Scars

I might have mentioned before (okay, a million times) that i generally have a theme song when I’m writing. Not me, my characters do.

For the first time in…well, at least 2 years, I’m working on something dark and moody. Very angsty. And I’m liking it. My heroine has been so damaged. Oh, she breaks my heart every single time I think about what she’s been through. And she’s been in that place where you have no more hope. That’s where I picked up her story.

My plan is simple though. I’m going to give her hope and a happy ending. She’ll never be able to forget what was done to her, or how she got to this point, but sometimes forgetting isn’t the answer. Sometimes we have to look at the scars our bodies and psyches have accumulated and realize they’ve made us stronger.

And that’s why Papa Roach’s Scars is Gyda’s theme song. I can’t wait to write her happy ever after.

A Hero

I think I’ve mentioned about a million times now that I finished Primal Flavor last week. Can I get a “Woot-woot!”? Because yeah, it’s that bloody exciting. I just have to wait now to see if my lovely editor accepts it. I hope she does! *Fingers crossed*

I have books planned to write now. I sat down and counted all the works I have with more than 5k words and as of right now, I have six books I could hop on and start writing, possibly even finish. But I have a problem. I have characters slapping me senseless with their personalities and the back and forth between them. Yup, I have characters demanding their story is told now. Not later. Now, dammit.

*sigh* To quote my stepdad, if this is the only problem I have, I’m doing well.

But that’s a problem I’ve decided I have to solve. Now. The story I was going to write for my buddies in the cabal is going to have to wait because Coltrane and Kanda are demanding they get their story. NOW. And to be honest, I can’t wait. OMG. Yes, I just said OMG because y’all…Coltrane is my kind of hero. *swoon* My heart is pounding just thinking of his story because it’s going to be that bad ass.

And thinking of bad ass heroes, the song that immediately pops into mind when I think of Coltrane is this song by Pop Evil called Hero. So that’s today’s song. I really like Pop Evil’s music. They have kick ass guitar riffs, compelling lyrics and Leigh Kakaty has the rough, rugged voice I adore in my rock music. I hope you enjoy the song. I’ll be over here writing my poor little fingers to the bones.

Hysteria

Le sigh, why must it be Monday already? It feels as though the weekend just flew by and left my head spinning.

Probably because if I wasn’t napping, I was running around like a chicken with its head cut off. Lovely imagery, but there ya go. Saturday should have been spent writing, but there was so much to do before our trivia night. I had headlight bulbs to get changed, groceries and food for my babies to buy and fingernail polish to conquer. Now before you say “Lord, she bought more fingernail polish?” I haven’t bought polish in at least two months. I think.

And I picked up some awesome colors! *skips* Yay!

Trivia night. Okay, in case you haven’t read about them before, teams of 6 get together to battle it out against other teams for first place. It’s sort of like Trivial Pursuit except a lot more fun. We always come out in the middle somewhere. I should probably start hanging out with people who listen to Country music because while we dominate the music category, I can only do so much *ducks* Oh. And I should probably also take my best friend’s advice when she says the most popular ice cream flavor is vanilla, not chocolate. Sorry Angie.

But we had fun. We weren’t drinking, yet we were still cutting up more than the other tables. Apparently I’m hysterical when I’m trying to get my mother to understand a question about silver being added to the penny. My sister nearly fell out of her chair laughing at me with my brother and best friend not far behind. Mais, I didn’t see what was so funny, but someone said something about me looking like a lion pouncing on a wounded gazelle. Poor Mom.

We came out in 8th place out of 17 teams. Not too good, not too bad, but we had a blast and plan to do it again next year. My cousin even suggested we have a family trivia night. Not just for fun, but also for practice because she wants to kick ass next time around.

Sunday was spent recovering from my misplaced belief that I was 20 again and could stay up until 4 am without a problem. *snort* I slept late, got up, saw my friend off for home then went back to bed. Oh, the sleep! Fat cat and doggie were happy to have Mommy in bed and not moving for several hours. They were so tired, you know. What does this mean? It means I didn’t write a single word all weekend long.

