So I Have Some Extra Large News

This weeks blog will be a bit of a news blog....You know the one thing that authors dream about when they get published...Well it has started to happen...YUp....
OMG I got some fantastic..I just found out 2 of the anotholigies that I am in are now in print…Yes

Hot Dads: The DILF Anthology

http://www.amazon.com/Hot-Dads-Anthology-Lori-Perkins/dp/1607778416

and Men In Shorts are now available in print..
http://www.amazon.com/Men-Shorts-Anthology-Lori-Perkins/dp/1607778467/ref=tmm_pap_title_0

Yes I am screaming my lungs out, these are both my first print book….OMG I am soooooooo happy...I am still floating around and squeeing inside....

Savannah
http://www.savannahchase.com

Sexy Halloween Reads!

Looking for something hot and sexy to read for Halloween! Then check out my paranormal romances!

Animal Attraction, 2009 EPPIE Finalist


Not only are werewolves real, but they're damn hunky, too!

Frustrated when none of the real newspapers will hire her as a reporter, Eliza Bradley takes the only job she can get – at a paranormal magazine. Her first assignment takes her to Fairbanks , Alaska to investigate the possibility that a werewolf has killed two local hikers.

She forgets about the story, however, when she meets Hunter McCall, a local college professor and an expert on wolves. The man is an absolute hunk, and she finds herself spending more time in his bed than worrying about werewolves. That is, until Eliza finds out that Hunter isn’t just an animal in the sack, he’s an animal out of it, too - of the werewolf variety! Talk about a complicated relationship!

But Eliza can’t dwell on Hunter’s little shapeshifting issues. There’s another werewolf out there with a taste for human blood, and she and Hunter are the only ones who can stop him.


Read Chapter One!
http://www.whiskeycreekpresstorrid.com/chapters/AnimalAttraction_PaigeTyler.shtml


Watch the Trailer!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sa1ccerys8A


Buy it at Whiskey Creek Press Torrid!
http://www.whiskeycreekpress.com/torrid/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=339&zenid=27e60ee9a26d457583a71b1d94858069









Animal Instinct, #1 Bestseller

Every Girl Wants a Guy Who's an Animal in Bed!

Artist Heidi Gibson is spending the summer up in Anchorage doing some painting when she gets attacked by a crazed wolf. She is rescued by golden- eyed wildlife biologist Luke McCall, who calmly informs she has been bitten by a werewolf and will turn into one during the next full moon. Thinking he’s obviously out of his mind, she can’t get away from him fast enough.

When strange things start happening to her, however, she begins to think the ruggedly handsome biologist could be right. Not knowing what else to do, she goes to Luke and is stunned to discover that he knows so much about werewolves because he’s one himself.

As Luke teaches her what she needs to know about being a werewolf, Heidi finds herself falling hard for the Alaskan hunk. But while they’re intent on each other, the werewolf that attacked her comes back into the picture, and he’s not exactly happy that another of his kind is trying to take the woman he believes is his rightful mate. Can Luke and Heidi's attraction overpower the jealousy of the rogue werewolf?


Read Chapter One!
http://www.whiskeycreekpresstorrid.com/chapters/AnimalInstinct_PaigeTyler.shtml


Watch the Trailer!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diuw88cCjRg


Buy it at Whiskey Creek Press Torrid!
http://www.whiskeycreekpress.com/torrid/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=421&zenid=43f8297068ddd4910dbae00ff6d32659











Vampire 101, Book One of Modern Day Vampires

Being a Vampire Isn't What It Used to Be!

Savanna Royce is a weekend Goth-girl who has always been fascinated with vampires. She doesn’t really believe in them, of course, but that changes when she is bitten by a rogue vamp and left for dead. Fortunately, two-hundred-and-seventy-eight-year-old vampire Kaige Travers is there to rescue her. Unwilling to let her die, he turns Savanna into a vampire to save her life, not knowing if she’ll thank him or hate him for it.

While Kaige is teaching Savanna what she needs to know about being a vampire, neither of them can deny the chemistry that’s there. Somewhere between getting her registered at the local vampire admin office and teaching her how to order blood on the internet, they fall for each other, fast and hard.

Just as things are heating up between the sheets – and everywhere else – they encounter one minor problem. The rogue vampire who attacked her is back and this time, he wants to finish the job he started.



Read Chapter One!
http://www.whiskeycreekpresstorrid.com/chapters/ModernDayVampireVampire101_PaigeTaylor.shtml
Watch the Trailer!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJUIDuF5VTo


Buy it at Whiskey Creek Press Torrid!
http://www.whiskeycreekpress.com/torrid/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=403



And for a sneak peek at the next book in my Alaskan Werewolf and Modern Day Vampire Series, visit my website at http://www.paigetylertheauthor.com/ Just click on "Coming Soon!"

The Magic Spell

Be Careful What You Wish For!

