Congratulations, you’re published! Now what?

Getting published is one of the most wonderful moments an author can experience in their career. After days, weeks, months, and for some of us, even years, someone has finally said they like your work and would like to publish it. This is a moment of a elation in every authors life, especially if it’s their first offer of a contract. All of the hours spent typing away while you hit delete, re-wrote and then went over everything with a fine tooth comb suddenly seem all worth it, because now there is someone out there that sees in your manuscript exactly what you saw. Getting a contract offer for a book you’ve put your sleepless night and blood shot eyes into is a huge accomplishment and one that every author should celebrate. 

Once the excitement dissipates and you start to come back down from that cloud you were riding on, it’s time to hit mother earth, and for some of us the crash can be an unwelcome and unwanted one. That is when the work begins. It’s hard to imagine that all of the hours you have put into your work wouldn’t be enough, but sadly while you may be a genius in telling your tale, you far from perfect. No author is, so don’t take it personally. Even the most accomplished, most well known authors of the world have work to do once the contract is signed. This is when reality will set in for you. Writing the book itself will seem easy once you begin the task of actually working with your publisher to get your masterpiece ready to see the light of day.

Step one will be your cover questionnaire. You may think this sounds easy, but for some authors it is hard to put a vision you have in your mind on paper, especially if you’re the kind of person who is known as a pantser and not a plotter. Pantser is an author who writes by the seat of their pants, holding on for dear life as the story takes them on a journey. Rarely do pantsers take the time out from writing to make notes that will come in handy once filling out that handy little questionnaire. Plotters are always much more prepared for the questions that pertain to eye color and any other number of questions that make you flip back through your manuscript in frustration as you wonder how in the heck you forgot so much about a story that you were the creator of. The lesson learned is to take notes when you’re writing your story. Even if it is a few chicken scratches on a notepad, at least you’ll be able to get your questionnaire filled out in a timely manner with little frustration.

Once you’ve  done this and send off your information, you can now sit back and relax. Right? Wrong! Now it’s time for edits. Bwahahahaha… edits can be a nightmare and even a headache for some. But, the most important thing to remember is that all of the edits you are doing are essential. They wouldn’t have been flagged by and editor if they weren’t. Their job is to make sure your book hits the shelves as shiny and sparkly as possible.

The important thing to remember is that no matter how much work goes into getting a book out there, the end result is well worth it. So, relax, take a few breaths and pace yourself because getting published is one hell of a roller coaster ride. And it’s one ride that many of us will gladly buckle ourselves in for time and time again.

Temptestuous

Michelle Englehurst finally has her dream job working in a tropical paradise doing what she loves. A routine day at work proves to be more than what it seemed. Her new client Brad Conrad is charming, handsome, and causes a reaction in her like no other man has.

Brad is on a forced vacation by his father, who claims he’s overworked. Begrudgingly, he takes his sabbatical with no intention of enjoying himself. A chance encounter with a woman he can’t get out of his mind changes Brad’s workaholic ways. He finds himself extending his trip and doing everything in his power to spend more time with her.

For days and then weeks the two of them walk a fine line of casual friendship to lascivious intentions. With time working against the two, they are faced with two choices, take a chance or throw caution to the wind and be…tempestuous.

PURCHASE LINK: http://bookstrand.com/tempestuous

Find out more about Nicole ~

Nicole Morgan is a multi-published author of erotic romantic novels, which more often than not have a suspenseful back story. Erotic romance mixed with a good old-fashioned whodunit. While she's written everything from contemporary to paranormal her leading men will more than likely be wearing a uniform of some kind. From military to police officers, she has a love for writing about those who protect and serve. From her very first novel (which turned into a four book series) about Navy SEALs to her more recent releases you will be sure to find a few twists and turns you were not expecting.

In additional to her books, Nicole also has a recurring column called, "Sex and the Single Woman" in BT Showcase's online eMagazine. Also, she has recently partnered up with three of her author friends and became Four Seduced Muses, a blog dedicated to the steamier side of romance.

Nicole’s website: http://nicolemorgan1.webs.com

Nicole’s blog: http://nicolemorganauthor.blogspot.com

Four Seduced Muses: http://fourseducedmuses.com

Find all her books: http://bookstrand.com/nicole-morgan

Yay! Wait...what? CONTEST

I know this isn’t news to many of you, but I’m getting married this year. I am in love with my best friend. I have a beautiful future ahead of me. Sounds very exciting, right? I mean I get to get all dressed up, buy a pretty dress and have a great party with all my closest friends and family…how fun, right?! But, I bet you didn’t know there’s a side effect that comes to planning a wedding. It’s a nasty little gremlin that they don’t talk about in all those foo foo bridal magazines. Want to know what it is? Okay, I’ll tell you, but you might want to sit down for this one.

WORK.

I know!!! I didn’t know either! I mean, I knew…but, come on, how many different fonts can there be for invitations? Then there’s colors – which by the way I’ve already changed twice in four months, so yeah. I’ve gone from Tiffany Blue with Chocolate Brown to now Turquoise with white and silver accents. Why? Pfft…heck if I know. Because it looks pretty! LOL. There’s too much to decide. And now I’ve got two teenage daughters pestering me about what our song is going to be. A song? Crap! I knew that we should have a song, but picking just one song that holds so much meaning is kind of nerve wracking. What if after a year the song gets old and I can’t stand to listen to it? Or what if I find a song which I feel fits us better, but I’ve already committed to the other one? *sigh* I mean this is a lot of pressure!