I tell myself that’s okay because while I didn’t write, I brainstormed. Yes, that’s what I told myself as I saw on the sofa and watched X-Men: The Last Stand, Pineapple Express, The Green Hornet, and Vikings. I was brainstorming! And I slept like absolute hell last night because my characters wouldn’t leave me alone.

So what did you do this weekend?

The End

Normally when you’d hear or read those words, it’s not in a positive context.

To a writer though, The End are two of the sweetest words they can put to paper. Well, I’m sure “best” and “selling” top the list, but since that’s something you can’t control, my favorite words are “the” and “end”.

Why? Because it means I’ve completed another story. Oh sure, it may not seem so monumental to the reader. Hell, as a reader, I breeze through books like there’s no tomorrow and look for more. As a reader, I never want the story to end. But as a writer, it’s like a huge weight being lifted from my shoulders.

I’ve been working on this story on and off for several months. The characters were stubborn as all get out. They didn’t want to open to me. In fact, at the beginning, I started out with completely different characters, but once I figured out this story was about Zach and Colette, I went with it. Slowly. Painfully slow. Which is not my usual speed when it comes to writing. I thought the end would come a couple of weeks ago, but it turned out once I broke the shell my characters had around themselves, they had a lot to say. The 48k story turned into a 58k story turned into a 68k story and then ended at 79k.

Yowsa. But I can’t even begin to explain the sheer joy I felt when I wrote The End in bold letters. The. End. I threw my arms in the air and did a whole “whoo-hoo” thing, except that wasn’t enough. I needed to…jump to my feet and run around the house. My dog barked at me. I swear it’s because I startled her, not because I was singing. I picked up fat cat who was sleeping and sang to her as well. But throughout it all, this sense of elation, of complete happiness and relief drowned out any sense of goofiness. I wasn’t embarrassed by my actions. I didn’t care that I was acting like a kid on the last day of school.

I’d hit The End.

And what better way to celebrate than to sing this:

Ah, bliss. Le sigh.

Of course it isn’t really over. This story is starting its metamorphosis from a rough draft to a polished work. It has to go through the critique gauntlet and then revisions and then more revisions before I can send it to my editor. From there, it’s weeks until I know whether they’ll take it or not. *fingers crossed* But if things work out well, if the story is as good as I think it is, it should be brought to full life in early summer. I hope. Until then though, I’ll be working hard at the other stories that have been waiting their turn to be written. And there are a lot. Trust me.

So next time I’m griping because it takes so long to get my hands on a new book by one of my favorite authors…yeah, I’m going to read this blog post and kick my own ass. It takes time to birth a novel, y’all. Honest.

What stories are you impatiently waiting for? Or what stories do you have backing up your work load?

Time Flies

Happy April Fool’s Day. Which makes no sense whatsoever really. Who wants to be made a fool of? Meh. April Fool’s Day isn’t a big deal for my family since they prank each other all the time. This is just a blip on their radar.

No, I’m going to talk about how fast time is flying. Because really, I can’t be the only one who realized we’re in April. Already. Already! It seems just like yesterday we were celebrating making it through the Mayan End of Days and we’re now in the fourth month of 2013. FOURTH! Am I the only one having trouble wrapping their mind around this?

I had such huge plans when 2013 started. I had eight, or was it ten, books planned for the year. Do you know how many I’ve written since the start of the year? Two very short stories. I’m close to finishing the third, but hello. Eight, or ten, stories a year means I’d have to write a story every month and a half. And they can’t all be under 10k words. No, they have to be more than that. But the one I’m trying to finish now is testing me. Oh those sneaky characters!

For those of y’all wondering, yes, I am working on the third book in the Cajun Heat series. It’s tentatively called Primal Flavor and it’s about that bad boy chef and baker, Zach Trahan. And let me tell y’all, he’s tested my patience. What was supposed to be a quick, hot read has turned into an emotional mess. I didn’t even know Zach had all of these feelings, but he’s surprised not only me, but also his heroine. This story has surpassed the previous two Cajun Heat books in word count and it doesn’t seem ready to stop yet. However, I’m almost positive I can get it finished this week. So that’s one more book down for the count.