Alanna Simms has been having a problem finding Mr. Right. But when she and her friends stumble across a charm shop just in time for Halloween, her friends think they've found the solution to her problem. When the mysterious proprietor overhears Alanna complaining about how hard it is to find a good man, the woman gives her a potion she claims will give Alanna her heart’s desire.

Of course, Alanna doesn’t believe in magic, but at the urging of her friends, she goes along with the whole thing anyway. But Alanna is unprepared when she finds a stranger dressed as a pirate passed out on her living room floor hours after doing the magic spell. Thinking he’s just a hunk she must have missed at the costume party they had, she is shocked to discover he's actually the seventeenth-century pirate she jokingly asked for when invoking the spell. Considering how gorgeous he is, that wouldn’t be half bad, if it weren’t for two very annoying problems. One, they can’t get more than twenty feet apart from each other. And two, the sexy pirate seems to think he can put her over his knee and spank her any time he wants to.

How can this arrogant jerk possibly be her heart’s desire? That woman at the charm shop must have made a terrible mistake because Garren Dandridge couldn’t be the right man for her. Could he?

Read an Excerpt!
http://www.paigetylertheauthor.com/ExcerptMagic.html

Buy the eBook!
http://www.romanticspankings.com/products.php?pid=345&detail=true

Buy it in Print!
http://www.amazon.com/Magic-Spell-Paige-Tyler/dp/1935152076/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1217080462&sr=1-3

Buy the Kindle Edition!
http://www.amazon.com/Magic-Spell/dp/B001D62NRS/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=digital-text&qid=1217042115&sr=1-3

*hugs*
Paige

"Stories so hot, they'll make your cheeks blush!"

The Reality of XXX Sex Scenes

By A.J. Llewellyn

It's my turn to post at Midnight Seductions as well as Nice n Naughty today so I am posting the same blog:

I read and I write a lot of erotic and romantic fiction. I watch a lot of gay porn to keep up with what's current and hot to keep my books current. I've learned that what turns gay men on doesn't always turn on women readers and let's face it, M/M readers are mostly women.So, I go with my gut. I stick with the more romantic sex scenes and I like a little kink on the side.
You won't however, find fisting, double fists, arms shoved up asses up to the elbow, feces, water sports, vomiting or any of that stuff in my books.
It does not turn ME on and I can't imagine I'd do it justice in a romance novel.Recently I read an excerpt from an M/M author whose male character was chained up, his arms above his head. The scene went on and on and on and I started to worry about his breathing.
In reality, keeping somebody's arms up like that for a long time becomes quite painful.
I know, because we recently shot a similar scene for my book/movie tie-in "Bad Cops" and I noticed the director John Bruno was concerned for the model's comfort and safety.
The model let him know when he wanted to be released.
What has struck me recently is how different a porn movie looks on screen to what happens when it's actually made.
I addressed this issue in my book "A Vampire in Waikiki" but in a humorous way. I was on the set of a gay porn movie at the time and the lead actor was gay-for-pay and having a hard time getting hard.A woman on the set 'fluffed' him, as in, gave him a blow job, but he panicked, afraid a shot of this would be leaked out and his girlfriend would go mad.
I thought this was funny. He's allowed to suck, fuck and get fucked by other guys but not a woman. He ended up getting hard by watching straight porn.
I was surprised to learn many actual gay porn performers enjoy watching straight porn. Francesco D'Macho shot a vid for his staghomme site and he started the scene watching a straight sex vid.I gave this touch to Divine "Jimmy" Thunder in one of my Waikiki Vampire stories.What most authors who write gay sex scenes (and may never have seen actual gay sex) don't know is what goes into making those hot scenes...well, hot.
I recently had dinner with a friend who was shooting a three way scene the next day. He drank water and grilled the waiter about his soup. He was worried about beans in case they made him fart on the set or made his butt smelly.
He went home and gave himself enemas and anal douches.Steve Cruz is one of the few gay porn stars who discusses openly traveling with a portable douche kit and has blogged about getting ready for such scenes.
By the time guys shoot their fucking scenes they're starving and empty. So if they're turning you on, you know that's some fine-ass acting!
I've also learned now that I am involved with my own porn/erotica with Massive Studios running webisodes of my books "Bad Cops" and "Laid" that a lot goes into those endless 'cum shots'.
There was a guy who came for a scene and got hard but couldn't 'shoot.'It was difficult for his scene partner and for the crew who were loving and coaxing and yet, needed that money shot.
He confessed he'd fucked his girlfriend that morning and couldn't come again so soon.
That's another thing. Porn stars, real porn stars know to save it up for the big moment.
I could go on. Porn is closer to mainstream movies than you think.
The scenes look hot and when well done there's a lot of romance, genuine connectedness etc. but the reality is - just ask Matthew Rush who blogged about his experience on one movie - you can get a guy who is not professional who shows up with a dirty, poopy ass and expects you to bury your face in it.Rick R. Reed once blogged - eloquently - on the reality of rimming.
Do romance writers use any of this stuff in their books? No.Do readers want to read it? I don't think so.
They want the fun, the romance and the drama that goes along with hot sex, gay or straight.I just think it's worth knowing as a writer the reality of all that fucking.

