This week was especially challenging to me as a writer. I have several WIPs going that are interconnected and demand I spend my limited brain cells juggling the action and the plot line between them. If it works, it will be good. If it doesn’t I have three flops on my hands. I’m also going through a difficult edit and revision that has planted more than a few doubts in my confidence. Is the struggle to get e-published worth it?
Maybe.
The other day one of my dour friends sent me several articles from the New York Times stating that “best selling” authors on Kindle are actually having to give their books away for free to attract new readers, piracy is rampant and lots of other negative stuff. My friend titled the email “a depressing trend.”
Thanks “D” that’s just what I needed to hear this week.
Ten seconds later my best friend Teri sent me several emails about the new Apple Tablet multi-media, e-reader, which will be premiered today. She focused on how exciting it was and that it and future products like it will revolutionize reading and buying habits. She also sent several articles about e-publishing in general, which were incredibly positive. I felt as if she had sent me the antidote to the first dose of poison.
Then it occurred to me that this is the wild west of publishing and e-authors are pioneers. A definitive business model for e-publishing, distribution and copyright protection has yet to emerge, but I’m certain it eventually will. The next several years will reshape the publishing industry for a generation and we get to be part of it.
Think of the first days of public publishing. Kings, warlords or high priests ordered their names and deeds carved in megalithic monuments-impressive but it’s not for everyone.
Next, cumbersome tablets were painstakingly carved in stone, clay or embossed on copper and stored in sacred places—more people are literate but it’s tedious work.
Papyrus scrolls were more convenient than clay tablets but they are incredibly fragile, yet this very fragileness seems to encourage a burst of creativity. For the first time common craftspeople start creating poetry, love letters, illustrated text, ribald jokes and even pornography. For the first time human thought is committed to writing and shared purely for entertainment.
When the Gutenberg press came along publishing became available to the masses. Pamphlets were all the rage and those humble publications eventually evolved into the King James Bible, state propaganda and newspapers all of which literally changed the world. Over night everyone wanted to be a politician and had the tools to do it.
Today the sheer volume of information and the weight of paper and the storage space it requires have brought us to the cusp of the next revolution. New publishing methods have always heralded the arrival of new content.
Today we are writing with light. We take up no physical space. Digital publishing looks incredibly fragile and finite when compared to a carved block of stone, yet it is infinitely more powerful and travels at the speed of thought. An author can now share their most personal thoughts and fantasies with the world. Our ancestors would see this as undreamed of freedom and it’s worth facing a few bumps in the road.
I think I’ll stick around and hash out my issues with e-publishing.
Of special note: Johannes Gutenberg first business failure was a “mirror to catch the light of Holy relics” When that venture didn’t pan out he was forced to pay back investors with another invention he was working on—the movable type press. In light of the digital age I’m not so sure his first idea was a failure…
XXOO Kat
She decided to go for a more demure look, something simple and conservative. Normal makeup and hairstyle and casual clothes seemed the right choice. After all, she had to make a good impression and never had a bad hair day in her life. Her closet was full of suits and dresses every businesswoman needed. How could she go wrong?
She adored baseball, and had no problem maneuvering the steps in her conservative outfit. Her date wasn't hungry, so he gave her money to buy her food and off she toddled to find a food concession.
After a wonderful evening, she invited him into her apartment. Lust and desire to have him all to herself forced Marcy to utilize a love doll, one she quickly crafted in her bathroom. Hoping Leroy would fall in love with her, she gently stuck love pins into the doll's body, wishing he'd fall under her love spell.
By the time she entered the living room, Leroy had already shed his pants, giving her a look at his sexy body and shorts. Her love doll had worked!
Didn't Get Anything Posted The Last Two Saturdays...
My neighbor Fritz runs a successful food import company. He is also a native of Haiti who grew up in Port Au Prince.
