Monday, March 7, 2011
Interview of Author Avril Ashton
Latest Book: A Wicked Ride
Buy Link: http://extasybooks.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=ebook_flypage&product_id=9240&category_id=3&manufacturer_id=193&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=50
BIO:
A Caribbean transplant, Avril now lives in Brooklyn, N.Y with a Spousal Equivalent of almost eight years. Together they raise a 6 y/o daughter who loves reading and school (wonder how long that will last). Avril’s earliest memories of reading revolve around discussing plot points of The Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys with an equally book-minded mother.
Always in love with the written word, Avril finally decided to do the writing in August of ’09 and never looked back. Spicy love scenes, delicious heroes, and wicked women burn up the pages of Avril’s stories, but there’ll always be a happy ending; Avril remains a believer of love in all its forms.
Q: What’s the first thing you did when you received word you’d sold a book?
A: Slept. I’d worked a late shift the night before and once I put my daughter on the school bus, I sent off my SUB to eXtasy books and went to bed. About half an hour later my phone pinged with a message—it was Extasy’s response email, complete with contract. I stared at it for a couple seconds then put my head back down on the pillow, right back to dream land.
Q: What part of the book is the easiest for you to write? Why?
A: The beginning, I think. It’s almost always written in my head how I want the story to start before I actually start writing. I just recount the images I see.
Q: What part of the book is the hardest for you? Why?
A: It varies between the middle and the end. Sometimes there’s the whole lagging middle thing I’m afraid will happen, and at other times I dread the task of tying up the story in a relatively neat bow.
Q: Who is your favorite character in your book and why?
A: So far I’m loving Sasha, the heroine in A WICKED RIDE. She’s pretty tough, an all around bad girl, but it could also be because we share the same love of all things high-heeled.
Q: What genre would you like to try writing in but haven’t yet done so? Why?
A: I really love homoerotic stories, so I’d like to try that. There’s something so decadent and monumentally sexy about those stories that I can’t find in any other romance genre.
Q: Facebook, MySpace, Blogs, Chats, or Twitter. Which do you like best and why?
A: I recently found my way to twitter after long prophesying to ‘Never ever go there.’ Eeh, in my defense, all the other kids were doing it. I’m still feeling my way. I’m mot on MySpace, but I adore Facebook. I spend way too much time on there and find it more accessible and personal that twitter. I have a blog as well that I try to attend to as often as possible, but that’s not always the case as writing—and life—interferes. I do author interviews and invite authors to guest post whenever they want.
Tell us where to find you:
http://www.avrilashton.weebly.com
http://www.avril-ashton.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/writeravrilashton
http://www.twitter.com/#%21/AvrilAsh
BLURB:
Sasha Forde has hung up her thieving stilettos, but a visit from a mobster sends her back to her old life. In order to save her family—and herself—from jail, she must steal evidence hidden in a lawyer’s office. She sets out to do what she considers a simple B and E, but someone else has arrived first. And he holds her life in his tattooed hands. Not for long.
Niko Davaris is all about revenge on the man who tried to kill him. The evidence he stole is the first step in that direction. He’s not thrilled to wake up with a gun to his head. The woman on the other end is cocky, smug and too damn hot for her own good. He wants her, she wants the evidence. When she takes it and disappears, he gives chase. Battle lines are blurred as they give in to temptation, but on a ride like this, someone has to come out on top. Who will it be?
EXCERPT: R (LANGUAGE)
Sasha kept her eyes and guns trained on the door. Next to her, Niko stood stark naked, his sawed-off aimed dead center on the entrance to the cabin.
“Anything I should know before I start blasting?”
“Nope, can’t think of a thing.”
Bullshit, but she held her tongue and waited. His gaze never wavered from their target.
A dark head eased through the tiny crack in the doorway. The intruder kept his body hidden behind the door as he turned his head left, then right, and finally straight ahead.
“Oww, my eyes!” Their uninvited guest stumbled into the cabin with his gloved hand, gun in tow, covering his face.
