IY: Mah Plans – 27/10

Posted on October 27, 2014 by Ileandra Young

goal shooting goals from open clip artAnd just to round things off tonight, here is the rest of today’s offering; a look at goals for the week gone by.

Last week

Finalise SORB’s press release
Wow, now there’s a strong sense of deja vu. Nope.

Complete 40 pages of SORB edits
Done. In fact, the review edit is complete. I sent it back to Karen over the weekend. Now that’s dealt with I suppose I can now relax into some of these other things I need to do.

Approach seven individuals regarding my blog bounce (that’s only one a day)
Nope.

Visit two peer blogs per day
On average, yes. Per day, no.

This Week

I know what it was this week. I focused my entire brain on SORB to the detriment of everything else. It’s done now, but I can really tell that other stuff needs attention now. I wish I was better at that balancing act, but I’m not. Fortunately for me, planning up to this point and keeping a cool head (just) allows me to pick up the stray pieces left behind on my mad dash to edit and keep moving.

So let’s see…

  1. Finalise SORB’s press release
  2. Approach seven individuals regarding my blog bounce (that’s only one a day)
  3. Arrange schedule of teasers across the blog for SORB’s release (including excerpts, cover snippets and character centric posts)

What can I say? I’ve let it go these past few weeks. Time to get back to where I was. *nods*

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Urban Fantasy (& Let The Count Down Begin!)

Posted on October 27, 2014 by Ileandra Young

little green dragon

Ain’t he cute?

Urban fantasy. I understand this to be fantasy which takes place outside of the traditional parameters that usually mark a fantasy, such as distant lands, low technology and magic. It can also be as simple as literally meaning fantasy stories which take place in an urban setting.

This type of fantasy – the kind I write most at the moment – speaks to me because of its simplicity. There is no need to build incredible new languages or design new worlds (unless you want to). It’s possible and often the norm to set your fantasy story in your home town or one you know very well (that’s what I did with Silk Over Razor Blades. Local readers are sure to recognise many key spots in and around Leicester). Just because the place is real doesn’t mean that it can’t be fantastic as well.

I’ve not read as much urban fantasy as these posts may lead me to believe, however. I lean towards writing urban fantasy while I read traditional/high fantasy. Something I’ll discuss a bit more next week.

nice red vampire lips with blood and teeth, from OpenClipArtThe most prominent examples of urban fantasy that I’ve read have to include The Southern Vampire series by Charlaine Harris (more commonly known as The Sookie Stackhouse books or True Blood – thanks HBO!) and the Anita Blake series by Laurell K Hamilton. These stick in my mind because they are such big and well known books, but also because they feature vampires so heavily. And you all know I love me some vampires! Werewolves are awesome too and a few years back I became a frothing fangirl of Graeme Reynolds and his High Moor series. If you haven’t looked into those yet I highly suggest you do. Brilliant stuff!

I guess part of the current draw for me right now, with regards to urban fantasy is the fact that I can put my favourite creatures in there. I may well be reading the wrong books, but I see very few vampires outside this setting. I think that’s partly why I chose to include such a strong historical plot in Silk Over Razor Blades. The lore of vampires stretches back so very far, it’s odd to me that I see so little of it outside urban settings beyond the obvious ones like Dracula.

The traditional fantasy project which follows Saar’s Legacy will be another example of me playing about with vampires and doing something fresh and I hope it will be interesting set among the more common inhabitants of traditional fantasy like elves, dwarves and dragons.

What I’m trying to say – after all that rambling! – is that urban fantasy is a great catch-all for those fantasy elements that don’t always have a place elsewhere. And it doesn’t have to involve weird and wonderful creatures either. I’ve read perfectly good urban fantasies in which the most peculiar creature around was a human man with a drug problem.

green question markWhat are you favourite urban fantasy novels? Authors? I’m actively looking for more books to read and review next year and I’m open to suggestions. Anything out there you think I might enjoy? Hit me with it!

