Last Day of the 3 Quarter

And it sucks!

I had three short stories out on spec. All of which were supposed to have decision made before October 1st.

One: “The Bridge” the publisher pulled the plug on the project because…

“While many of the stories we received were incredibly well written, sexy and moving, we unfortunately didn't receive enough amazing stories to fill all seven books.”

So, “The Bridge” needs a new home, again.

Two: “The Rites”, didn’t make the cut but it was a long shot anyways. I dragged it down from a 4k story to a 3k story – which made it better in a lot of ways – nothing like severely limited word count to keep things tight – but there were many things that could have used more text to explain them. Sex and a complicated world both take time.

Three: “The Reunion” – haven’t heard yet but don’t imagine that is good… the editor on that project is usually very timely.

Hmmm… I’m starting to see a pattern in my naming conventions – but really I also have stories titled “Just His Mouth” and “3 AM” which break the mold… oh, and they need to find homes too.

This is the hard part that I don’t talk about here much. The grind that makes me doubt myself. Each of these stories was written for a specific collection on spec – and didn’t make it – then two were re-edited/written and sent out some place new where I hoped they would find a home.

Right now I’m in the process of redoing “Just His Mouth”, “3 AM”, “The Bridge” and “The Song’s Ending” all in the hope I can make them better, send them out into the world, and find homes for my orphans.

And don’t forget the novel I’m working on.

If the pain of these shorter pieces not finding homes is awful, just think how horrid the rejections on that are going to feel.

Okay, time to let the pain go… maybe do some yoga, have some breakfast, and get back to work. After all nothing worth having is easy… is it?

Licks!

When Things Get Personal

Hopefully no one is actually counting blog posts.

If they are I should explain.

Something wondrous has entered my life, quietly on padded feet. Just as quietly he has turned my life upside down.

I don’t like to talk about it.

I’m afraid rather than my brutal honesty you are stuck with poetic glances that side step the truth of the situation.

The blog has fallen on hard times. I know I’ve been away a lot. It’s been difficult to keep my tone light and breezy. For several months I couldn’t write abot sex… that was awkward. Then I could but I didn’t want to as I watched my private life filter into my writing.

It used to do that all the time – I’d pull from my dates, my lovers, my relationships – but now I didn’t want to. It felt like a betrayal of a trust.

Every man I’ve dated since I started writing erotica has known what they were getting into. All were curious… Some even dated me because of it…

This was different.

I’ve met someone who took the time to know me. He didn’t assume or create an idealized image that only vaguely resembled me. He didn’t pick the parts he liked and try to change those he didn’t. He lets me be nothing more, nothing less than myself. I hope I do the same.

We aren’t perfect, my love and I, but we are honest.

That’s where I’ve been. What I’ve been up to and the journey I’ve embarked on.

If, like my friend Jeff, you are worried about me walking away from the sex – don’t! I’ve found my balance again and as we speak am working on a piece that takes place in Hell. And another about a man who equates women to flowers… he like the orchids best. I just had to push myself farther into my imagination rather than culling straight from my life. It took awhile.

I’ve also started my first full length novel. We’ll see how it goes.

For now, thank you for not deserting me, all the best!

Licks!

Countdown!

The 3-Day Novel Contest is almost upon us.

Last year was the first year I participated and it was one of the most amazing experiences of my creative life. I’m wise enough to know that this year will be different – but I still want to try. Get the house clean, the kitchen stocked, and get ready to hunker down and write for 72 hours and produce a novel.

But before I can do that… I need to finish the final draft of the new short story – pleasure, pain, torment, women in leather, and a very bad man. And get a first draft of the rewrite of The Turquoise Box – which has taken on a life of its own and is making me worried.

Oh, and research… must get research for the 3-Day Novel story…. Sigh!

11 day 9 hours 50 minutes and counting…

Licks!

Back up!

Thanks to my wonderful editor at Ravenous Romance – I am back up and Hunting for Possibilities is once again available on the site.