“What’s happening?” asked a deep voice from the outside.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Niko lowered his weapon and glared at the man who’d broken in.
A second man barged his way into the cabin, gun at the ready.
And then there were two.
Intruder number two took one look at Niko in his birthday suit and pivoted. “Put some clothes on, would you?”
“You know these fools?” Sasha edged closer to the newcomers as Niko grabbed a pair of jeans from the back of the couch. “Uh…babe, this is Maysin.” He pointed to the second man. “The one covering his face is Justice. Guys, I’m decent and this is Sasha.”
Targets acquired.
Justice dropped his hands and regarded her closely. She felt like a bug under a microscope. Maysin turned around. His eyes were filled with questions, but he had to wait.
“Well. Well. Well,” she drawled, “I’ve been waiting forever for you guys.”
“Do we know you?” Maysin squinted down at her with olive green eyes. He resembled the basketball player Rick Fox with his toffee skin, the facial structure and his dark curly hair. But that’s where the similarities ended. Maysin’s hair was longer and secured at his nape in a ponytail. His jaw sported a scruffy five o’clock shadow. An angry-ass scar ran from behind his left ear to his chin, marring his otherwise pretty boy looks. His bulky frame, clothed in head to toe black, and deep baritone inspired Sasha’s tighter grip on her guns.
“No, Rick, you don’t know me.” She grinned and released the safety on her pieces. “But I know you two.”
Maysin frowned, probably at the name she called him. Behind her, Niko chuckled. Justice raised his gun.
“Ah. Ah.” She tssked. “I’d rethink that if I were you. I’ll drop you before you get one out.”
“Who’s this person?” Justice lowered his hand and turned to Niko.
“Didn’t you hear him earlier? I’m Sasha. Now, drop the gun on the floor.” She motioned to Maysin who stood coiled, ready to spring. “You, too.”
Both men did as ordered in halting movements, their faces hard, eyes flashing retribution. When she was sure they were disarmed, Sasha curled her fingers around the trigger. “Sasha.” Niko called her name.
She didn’t take her gaze off the men promising violence with their stare.
“Babe, you can’t shoot them.”
She frowned. “Why the hell not? They took something from me.”
“Technically, I took it from you. Besides, you got it back.”
“Oh, yeah, you’re right.”
The expression on Maysin and Justice’s face said What The Fuck?
But I still want to shoot them.” She pouted.
“Why?” Niko stood beside her with his arms folded.
“I promised myself I would. It’s been a long time since I’ve shot somebody.” She made eye contact with the two men standing before her. “I’m due.”
“Okay, am I the only one who thinks this chick’s crazy?” Justice’s white teeth flashed bright next to his dark-chocolate skin. Equally dark eyes, high cheekbones and a sharp jaw line gave him an exotic look. He towered over her, dressed in all black—shirt, motorcycle jacket, jeans and boots. His low voice had a Caribbean lilt to it.
“Sasha, you cant shoot them,” Niko said. “They’re my friends and I kinda like them.”
“What does that have to do with anything? Maybe I should shoot you instead. You said I was the only other person who knew about this place, but clearly that’s a lie.” She glared at him from the corner of her eye.
“I didn’t lie to you,” Niko whispered against her neck. His breath on her skin made her shiver. “I have no idea how they found us.”
“Why don’t we find out?” She turned to Maysin. “How did you find us, Rick?”
His green eyes shot daggers at her. “My name is—”
Sasha sighed at his words spoken through clenched teeth. “Really, Rick, we’ll get nowhere if you insist on being bogged down with irrelevant details. Now, answer the question. Let’s not forget the crazy chick has the guns.”
“How’d you find me, Maysin?” Niko circled Sasha waist. She leaned her head on his shoulder.
“GPS on the phone,” Maysin grated.
“Fucking technology,” Niko murmured.
Sasha nodded in agreement.
“Alright, everyone take a seat,” Niko said. He walked around to stand in front of her. “Sasha, put the guns down.”