Aloha oe,

A.J.

Midnight Seductions Spooktakular Shindig!

Aldiko's Andriod Phone Partnered w/ARe

Has anyone heard of the android phone? ARe sent the following email to me last month and I was wondering if anyone had the pleasure or fright of using one.

Thanks to: mitraselcom / photobucket

We wanted to give you notice of a press release that was issued yesterday to the public. Feel free to let your readers know - this is one more way they will be able to purchase and enjoy your books. Smartphone sales are up with a very impressive show of growth for the Google-powered Android phone. Android owners (like iPhone/iPod Touch owners) will be able to download an app that will contain the All Romance catalog providing instant access to thousands of ePub titles.

Lori James
COO, All Romance eBooks, LLC
Download and Read Thousands of All Romance™ eBooks Right on Your Android™Smartphone with the Aldiko Application

All Romance eBooks (ARe) has partnered with Aldiko to make their eBook catalog available to Google's Android-powered mobile phones.

Palm Harbor, FL (

PRWEB) October 8, 2009 – Readers will now be able to browse, search and seamlessly download more than 10,000 http://www.allromanceebooks.com [eBooks], including free reads, to their Android phones directly from ARe without a computer, cable or subscription using the Aldiko application.
With the Aldiko app readers can easily browse ARe's extensive online book catalog, read detailed descriptions and book reviews, and quickly find the books they are looking for using a powerful search tool right on their Smartphone. They can organize their purchases by criteria such as title, author, or subject, edit detail information, tag, bookmark and search—all on a fully customizable display. New features include a full text search that allows readers to find words globally within the book, and a look up feature, which lets users search for a word in the dictionary, Wikipedia, or on Google.

"Readers love the convenience of being able to download ARe's eBooks anytime, anywhere," said Julie Cummings, ARe's manager of Publicity and Marketing. "Earlier this year we launched an iPhone compatible catalog and it's been hugely popular with our consumers who use ATT. We're really excited to now bring that same service to customers who use other cellular carriers," Cummings added.

"Our mission at Aldiko is to provide an open platform where users can discover, access, read and manage a wide variety of digital publications instantly and seamlessly" said Tiffany Wong, co-founder of Aldiko. "The partnership with ARe will help us offer the best and broadest selection of titles to our users."

Aldiko is available worldwide and is free on the Android Market as well as available as a paid premium app for Android open platform phones. To learn more visit Aldiko athttp://www.aldiko.com and Android at http://www.android.com.
All Romance eBooks, LLC was founded in 2006, is privately held in partnership, and headquartered in Palm Harbor, Florida. The company owns All Romance, which specializes in the sale of romance eBooks and OmniLit, which sells both fiction and non-fiction eBooks.

Aldiko Limited was founded in 2009. The company has developed an ebook reader application, "Aldiko Book Reader" for use on Android-powered devices. . With Aldiko, users can build and organize their digital library, read on the go and wirelessly browse and download from a broad range of digital publications right on their Android-powered devices.

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So what do you think? Does anyone have any reviews out there of knowledge of this gadget?

We All Need A LOL

This week I decided to do a LOL post...After a long hard week of everything we all need some LOL...You know Maxine will always crack you up.... It also fits the coming holiday of Halloween...

Enjoy her insights..LOL

Here some of the stores now carry talking Maxine cards and they are a hoot....

I hope these bring a laugh to you...

Savannah
http://www.savannahchase.com


Great way to start off the weekend...

"A Wild, Steamy Adventure Through Space!" - New Review for VALUABLE CARGO!

I'm so excited! Beth from ParaNormal Romance Reviews gave my sexy new sci-fi erotic romance Valuable Cargo a fantastic review! Check it out!

"Wow! Ms. Tyler has done it again! VALUABLE CARGO was not only very entertaining, but an incredibly steamy book. Garrick was an amazing hero, and Tanna was the perfect complement for his personality. I loved that she was a strong woman, able to take care of herself, and intelligent enough to admit when she might be taking things too far. The secondary characters were very well done as well, especially the other crew members in the ship. The villain was just nasty enough to make the story work even better. Honestly, there is nothing bad to say about this one! Great job!"

Read the complete review here!

http://www.paranormalromance.org/reviews/review.php?id=32179

Read an Excerpt!
http://www.paigetylertheauthor.com/ExcerptValuableCargo.html

Watch the Trailer!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkKFPyups-U

Buy it from Liquid Silver Books!
http://www.king-cart.com/cgi-bin/cart.cgi?store=linda018&product_name=Valuable+Cargo&return_page=&user-id=&password=&exchange=&exact_match=exact

For more of my sexy erotic fiction, visit my website at http://www.paigetylertheauthor.com/


*hugs*
Paige

"Stories so hot, they'll make your cheeks blush!"