The Sunday before the earthquake, Fritz stopped by our house to chat. We have a pineapple guava tree that bears fruit in the winter. The scent is pungent and lovely and acted as a magnet to attract Fritz. My husband picked some fruit to share and we had the pleasure of watching Fritz’ face as he bit into a ripe guava. Fritz’ expression was ecstatic. He actually moaned with pleasure and said, “This scent reminds of Haiti and my childhood. I need to go back there and help my family. I’m thinking of becoming a mentor and opening a business school.”
We ate guavas and talked a little about Haiti.
Less than 48 hours later the unthinkable happened. Fritz’ immediate family survived the earthquake but their home, the home he was raised in and the surrounding neighborhood was utterly destroyed.
As of last night, Fritz is awaiting a seat on a supply plane. Perhaps he will fly with Doctors without Borders or another group. He will be going as an interpreter and organizer. He doesn’t know exactly when he is going to get to Haiti but he knows he is going.
I know this is not how he envisioned his return to Haiti. I also know he is needed there more than ever.
My heart is with Haiti.
XXOO Kat
Josh was floating in a secluded beach area I stumbled upon. Wanting a full tan, he opted for his birthday suit and contemplated getting another year older. So did I...I mean, think about getting older. But, one look at his...assets, and after his careful scrutiny of me...had me convinced that adult age is meaningless where passion is involved.
My little attempt to heat up a cold day in January!
Ageless Desires
Copyright: TESSIE BRADFORD, 2009
All rights reserved, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.
http://www.jasminejade.com/pc-7088-107-ageless-desires.aspx
“It’s obvious, honey, that Jason turns you on.” Kate opened her mouth to protest but Bryan put his finger to her lips, silencing her. “That’s not a bad thing, Katie.” He took her hand and laid it over his crotch. “I’ve never been so horny in my whole life.”
“Bryan, I don’t know what you have in mind but…”
“I think you know exactly what we have in mind. I also think that if you could just relax, you would discover that it excites you as much as it does us.” He pressed on her shoulders until she was reclined against the arm of the couch. He carefully lifted her legs up off the floor so that she was comfortably positioned and then he crawled up next to her and began kissing her in earnest.
Kate’s thoughts were in such turmoil that she just closed her eyes, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back with all the emotions that were swirling through her. Did Bryan truly want her to make love with both of them? Did Jason actually find her as attractive as Bryan seemed to? Did she have the nerve to follow through with what she felt was her wildest secret fantasy? She knew that Bryan would never let anything bad happen, she trusted him completely. But what if she let him down? Or couldn’t do what he wanted? Or fainted dead away from the adrenaline coursing through her veins?
“Katie, your heart is beating so hard, just relax. Nothing’s going to happen that you don’t want to happen,” he whispered, as he began kissing down the side of her neck. “You are the most desirable, sexy, loving woman that I have ever known and I want to experience everything with you, Katie.” Bryan nipped and tasted her skin on his journey down to the deep V of her sweater. He gently squeezed her breasts together so that they were cradling his face.
A sigh of pure lust escaped Katie’s lips as she entwined her fingers in Bryan’s hair and held him to her. Her body relaxed into the plush cushions and her legs spread of their own will to allow him to nestle more tightly against her.
Bryan wanted to shout his excitement out loud when he felt Katie give in. He was going to make sure that this night lived up to her wildest dreams. He knew that Jason was now sitting in the recliner across the room from them, watching, and he also knew that from her angle, Kate was unaware of Jason’s presence. He moved his hands to the bottom of her sweater and slowly rolled it up.
Kate let go of Bryan’s hair and raised her arms above her head to allow him to remove her sweater. She opened her eyes and gloried in the appreciative smile he gave when he discovered her new bra. With a slight growl, he lowered his head to her breast and blew warm breath over her nipple before taking it in his mouth through the silky fabric. He sucked until her nipple was rock hard and then moved to attend to the other one. Ever so slowly, he began to inch his way down her body, first licking the underside of each breast, then kissing her ribs and ending up with his tongue swirling into her belly button. She couldn’t help her little sighs and moans as her body became hypersensitive.
