of Phoenix.

Enter Stage left - Griff, acrobat and knife-thrower, lithe and athletic, a man with a gift for friendship, for caring.

Put the players together and you get something like this...

When Fortitude McLaren joins the Ten Nations Fair as a roustabout, he’s shocked and angered by his hunger for Griff, a circus performer. Fort regards manlove with indifference and contempt.

Not for him. Never for him.

Although Fort fights with everything in him, Griff affects him like no one else. It’s not just his strong, supple body, the big mercenary is irresistibly drawn by the openhearted friendship the other man offers so freely.

Fort may have found a friend, but the cruel memories of his childhood are the greatest enemy of all. When a job for Jan the Aetherii puts Griff in danger, Fort discovers what’s really at risk—everything he is and everything he’s ever believed in. To save Griff’s life and preserve his own sanity, Fort must not only fight the battle in his soul, he must win it.

STRONGMAN

Book 3 in the Phoenix Rising series
Publisher: Ellora's Cave
ISBN: 978-1419914973
Genre : Male/Male / Fantasy
Book Length: Novel
Release Date: 21 March 2008

To buy: http://www.ellorascave.com/AuthorsBooks.asp?AuthorCode=DRos
For an excerpt: http://www.deniserossetti.com/strongman. html
Denise Rossetti’s website: http://www.deniserossetti.com/
Under and Over, Denise Rossetti’s blog: http://www.deniserossetti.com/blog/
Denise Rossetti’s MySpace: http://myspace.com/deniserossetti

Here's a little bit more information about Denise Rossetti -
When Denise Rossetti was very young, she had an aunt who would tell her the most wonderful fairy stories -- all completely original. Denise grew up, as little girls do, but the love of stories has never left her.

These days, she lives in a comfortable, messy old house in the Australian suburbs and writes erotic fantasy and paranormal romance. Her work is intense, lyrical and excitingly different. One reviewer called it “erotically intelligent, intelligently erotic”.

Rossetti is currently published by Ellora’s Cave and Avon Red. THE FLAME AND THE SHADOW, the first book in her erotic fantasy quartet for Berkley Ace, will be released on 4th November 2008. She has also a story appearing in the Berkley Heat anthology, UNLACED (2nd December 2008), together with authors Jasmine Haynes, Jaci Burton and Joey W. Hill. She’s thinking of changing her name to Jenise to go with the flow.

Rossetti is small and noisy and dreadfully uncoordinated. She tends to wave her hands around a lot, which can be unfortunate if the tale she's telling happens to have explosions in it!

Interview Questions

What advice would you give to aspiring erotic romance writers?
Hoo boy! There's SO MUCH advice out there - and really, I shouldn't add to it! But I guess I do have a couple of observations to make, can't help myself. *sigh*

The first is that if you want to write erotic romance, you must be a WRITER, first and foremost. If you don’t get that right, not all the graphic sex scenes in the world will save you. The second is that you need to be completely at ease with whatever sex you’re writing. If you’re out of your comfort zone it will show. There’s a whole lot more in an article I wrote called Some Write it Hot: Musings and Myths about Erotic Romance http://www.romanceaustralia.com/articles/rossetti--erotica.htm

Back to being a WRITER. If you're an aspiring author, take it or leave what I’m going to say, okay? Because if you take on board too many opinions and "systems" and bloody RULES, you'll end up second-guessing yourself - every word, every phrase. I really abhor "how to write" books, even though many of them are both logical and insightful. But that's because my head doesn't work that way. You do what's best for you, right?

Always remember that reading is a totally subjective experience and so is writing. One person's "desert island keeper" is another's "wall-banger". Therefore, it's essential that you stay true to yourself, and to your "voice". Your take on the world is unique, no one writes quite like you. Celebrate your voice!

I know it may be unPC to say this, but I actually believe in talent. Yes, OF COURSE, hard work and persistence is important and will help you to improve, but there's a "spark" you have to have in the first place.

After that, the only way to learn to write is to write! There's no more magic to it than that. So, for what it's worth, here's my advice -

1. Write
2. Read
3. Trust your gut.
4. Write some more
5. Read lots more
6. Then write more and more and more and...
7. WRITE!

See what I'm getting at? *smile* You need to write in order to gather enough experience to know what the "rules" are so you can break them. You need to be confident enough in your own voice that you can accept constructive criticism with genuine gratitude.