Retrosexing

By A.J. Llewellyn

Most of us at some point think about 'the one that got away.' It's a wonderful daydream...occasionally. Anyone who spends a lot of time on the Internet does, even once feel tempted to Google search an old love or sexual fantasy...perhaps with fleeting thoughts of a happy ending.

However, according to recent reports, so many people are flocking to social networking sites in search of old loves and wrecking otherwise stable relationships, there's a new word for it.

Retrosexing.

Now, if you reach back into the future, chances are your old love will look NOTHING like the guy in the photo here. That's just how life is. It's not a movie. You're not Sally. He's not Harry.

Love is not blind, it's delusional. It can convince us the impossible is possible.

Or is this loneliness we're talking about? Have we become so lost in our goals, our hopes and fears that we reach out to the unknown...for that illusive greener pasture?

My friend - let's call her Dana - recently looked up an old, old boyfriend online. She didn't go to any of the usual sites like Facebook or MySpace. She Googled him and found him living in the UK with his wife and kids.

In spite of all her friends' warnings, she began a dangerous online liaison where they flirted and talked and finally hooked up over the phone.

And then two weeks ago, he left his wife for her.

Dana was stunned how quickly events spiralled out of control and professed to be thrilled. I was terrified for her. I don't think a normal guy dumps his family for a woman he hasn't seen in 20 years. Especially when she's still nursing their second child.

Dana wouldn't listen. By the time he was on the plane coming out of Heathrow, they were texting nonstop. She wanted to shop for wedding gowns.

I wanted to shop for a shrink. I felt she was headed for disaster.

"It's love!" she shrieked. "I'm in love. Just be happy for me."

Then came the shock. She ran off to the airport to collect him and he was fat, bald, wrinkled and a miserable, miserable guy. He hated LA, hated her friends, her apartment, the noise from the street, the TV, the food, blah blah blah.

For two weeks he shanghaied her laptop, her cell phone, house phone, her living room, banished her cat to the bathroom and the sex was lousy to boot.

"He just lay there on his back, expecting me to do everything," she griped on the phone to me this morning.

"Was he like that when you were with him?" I asked.

"Well...yeah, sort of...now that I think about it. I just remember how much fun we had."

Her lazy Lothario is, as of this moment on a plane bound for the UK. I know, because I drove him to the airport myself. He is heading home, back to reality and he is pondering how to explain this midlife crisis to his wife who figured out he really wasn't at a hairbrush convention in Los Angeles.

As we crested over La Cienega in the dark, starry evening, the oil wells dipping into the ground on our right, I asked him if it had been worth it.

"You have any regrets?"

He told me he had none. He'd always dreamed of a second chance with Dana but said he'd forgotten how selfish and controlling she was.

For him, the trip was worth it. He appreciates his family and his cozy life in a way he never had before.

Dana feels terrible. She feels lonely and depressed but relieved she has her life back. This guy tore up many of her photos, was rude to her friends and then there's her cat, who must be ready to have kitty cocktail parties now that his love rival is gone.

I asked her if retrosexing was worth it.

"Let me put it this way," she said, "Next time I think of doing a Google search for an old flame, just shoot me."

How about you? Would you take the risk?

Aloha oe,

A.J.

Flash in the Pan

Guest Blogging for Tess MacKall today is Lex Valentine. A good friend and
a phenomenal author. Stop by the Rainbow Awards and vote for her amazing book--
Fire Season.

So I wrote a little story and got it published. Seems the public likes it pretty well. It’s sold a lot of copies. Three months after its eBook release it goes to print. It’s still selling in both formats. The reviewers seem to like it a lot too. Ten reviews all stellar. Of the ten, five reviews rated the book at five or better (five being the top grade.) The remaining four reviews were rated at four or better (meaning anything from four up to five.) Now, it’s been nominated for an award. You can vote for it. In the first round of public voting it finished 3rd overall. It is now in the second round of voting and is placed in a group together with the top 10 finishers in the first poll.

I should be really pleased with all of this, shouldn’t I? Everyone says I should be. So why is it that I feel people think of me as a flash in the pan? That this book won’t stand the test of time against all the authors who’ve been doing this longer than me? Or against all the authors who only write this genre and nothing else? Why do I feel like people are looking down their noses at me for writing more than one genre? As if I’m some popularity seeker who wrote this genre for fun and can’t be taken seriously as a GLBT writer? Why do I question it all?

Along the road I’ve walked with Fire Season has come some not so good feelings. I received email about the book from someone who didn’t want me posting about it. I later determined from other sources that the person was likely homophobic. I’ve received comments that have made me feel that because I also write het stories that I’m not really a GLBT writer, that I’m just following a trend, riding the wave of M/M popularity. Other comments I’ve received have made me feel that those who follow this genre exclusively think I’m just a flash in the pan, a shooting star whose brilliance will disappear with the next M/M story I put out.