Bryan sat back on his knees and popped the button of Kate’s jeans. She didn’t even think before she raised her hips to allow him to pull the denim down her legs. His sexy laughter though, brought her up on her elbows and she grinned playfully when he discovered the wisp of fabric that covered her.
“Do you like?” she purred as she lifted her feet to let him finish removing her pants. The answer that she got wasn’t from Bryan. She finally realized that Jason was in the room when he rose slowly from the chair and walked toward them.
“Katie, please,” Jason implored her as he knelt down and placed his hands on either side of her head, “Let me love you too, darlin’.”
What Kate saw was totally uninhibited passion in his expression. This was the moment that would decide everything. She suddenly realized that she had the power. There were two magnificent men just wanting to pleasure her in every way imaginable. She wanted to give into it, she wanted to have this experience, she just wanted…
After months of struggling to complete numerous WIPs, I finally sent a couple of completed books to my editor early Christmas Eve! She graciously took on the unwelcome Christmas surprises she found in her digital stockings and got back to me January 2nd. I love my editor. She’s a hard-working woman! I’m so excited to announce my first book contract of 2010. It’s a novel-length “Sophisticate” for Ellora’s Cave called “Beautiful Stranger.”
“Blurb: Lily Fontaine is a Los Angeles news anchor and former beauty queen but those roles don’t suit her anymore. She’s healing from a hurtful divorce and ready to take some confidence building risks with her career and love life.
To jumpstart her sex life she considers hiring a male escort as a special birthday treat. Her best friend suggests a provocative solution to her dilemma. On her birthday, she embarks on a daring adventure. She returns to New Orleans, the place of her birth to meet a gorgeous young man. She plans to fly in and fly out for a three-day weekend of great food, cool music and hot sex with no attachments and no further contact with the young man -what can go wrong?
David is perfect, the man of her dreams. He’s intelligent, talented and strapping hot. He’s young but he’s caring and knows how to sexually take charge. The attraction is instant. In a rustic shack on the bayou lust blooms into love. He wants her but can she accept a beautiful stranger into her life?”
I don’t yet have a release date but I’m so looking forward to sharing a little more with you.
XXOO Kat
Hi...
Captured
by Julia Rachel Barrett
Siren Publishing:
“Yeah…yeah…yeah…” Mari teased, wiping the tears from her face. “Your hearing is better. Your eyesight is better. Your sense of smell is better. You are stronger and faster and oh-so-much larger in certain places than the average human male. I get it, Ekkatt. Now bring all those marvelous qualities here, and make love to me like you mean it.”
Ekkatt grinned at her. “That will make you feel better?”
“Oh yes, fucking you will make it very much better.” Mari grinned right back.
“Ah, if you feel that way, then there is something I would like to try.”
“Really? What?” Mari asked.
“Yes, a position that is of significance to my people, but I have been concerned about your size in comparison to mine.”
“Sounds intriguing…”
“That is what I appreciate most about you and fucking, little human, you are so eager, so primitive.”
“Oh yes, big Attun,” Mari laughed. “When it comes to fucking, we humans take pride in our primitive behavior.” She let out a shriek as Ekkatt grabbed her by the ankles and pulled her from beneath the blankets. He flipped her onto her stomach.
“I want to watch this dragon mark while I fuck you. The day I saw you in the hot spring, you made me hard. Like now.” He pressed his swollen cock against her thigh. “I find this portion of your anatomy appealing.” He squeezed her bottom. “It is round and smooth, and I like the way your waist meets your hips, with this curve.” His hand stroked her hip. “I can see a hint of pink, here.” He ran a finger through the wet folds between her legs.
“Oh…Ekkatt…”
“Stretch your arms above your head, Mari, so I can watch the dragon move.”
Mari did as she was told. She felt a long finger slip inside her, then two. She heard herself whimper.
“You are wet for me, human, so wet, and I have barely touched you.”
