WHO SAID IT FIRST

Angelica Hart and Zi

eBay has engendered itself into our workplace. As an overview, this phenomenon has taken our culture by Perfect Storm. There it is, so common, that governor Sarah Palin used it to sell a state owned jet. And its stock is considered by money people like Michael Nesmith as indicators as to the direction of our market. We have five computers, of which, one seems to be a virtual eBay satellite. As we have written previously, Zi buys! He finds beauty to behold in treasures that unfold on his screen.

Yes, Zi got a few more shirts, today, didn't need them. The day ended up being quite interesting. We'd be in the middle of discussing dialogue between characters, obviously he multi-tasking, and suddenly he'd yelp, "Gotcha!" He won what he thought was beauty. What's thought to be one man's discard is another man's treasure.

Margaret Hungerford wrote, "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." She was an Irish novelist in the 19th century who wrote light romantic fiction. However, this saying first appeared in the 3rd century BC in Greek. I find it ironic and inspiring that a romance writer would be attributed to that quote. Every day we explore and sexplore beauty and its play in love and romance.

It is so dag-nabbit-snap-dragon easy to write about traditional beauty. Easy to love a gorgeous woman. It's equally simplicitic to adore a hunky man but give that dude a goiter and he ain't dating. We believe that love is goiter-blind, and will try to discover a deeper purpose in love.

A movie from 1945 called The Enchanted Cottage played out this concept when what was considered a homely housekeeper falls in love with a scarred soldier. He saw her as beautiful, and she simply could not see his scars.

In our new manuscript, LOVE LETTERS, our hero Rich Longar has a burn scar that is predominate on his face. Our heroine Lauren Pike maybe a bit fleshy, hippy, zaftig, voluptuous, much of the Mae West character. We found great pleasure in building their love-ship. And aptly felt a certain requiting when it unfolded before us.

You have to adore Mae West. She once said, "A dame that knows the ropes isn't likely to get tied up." Additionally, she stated, "A hard man is good to find." She is attributed with, "A man in the house is worth two on the street." and "A man's kiss is his signature." We simply adore M. West. She said, "Anything worth doing is worth doing slowly", "Cultivate your curves they may be dangerous but they won't be avoided", and "He who hesitates is a damned fool". Our last two are these, "I didn't discover curves; I only uncovered them" and "I believe it is better to be looked over than it is to be overlooked".

Lauren Pike is Mae Westian in her sexually overt and vivacious personality as well as her curvaceous appearance.

The question is would every man find her beautiful? And the answer is simply, no. The question is would every woman find Rich Longar attractive? And the answer is simply, no. There is a beauty that each holds that has to find synergy with the other. As writers and especially as romance writers we have to seek that potential interconnect and grow its viability so the reader can feel their raw lust and love.

So every day the beauty is in the eye of the beholder and we are its agents.


We'd love to hear from anyone interested in what we do. Anyone who emails us at angelicahartandzi@yahoo.com and leaves an s-mail address, we will send you a gift and add you to any future mailings.

Angelica Hart and Zi
KILLER DOLLS
SNAKE DANCE
CHASING YESTERDAY
Champagne Books ~ www.champagnebooks.com
angelicahartandzi.com

Circle of Friends

What goes around comes around and there's no other place like the family of writers where this is more true. I started a blog journey on Tuesday on my own blog to thank each person/writer who has personally had a hand in shaping my career. I plan to post one a week until I've listed everyone I can think of. I'm hopeful others will pick up the idea and run with it.

Writers are so blessed. We all share a universal need to see each other succeed. Wow. That's really profound when you think about it. Folks ask all the time what author influenced you to write and most will list there favorite authors as inspiration. I do have one of those. My first romance was Shanna by Kathleen Woodiwiss and after reading this amazing story, I was hooked on romance. I wrote my first under-the-bed romance when I was twenty using an electric Brother's typewriter. All 400 pages sit in a box on a shelf overlooking my computer. I have no desire to re-read it - yet. Maybe once I'm retired. After that, I wrote a lot of first chapters and nothing more.

A friend who is now a published author gave me the incentive to take that chapter and turn it into a full novel. After that, I discovered a whole community of friends who shared the same passion. Sure - I can thank Woodiwiss for turning me on to romance, but that's where her influence stops and a whole circle of writer friends take over. I guess this is my general thank you to all of you.  So - do you have a similar story? Are you a part of this wonderful family? If so, shout it out.