Oh… and… before I go. ^_^

It’s time to make an announcement. You know I’ve been working on Silk Over Razor Blades for a crazy amount of time. You know it’s consumed my life to the point that this time last year I decided it was ‘do or die.’ Well the time has come. I now have a release date.

*drum rolls*

sorb out on 1 december 2014

I’m recruiting hosts for a blog tour, something I’ve already mentioned. But I’m looking to make this as big and as fun and as interesting as I can. Pretty much from now until the first week of December my posts on this blog will be a mixture of teasers, excerpts and reveals to get you all as excited about it as I am. ^_^

If you’d like to be part of the tour and haven’t yet filled in the form, why not go visit it now? I’m eager to bounce as far and as hard as possible and nearer the time I’ll be letting hosts know what’s in store for them as ‘thank you’ pressies.

Right. That’s it. Sorry the post is late but it has been a really mad day. Raven mentioned last Thursday that our goals will be separate from our main posts going forward so coming up soon will be a run down on how I’ve managed my goals in the past week.

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Raven’s October Indie eBook Review: Tempt Me

Posted on October 25, 2014 by Raven ShadowHawk

cover for Tempt Me

Credit: Isabel Morin

Author: Isabel Morin
Title: Tempt Me
Genre: Romantic Erotica
ASIN: B006Z1GKXO
Words: 28,000
‘Nina Valentine is done with New York. After spending the last year struggling to make it as a painter, all she has to show for it are bills she can’t pay. Out of money and sick of struggling, she decides it’s time to pack it up and head back to her hometown in New Hampshire.
When she meets Ian Sinclair at her going away party, Nina’s instantly attracted to his dark, smoldering looks and lean athletic body. When he asks her back to his apartment, she’s willing to overlook the fact that he’s a high-powered lawyer. It’s just for one night, and guys as gorgeous as Ian don’t come around every day.
Ian has never had a problem getting women into his bed, but after his hot night with Nina, all he wants is more of her. So he makes the curvy painter a deal – stay in the city for a few weeks and he’ll take care of everything.
Nina agrees, even though she knows better than to get attached. He’s a rich corporate suit, she’s a struggling artist. But as the connection between them deepens and Ian takes her to places she’s never been – both in and out of the bedroom – Nina doesn’t know how much longer she can resist.

line break, swirling graphics, from openclipart

A passionate look at a man and a woman coming together, against what they might normally believe is their common sense and finding something worth struggling to keep.

Cover:

I think I would have liked it more without the grey bars framing that picture. It’s a nice effect, but for my tastes they are a fraction too wide and it draws my attention to the bar rather than the picture or even the text on those bars. Maybe that was the intent? I don’t know, but the general makeup of the cover is slightly diminished by that, I feel.

Story:

Nina is heading back to her hometown after an unsuccesful stint following her dreams to be an artist. Just before she leaves she meets super sexy and desirable Ian who gives her a whirlwind night of fun and passion to the point that she doesn’t want to leave. So she doesn’t!
She agrees to stay with him – in his house! – while he takes care of all the practicalities of it. They get to spend more time together and see what really is going on between them. Cue smexxy sex and intense conversations coupled with the occasional hint of angst which I think gave this story the edge it needed to keep it credible.

Characters:

Nina: Creative, smart, sassy (I hate that word, but it will do for now), little bit needy. I like her because she’s real. Everyone has a bit of those things in them but I think I related to the ‘struggling creative’ part of her most. Probably because it speaks so much to me as a writer. It isn’t easy being a Creative and increasingly difficult to earn a living from it. This was a very real and relatable part of the character which helped smooth over some of those odd decisions.
Ian: a bit Christian Grey. 😦 Sorry, but it’s true. Thankfully he doesn’t have the tortured past or red playroom of not-at-all-sexy-doom, but he does have the buckets of money, the slightly coarse attitude and super-star body. Fortunately, he is a likeable character, again because he’s real not a caricature. His desire for Nina is very genuine and I can believe that someone with that amount of money would think nothing of having a woman stay in his place for a week or two. Particularly if he got to screw about with her whenever he felt like it. But he isn’t predatory or gross about it which I think was quite skilfully achieved.

