Writing?

Not I...In fact my mind has been wondering What’s that? I’ve certainly forgotten. In the last few weeks I wrote 1200 words. All my self imposed goals and deadlines went straight out the window. Instead I’ve been doing nothing. When I say nothing I mean nothing. Until this morning.
I received final proof edits this morning for Hit Me coming from Loose Id on May 17th. The next few weeks should bring edits for Sex on the Beach, which will be published with Ellora’s Cave. So I HAVE to do something.
I decided to set aside Looking Thru the Glass. I’m about 14k into it, but I’m not feeling the characters right now. Maybe that’s the reason I’m not writing.
This morning I started a new story for a theme line EC is doing. The story I Wanna Sext You Up flowed nicely. I managed to get a little over 1k on paper. Now if I can keep the flow going only 20k more to write…I’m sure it will be longer, but I have a tight deadline.
In between writing I’m concentrating on planting flowers and picking out paint. The DH put five colors on the wall yesterday. As they were drying I liked two. This morning I didn’t like any of them. Off the paint store for more samples!
Hope everyone else is having more productive times than me!

Remodeling our kitchen...and my brain. A moveable feast.

From left to right: What it was, what it was becoming...and what it is now finished!

For more on the joys and trials of home remodeling, come to my blog today, tomorrow and the next for more words...and more pictures! Where?

http://cerisedeland.blogspot.com

Romance is in the air...

And my two latest print books are out!

Yes, I received word yesterday the Resplendence Publishing has released A Brief Moment of Pleasure in PRINT!  Ihave been told that my author copies are in the mail. Whoo hoo! Can't wait!

Sigh...I love getting those lovely large glossy books to hold and kiss and...um...you get the picture. :P

Once I get them, I am going over to all my favorite bookstores and touting all my print books...because author name recognition is important, even if nobody buys the books...they are still there on the shelf for non-e-book readers to see and thumb through. And eventually someone will buy one...or maybe two.

Fran

 

Big Month!

I know...I know...I'm late as usual, but blogger hates me and won't let me schedule posts in advance!

So this is a big month - my birthday, my sister's birthday, my grandmother's birthday and our wedding anniversary. Oh, and we already celebrated my dad's birthday. Major month. And my parent's wedding anniversary on the 23rd. Wow!

I think Thomas Jefferson and I share a birthday, April 13th. I think Abraham Lincoln died on my birthday. I'm pretty sure some pretty (historical) evil people were born around my birthday too. Yuck. Lots of stuff happens in April - must be the Aries influence. We're pushy buggers.

Happy Easter, Happy Passover, and Happy Spring! love, Julia

Grinning From Ear to Ear

Saturday April 16th is a very big day!

My daughter is showing her first collection in the Spring Fashion Show at Central Michigan University. If that’s not exciting enough, she is up for three different awards; Buyer’s Choice, Best Fall/Winter Collection, and Best New Designer!!!

She’s worked so very hard these last four years! We, the parents, grandparents, brother, sister-in-law, aunts, uncles, cousins, boyfriend and friends are beyond proud to share in the joy of her successes.

Hubby’s and my plan is to try not to embarrass her by shedding our happy, happy tears too loudly during the show!

Tessie

www.tessiebradford.com

"Sugar Roux Voodoo"

Here’s the first taste of my new book from Ellora’s Cave, “Sugar Roux Voodoo”.

Just like a good jambalaya “Sugar Roux Voodoo” has a little bit of everything thrown in for flavor. Of course it’s a love story. It’s also a historical. Gritty pirate tales are told. Voodoo priestesses practice “beneficent-magic” aboard elegant riverboats and handsome men are enslaved as zombies.

As a bonus, I created something special just for your entertainment, an Amé Enchanger—or soul-swapper. This man is a shape-shifter, so evil and dank he borrows the bodies and souls of charismatic men and goes into the world seducing women and making trouble wearing their likeness, while the real men work as zombies in the cursed cane fields. Naughty, naughty.

I loved writing this book. 

Blurb: “Sugar Roux Voodoo”
“New Orleans 1834. Lark La Beau is a green-eyed beauty and respected beneficent voodoo priestess with the sometimes uncooperative gift of clairvoyance. Captain Valcour Curry is a debonair, larger-than-life buccaneer with ambition to burn and a taste for fine things. Following a whirlwind romance with Lark, he disappears at sea, leaving Lark with a riverboat and a child to rear—alone.


A guilty act of piracy causes Valcour to fall victim to a shapeshifting magician who practices the dark art of soul-swapping. For five years Valcour has been enslaved as an emotionless zombie with no memory of his loved ones or past. From dusk to dawn he is cursed to toil in the cane fields while the magician uses his soul.


Lark will risk hell and journey to the oppressive Broken Oak Plantation to break the curse. It’s a terrifying place. Her only tools to call Valcour’s lost soul back to life are beneficent voodoo and love.”


If you’re curious about what a “sugar roux” is, or want to know how to cast a love spell that can pull a man’s soul back from limbo—I’m not telling! You’ll have to read the book and find out for yourself.


Seven Sexy Scribes resident expert Amber Skyze informed me that the gorgeous man on the book cover, playing the part of Captain Valcour Curry is indeed cover model “Angelo”…sigh. I feel truly honored to have a Syneca created book cover featuring Angelo. Thank you Syneca!

XXOO Kat


Katalina Leon “Sugar Roux Voodoo” will be available

Friday April 22^nd from Ellora’s Cave Publishing.
http://www.jasminejade.com/p-9273-sugar-roux-voodoo.aspx

Self-Publishing

In the beginning of the April I attended my local chapter’s writers meeting. The guest speaker talked about self-publishing. She’s been published with Carina Press and Source Books. She had a few books that were getting rejected for various reasons, but they were stories she knew she wanted to publish. So she did. She hired a freelance editor and had a cover artist produce the cover art. For around $350 total she had her book published with Kindle, Smashwords, B&N, Sony and all the places where e-books are available. Having great success with the first book she did this for two more. Here’s the kicker…since November she’s made over 30k. The money is all hers. There’s no publisher or editor to get their cut. Granted she’ll pay taxes on the money earned, but seriously. In the almost three years I’ve been publishing I’m nearing around 10k. I’d rather cut out the middle man and make some serious cash. I realize this is best served to those who have a following, but I believe anyone with the drive to promote their books can succeed. I’ve decided to take one of my contemporary romance (non-erotic) books this route and see what happens. I may succeed. I may fail. But I won’t know unless I try. What are your thoughts on self-publishing?