“Touch me more then…”
Ekkatt growled and pulled her up onto her hands and knees. He lay on his back, slid between her legs, and brought her to his mouth. His tongue lapped at her; his teeth nipped. Mari cried out at the pleasure. It was almost too much. She tried to move away, but Ekkatt kept a firm grip on her hips and held her in place. He licked wherever he wished. His tongue slid inside her as she came, and Mari heard him growl. She felt the fierce vibrations from his throat as his tongue lapped at her.
Ekkatt pushed her back up onto her hands and knees, moving behind her. Both desire and fear pooled in Mari’s stomach. Ekkatt was big. He was so big that she didn’t know if she could take him.
“In my world,” his voice sounded low, deep, “the first mating is always like this. With the man behind. I want you this way, Mari. I will take care not to hurt you, but I want you this way. I have wanted to fuck you like this from the moment I saw you in the spring.”
Mari sobbed at his words. She wanted him this way just as much as he wanted her, but he was so thick, so long, and so very hard. He pressed against her as she gasped at the sensation and the pressure. “I will take care, little human,” Ekkatt repeated. He trailed kisses from the back of her neck down to her bottom. “Be at ease, I will not hurt you.”
Captured, by Julia Rachel Barrett, an erotic science fiction romance, coming January 6, 2010, with Siren Publishing.
Hello everyone! To get 2010 off to a sizzling hot start I am proud to announce Julia Barret’s new release from Siren Press- “Captured.”
The blurb speaks for itself.
“Mari never expects to find herself caged in a cargo hold on a spaceship. She learns from her captors she's headed to the meat market. When they try to return her to stasis, she resists. The male in charge, Ekkatt, allows her to remain awake. Mari realizes her survival depends upon connecting with Ekkatt. She must make him see her as a sentient being or she will end up dinner.
Ekkatt has never spoken to any human. Humans are beasts. They are valued for one thing, the money they bring at auction. The Attun are vegetarians, but other species prize human flesh and Ekkatt makes good money trapping. Then the female with red hair awakens. She speaks to him and forces him to admit she has a name. Mari throws Ekkatt's entire life into question, the biggest question... Can he watch her sold to the highest bidder?”
KL: What makes your hero so sexy?
JB: First of all, pardon my French, but Ekkatt is just fucking sexy! He's other, a man from another world. He's big, he's strong, he's courageous, and he's honorable yet conflicted. All his life he's been taught to think of humans as insentient beings, been told they have no souls. On his world, harboring a human or participating in any relationship with a human is punishable by death, yet he risks everything to save one human woman who has forced him to see her as his equal. He finds himself willing to do whatever he has to do to keep her alive
KL: What's is Mari’s biggest challenge to trusting him?
JB: Simple. Ekkatt is her kidnapper. He's stolen Mari from Earth, along with a cargo hold full of other women, in order to drop her at a warehouse on his planet where she will be auctioned off at the meat market. This is how he earns his living. He's a tracker and a trapper. Mari doesn't trust Ekkatt, but she believes her only chance of survival is to somehow get under his skin, to communicate with him and make him see her as a conscious being instead of an animal. She forces him to acknowledge that she has a name and she is not livestock to be sold to the highest bidder.
KL: Tell me your favorite thing about this story.
JB: For me, the most beautiful and the sexiest thing about the story is the trust and the respect that grows between two people from quite literally different worlds. They are both filled with guilt. Ekkatt because of the life he's led prior to meeting Mari and because of the fact that he took her in the first place. Mari because she has attached herself to her captor in order to stay alive. The hero suffers great remorse and the heroine suffers from survivor guilt. Both manage to come to terms with what they've done and what they haven't done and they fall in love
KL: I know you love Sci-fi and this is your first book in this genre. Who are your greatest influences in the Sci-fi genre?