Should be a major yay, right? Hmph.

Finishing Primal Flavor only means I have eight months to write the fourth book in the series, two contemporary romances I’ve got planned for a series, another short story or two (an exokita and a spoof), a sci-fi I can barely wait to get my hands on again, possibly another paranormal (a spin off from the Cajun Heat series), and a contemporary romance I have a title for, but no story yet. Yes, I do come up with titles first sometimes. It just happens that way. And don’t even get me started on all the plot bunnies that popped into mind yesterday while I was at the zoo. Mais, it’s enough to make me crazy.

I have to buckle down, so it’s probably a good thing we don’t have anymore holidays coming up for a few months. Okay, okay s there’ll be a whole week I won’t write because I’ll be at RT, but after that…it’s on! And that means the next time I lift my head from the grindstone, it’ll be October and I’ll be in Ohio for RomantiCon. Right?

How about y’all? Has time been flying for you? Or do you feel like a kid again and the days keep dragging?

One More Lie

It’s time for another What’s Playing Wednesday.

This week I’m trying my best to finish a project that’s taken me a lot longer to write than I’d like. Normally (which sounds weird since I’m not a plotter), when I start a story, I can finish it in a month, maybe two at the very most if I have to stop for some reason. But sometimes, like now, my story stalls. The characters refuse to speak to me. In this case, they refused to speak to me for six months. Yes, you heard me. SIX MONTHS!

With the end of March approaching and the end in “sight”, I’m not letting them boss me around anymore. This story is going to end. It’s going down, Jack! This determination means all the lovely books I bought on Tuesday will have to go unread until I write “The End”. Yes, I’m putting aside my burning desire to read books I’ve waited to get my grubby hands on for months and months and if anyone tells me what happens, I’ll cut a bitch!

Which brings me back to today’s song. I’m hoping, with all of my being, that I can fulfill this promise to myself. March 31 is my deadline. 15k-20k words by midnight on Sunday to finish my book. I can do it. I can push the pretty, awesome, readable books to the side until I’ve climbed this mountain. Right?

I just hope I’m not lying to myself. Like I do nearly every weekend. “I’m going to write all day Saturday.” I end up running around town with my sister. “I’m going to write on Sunday.” I end up visiting with family, napping or watching House Hunters for hours on end. This time though, I’m serious. I’m writing on Friday. I’m writing on Saturday. And I won’t make a liar out of myself.

What A Hoot

It’s Monday. Meh.

From Friday afternoon to just before dawn today felt more like a week than a weekend. I could have sworn today was Tuesday. Honestly!

Why? Well, because I barely had an uncomplicated minute to myself. For the most part, I can’t complain. Friday afternoon, while checking out a building, I stumbled across something I’ll probably never see again. At first, because I was all alone and the building was shadowy and kind of scary and because I was expecting to see something like a snake, possum or raccoon, I was scared. I mean, wouldn’t you be if you saw something move out the corner of your eye and heard this ominous clicking sound? Especially when there was supposed to be nothing in this building?

Liar! Y’all all want to act as though you would have known, but y’all would’ve been just like me. Point at it, shout “holy shit! What is that?” to no one in particular and walk away as though it’s going to grow fangs and come at you like the killer rabbit in The Holy Grail. It was only later that I realized this is what I stumbled across:

It’s a baby owl. One of two I found huddling next to a box in the warehouse. I don’t know if they fell from their perch, if their mother abandoned them when crews began to work on the building or what, but they didn’t look like owls when I first saw them. They looked like…monsters. Sure, laugh! I did. But do you see the size of those talons? I told my coworker if he didn’t leave them alone they were going to fly at his face and eat it.