What's your writing schedule like?
A routine - if only... *sigh* The problem with my entire life is that I have next to no routine. And it would help so much if I did. I'm the Queen of Procrastination ruling over the Land of Clutter. I'm catastrophically untidy, to the point of losing things I really do need. As far as I'm concerned, putting something "in a safe place" is a recipe for disaster!

When I do have a writing day, I fluff around until lunchtime at least, doing emails, surfing and stuff. Heck, I don't even know what it is that I do, except waste time. I usually start writing after lunch and if I'm serious, I have to move the laptop from the study to the bedroom because the wireless access doesn't work in there. I sit on the bed with one of those tray table things over my legs. The dog lies on the floor and the cat lies on me. Everyone's happy.

Funnily enough, despite the fact that I'm so careless with physical objects, I'm a very slow, very deliberate writer. I don't often get carried away and have words simply flow out of my fingers. I have to dig for every single one, which means I need to concentrate. I have a timer on the computer and I turn it for 45 minutes. When it goes off, I'm allowed to check my email. (Did I say I need a 12 step program?) It's amazing how little I can write in that time. Around 5pm I have this incredible desire to doze off, but the cat comes in and head-butts me until I fix his dinner. The dog just grumbles. So I yawn and go on. By 8pm, I'm firing on all cylinders and if I'm on a roll, sometimes I go 'til after midnight.

What do you wear while you're writing?
Most of the time I just want to be comfortable, but every now and then, I'll fish out my special purple dress. It's one of those pseudo-medieval numbers, with long sleeves, a scoop neck and a floor length skirt. I like the way it swishes. And if I'm having an especially difficult time, I'll throw a shawl over my shoulders. It's really a delicate, open-work baby blanket my grandmother knitted for me a very, VERY long time ago. *smile* It always reassures me that I'm loved and that I can do this.

If you could sit down with any of your characters for lunch, which would it be and why?
I guess you could be expecting someone quite different, but Trey (GIFT OF THE GODDESS) would be my first choice. I love all my men – heck, if I didn't, you wouldn't either – but I purely adore Trey. Always have. There's something about him that just does it for me – the cheeky charm and quick wit, coupled with the absolute loyalty and commitment to those he loves. He's so centred, so grounded. Then there's what Anje thinks of as "his slim red-gold beauty". But he's all man and all warrior too.

Next would be Fledge (TAILSPIN). I've always thought how much I'd like to sit down and just talk with her over a coffee, listen to the stories she tells. It would be an honour to be considered her friend.

And Griff (STRONGMAN). I suspect I'd enjoy Griff's company enormously. I'd ask him to teach me how to juggle. Or maybe throw a knife.

Surprised? I'm not sure I'd know what to say to pure alpha men like Brin, Jan or Fort. That much testosterone at close quarters and it's quite possible I'd pass out! Mind you, I'd be happy to simply sit and gaze at Mirry (TAILSPIN) while he read passages from his encyclopedia. You can see what happened when I got a trifle too ambitious during our interview. Wasn't pretty. http://www.deniserossetti.com/mirry.html


Do you have a "secret or private" drawer, box, shelf, etc. And, if you do, name five things in it.
Brace yourself! I actually have a three drawer bedside table. Five things? Okaaay...

1. A set of Tarot cards. Sadly, I'm too left-brained to let go and be truly intuitive with the Tarot, but I'm totally fascinated by it. I do use the cards for meditation and visualisation, even for plotting sometimes! I love my Robin Wood deck, it's so beautiful, so rich in Pagan symbolism. http://www.robinwood.com/Catalog/Books/BookPages/RWTDeck.html

2. Writing stuff - pens and pencils, notepads, USB drive, backup CDs (not paranoid at all, oh no), dictionary and a thesaurus. The thesaurus is the New Oxford and it's so huge (weighs 5.5 lbs!) that when I heave it onto the bed, My Beloved refers to it as the "co-respondent".

3. The "smellies" - an oil burner, tea light candles and essential oils. Also a cigarette lighter. (No, I don't smoke.) I love bergamot and lavender and rose and add a bit of lemongrass for mental stimulation when I'm writing.

4. My "comfort/inspiration" books. I have to have my own, of course, because they're so precious to me - I print out the ones that are still in ebook. But I also have "Menage" by Emma Holly and "Natural Law" by Joey W. Hill, plus the occasional Georgette Heyer or whatever else I'm reading at the moment. Not that I have much time to read any more. *very deep sigh*

5. Music stuff - the radio/CD/Cassette player and CDs. Plus the remote control. Very handy.

6. The TMI things. You know what they are, because you have them too. And that's all I'm going to say! *wicked grin* Oh, and spare batteries.