“What?” She glared at him.
“I know. You want to shoot somebody, but it can’t be them.” He framed her face with his hands and kissed her lips.
“Not even a flesh wound?”
“Nope.”
She pursed her lips. “Well, can I at least smack them around a little?”
Niko barked a laugh. “No, babe. No violence of any kind.”
Sasha lowered her guns with a sigh. Her arms were getting tired anyway.
Anything else you’d like to add?
Thanks for having me, I appreciate it so much!!
Sunday, March 6, 2011
The Quest for Respect in Romance Writing
It continues to puzzle me why romance writers aren’t afforded the same respect as other genre writers in the literary world.
Routinely, I hear disparaging remarks about romance: Anyone can write it; it’s so much fluff; it’s nothing but sex, and on and on.
The last I heard, romance is one of the bright spots in this dismal economy. Bookstores are folding at an increasingly rapid pace. Sales figures are anemic. But romance endures.
Literary snobs would probably attribute it to the old adage: “There’s no accounting for taste.” As a writer of contemporary, erotic, and erotic paranormal romance, I’d say it's because of the emotions evoked in a well-written romance. The hope engendered. The smile or tears the plot and characters produce.
Qualities found in any excellent novel. So why then is romance so maligned? Why isn’t horror equally trashed?
One of my favorite Stephen King novels is Carrie. Not because it was particularly frightening, but because it caught the essence of what it’s like to be an unpopular teen who desperately wants to fit in – to be liked – to be accepted. At times in high school, I was that teen. That’s what made the story special to me. In looking at the reviews it received, critics couldn’t praise it enough.
So why doesn’t the same happen with well-written romance?
One of the best love stories I’ve ever read was in Emma Holly’s The Top of Her Game. It wasn’t the sex that captivated me – it was the romance between Julia and Zach. The end was so delicious and sweet tears welled in my eyes. That’s awesome writing. And yet, Holly’s novel didn’t get the same red-carpet treatment as any of King’s work. I suspect even if she’d sold zillions of copies and became a mega-star with that one book, critics would have dismissed it because it’s erotic, because it’s romance.
And yet, romance – or a love story, if you will – is what makes this genre special as evidenced by the current selection of books all the way back to the Brontë sisters’ Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre. Those novels have endured because of the emotional bond between the lead characters, the emotions evoked by the plot. Contemporary romance writers do that every day. Hopefully, one day others will ‘get it’. If not, oh well, we’ll just keep on writing. :)
Tina
Tina Donahue
“Heat with Heart”
THE YEARNING (BESTSELLER)
SENSUAL STRANGER (BOOK OF THE YEAR 2010)
IN HIS ARMS (SIX - 5 Star Reviews)
ADORED (award winning - 4 Stars RT)
DEEP, DARK, DELICIOUS (5 Stars NOR - 4 Stars RT)
Website: http://www.tinadonahue.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/tinadonahue
Saturday, March 5, 2011
The Balancing Act: Fighting the Urge to Let Secondary Characters Steal The Show
There should be a twelve-step program for writers who become obsessed with their secondary characters. I almost needed one when I was writing Cross My Heart because Archer McCoy, a by-the-book, KCPD officer and the hero’s boss, grabbed my attention and wouldn’t let go. He appeared in the first chapter and was the catalyst for the hero, Jack Sutton pushing his way back into Valentine Cross’ life. McCoy was clearly conflicted about what he was doing but his goal made it important enough to order Jack to find out what Valentine knew about a missing suspect.
Yes, I gave a secondary character a goal, and a long-term goal at that. Why? Because much like giving a villain a goal, motivation and conflict, I don’t think there’s any reason that a secondary character can’t want or need something that directly affects the hero and heroine and is a catalyst for moving the story forward.
McCoy didn’t have a point of view but Jack’s observations gave me a glimpse of the kind of person he appeared to be. Here’s a snippet of their first encounter. Jack thinks he’s getting called into his boss’ office about a car that’s been shot to pieces:
“Sutton!” The sharp demand drew more than his attention when Captain Archer McCoy barked from his open office door. He was holding a file and he didn’t look happy. Great.