Eroticism:

This is another one of those that kept me up reading. Not too much sex and each scene seemed natural. It made sense. None of it was thrust in for kicks and each piece was sensually written.

Overall experience:

I guess my only nit pick is the way the POV swaps within a chapter. It’s elegantly done, with clear signposting in the form of text breaks, but my personal preference is that a chapter stays in one POV and then moves on to the opposing POV in the next chapter. It just makes it that little bit easier to follow. Fortunately, because of the clear, concise writing and obvious breaks in the text, I had no trouble keeping up.

Final score:

Average across all scores is 3.8, which rounds out to 4 fireballs.

Yup. I liked this book and from the information at the back, I understand that it’s the first of series. Or at least it says ‘book one.’ I’ll certainly be looking for others in the series to see how Nina and Ian are getting on. I’m invested now. 🙂

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I Haz Planz 23/10

Posted on October 23, 2014 by Raven ShadowHawk

Given that today’s main post is a guest entry I don’t want to share it with my crappy goals. And, saying that, going forward Ileandra and I will be separating our goals from the main post of the day. That way whatever we are talking about at that time can have your full focus. From today the main post of the day will go out first thing in the morning, while the goal post will publish in the evening (which also gives us an extra few hours to achieve said goals!)

So… how have I done this week? Let’s have a lookie see.

Last Week

book and reading light form openclipart.com~Complete deep edits on ‘Simone & Mr Bradford’
Nope. I’m a good way through but I’m not done. That will be the focus this week coming up.

~Complete checks on second pass of edits issued by Breathless Press for Slippers & Chains
Done! Phew! I didn’t think I was going to make it at one point but I’m lucky in that the Funk Master understands what this means to me. So he gave me plenty of time to ensure that I could get done what needed to be done. That’s sent off, I’m sure I’ll hear from Jenn later this week.

a pen and a pencilThis Week

This is the last full week before NaNoWriMo starts and I’m already getting cold feet. I’m nervous about writing this story in a way I never have been before and I can’t figure out why. Guess I’ll have to work on that. Meanwhile…

  1. Look into ‘Simone & Mr Bradford’ cover art options.
  2. Issue requests for two book reviews for ‘Vicki & Lara’ or any other story in the Meeting Each Other series
  3. Complete deep edits on ‘Simone & Mr Bradford’

That should be plenty. Next month is going to be an INSANE ride so I’m doing my best to be gentle with myself up to that point. Let’s see how we go.

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Guest Blog: Interview – Nancy Corrigan

Posted on October 23, 2014 by Raven ShadowHawk

Sup lovers! A few weeks back Ileandra and I talked about opening this blog for other authors a bit more. We want to reach out to other people doing what we’re doing, look at their books and learn more about them.

So begins what I hope will soon become a regular slot for other authors to come in and chat with us, either with their own post on what they’re up to or an interview. There’s no posh name for it yet, but hopefully we’ll be able to launch it properly in the new year. Hopefully.

line break, swirling graphics, from openclipart

In the mean time, first author to kick us all of is Nancy Corrigan.

Nancy Corrigan's logo

For the sake of those followers out there who might not be familiar, can you tell us who you are and where you’re from? Kinda like Blind Date style? 😉
My name is Nancy Corrigan. I’m from Pennsylvania. I’m married to a very patient husband who understands my writing quirks. I have three kids, a cat, dog, snake and two guinea pigs. When I’m not writing I work as a scientist.

And what do you write?
I write paranormal and contemporary romance. For a heat level, I’d put them at sexy and explicit but they all have an HEA/HFN. At the moment, all my titles are M/F. I love everything paranormal. My worlds touch on shifters, gods and demigods, demons, faeries and vampires. My contemporaries which will be releasing soon are centered on a rural town called Sander’s Valley.