Hmm, that's more than five, but hey, I have three drawers!

If you could be any animal for just a day, which one would you choose and why?
Hmm, that's difficult. A pampered house cat? But then I'd have to be neutered. Nuh-uh!

I love tigers. To me they're a symbol of all that is beautiful and fierce and wild. I love the power of a paw the size of a dinner plate. But the thought of living like a tiger? They're such loners, which isn't really me. I need regular cuddles! So, maybe not a tiger...

On the whole, I think I'd love to be a bird for the day, a powerful raptor with keen eyesight and long strong wings. A wedge-tailed eagle would do it. I saw one in the bush once, perched on a dead calf and its wingspan more than covered the poor little animal from nose to tail. Wow! I'd spend the day drifting on the thermals, feeling the wind under my wings, watching everything happening so far below, every tiny detail so clear. And I wouldn't perch on any dead beasties.

I've always wanted to be able to fly. I can imagine so clearly stepping forward off a cliff or a building and taking smoothly to the air. Easy peasy. What a fabulous gift!

Guess you can see why I love Mirry and Jan (TAILSPIN) so much and why they're so real to me!

Thanks for sharing Denise and I wish you much success with Strongman!

Five Angels for Tinsel Time

Fallen Angel Reviewer Stephanie B gave Tinsel Time Five Angels!

"For a short erotic story, Tinsel Time by Ericka Scott is cute, funny and entertaining...Ms. Scott keeps the reader in suspense over who the murderer is and if Noel and Tinsel will figure it out in time..."

Click here to read the whole review.

Breaking News

I received the e-mail sometime in the wee sma's of the morning (probably not all that early but I live on the West coast).

Due to health concerns, the owners will be closing Dark Eden Press on 1 April 2008 and will give back all book rights and make all last royalty payments by the end of May.

I'm very sad to see another small press closing but wish the owner the best of luck in her fight with cancer.

The Letter from Debra is below:

I don't often share much personal stuff about myself or what is going on
with me, so I never thought I would be coming to any of you with this but
sometimes life comes at you and you have to deal with it, and this is one of
those times for me.

I could beat around the bush here but that's not me. You deserve the truth
even if it is painful for me to talk about.

I have found out recently, very recently, that my cancer has returned. For
those of you who do not know, this is my 6th time around with this in a
little over 10 years. It started as cervical cancer 10 years ago and each
time has gotten worse and spread to other places. I will be starting
chemotherapy and radiation treatments shortly and as I have been through
these same treatments twice already, I can honestly say it isn't pretty.

After discussing the issues and options with Susan and Billi, and then
Gretchen and Brenda, it was decided for a few reasons that I will discuss
below, that the only option was to close Dark Eden as of April 1st. I have
to devote my energies and my time to getting better, and to my daughter.

One reason for closing is the treatment plan itself. I will be in no shape
to run a company, much less take care of anything else. Another reason is
with Brenda having gone back to work fulltime, that would leave just
Gretchen to do it all and as great as she is, she can't do it by herself.
Billi works fulltime and does her part of the business in the evenings and
on weekends. Susan has health problems that she didn't have when we started this company and wouldn't be able to do the things that I do. It was hard enough after the house fire to keep things running smoothly and even then they were getting some help from me. They pitched in and ran things beautifully after the fire but that was only for a few months, this would be for the next 6 months at the very least.

The last reason is all of you. All of you deserve an owner who is going to
be here, who is able to get the things done that need to be done. I don't
want my authors trying to figure out why I haven't answered emails for a
couple of days, or why royalties are late, or wondering when the things that
need to be taken care of are going to get done, when the reality is that I
will be too sick to do it.

I will spend the next two weeks preparing letters to release your book rights to you, doing March royalties, and closing the readers group. I will then begin shutting down all the DEP email addresses except for my own and forwarding all mail from that to my personal email address. By May 1st, I would hope all payments have cleared the bank, and on that date I will also close the author group.

On a personal level, I feel horrible that this has to be done to all of you.
I have come to know almost every one of you personally and I feel as if I
have let you all down when you trusted me with your stories, and I am so
sorry for that. You trusted in the fact that DEP would be around for a long
while and I am truly sorry that we are not going to be.

If you have any questions or problems, please don't hesitate to email me as
I will be working to get last minute things tied up over the next several
weeks.