There were a few snickers but everyone pretended to be working as Jack followed McCoy back into his office and shut the door. He took the chair in front of the desk when his silver-haired captain darted a brisk nod toward it.
“If this is about the car,” Jack started.
“Forget the damn car,” McCoy growled then ran a rough hand through his hair. “Emmett’s looking into why his snitch burned him.”
That’s when he noticed for all of his spit-and-polish appearance, the man looked as if he hadn’t slept in days and his office reeked of fast food and burned coffee.
I knew I was in trouble when I started typing this conversation. I wanted to know why a spit and polish cop would end up in this predicament. It could have been that he was just a good cop and being told to stop wasting time and money on a dead-end case made the back of his neck itch. Maybe it bothered him because he doesn't know if the case he's about to discuss will have Jack looking for a missing person or a dead body. Or maybe it was personal. I’m a romance author, of course it was personal.
But this was a novella and I didn’t have room for two stories and three or four points of view so wrestling McCoy’s character into a manageable word count meant having it revealed by the hero and heroine and a few defining moments where his actions could be observed by said hero or heroine. At least, that’s the way I decided to handle it.
How about you? Have you ever had a secondary character that you were tempted to let steal the show? How did you handle it?
I'd love to know:)
Paris
Cross My Heart
http://www.jasminejade.com/ps-8935-50-cross-my-heart.aspx
http://www.joyfullyreviewed.com/new-reviews/cross-my-heart-by-paris-brandon
Friday, March 4, 2011
Freebies!
Let's see. With conferences coming up, my thoughts have been on promotional materials. What do the readers like? What kinds of things do they enjoy getting from authors and publishing houses? Last year, I gave away small travel mirrors with my buy line and website address. They weren't too expensive and easily made the travel treks to the different conference. I am attending a few conferences this year although not the big one in Los Angeles. It's just too far for me to travel. I will be at Lori Foster's Get Together and at least one other down in Birmingham Alabama in November. I know Secret Cravings Publishing is attending Lori Foster's and giving away a Nook in their basket. Cool, huh?
I've seen water bottles, tons of bookmarks, magnets, letter openers, document holders, etc. I know everyone wants to do something different—something to catch the reader's eye and get them to go to the website listed.
So, I'd like some feedback from everyone on what things they like to receive as a freebie from an author or publishing house. This can either be "swag" at the conferences or even things for giveaways online. Most of us give free books because it's easy and not a hassle if you are doing the pdf thing, but I'm trying to think of difference things.
What'll it be folks?
~ Until next month
Sandy
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Guest Blog: Sarah Ballance: Your Muse is Better Than My Muse
I'm pretty sure I like your muse better than my own. I read your blogs and your message board posts and I see these great relationships come to light. You meet before dawn with coffee, all fired up to greet the pink sunrise. You enjoy a few stolen moments at lunch, then moonlight after dinner to the soundtrack of furiously clacking keys. I can practically hear the love songs in the background serenading your affair.
When I actually have time to write, my muse sits in the corner like a surly teenager. I can beg him to talk to me all I want, but all I get is that little "yeah, right" kind of head tip – with or without a pseudo-charming smile – and stubborn silence. Sometimes … *sigh* … I catch him texting while I'm talking to him. Needless to say, when he's in one of *those* moods my writing time passes without much progress.
Oh, but he's not a total dud.
The other 22 hours a day – the ones I can't write – he's extraordinary. Whether I'm washing dishes or folding laundry (okay, I don't fold laundry … but I do haul it out of the dryer), driving, paying bills – you name it, and my muse is taunting me with excellent stuff. I spend 90% of my waking hours dying to get to my computer so I can write, and I cope by emailing myself hints of my inspiration, texting my own cell phone, and leaving notes all over the place. And when I finally get a moment to put those utterly brilliant words on the page … GAH! Yep, you guessed it. As soon as I can give my muse my full attention, he's back to glaring at me from the corner like a cat someone shoved out of the sunny spot on a window seat.