Right, now with that stuff sorted out, here are the super hard questions. The brain grinding, chest thumping, sweat inducing questions… What’s your favourite type of chocolate? No, I’m serious, go ahead.
Dark chocolate. I love the Hershey’s little nugget ones. They’re small. They don’t really count 😉

I like that logic! And pizza topping? 
Bacon. Well, bacon on just about everything. I am, however, holding off on the maple and bacon flavored muffins by Betty Crocker. But then again, if anybody has tried and loved them, I’d give them a shot.

What about favourite movie? 
Oh, there’s so many. I don’t watch TV, but I love movies, especially horror and action. If I had to pick just one, I’d have to say the original Star Wars movie. Not my favorite genre but that’s okay. It’s still amazing.

You’re not wrong there, the original three were brilliant. Right, that’s my silliness indulged. ^_^
Your most recent release is Mist Unveiled, out now I believe. Do you have a favourite character from the story? One that sticks in your mind for any reason, positive or negative?
My favorite character from Mist Unveiled is Cat.

Can you tell us why?
While I didn’t write her as a reflection of my personality, she does share a couple of the same traits I’m guilty of having—getting caught up in her work and forgetting to eat and sleep, for one. She’s also a scientist.

What was the hardest part about writing a character like that?Realizing how crazy I must seem to my loved ones when I wake up in the middle of the night so that I can write “that scene” I dreamt about.

And where might readers be able to get hold of it?
Publisher: http://www.ellorascave.com/mist-unveiled.html

Fantastic. Do you have anything else in the pipeline?
Right now I’m working on an intensely emotional and sexy shifter book. No title yet.

Can you tell us a bit about it?
It’s not part of my Royal Pride series which is my feline shifter series, but it’s a standalone that I had to write. It came to me in a dream and my hero has since been demanding it be told (one of the writing quirks my husband just shakes his head at-lol). I’ve been squeezing in scenes whenever I could while finishing off my second contemporary. My first, Love Repeated, will be releasing from Loose Id on Nov. 25

line break, swirling graphics, from openclipart

Ain’t she cool! Anyway, thanks for that, Nancy and thanks for this delicious excerpt too. Read on to get a little taster of Mist Unveiled.

MistUnveiled_250x400

Excerpt #1 (PG-13)

Unable to resist the scent of heaven that had lured him to her in the first place, he buried his face into the fall of her raven hair. She smelled of something fruity and exotic. He couldn’t place the scent, but it compounded his craving. He wanted to devour her.

Deep breaths filled his lungs with her signature fragrance. Dizziness gripped him. He tightened his hold on her to stop himself from swaying and unleashed his will to influence her. With the few drops of his blood in her body, he wasn’t sure it’d actually work, but he had to try something.

“Calm down. I’m not going to hurt you.”

She hiccupped. The fingers scratching at his back stilled. He waited a moment for her to succumb completely to his order. Her tense body and rapid heartbeat didn’t lessen as they should have. More expletives whipped through him at the implications of her resistance. He took another breath to calm his racing pulse.

“You’re going to bring the authorities here. They’ll harass me, maybe toss me in jail, all for kissing you. You don’t want that.”

“Don’t I?”

Shit. He dropped his forehead to her shoulder and reined in his power. It was pointless to expend the energy if she was resistant to it. “No, you don’t. You can’t blame me for losing control when faced with temptation. You’re beautiful, Cat.”

She turned her head. He eased back and met her probing eyes. “How do you know my name?”

Author Bio
Nancy Corrigan believes in unending love and epic tales with a paranormal flare. She enjoys transcending the boundaries of reality to take her readers on a passionate, emotional and romantic journey.
She’s also a mother of three and a wife to a very patient husband who doesn’t mind reminding her to eat and sleep. Her other interests include tattoos, animals, classic cars and all things spooky and sexy.
Website | Newsletter | Facebook | Pinterest | Blog

Giveaway!
Aaaaaaaaand! If that isn’t awesome enough Nancy is running a giveaway to celebrate the release of the book! Hurry on over to enter and give yourself a chance to win a $10 gift card for Amazon or Ellora’s Cave.

 

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