Please feel free to post this on your blogs or websites as you see fit. I would rather have the truth out about why we are closing, even if part of it is a personal issue, than to have DEP's name trashed across the blog universe. Lord knows some of those people do not have enough to do but sit around and pick their next victim. I do not want it to be this company.

If I have not told all of you lately, it is and has been, a pleasure working
with all of you gifted writers and DEP's fantastic staff.

Debra Durham

President

*****************
I'm over at The Hot Spot blogging today about why reading romance novels is like eating dessert. And there's a little surprise at the end of that blog, my Easter gift to you!

Happy Easter!

glitter-graphics.com

Spring Round Up

Thanks to everyone who made the Spring Round Up a huge success! The winners have been selected. I won't post their e-mails here but I hope they are all happy with their prizes!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

glitter-graphics.com

Like the warmth of the sun
And the light of the day,
May the luck of the Irish
shine bright on your way.

The Healer's Garden by Nina Pierce

I'm participating in a cyber book tour! My first guest is Nina Pierce.


What would happen if a devastating plague wiped out nearly all the male and two thirds of the female population on earth? That is the premise of Nina Pierce’s futuristic erotic suspense novel The Healer’s Garden available now from Liquid Silver Books.

In the female dominated society of 2172, mating with a male, even to save the human race, is a distasteful task and one Healer Jahara Hriznek, has successfully avoided—until now. Brenimyn is a gifted breeding instructor at the Garden. Forced to copulate with all females who request his services, he is tired of the government enslaving men. He lives to find the one woman who will fulfill his destiny and help him bring about social equality for all people.

The Healer’s Garden chronicles the sexually explicit love story of these two people and their changing attitudes toward the social mores of their time. There are many at the Garden who oppose the burgeoning relationship between Brenimyn and Jahara and will fight to keep them apart, but just as many who think now is the time for the vision of equality for all genders to be realized. Can Jahara believe in her love of a man and follow Brenimyn into a battle to overthrow the sexist government? Will Brenimyn trust his heart and allow a woman to lead the fight to bring about the new world order?

Buy here!


Nina's also answered a few questions about herself and her writing!


Where do you get the inspiration for your stories?

My background is teaching… and science at that. I’ve always analyzed and catalogued the world around me. After I retired from teaching I had to train myself to stop thinking like a scientist and think like a writer. It took me a couple of years to start doing this. Now, everything around me is inspiration. A line from a TV show or a song can start a whole “what if” scenario. A snippet of conversation overheard in the grocery store can start a landslide of ideas. From these little nuggets… whole stories emerge.

Pantzer or Plotter?

Total Pantzer. From the “what if” question I begin writing. Then I branch out and answer the questions that arise as I write. Eventually the characters flesh themselves out and I figure out who they are and what motivates them. And I keep writing. branch out from there. I have certain scenes I “see” as I’m writing and I can write toward those scenes, answering questions all along the way. The twists and turns just happen organically as the story unfolds.

What advice would you give to aspiring erotic romance writers?

Before you start writing erotica… read it. What turns you on? Figure out how the author got your motor revving and keep that feeling. Anyone can slot part A into B, but can you make it sensual? It’s important to wrap the reader up into the scene and make them feel what your characters feel. This is true of all writing, but sex scenes have the added element of titillating.

The second thing is to find a solid support system of other writers. They don’t have to be erotic authors, (my crit partners include an historical author and a suspense author) but they have to know the craft so they can help you push your talents.

What's your writing schedule like?

I sit down at the computer around 8 in the morning. Open email, drink coffee, surf the forums and MySpace, drink coffee, answer more emails, blog, finish the coffee, eat a light breakfast and shower. THEN I’m ready to open my WIP and start pounding out the words. Depending on where I am in the story this could change. As I get toward an exciting scene or towards the end, often I skip the forums and blogging and go straight to writing. I am at my computer until late in the afternoon and again in the evening after dinner. Sometimes I’m writing, other times working on marketing.

What does your family think about you writing erotic romance?

I’m very fortunate in that my husband can talk about my books now without blushing. My children (all young adults) would like to read my books if I could just… umm… close the bedroom door!

What's your favorite snack and/or beverage while you're hard at work?

By far, decaf coffee with cream. I drink a pot of it throughout the morning. I don’t munch while I’m writing, because it interferes with my typing.

Do you believe in soulmates?

Absolutely. ‘nuf said.


Do you have a "secret or private" drawer, box, shelf, etc. And, if you do, name five things in it.