I'm a Book Slut -- Reformed

I've been a book slut. Yes, I admit it. When I first began to write, it was as if I couldn't produce manuscripts fast enough. I developed the story line, rounded up the most likely suspects—er—characters, and wrote like a woman possessed. Then I pushed that manuscript through critiques and sent it off to publishers. Or, as a writer friend so eloquently phrased it, "you dated them, slept with them, and cast them aside." (I do love the metaphor.) And I always have two or three stories in progress at one time, like lovers on a string.

But I'm turning over a new leaf. I'm learning to take my time, to marry myself to the story and the characters, to make a commitment or, as my friend also put it, become "a literary monogamist." I'm seeing the results in a manuscript I've been working on for close to two years now. I've rewritten this story three times, run it through two critique partners twice, and have it with one of my beta readers. And I'm still tweaking the manuscript while I await her feedback. I've learned the difference between lust and love.

When the excitement of creating a book still puts a blush on our cheeks, I think many of us can be vulnerable to giving free rein to our slut sides. So many stories, so little time. We write, write, write, write, write. Eventually, though, we slow down. This, for me, is the shift from writer to author. We learn to write more critically. We give ourselves completely to the work in progress and vow to make it the best we've written. I'm of the belief—now—that my next book always has the potential to be my best book.



Linda Rettstatt
Champagne Author of Next Time I'm Gonna Dance and Shooting into the Sun
http://www.lindarettstatt.com/
Writing for women--stories of strength, love, humor, and hope.

What? Me military?

You might say that. Pictured here is the last active duty aircraft I had the pleasure to toy with - not fly, mind you. Fix. Imagine something like this, factory fresh, with its electronic guts strewn around it. Yeah, that was me, trying to chase down gremlins. At least that was the official reason. Truth was, I have a love affair with all things aeronautical, and especially if it happens to be military.

So, how does this creep into my writing? Well, with Blade Dancer the first scene is in a dirigible, and very soon you find my main character piloting an experimental (and forbidden) powered glider. An "airsail" as her race terms it. Watch that airsail. By the end of Blade Dancer it evolves into a sturdy prototype of what will be an impressive war bird by the time Rogue Dancer comes around. Like the warthog pictured, the next time you see airsails they come complete with cannons strapped beneath them.

Mikial hates to fly, but I've had her log hours aplenty inside of airplanes. More than one scene boasts (or derides) her prowess with the stick. Just don't ask her to land the thing eloquently - she's a heavy-handed young lady when it comes to such things. In my upcoming novel Defiant Dancer my love for aircraft continues, as does Mikial's flying time. She will qualify as an astronaut in this next release (whether she wants to or not).

I always envied the pilots whom I saluted as they rolled down the tarmac, the gleaming canopy closing over their cockpit. My dreams were lost in the whine of engines, and sent tumbling in the hot exhaust. As a writer, I work these things out through my character, who will see and feel every bit of what I could only imagine. The reader gets to take the seat with me on these rides, which benefits us both. While future novels may not include so much of my love for aircraft, you can bet that the gleam behind Mikial's eyes when she flies is coming from the author's heart. Sure, she says she can't stand flying. Don't believe her for a second.

Kerry
www.kmtolan.com

When the Words Won't Come

I'm sure we've all experience writer's block, that time when the words won't come and we sit at the computer fiddling with the keys or tapping a pencil on a note pad. This issue has been a real problem for me lately. Looking back to the times I was most prolific, I realize a change of scenery was the key to spuring my muse. Now I carry a notepad and when I have to wait at the doctor's office, or anywhere else, I write. When I get home, I transfer my notes to my manuscript. 

While on vacation, sitting in the back seat of the car, watching the scenery from the windows, I rapidly filled the pages of my tablet. I think the next time the words won't come, I'll have my husband take me for a drive. He can groove on the scenery and I can write.

What about you? What spurs your muse? 

Thanks for reading and writing!

Linda

http://www.lindalaroque.com/

http://www.lindalaroqueauthor.com/

Long vs Short

Michael W. Davis

Davisstories.com

Now I know my romance budettes will interpret those words out of context with the point I had in my mind (the little vixens), but its not what ya think. As an author, my prime avenue is romantic suspense and romantic thrillers. It’s where the bulk of my days in the pool of fictional thoughts are spent. Yet, after spending six months isolated in my back room creating 90,000 words that, I hope, stimulate the mind and heart of readers, I need mental relief. Fortunately, my muse and her creativity swing both ways, in the world of fiction, of course.

In between novels, I spend a few weeks dipping in another end of the publishing arena, specifically creating some SF shorts. Each story still has a romantic core, most have an off world tone, but they all provide quick gratification. I can see the characters in my mind come to life as I formulate an intriguing and “OMG” twist, then step back and sigh with creator’s pride that my vision has come alive. Although all my shorts are from the SF genre, once they are down on paper, they are real to me. The hero, heroine, fictional world with all its creatures, the dilemmas and heartbreaks they endure; they are all real.