So the excitement from the Great Owl Discovery faded and I had a baby shower to attend on Saturday. It was nice. My nephew’s girlfriend got a lot of presents and looked adorable with her baby bump. I wonder if she even realizes she’s naming my great-nephew the same name I chose for one of my heroes. Mason. Hopefully this Mason has an easier life of it than the fictional one. Which come to think of it is kind of funny. My sister named her new puppy Izzy. That’s the name of my heroine from Ain’t No Bull. I bet she forgot that.

By Saturday night though, I was convinced someone was trying to kill me. I spent most of the night casting up my accounts (which sounds a lot like math) which meant when Sunday rolled around, I felt like death warmed over. I slept all day, watched G.I. Joe and bitched at Duke for forgiving The Baroness. *mutters*

Anyway, this is going to be another hectic week with a Cabal of Hotness Chat at Coffee Time Romance tomorrow night and the cabal is in full force over at Naughty Author Chicks this week. Again. Yes we invaded them hard. OH!! And the second volume of the Fondled and Gobbled anthology, Going Back for Seconds comes out this Friday. There are some very stressed, freaked out funny women in the Cabal.

Fondled and Gobbled: Is Your Jaw Tired Yet?

So sorry, I couldn’t resist that title. *ponders getting the Cabal to agree to adding that to our long list of anthology titles*

It’s been a week since the Cabal officially began to fondle and gobble the masses and they’ve spoken:
Terri with Night Owl Reviews gave Fondled and Gobbled: Someone Had To Do It 4.5/5.0 stars “Five fantastic authors have taken scenes and made them spoofs.  This twist on current romance may have you laughing hysterically.  Each story is totally unique and has it’s own unique twist but all end with a happy ending though some are somewhat strange.  No matter what type of romance you like, read this one.” 

Nikki with Close Encounters with the Night Kind gave Fondled and Gobbled: Someone Had To It 5/5 spiders. “All in all this was an incredibly enjoyable and entertaining read!  Even the hot parts had humor in them!  These ladies have tapped into something fresh, and I can’t wait for more!!  One taste was not enough.  I definitely can’t wait to gobble up the next one!!  Great Read!!”

And then there’s what we’re doing next. We’re some busy ladies, I tell you!
Like, today we’re over at Patricia Macia’s blog with character interviews. This is just a little peek at the insanity we brought. *cough*

Q: Please introduce yourselves and give me a two sentence synopsis of your story. 

Lucius: *looks around at all the women and lifts his chin* I’m Lucius, and I’m not sure what the fuss is all about. I just tried to have a quiet sneak-fuck and ended up trussed like a turkey, being assaulted. *gets a faraway look in his eyes* Never realized how much fun that could be…

Steele: I’m Steele Ana. I was working in a dead end job, but then Grey Christian came in and we fell instantly in love! He promptly insisted I move into his awesome penthouse in Seattle, and of course I said yes!

Missy: *tapping the screen* Can you guys hear me? Yes? Good. I’m Missy. *waving* Um, I’m on Oz’s ship someplace in the next galaxy over from the Milky Way. We’re heading to his planet, I guess. Anyway, after he took me from Earth I’m not too worried about where we’re going. He’s hunky, I was single… enough said, right?

Holly: *Pauses in the middle of flipping through Big Toys for Big O’s magazine* What’s there to talk about? I like sex. I like orgasms even more. My man, Caid Kincaid gives me what I need. Sort of. *slouches in her chair* Most of the time. *Slouches more* He’s really trying. *Glares at Lucius* Ain’t fair how some people get all the luck. *Mutters something about cock enlargement devices*

Emily: Hi! First off, thanks for having me. I’m Emily Justasalad, and I’m…well, I’m just a regular girl, so all this attention is taking me a little time to get used to. My story is really one about triumph and self-discovery–you know, learning to love yourself! Oh yeah, and I came to this realization by having an all-out, five-hot-men-on-one-Emily, Broadshaft Brothers orgy on my kitchen table. It might not work for everyone, but it was certainly therapeutic for me.