Out of sync is an understatement.
I will say there's an upside to such a contentious relationship. When my words finally do hit the screen, it's a celebration like no other. And when I actually finish out a chapter? YEOWZA! Talk about a huge reward for a hard day's (uh, week … okay, MONTH – who asked you, anyway?) work. But really, does it always have to be *so* hard?
Anyway, I just hope the rest of you realize how lucky you are. Your gallant cohorts feed you chocolate-covered strawberries while mine shoots rubber bands at me – the little ones that really sting, no less. Yours whisper sweet nothings while mine yells "whaddya want?" when I tell him it's time to get to work. Your muses are excited about the time they get with you. Mine is excited by the time he gets to taunt me.
You guys are living the ethereal honeymoon. We are SO not.
And now that I've explained myself, perhaps you'll be a little more understanding when you see me sitting in the corner furiously texting myself, trying not to lose that last glimmer of an idea destined to make my next novel great. I'll probably be glaring at you as you share that candlelight romance and wine with your own muse, but that's okay.
Perhaps my muse and I are more alike than I thought.
AUTHOR BIO:
Sarah wrote her first novel in 2008 because she told someone she couldn't. It was accepted by the first publisher she queried, and the rest, as they say, is history. While the thought of writing fiction initially intimidated her, it has morphed into a favorite pastime since her characters, unlike her kids, actually listen to her … most of the time. To see her books (and you'll want to look plenty at the cover of RUN TO YOU), visit her website at http://sarahballance.com
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
My musical muse
Evanescence, Gloria Estefan, Paramore, anything that has that flair of love, lovemaking or just sexiness to it. And lately, Rihanna has filled those shoes! Have you seen her new video? H.O.T! And let's not forget to mention Lady Gaga's, Born This Way...OMG! I have to limit Gaga's music to when I'm not writing because all I want to do is get up and shake my groove.
I crank the music to wall shaking levels and allow myself to be absorded into the "feel" of it. There is nothing sexier than listening to Gato Barbieri's, Europa playing in the background and finishing a kick ass romance scene or when Rihanna's S&M finishes playing and I've just banged out a sexy love/bondage scene! Yeah, baby! That's what some writers live for...at least, I do!
So, what turns your muse's head and gets him/her/its creative juices flowing?
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Cruise Update, Book Information, "Romance is..."
People who got off at both places (we didn't) had nothing but awful experiences, especially at the DR. No shops, lots of storm ravaged buildings and beggars. Beach? Food was terrible (supplied by ship) and some "features" of the beach weren't operational.
Our compensation? 30% off another cruise, $100 onboard credit, all photos free (we had two taken), and some discounts at the beach (some type of water slide). We wrote a letter, but they won't offer more. So, we'll use the 30% and NEVER CRUISE WITH THEM AGAIN after that. SUGGESTION: Avoid Norwegian cruises.
Extra note: They never explained WHY they didn't helicopter in the broken part but waited until the the 5th day (at the beach) to get the part. The part broke on day 2 or 3.Nonfiction book: "Guilty Survivor - Memoirs of Tamerla Kendall". I'm trying my hardest to promo this. Thanks to my friends at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/romancebooksrus, I'm finding places to do promo and get reviews and interviews. My publisher is trying very hard to do this and has sent requests to lots of sites. Keep your fingers crossed!
I asked people to complete this: Romance is... Just one sentence. I'm putting responses with names (and website and blog links if desired) on my website Fun/Contests Page. If you wish to be listed, leave your "Romance is..." sentence and name (and blog and website links) in a comment. Then look for it at:
http://www.mariannestephens.net/New%20Romantic%20Fiction%20Fun%20Stuff-Contests.html
Enjoy March...Spring is coming!
Photos: Flickr: Mamjodh's photostream.