To keep myself grounded, I kept the emails from the editor of my second M/M story. She reads a lot of M/M manuscripts. I have implicit faith in her ability to see the difference between a flash in the pan and someone who loves their craft and their characters. And I do love them. They live in my head and share their hearts with me and I drop those emotions on the page for everyone to see. If I’m just some trend follower, would I feel these characters so deeply?

So now, Fire Season has been nominated for a Rainbow Award. I was shocked at the nom, and shocked again when it finished third in the first round of voting. I’m not sure how long this second round of voting lasts. I don’t think it was specified on Elisa’s website. And this time, I feel foolish going around and telling the people who voted for FS that they need to vote… again.

I wonder how well Fire Season will do in this round. Not only is up against the books that got the most votes last time, but all the books that didn’t get many votes last time are getting lots more votes now. I just don’t know whether the book’s popularity in the first round will even get it into the finals so the jurors can decide. It’s all a big popularity contest right now and I’m hoping Fire Season can hold up against the books whose authors only write this genre. And if it can’t, will it make the book and me look like a flash in the pan after all?

I’m not ungrateful for votes or for the nomination. I’m not ungrateful for the popularity and sales the book has had. I guess I just wish I understood all the processes inside this industry better. I wish I understood what people really meant by some of the comments I’ve received.

Most days, I don’t question it all so much, I just accept. I accept that editors Kris Jacen and Mary Winter believe in me as a writer of M/M stories. I accept that the fans on the groups believe that too. I accept that the ten reviewers who liked this book didn’t feel I was a flash in the pan because they all said they wanted to see more of my work. And I accept that my characters are satisfied that I told their story to the best of my ability regardless of any labels anyone wants to place on me. In the end, it’s their satisfaction that calms my fears. And when it’s all said and done, opening my email to find notes of satisfaction from those who spent their hard earned dollars in a tough economy on MY story make all the doubts and questions about my flashiness disappear.

If you would like to vote for Fire Season in the Rainbow Awards, click this link to be taken to the poll. http://www.livejournal.com/poll/?id=1471994

Once there, you must sign in with either a Live Journal, Google ID or Open ID in the upper right corner. After you’ve signed in, on the left hand side click Fill Out Poll and you will get the voting page. Each category has multiple groups. You may vote for only ONE book in each group. If you do not have any of those IDs to log in with you can leave a comment at this link with the name of the book you are voting for. Scroll to the bottom of the category and click on Leave A Comment.

http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/822605.html

Thanks to everyone who has purchased Fire Season, voted for it in the Rainbow Awards, voted for Holden in the Summer Hero contest, and sent me fan mail. Every single one of you makes it possible for me to keep doing this. Your support means everything to me… and to all the characters who live in my head.

Amazon VS. Wal-mart

Have you guys heard of the price wars Amazon and Wal-mart are engaging in over books? I've been following it briefly, but I have to say YAY for authors! With spending down abit because of the economy, retailers are fighting to keep their customers. So they're slashing prices or offering deals. Nothing like good healthy compatition to keep you going, LOL.

Here's an article I read at Publisher's Weekly

Retailer offering same-day delivery in seven major cities

By Lynn Andriani -- Publishers Weekly, 10/16/2009 7:55:00 AM

Amazon has fired the most recent shot in the pricing war with Wal-Mart that broke out Thursday, by introducing same-day delivery in seven major cities and expanding its Saturday delivery options. After Walmart.com cut the price of its top 10 pre-ordered titles to $10 (which includes free shipping) on Thursday, Amazon followed suit, and yesterday, both retailers dropped pricing on those 10 titles down to $9. Now, Amazon has announced it will begin offering same-day delivery in Baltimore, Boston, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, Seattle and Washington, D.C. (it already offers the service in New York).

Amazon’s same-day shipping charge is $14.99, plus $3.99 per book. The cut-off time for ordering with same-day delivery ranges from 10:00 a.m. local time in New York and Philadelphia, to 1:00 p.m. local time in Seattle. Girish Lakshman, v-p of transportation at Amazon, said “We want to make online shopping as convenient as possible.” In addition to the same-day delivery service, the retailer will now deliver items ordered before the cut-off time on Thursday using two-day shipping on Saturday (instead of Monday).

Among the $9 titles is Going Rogue by Sarah Palin, due out from HarperCollins November 17. Amazon and Wal-Mart offer the book for $9, while BN.com and Borders.com are selling it for $17.39. The book's list price is $28.99. Other $9 hardcovers include Kindred in Death by J.D. Robb (Putnam), The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver (Harper) and Ford County by John Grisham (Doubleday).

http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6702373.html?nid=2286&rid=#CustomerId&source=link

The image was found at photobucket: zeprock

My Fave Holiday Is Almost Here

Ever since I was a kid I always loved Halloween. Why? I guess because you got to dress up for one night and be someone else. I loved dressing up and just having fun. Yes going Trick or Treating was so much fun. But the dress up was even better..