 

This is where we’ll be next week:

February 17 – NAC Blog
* Naughty Hotness
February 18 – NAC Blog
* Bootay Hotness

February 19 – Mari Carr’s Blog
February 19 – Coffee Time Romance Chat (9p.m. EST)

February 20 – NAC Blog
*Chocolate Hotness
February 21 – NAC Blog
* Honey Hotness
February 24 – NAC Blog
* Glacial Hotness

 

And on February 22, the second volume in the anthology, Fondled and Gobbled: Going Back for Seconds will be unleashed on the world! Bwahaha!

The virgin whose carefully planned hymen removal doesn’t work out the way romance novels told her it would. A busty broad doing what she can to get over her penis anxiety—assisted by a cadre of male strippers. A not-so-bright (and not so “big”) alien who comes to claim his life-mate, and the Earth girl who wants to be claimed at all costs. A cursed, mute shapeshifter who needs to pop his cherry with his unsuspecting fated mate…

If you’re looking for the perfect romance with the perfect hero and heroine—this isn’t it! This series of spoofs, parodies and just-for-fun take-offs is for longtime, hard-core romance readers able to laugh at the clichés, purple prose and “suspend your disbelief” plot devices that haunt our beloved favorite genre.

DJ Anya in the House

Don’t tell anyone, but I’m a closet romantic. Actually, go ahead. No one who knows me will believe you anyway. I scoff at flowers (they should be growing on bushes, not shedding sad petals on my table), don’t fuss at my husband to buy me jewellery (mostly because the stuff I like costs damn-hell-WHOA money and, well, I’m cheap), and would rather eat a nice steak than bother dressing up to go to a fancy-schmancy restaurant.

Chocolate, however, is always welcome. Doesn’t have to come in a fancy box with a bow though. Sometimes any old Cadbury bar will do!

The upshot of it all is, I don’t make playlists for my books. I often write in silence or, if I want background music, I put on my reggae playlist because I know all the songs so well I can sing them and still think at the same time.

But sometimes, just sometimes, a book I’m writing will “adopt” a song, and those are almost invariably sappy. What the hell’s up with that? It’s never Born to be Wild or Bringing Sexy Back. It’s Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls, or Who Wants to Live Forever by Queen. Love songs, for frak’s sake. The last book I wrote, which my editor has just accepted (YEAH!), insisted Rod Stewart’s Broken Arrow was its song…with a side order of The One by Elton John. Oy vey.

At this point I should probably post a video by RDX (a very…e-hem…suggestive Caribbean group) just to get my street-cred back. But I happen to love the book, tentatively titled Dragon’s Claim, which will be book three in my Unveiled Seductions series, and Elton just seems appropriate for the day before Valentine’s Day, here’s The One.

You can find Anya at her website http://www.anyarichards.com follow her on Twitter or on Facebook.

Musical ADD

So I took back control of the turntables today. I hope y’all have been enjoying learning more about my fellow Cabal members. Trust me, they’ll be stopping by again starting next week. But today it’s all me…

And I’m having musical ADD. Probably because I have about six WIPs vying for my attention. When I hit send on Dean’s List in December, other stories demanded their time and they still demand it. Loudly. The only problem is they’re all sort of shouting at the same volume. So my brain is caught in an endless loop of my kick ass bounty hunter sci-fi type story which fits this song by the Wu-Tang Clan:

I work on that story for a good while, but then I start thinking about the next Cajun Heat story and the  heroine who’s also kick ass (is there any other kind? really). Colette is her name and she’s been working on me…and her hero (not saying who that is), but she’s got problems. Self-esteem issues which are always tough to write, yet she isn’t one to complain. She just puts her head down and keeps working and gah…I just want to hug her or play her this song by The Amity Affliction which, while it’s loud and screamy, it’s also powerful:

 

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg my friends. My brain? It’s a war zone in there. I’m sure I’ll settle down with one story as soon as one character steps up and says ‘Yo, pipe it down, Danica’s writing about me.’ Until then, I’ll write a little here, write a little there, fight the plot bunnies here…and try not to let new characters have at me.