After the hack it took nearly three days to get the site up, and another week to stabilize it (although there are still some bumps). I’ve never been one for S&M – I admit I like my bondage lite – but I would love to get the folks responsible for this little act of vandalism into the dungeon of my mind and see just how creative I could get.

Oh, well… I’ll have to leave that as one of my fantasies since the to-do list is simply too long.

Currently still working on the story about a Djinn, a girl, and a box (sounds like the beginning of a bad joke) but just think about the possibilities of a lover made of smokeless fire.

Hmmm…

Or rather ummm…

Licks!

Still on a Reading kick…

I think research is a writer’s best procrastination tool.
At least I can’t think of anything more fun than curling up with some of my new favorite authors.

I will, however, have to expand my mythological/paranormal research beyond the realm of the internet since I just saw one of my “borrowed” characters – a demon named Raum – in someone else’s book.

Sigh, it is such a small wiki-world.

Research is a girl’s best friend, right after her vibrator, and her imagination.

I’ve been reading and reading, and I’m fascinated by the growing trend of Urban Fantasy books that are tied to a specific geography. Storm Born and Thorn Queen take place in Arizona, The Graywalker Series by Kat Richardson and the  Succubus Blues series by Richelle Mead take place in Seattle, Vicki Pettersson’s Sign of the Zodiac are in the city of sin Las Vegas and Devon Monk’s Allie Beckstrom stories take place in another version of my home town… Portland, Oregon.

I’ve started all the series but I haven’t caught up with all of them yet – and some are much better structured than the others (Mead’s Storm Born/Thorn Queen and Richardson’s Poltergeist are among the best plotted that I’ve read so far). What I love about them all is their use of place and the richness of their descriptions.

Oh, and the fact that there isn’t a whiny woman among them. Damaged yes, but survivors.

You gotta love that!

I should probably get back to the actual writing part of the program today. It is so tempting to curl up with the cat and a book…

Oh, and Erastes has inspired me to get my library on Goodreads… so you can find my bookshelves there but it is a work in progress.

And, since we are catching up, Ravenous Romance is back on line, however I don’t appear to exist yet but I’m hoping they will have the website back to 100% soon.

If you didn’t hear… they were maliciously hacked over the weekend. Haven’t yet heard why they were targeted but the attack was bad enough to take them down for three days. So, good thoughts out to all of them… and what I wouldn’t give for a little magic to punish the perpetrators… or maybe a nice kick though a doorway into to Hell.

Licks!

Greetings from Purgatory

Hello all!

I’m not really in purgatory, but it feels that way some times. What I’m really doing is writing, writing, writing… oh, yes, and more writing.

My plan for the summer involves several novellas and a plethora of short stories…

I haven’t been writing here much due to the weight of writing that is weighing me down but also because of an occurrence.

I can be a tough broad when I need to be, and I’ve rarely been frightened. But something happened that scared me.

I’m not used to being scared.

It was one of those dating things… I met someone and it slipped out that I write erotica. Now I like the look of desire in a man’s eyes as much as the next woman. But I prefer the desire be about me and not whatever porn video is playing in their head.

We’d only spoken half a dozen words and suddenly I see that light go on. And what I saw in that light scared me to death. The tipping point where it stops being about sex and becomes about power. I’ve never been forced but my gut said that given any sign of weakness this man would have me stripped and up against the wall whether I was interested or not.

I know there are women out there that enjoy playing with that type of fire – but apparently I’m not one of them.

Yes, I write about sex.

But for me sex is a conduit for intimacy, personally sex for sex’s sake just doesn’t get me off. I exited the situation as best I could and as quickly as I could. A part of me feels like a coward and another is just grateful that I don’t have to see this man ever again.

I’m hoping my giving this to all of you out there will clear my mind and unblock my creativity where this blog is concerned.

Thanks for hearing my confession…

Licks!

Working the Sex

Writing is work.

Sex is work.

Anyone who says that sex isn’t work isn’t doing it right. It takes attention to detail, to your partner’s responses, and focus. It also takes remembering what worked before and creativity for finding new ways to thrill them next.