Now that I am older I still love to dress up. I also get to decorate the house like crazy and get it looking all scary and stuff. One of these years I want to decorate the house full out. Make it look like a haunted house. I know it is only one day of the year but that is the fun part.

There are a few places in the neighbourhood that do go and decorate the house and lawn and make is look amazing.

This year I will be dressing up as well to hand out candy to the kids. I love when they come to the house. You see all the different costumes they have. The little kids are the best I think because they always look so adorable.

Do you like Halloween?

Do you decorate the house and or dress up to hand out candy?

Savannah
http://www.savannahchase.com/

A Little Pet Peeve!

One of the other writer's on Romance Divas asked if we had any pet peeves when it comes to other people's books. I read through everyone else's, nodding my head in agreement with some, then added my own pet peeve. It really bothers me when I totally fall in love with a secondary character in a book and the author totally changes his character when he becomes the hero of his own book!

Like in this paranormal romance series I like to read, there's this cool, hunky, hot vamp who was all laid back and fun, even using the word "dude" here and there. Well, I fell in love with him and couldn't wait for his book. When his book finally came out, though, the author completely changed his character, turning him into a serious, introspective, almost boring hero. I was like, what the heck?! This is not the character I fell in love with!

So wrong, I tell you!

Anyway, do you have any pet peeves about other authors' books? Inquiring minds want to know!

*hugs*

Paige

"Stories so hot, they'll make your cheeks blush!"

http://www.paigetylertheauthor.com/

Cum or Come?

By A.J. Llewellyn

I have been working with a new editor and she's sharp as a tack. We've wrestled over a few things and managed to play nicely. However, I noticed that she changed all my "comes" to "cums" which happens to be a pet peeve of mine. I have no problem with the word being used in porn or the pages of sex magazines, or even colloquially.
I just don't like it in my books. I think it's a lazy word and I love words. Come is a word that conjures up all kinds of things...it beckons and seduces (in my mind anyway).
Cum, unfortunately is so prevalent, even spell check accepts it.
It's a scary word in uneducated hands however because I've read contest entries and manuscripts where aspiring authors use cum where come should be. Honestly!
I read a romance author's first few chapters recently and she had the characters "cumming to dinner." I was horrified.
My new editor is fighting for cum and we'll see who wins the battle of the c words but it got me thinking.
What if cum became the accepted spelling?
I remember a lovely line of Shakespeare's, Come unto these yellow sands...it just wouldn't have the same resonance if the line was Cum unto these yellow sands. To me, it conjurs up images of someone's uncontrollable peeing...
What about Alan Parker's wonderful WWII-era movie, Come See the Paradise? Would you want to see it with the word Cum inserted? Wouldn't you wonder just where this paradise might be?
My mind boggles thinking of children in church singing Cum unto me...
Duran Duran might have had a hit with Cum Undone...in fact, they might have had an even bigger hit. But I digress. It just doesn't look as pretty as Come.
How about you? What do you think? I want to know! Cum...er, I mean, come post your comments!

Aloha oe,

A.J.

Stereotypical Heroes and Perpetuating the Myth

Ripped chest. Tight buns. In general, a body to die for and... A BIG ONE. Sound familiar? It should. It's the description of your average alpha male in romance, of course.

The vast majority of romance writers describe them that way. And why not? Nothing wrong with it. I love those sexy alphas. There are a few writers out there who prefer betas, and that's fine with me too.

I've been working on a book for a while now and got really upset when my description of my hero seemed like every other description I had written. I actually pulled up other manuscripts and compared. Much to my relief I found that I had not plagiarized myself, lol, but the descriptions had all my men looking just absolutely perfect. Okay, okay. Nothing wrong with that. It's escapism, right? But I did go back and rework a few things to give my hero's description a fresher look. At least I hope so.

Too often romance writers are ridiculed for producing the stereotypical alpha male. We're accused of cookie cutter writing. Well, I'm here to tell you that is not the case. When I write about all these buff bods, I think yum, of course, but then I delve a little deeper and what do I discover? My alpha isn't so perfect after all.
Critics of romance writing need to look further than the description and pay attention to characterization.

Every romance book I've ever read always gives the alpha flaws. He's stubborn, or too angry. He's lost in his past, unforgiving, etc. The dude has got problems. And he generally finds a way to piss off the heroine too. Later on he redeems himself and that's as it should be.

My advice to all my fellow writers? Go back and look at your older manuscripts. Read your descriptions of your heroes. Change them up just a bit. Maybe even weave in the description rather than dumping it all in one place like I see so often. But make sure you pump up those flaws and make him lovable for something other than his body too.