Soooo…guess what?! I thought maybe all of you could be my unofficial bridesmaids and groomsmen. Sit back down! You can’t say no! You’re already here! LOL. And like with all bridesmaids and groomsmen, your title comes with responsibility. Therefore, I’ve devised a fun little contest for all of you which will in turn help ME gather a bunch of mushy and girlie love songs.

PRIZE:

1 - $10 Gift Card to Bookstrand, Inc.

HOW CAN YOU WIN:

1 – Read the blurb and excerpt on my upcoming release, Surrounded by Roses which is scheduled for release February 7^th, but is already available for pre-order!

2 – Leave me a comment below (remember to include your email) with a love song you think my fiancé and I should dance to at our wedding.

*This contest runs until February 7^th 11:59pm EST

My fiancé, Zac will come on the blog and choose a random winner on February 8^th!

BONUS PRIZE:

If you include in your comment the answer to the following question, you will also be eligible to win a free eBook copy of Surrounded by Roses.

QUESTION: What did my fiancé do in the Navy?  

HINT: Some may say he inspired the character of this book. *winks* 

After years of working on submarines and loving what he does, a training exercise goes horribly wrong. Suffering from the loss of his best friend, Trevor Purlington comes home to try and get past the demons which keep him awake at night.

Emily Dennis spends her days working as a nurse and her nights anticipating correspondence from her deployed submariner boyfriend. The last thing she expected was to find him at home waiting for her after a long shift at the clinic where she works. After being apart for so long, she is ecstatic to finally have him home.

Only Trevor comes home to Emily a different man, one who is starting to overshadow the man she once knew. Overwhelmed and confused, she refuses to give up on the man that she loves and vows to do whatever it takes to knock down his walls and bring back the Trevor she once knew.

DIRECT PURCHASE LINK: http://bookstrand.com/surrounded-by-roses  

ADULT EXCERPT  Trevor took in the sight of Emily’s body. Her frame was petite, and he liked the extra few pounds she always complained about not being able to get rid of. He could get lost in the landscape of her body. She had curves which put any other woman to shame. He loved his country and was willing to die for it, but he would take the valleys and peaks of Emily’s body over purple mountain majesty any day. His cock twitched while he teased the taut peaks of her nipples. He always loved the way her body responded to him as if on cue. She made him feel powerful, as though he were the puppet master and could pull her strings into doing exactly what he wanted. As much as he hated to, he pulled away from the glorious, little points. His desire to be inside her wet heat overrode any other need raging inside him. Tugging at the hem of his T-shirt, he pulled it over his head and threw it on the hallway floor. Emily’s delicate fingers trailed across his chest and slowly raked down his abdomen. Her touch was featherlight and nearly tickled. She took a step closer to him and brought her mouth down to his chest. Lips that were a million times softer than he remembered caressed his skin. Using her tongue as a guide, she trailed her mouth to and from each of his nipples. She nibbled tenderly on them while splaying her hand up and around his shoulders. He allowed her to continue her quest, knowing how much she enjoyed exploring his body. Far be it for him to deprive her of something she got such delight from. He would take his journey later, surveying and examining in close detail every square inch of her body. Reaching in between their two bodies, he unsnapped the button of his jeans. Even the small relief in pressure felt like heaven to his dick. He had spent most of the day semi-hard in anticipation of their reunion. The wait to see her again had been excruciating. Three long months submerged below eight hundred feet in the Gulf of Bahrain with limited communication had been trying for the both of them. That excitement mixed with sexual frustration culminated in one giant explosion of lust when he’d heard her outside and pulled her up against the door. His cock had gone from semi to rock hard in one second flat. Emily was still showering his skin in gentle kisses. Some of them were so soft he could barely feel them. She had a tenderness to her that sometimes made him want to shield her from the horrors of the world. He’d seen things in the service that would make even the bravest men shudder. Her softhearted nature was just one of the things he had grown to love about her, but that wasn’t what kept him awake at night. He missed her body, her touch, and the feel of her pussy gripping him so snug. He pulled his zipper down, relieving himself from the constricting denim. When he first tugged the sides down his hips, taking his briefs with them, he hissed out a breath of air when his cock jutted out and poked against the bare skin of her belly. She looked up at him, her expression hungry and desperate. This was always how they were. They didn’t need words when their bodies were involved. All they needed were their hands and mouths to connect. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she kissed him, her seductive tongue seeking his and stroking it the moment she found it. Both of them hurriedly pushed his jeans down his legs the rest of the way. Trevor shimmied the rest of the way out of his jeans, finally shoving them aside. He reached down and wrapped his arms around her ass, lifting her up and carrying her a few steps down the hall to her bedroom. He navigated through the dark room, and they fell to the bed, their lips still locked as they hungrily fed off of one another’s passion. Their relationship might be complicated by distance and a million other obstacles, but they were in sync when they were together like this. His urge to be inside her went deeper than mere lust. It was elemental. He needed it for sheer survival. Like an addict who had gone months without a fix, he needed the high that only she could provide. A realization smacked him upside the head and nearly knocked the wind out of his hard-on. He didn’t bring a condom with him, and the ones he picked up were in his bag in the living room. He pulled away from the kiss, pissed off for having to stop for even a second. “Shit. I’ll be right back.” “No, check the nightstand.” Getting up and off of her, he fumbled in the dark for the drawer handle. He opened it and found a box of condoms. It was still sealed and had never been opened. He tore at the side and pulled one out before throwing the package on the floor. With his teeth he bit off the corner of the foil package and pulled the condom out. He was about to place it on the head of his cock when Emily stopped him. Quicker than he had time to react she sat up and swirled her tongue around the tip. She teased him for several seconds, circling around and sliding up the base until finally she closed her luscious lips over the head and sank her head down on him.