The delightful thing about sex is the payoff and that you don’t do it alone.

Okay, there are some times but I’m not talking about them.

Writing takes attention to detail, memory, creativity and focus. The thing about writing is you have to do it alone.

Ever had one of those nights where either you or your lover was more “on” than the other? Or a lazy night where casual caresses blossomed into an exhilarating evening?

With sex, you have someone to play off of, someone to pick up the slack when you run out of steam. With writing you are simply alone playing mind games with yourself.

I could use one of those creative nights between the sheets. As usual my lover is away. Someday I’ll take a lover who doesn’t travel… no I won’t I like too many things about the leaving and the returning. Whether I am left alone or we take the trip together there is something about travel, time apart, time together, different places, different people…

Hmmm….but I was talking about wanting one of those nights.

A night to stir the creative juices and provide grist for the mill rather than mining the past would be pleasant. But until he returns I’ll struggle though writing sex without my muse.

Licks!

Shout it from the Roof Tops!!!!

Yes I did have sex, finally, but that isn’t issue at hand.

I sold a story!!!!

Always better than sex, well, unless it is really really amazing sex, but so much better than your run of the mill sex.

This story is different than anything I’ve published before. Hopefully it won’t give anyone the wiggins. Still lots of sex! No worries there.

Stay tuned to this station for updates!

Licks!

Never Apologize, Never Explain…

Okay, maybe just this once.

My loyal readers I have left you the last several weeks with poor writing and few posts. Not for lack of fodder but because of a distraction.

Working on this novella has become all consuming. It is a genre I’ve never tried to write before, although I’ve certainly read enough of it, and I have become a little compulsive obsessive.

I lied, a lot obsessive.

I am completely preoccupied with this world I’ve created and the shower scene a friend helped me with. A shower all of us who love water and sex would love to play in. Really, this shower has crept into my dreams and made me realize just how much I miss sex in luxurious bathrooms.

The last time I was in Vegas I had the most delightful tub huge, wide and deep. You could fit two people in comfortably and three at a stretch. The spigot was in the middle and slightly recessed so as to prevent inadvertent damage to the bathers. Unfortunately it was a girl’s weekend. No chance for me to play in it and we always stick to the rule – no men in the room. Girl’s weekends are more about teasing and being unattainable than about anonymous sex.

Hmmm… but I did tell my lover all about the tub and everything I would do to him if he was with me.

There is something delightful about water and sex.

I had a lover once who always started our private parties with a shower. We would lather up and tease each other for hours both in the shower and out.

I digress.

I meant to apologize for being more involved in writing stories than writing posting. I will return – refreshed and rejuvenated.

Promise.

Licks!

Life’s been Slow…

Life’s been slow as of late.

No dates, more writing than anything else, and I’m tamping down my sex drive as much as possible.

Which feels odd.

A few years ago I would have gone out, as a friend put it, hunting. I’d wander the streets of my favorite city looking for distraction and entertainment. I rarely brought anyone home but I did have a lot of adventures.

Yes… I did have a lot of fun.

I would find a bar and start asking questions about sex. Create a poll and then start asking everyone in the pub for their opinion. Too bad I wasn’t writing the blog – I would have published my data. Hmmm… maybe I should think I should do that again soon.

Or, I would find someone who was here on business and offer to show them the town. From good restaurants, dive bars, to our strip clubs.

Or, if I was feeling really frisky I would find somewhere to behave badly and then go home alone.

But life’s been slow.

I’ve been writing and all of the good sex I’m having is in only in my head. Once this story is completed I promise I will go out and find food for the column… in till then I’ll find some flash fiction for you to read until I am out of my cave and back in the world.

Licks!

The Check really was in the Mail!

There are three parts of the writing business that always give me a lift.

• One: submitting a piece
• Two: having it accepted
• Three: getting paid

I just want to bask in the joy of part three! The check, small though it is, came. For brief moment of monetary validation. Not as great a high as good sex – but it has a thrill all its own.

Basking done… and now I’ll get back to work!

Licks!