One thing I do want to mention in particular as a big no no, especially in erotic romance and erotica, is this: Please be careful as to how you describe his penis. Be careful of measuring it in actual inches. Make your descriptions in that area more vague and leave it to the reader's imagination. Constant descriptions of ten, twelve, and fourteen inchers only perpetuate the myth that bigger is better. And it is definitely not the norm where a man's size is concerned. Inject a little realism by concentrating on the act of lovemaking and not the size of the tool used.

I've got a new release on October 15th if anyone is interested in checking it out. You can find my latest erotic romancem, HIS ONLY TREASURE, at Whiskey Creek Press Torrid. http://whiskeycreekpress.com/torrid.

Barnes & Noble New eReader

I recently read an article on Barnes and Noble's new ereader that will be hitting the scene shortly.

The ereader is said to have a touch screen with a virtual keyboard. Okay, now for someone like me who hits every button while the item is sitting in my purse, this could be a good thing, as long as it has a cover or keyboard lock on it. Supposedly hte screen is in color as well, instead of the black and white Kindle.

Does the color of the screen matter to you?? For me, I'm thinking not really, if you have the option of black and white or color, that's okay, but it's not going to be a sale buster for me.

It needs to feel right in the palm of my hand and have the ease and comfort I'm looking for in order for me to buy it.

I'm curious as to how it's going to fair against Amazon's Kindle and the Sony ereader. Barnes and Noble is after all one of the biggest book sellers around.

I'm psyched that you can now log onto the Barnes and Noble website and find my ebooks!!

So tell me, what do you think?

Halloween Promo Op For Authors/Publishers

Halloween is quickly approaching and that only means one thing...It is time for the 3rd Annual Author Halloween Bash hosted by me.. Halloween is my fave holiday and I love everything about it. This event is a yearly tradition I started not too long ago. I wanted author's and book lovers to come and have fun, enjoy the holiday and find out about new books and authors that they might know about.

This is promo op announcement to all author's and publisher's.

I'm looking for author's, publishers, who would like to be guests at the bash. The party will be held October 30Th from 9am Est time to Midnight...

If you would like to be a guest at the party please email me at
savannah_chase_author@yahoo.com or savannah@savannahchase.com with the subject Halloween Bash 09

If you wish to hold a contest please tell me in the email

There will be contests, games, and tons of hot reads...

Readers and book lovers you are invited to attend this spectacular event...

Please forward this on....

Savannah
http://www.savannahchase.com/

Beauty Tip of the Day

Last night I was out with a dozen of my girlfriends. There was a lot of laughter and a lot of wine. You can always count on nights like that to teach you some of life's most important lessons, right?

So I thought I'd pass along a little of the wisdom I picked up last night. Something we can all use from time to time and something I wish I had learned years ago. How to repair a broken nail. I'm not kidding!

Last night I broke one of my fingernails, and I'm talking one of those painful breaks. My girlfriend sitting next to me shrugs it off and says, when you get home just paint some clear polish over it and cut a little piece of a tea bag off to lay over the top. Did you know this trick??? Why hadn't I learned this before now?

I tried it and it worked! What else do you all know that I don't? Don't leave a girl in the dark, tell me....PLEASE!

Hope you're having a great Thursday and enjoying some nice fall weather. Of course, it's still in the 90's at my house. Gotta love Florida.

Wendi Darlin
www.wendidarlin.com

New Review for VALUABLE CARGO - 4.5 Delightful Divas from DDR!

I'm so excited! Melissa from Dark Diva Reviews gave my sexy new sci-fi erotic romance Valuable Cargo 4.5 Delightful Divas! Check it out!

"I will be the first to admit that I normally don’t go for Science Fiction. For some reason, the genre just really doesn’t interest me. However, I have read and enjoyed other work by Paige Tyler, so I thought I would give Valuable Cargo a shot. The premise just intrigued me. Imagine going to sleep thinking that you would wake up in a short while, only to wake and find yourself seven hundred years in the future.

Tanna was a delightful woman. While she was in a position of power as captain of a salvage ship, she never let that go to her head. Her crew obviously loved her and she was a great leader. Ms. Tyler did a superb job of creating Tanna with a mixture of strength, bravery, and tenderness.

Garrick has quite a shock when he awakens to find that all he knew is gone. He takes it quite well, but he had a fantastic group of ladies catching him up to the current times.

Paige Tyler wrote in a steady and smooth flow throughout the book. Despite her vivid details on future technology, I never once felt bored or that the plot was stalling. There are a few action packed scenes, which were nice additions to this book. The secondary characters were just enough to make this book a really great read, without getting in the way of the developing romance between Tanna and Garrick.

If you normally enjoy Science-Fiction or Futuristic books, then I think that Valuable Cargo will be the perfect story for you. And, if you normally don’t read Science-Fiction, I still think that this would be a good title for you to pick up, because I certainly enjoyed it!"