Many of my SF stories come from dreams, but some take on an existence of their own out of vapors. For example, an off world SF entitled ESSENCE that was recently released by ChampagneBooks.com started as a quirky thought of how far a man would go for the woman he loved. I mean the female that defines his very existence. Here’s a short blurb to give you an idea:



On a deep space mining exploration, Drake and Lara are exuberant to discover the largest source of Tallium ever recorded, until they’re forced to make a desperate choice of how far they'll go to stay together.




All I had to do was struggle with the first paragraph, then my muse Elvira (she’s a bit of a bossy thing) ripped the keyboard from my hands and took off. I simply leaned back and watched the story evolve, it was amazing, truly amazing to see her in action. And she did one hell of a job. Here’s two early reviews:

"ESSENCE will keep you highly entertained from start to finish....Michael W. Davis is a masterful storyteller who continues to keep the reader highly entertained with his stories. With each book this author delivers to his readers, he captivates you from start to finish with a few intriguing twists that leave you breathless. ESSENCE is a nice, short read that will leave you eager for more. I hope this author comes back to this little area of the world he created and shows us more fun in space. If you haven’t read one of Mr. Davis’ stories then grab ESSENCE and settle in for a fun filled romp in outer space. ", Love Romance & More

"In the fascinating and intense short story, ESSENCE, Michael W. Davis exposes us to a beautifully written world of deep space missions and enduring love. As with his other works, Davis does an amazing job with detailed and emotionally-driven descriptions. The fast paced plot, likable characters, and twist at the end make this story a pleasure to read…and reread. I recommend ESSENCE to science fiction and non science fiction lovers alike. A great read." Pagan and Pen Book Reviews

I know, I know, I did a terrible thing; I took credit for Elvira’s work, but please don’t tell her. Not only is she bossy, she carries one mean whip in her belt of toys. If you’d like to read an excerpt from ESSENCE, or any of my novels or shorts, jump on over to Davisstories.com

Michael Davis, Author of the year (2008 and 2009)

R.I.P. Elizabeth Thornton

One of my favorite authors, Elizabeth Thornton, passed away on Monday. Elizabeth has written 27 historical romances (she has a new release in November) and was a 7 times RITA finalist. Her books ROCK.

I never met Elizabeth but having read and enjoyed many of her books, I feel I knew her. I went to a seminar given by Robyn DeHart on Saturday. In it, she said that every author puts a little bit of her own self into each book. I know that the emotions I put on my pages are mine. Their sources are different (I never had to kill someone like Tavos has… well, not yet, anyway) but the emotions are mine. We all also create heroines we like.

I love Elizabeth's heroines. They are strong and perky and intelligent and everything a woman could want in a friend. It makes me think I would have liked being Elizabeth's friends.

A chapter mate was a good friend of Elizabeth's (I heard the news through her) and she confirmed those suspicions. Elizabeth Thornton was a wonderful person who created wonderful books.

I will miss the new releases but I will cherish her soon-to-be classics. A piece of her will live forever in her stories.

$

Kimber Chin is currently posting chapters of a 10,000 word short story on her site http://businessromance.com/ (and yes, it does have a cameo by Tavos Santos, our favorite knife wielding vigilante)

Popping in for a quick hello!

Howdy!

Why is whenever I see that I word I can hear Miss Minnie? Ugh, I'm sure half a dozen or more readers went completely blank at the mention. Miss Minnie Pearl, the Grand Dame of the Grand Ole Opry, famouse for her Gingham checked dresses, straw hats decorated with flowers and the ever present price tag hanging from the brim.

Sorry, I cna't help but wax nostalgic. My chaotic life is slowing its whirling dirvish to a more natural rhythm and I'm desperately trying to find my bearings while playing catch up with the real world.

The situation with my Grandmother has some minor, if temporary improvements and for that I am rgateful. It means that I can finally try to get back into the swing of my real life. Of course the duration of the repreive may only be long enough for me to almost get caught up--but I'll take what I can get and be happy.

It is important that I thank ALL of you who have dropped notes of encouragement, whispered words of prayer and kindness for myself and my family during these trying times. I am grateful for all my friends and their support! So, ready?

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!

I have to get back to my catch up attempts but I wanted to drop a line and let y'all know I'm not dead--yet and hope to be back into my real routine soon. Right now I'm headed back into the edits for Hunting Mickey--coming in October from Champagne Books! Yes, I'm TOTALLY excited. Oop, better get back to work!