JB: My current favorite science fiction writer is George R.R. Martin and his series, A Game of Thrones - it's very intense, loaded with complex characters and multiple storylines. So many authors have influenced me - Robert Heinlen with his classic, Stranger in a Strange Land, Larry Niven, the author of Ring World. Frank Herbert and Dune. Ursula LeGuin and The Left Hand of Darkness. I love Tad Williams, author of The Dragonbone Chair series and I adore Anne McCaffrey and her Pern books. I'm a huge Battlestar Galactica and Firefly/Serenity fan. Plus I love the original StarTrek and I'm a big fan of the Borg! I'm not a huge fan of sci fi on film because my standards are high, but The Terminator nailed time travel and I thought Avatar was pretty amazing - both films were written and directed by James Cameron.
KL: Tell me a bit about the dream that inspired “Captured.”
JB: Ah...the dream that wrote the book. Well, here's the true story that precedes the dream. When I was seventeen, I lived in Israel for a year. I worked in the l'ul, the chicken farm, on a kibbutz. On Shabbat, on Saturdays, only two of us worked and we took turns. On my Saturday, I overslept. Instead of getting up at 4:30 a.m., I woke up at 7, and I freaked out because the guy I was scheduled to work with was eighty-four years old! I threw on my clothes, rushed over to the chicken coops and began collecting eggs at the opposite end of the l'ul. That was the last thing I remember until the moment I found myself standing outside the twelfth house, with Noodleman, the older man, asking me how in the hell I collected twelve houses in an hour. I had no idea. I looked around and I had collected all the eggs, stacked them neatly in the cart, and I had absolutely no memory of what had happened in that hour. I didn't even remember spacing out or daydreaming. Nothing. I drew a complete blank. My memory of that day is still vivid and so is that one hour hole in my memory. Around the kibbutz, this became known as the Miracle of the Eggs. Normally, it would take at least six hours to collect that many eggs.
Last August, I dreamed the story of Mari and Ekkatt from start to finish - it was apparently my subconscious' version of what happened to me during that lost hour. Mari is kidnapped while she is collecting eggs from her sister's chicken coop. I could not get their story out of my head, so I stopped the book I was working on and wrote nonstop. Three weeks later, with minimal editing, I sent it off to Siren and as they say, the rest is history!
KL: I wish my workday went that easily. “Captured” is one hot, exciting story and Seven Sexy Scribes is going to post an excerpt of “Captured” on Friday. Trust me, you don’t want to miss it!
XXOO Kat
All of us have one special person in our lives that we've known for a long or short time, but is someone who's become a keepsake in our hearts. I call this person my "forever" best friend. I'm not talking about a spouse or significant other, but a friend who'll always occupy a place in your heart.
What makes someone a "forever" best friend? Love, understanding, a shoulder to cry on, and knowing I can always count on her help, as she can always rely on mine. We've laughed together, cried together, and helped when chaos invaded our lives. I never hesitate when asked who my best friend is...it's Margaret, and always will be...forever.
Romance Novel Sales are Booming
in this tough economy. While other genres are down somewhere between 14% and 17%, Romance has seen an increase in sales - some studies sight an increase of 2.5% over last year, while other information indicates an increase in sales upwards of 34%!
What do we want for Christmas around here? I guess we want a happy ending, by gum, by golly! This economy - while perhaps stabilizing and even improving in some sectors, it sure sucks around here...where I live. My very intelligent, very capable son has been out of work for a year and a half, and despite his endless applications, he's had nary a nibble.
FYI, the nurses I work with have been forced to accept 1-2 days a week of unpaid furlough, thus my on-call hours have been cut because my co-workers who need the income to support their families vie for the extra shifts I would normally get. It's the trickle-down effect.
What do I want to read in these economic times? Oh, honey, save the depressing angst for pundits! Every day I spot my neighbor's pickup in his driveway, I know he still doesn't have construction work. Every morning I see the guy across the street head out for a run instead of a job, it means he's still looking for an accounting position. Every time I glance at the empty shell of a house that was home to our best friends until a year ago, tears fill my eyes. Enough already! Bathe me in love, romance, passion, mind-altering sex!
Romance is affordable and you know you can count on an HEA. Sentimental sap that I am, I'll take an HEA any day.
Happy New Year!
***Prayers for our friend Amber and her new baby. Just got the news so please send her your thoughts. julia
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