A mom with a secret hiding place? I’ve never heard of such a thing. I thought everything I owned also belonged to my children. (I’m very artsy and one time I bought my own markers and hid them away from my children and sometimes I hide the chocolate in the waaaay back of the cupboard!)

Thanks Nina for stopping by! To find out more about Nina and her books, here's some additional links.

Website / Blog / Myspace

Waking up to The Stranger in My Bed

Earlier this week, I received notice that my short story, The Stranger in My Bed, had been rejected for the Tease Charity Anthology (it's a really dark suspense that was deemed too dark for charity, which I can understand, there is definitely no happy ending lurking at the end of the story). However, Tonya, the EIC, asked that I add to the story and submit it to the Tease Tarot Line.

And as of this morning....

TGIF

I'm blogging today over at RomErotica Writers. I'm talking about Black Moments and holding a contest for my debut post there. Hope to see you there!

Is it Friday yet?

My hubby's been out of town for a few days, and I've been "home alone" with the kids (picture me doing a Macauley Culkin scream). I've been getting up at 5 so that I could get a little work done before I have to get my daughter up and ready for school at 6:15. You'd think I could get a little something done? Nope...

Our baby is an early bird -- and what's worse, he's one of those chipper, happy, energetic morning people (and only 3 years old, ack)! And in a family of nightowls, those mornings are painful, let me tell you. Yesterday, he was up at 4:19 (I sent him back to bed) then 5:30...this morning, it was 5:30 again. So, I barely got my e-mail read between yawns.

Thank goodness Mr. Scott gets home this evening...although not in time to put the kids to bed...but at least I won't be getting up with our youngest tomorrow morning.

Is it Friday yet?

Ouch...

Well, yesterday was definitely a Monday. I received two, count them two, rejections. Yeah...I'm still smarting, although as rejections go, these weren't too painful. The editors liked the stories, although, as written, they were rejected. The two different editors from two different publications both suggested I write more into the stories, spending time to develop plot points and suspense. The editors both asked to see the stories once they are done...

I need to finish a novella proposal (I have 1.5 more chapters to write) and then flesh out two stories. Both the proposal and one of the stories are due at the end of March.

So it looks like I have my work cut out for me....

Are You Wishing for Spring?

Spring is in the air. Let’s kick up our heels and celebrate life. We've rounded-up thirteen exciting authors with horses in their books. Come and celebrate spring with us. Win free books in our Wishing for Spring Round Up!

To enter –
Visit each participating author’s website to find an answer to a question. Compile your list of answers in an email and submit it to contest@juliannastephens.com. The contest opens on March 1 and closes on March 16. Winners will be notified via email by March 20. One entry per contestant.

The prizes –
Each author will donate either a download or a print copy of her book. For print books, a snail mail address will be required. Winners will be randomly chosen from entries with the correct answers. Thirteen lucky winners!

The questions –

1. What horse rescue charity benefits from sales of Maggie Toussaint’s NO SECOND CHANCE? Answer at www.maggietoussaint.com
2. What is the name of the horse in Elyssa Lynne's SERVANT OF MAGIC? Answer at www.elyssalynne.com

3. What's the name of the ranch where wild mustangs transition in TEN THINGS I'D DO FOR A COWBOY? Answer at www.donnamichaelsauthor.com

4. What charity benefits from sales of Diana Cosby's HIS CAPTIVE? Answer at www.dianacosby.com

5. What piece of tack was misspelled in Julianna Stephen's manuscript and was caught by a reviewer at The Long and Short of it? Answer at www.juliannastephens.com

6. Sir Robert, the hero in DARK RIDER, fears his horse has contracted a fatal disease--then Sir Robert ends up getting sick from the same contagion. What was the disease? Answer at www.equestrianne.com/kdennis

7. What is the name of the fictitious town where the Crazy H ranch is located? Answer at www.cindyspencerpape.com

8. What is the fragrance of the flying horses (volarans) of Lladrana? Answer at http://robindowens.com

9. FOOL'S GOLD takes place in the Superstition Mountains of Arizona. What famous "lost" mine is featured in the story? Answer at www.erickascott.com

10. Who is the cowboy that has his arm draped around the neck of his horse on the cover of SACRED GROUND? Answer at: www.ritaritr.com
11. Which one of Paty Jager’s book excerpts has horses mentioned in it? Answer at www.patyjager.com

12. What flavor is Madison's lip balm? Answer at: http://www.jtschultz.com

13. What is the colour of the horse on Anne Whitfield’s book cover, A NOBLE PLACE. Answer found at http://www.annewhitfield.com

Enter today and win!