Take care, keep safe and HAPPY READING!
Huggles,
Donica

It's Official...

...I finally own a Barnes and Noble nook. I LOVE it!!

There are so many awesome features and I especially love that I can change the font size and use an SD card to add to my library should the need arise (others don't offer this feature).

eReaders have opened doors for the eBook industry and the competitive market has seen the price drop a great deal over the past few months. I highly recommend the nook and plan on getting one for my kids.

I'm excited to have a new release, Adrian's Angel, coming out August 2, 2010 via Champagne Books. You can read more about it at: http://www.angelaashtonbooks.com/ Hope you like it!

Other titles available in both eBook & print via Champagne Books:

Amulet of Fate

Once A Rebel (Book 1 in the Orphan Train series)

Corsair Cove

Until next time, Angie

Designing a Website

I was asked recently to review one of my writing buddy’s websites and in so doing, give an “honest” opinion. While doing so, I realized that an overall suggestion for design layout might make for a good blog. That said, her are my honest opinions on what makes a good website design, and no, I will not go into the mechanics as I barely understand html let alone css or java script. What I wish to discuss here is merely the attributes of the overall outward design and what makes a viewer want to stay and browse. Mind you, this is only my opinion.


HOME PAGE – Keep it simple or for those of you that like acronyms, KISS it. Think of the front page as the cover of your novel. There’s a title, art, a logline, author’s name and that’s about it. So, for the front page or home page of your website, consider a title block that reflects the genre you write in, a very short blurb either explaining what you write, who you are or welcoming folks to your website. Save lengthier orations for your bio page. Perhaps showcase your latest release. What you don’t want is to make your home page look like an advertisement for Wally World. If it’s too busy, folks won’t know what to click on or what to look at. A viewer needs a resting point for the eye, a focal point that pulls him/her into the composition and piques his/her interest.

TABS – Again, keep it simple. The more pages you have, the more upkeep there is. Try for the basics and maybe one fun tab. I’ve seen some authors include out takes or deleted scenes. I saw one who added a family tree for her characters because all her books were connected. I’ve seen some offer puzzles. A lot might depend on the genre you write in.

PAGES – Try to organize them so each page is a joy to look at. Again, keep the layout simple and the information at a minimum. Think about what your goals are for your website. What do you want the viewer to learn? Well, most of us want to inform potential readers about our work and how they can come by one of our books. Anything else is gravy. So – make sure you have buy links and if possible include either excerpts from your books or first chapters. The trick is to hook the reader so they want to buy. Reviews are great but don’t include the full review. Post the best part of the review and a link where readers can read the rest. And there’s nothing wrong with posting awards and nominations as well. For basic information, don’t get fancy with the fonts. The older generation has a hard enough time reading plain fonts, let alone curly cues, etc. For each page you build, be sure to give them titles in the html code. This helps search engines find your site faster.

NEWS – Link to your blog. Adding content to websites is time-consuming and for those that pay someone else to do updates, costly. Why waste the time when you can be writing. A blog is a lot simpler to add content to and if it’s a popular blog, can drive traffic to your site. You can always add a note that says for more information, go to my website, etc.

OVERALL – I was told by someone who teaches website design to students that my original design was too wide, so when I redesigned, I started with one of the dreamweaver templates. The page was 780 pixels wide. I thought it looked narrow but then realized, this width fits my laptop screen perfectly. It was an “Ah Ha” moment. The other thing I would caution against is music. Don’t get me wrong. I love music, all types of music, and it’s fun learning what everyone else’s tastes are but … when I’m not expecting it, and it blares a tune I’m not fond of, I will probably never visit that site again. You don’t want to risk that chance. I’ll even click off that site without even looking at it before I take the time to go into system tools and turn off the volume.

OVERHAULS – I would rebuild your website at least once every two years. Announcing a new website design will always ensure viewers to your site. And, technology changes quickly. I learned that the hard way when I ended up with a new version of dreamweaver that was so far removed from my old that I couldn’t make my old site work with the new version. Plus, shaking things up gives return visitors something new to look at.

I probably left off a lot of points, but these were the first things that came to mind. Basically, you want your website to help brand your name. Your logo or title block, content, and color choices are all components in helping do this. I wanted to list a few websites I found that I thought were great examples of great design, but I’m running out of steam. It’s past midnight, and I still have to finish writing a love scene. Anyway, it might be fun for those commenting to list your favorite sites, the ones you find pleasing to the eye and fun to browse.

Of course, here's where I add a plug for myself. Check out my new design and let me know your thoughts.