Read an Excerpt!
http://www.paigetylertheauthor.com/ExcerptValuableCargo.html

Watch the Trailer!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkKFPyups-U

Buy it from Liquid Silver Books!
http://www.king-cart.com/cgi-bin/cart.cgi?store=linda018&product_name=Valuable+Cargo&return_page=&user-id=&password=&exchange=&exact_match=exact

For more of my sexy erotic fiction, visit my website at http://www.paigetylertheauthor.com/


*hugs*
Paige

"Stories so hot, they'll make your cheeks blush!"

Cracking Down on Bloggers

By A.J. Llewellyn

You gotta love the Federal Trade Commission. Ever watchful of our 'best interests' yesterday they released a new set of guidelines for bloggers making it illegal now for bloggers to earn money or keep the items they are reviewing.
Violating these rules will result in stiff penalties - up to $11,000 for an infraction. I caught this little news item on Mediabistro:

http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/lit_crit/ftc_blogger_rules_carry_11k_fines__139253.asp

and it got me thinking. It specifically mentions book blogs that run ads and review books. As a published author who enjoys my relationships with romance review blogs (especially when I get gorgeous reviews) I feel this is really unfair to the hard-working men and women who maintain these review sites.
The FTC stipulates that under the new guidelines they can't advertise (for money) book ads, unless they fully disclose on their sites what authors paid them. The new rules also state they can't keep the books they review.
We all know most reviewers are working for free, for the love of books and yes, in exchange for getting to keep the books they review.
How does the FTC plan to monitor the predominantly ebook industry? Will they check everyone's computers for illicitly-kept ebooks?
Don't they have bigger fish to fry?
Well, yes, they probably do,but unfortunately our niche community of romance novels has fallen onto the griddle as well.
I wish the FTC would target book thieves and those infernal share sites instead of reviewers who provide a genuine service. Targeting blogs this way is ridiculous. What about all the magazines that review products and carry ads for them?
According to the Bureau of Consumer Protection's Richard Cleland, who discussed this issue with blogger Edward Champion, newspapers are exempt.
Why? His claims that newspaper book reviewers review the books but the nespaper actually keeps them seems unprovable at best.
And what about writers' magazines? They often carry publishers' ads in the same issue that certain books are reviewed.
For authors, the news isn't good. We rely on reviews for word of mouth and the review sites aren't exactly making a fortune from running book ads...but everybody gains from the relationship.
I am well aware a couple of new book review sites actually hit up authors they are reviewing for sales packages. I've heard complaints from some authors about this, but we're not talking about huge amounts of money. And authors still get to say no.
Taking away a good, solid, proven method of promotion hurts reviewers, publishers and ultimately authors.
I hope the FTC focuses its watchdog tactics on bigger fish and leaves the smaller fish alone. The ecommunity works as hard as the traditional print media...but once again seems the target of crackdowns and fines. December 1. 2009 when these laws come into effect will be a sad day for all of us.

Aloha oe,

A.J.

Habits

I've been noticing lately that I have a bad habit when I sit in front of the computer to write or edit.

The first one that came to mind was that when I smoked, I smoked the most when I was 'writing'.

Then when I stopped smoking I'd eat almonds or nuts,
Then it went to candy, anthing one bite size that could be tossed in the mouth as I was working.

Now, I've noticed that it's wintergreen lifesavers. My son says I'm addicted to them. I'll go through two or three 6.25 oz bags (those are the big ones) a week.
LOL

So what's one to do? It's not such a "bad" habit anymore, from smoking or junk food. But it's one that needs to be worked on. So maybe a few baby carrots or broccoli stems thrown in there once in a while.

Any suggestions or habits you've needed to break?

Capture A Memory

One moment in time can be captured with a simple click. This week I was doing some cleaning up on my computer since it was time and I found a huge folder of photographs. Looking through them it brought back all the memories of the time that each shot was capturing. Some photo's were many years old and I had forgotten about them.

It is amazing how much technology has grown, now there are cameras that you can edit photo's right on them. No more buying rolls of film and having to develop them. Now everything is fast and convenient. I know we can still buy rolls of film but most people have changed to digital cameras.

I am one of those people who loves taking pictures. I never took photography in school or anything but it was also a love of mine. I could always capture the interesting shots. Stuff that other people could not get.

When I was a kid I would go to events and sometimes come home and have 8 rolls of film to develop...I would go camera crazy....LOL

What is the best thing you ever took a photo of? One picture that stands out...

RomantiCon 2009

Ellora's Cave is having their first convention next weekend, October 9th-11th in Ohio. I will be attending and I hope to see some of you there. There will be workshop, discussions, book signings and let's not forget the CAVEMEN.

Books I will have available there.
Warriors in Time
Under a Feral Moon
Opal Obsession (released today)

See all the details here.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Laura/LA Day
website