Head over to ChickLitGurrl: high on LATTES & WRITING where I talk with author Electa Rome Parks about her latest novel, Diary of a Stalker. Electa shares with us lessons learned on her literary journey, her thoughts on writing and her growth as a writer, and much more!

About Diary of a Stalker

Never judge a book by its cover. . .

Xavier Preston is tall, dark, and handsome, and the problem is that he knows it. He’s a bestselling author who is accustomed to adoring female fans, both young and old, flirting with him, throwing themselves shamelessly at him, and trying to get between more than the covers of his novels. He has always been more than willing to accommodate their needs and desires; however, his womanizing days have finally ended. He’s engaged to a beautiful woman, Kendall, and he’s decided to walk the straight and narrow. Or has he?

From outside appearances, the very stunning Pilar has it all: a great career, a beautiful home, and a trust fund that keeps her financially secure; however, looks can be deceiving. All that glitters isn’t necessarily gold. Pilar is searching for her perfect soulmate, and she thinks she has found him in Xavier. She believes in going after what she wants with a vengeance . . . and she wants Xavier. That is not negotiable. She will have him, even if it kills him.

When Xavier meets his fanatical fan, Pilar, he gets much more than he bargained for. What starts out as an erotic one-night stand quickly spirals out of control into a dangerous game of obsession and pain with both parties playing to win.

Think you know what goes on behind the literary scene? Think again.

When asked, “Your latest novel is Diary of a Stalker; how did the premise for the story come about,” Electa replied, “Since it has been a couple of years since my last novel, Ladies’ Night Out, dropped, I wanted this new release to be something a little different from my previous novels. Yet, I wanted to maintain the core elements that my books are known for. So the drama, the fast-paced nature, the steamy relationship-based elements are still alive and well.

“I attend, or used to, a lot of literary events such as conferences, signings, workshops, etc. After awhile, I started to notice a pattern no matter what city or state I was in. Even though the avid readers, mostly female, poured much love my way, I noticed the male authors received an extra dose (smile). Maybe because there aren’t as many male authors?? And I noticed, if I attended a large event, I would see some of the same female readers around the same male authors. Hmmmm. Could groupies really exist in the literary arena? So then, I started thinking about how groupies follow rock banks, rappers, professional athletics and entertainers. Why wouldn’t this exist in the literary arena as well? Throw a few over the top “what if questions” into the mix and Diary of a Stalker was born.”

You definitely want to come by ChickLitGurrl: high on LATTES & WRITING to not only read Electa’s great interview, where she shares with us many things she’s learned while on her literary journey, but also to get a taste of Electa’s hot new book, Diary of a Stalker!

ChickLitGurrl: high on LATTES & WRITING
Chocolate-caramel lattes + Women writers = ONE GREAT TIME!
[chicklitgurrl.blogspot.com]

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At the popular blog on writing and editing - The Blood-Red Pencil, I have part one of my latest piece on writing, “Using Characters and Scenes to Trim the Fat from Your Story” [LINK].

Come and read about how examining your characters can help you cut large portions from your VBB (very big book)!

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The Blood-Red Pencil
Nobody’s perfick, but we try. Snort.
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Nearly five years ago, when my blog ChickLitGurrl: high on LATTES & WRITING began, I had the opportunity to interview my favorite author: Bernice McFadden. Nearly five years prior to THIS moment, I read McFadden’s debut novel, Sugar [order your copy HERE], and fell in love with it…and with McFadden.

In fact, this is my 5-star review for Sugar, written/posted on Amazon back in 2001:

SUGAR is one of the most engrossing novels that I have read in a long time. McFadden weaves a tale so vividly, the reader is easily transported into the storyline.

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In the beginning, there was an image,
and it was good.

On day one, the image stirred you,
wrestled with your psyche, and evoked
emotions that had lain dormant. You
carried that image, like a baby
pic in a wallet, pulling it out to show
others as you smiled – the proud parent.

On day two, like a journalist, questions
flowed from your mind –
who this image,
what this image,
when this image,
where this image,
how this image,
why this image,
until whole humans formed in your mind,
their eyes vibrant blue or brooding brown,
their limbs movable,
their minds full of angst and yearning,
just the things good stories
are made of.

On day three, you retrieve the image and
see these humans walking about you,
their mouths moving, but nothing being heard
until your anxiety dissipates, then voices,
soft murmuring voices that tickle your ear
tell you that they are ready to be written.

On day four, image taped to side of laptop,
humans crowd around you, voices sing
a dissonant tune like a fork scraping a metal pan,
but you calm yourself, yet again, channel the
anxiety, eradicate the “is the idea good”,
eliminate the editor, and funnel your thoughts
into one question: “What’s the best way to
begin this thing?”

On day five, you stop, the dissonance so loud
you can taste it in your mouth, sour like curdled
milk. Before you, long stretches of nothing lie,
with only the tips of the ending seen just beyond
the horizon. You bang the desk, you stand, you
pace, you hear the footsteps of humans, hear
the voices of humans, and you wonder how you
will travel the width of your middle wasteland
and tell a story that’s worth reading. In the middle
of the night, as snores make their escape, you will
jolt from the bed, race to your laptop, smile because
it’s on and still warm, and you will write the conflict,
the tension that was always inside you, waiting for
its release.

On day six, you can barely catch your
breath as you and the humans you have birthed
take your time heading to the last page. You know,
on the smallest scale imaginable, what it’s like to
create a life – far beyond that of just being a mother
or father, for you have giving life, and you have set the
stage for that life, and now you must lay the life to rest.
Living, breathing, real, they touch you, pleading with
you, asking you, “Can there be a sequel,” but you know
this one is finished. The last period will be the last
period. And when that last period is placed, you sit
back, take a deep breath, shed a tear, and think, “I
think I’ve done them justice.”

On day seven, you rest, fingers sore, carpel tunnel
flaring, mind spent. You’re proud, for you have
taking that one image – the same image you hold
in your hand now – and created a world filled with
lives and scenarios and trials and grief and joy and
wonder and closure. As you close your eyes,
ready for the nap you haven’t allowed yourself to
have since the image burned into your memory,
you sit up with a start: “I need to go back and rework
the beginning. Doesn’t have enough punch.”

And…on the eighth day, the new beginning,
revisions.

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Recently, a fan of CLG Entertainment and The Write Life for You articles I write contacted me. The fan, a writer, asked, “How do you know if you have the talent to pursue writing? Words have always had a powerful pull on me, but I don’t know if I can actually write … Do you have medicine for my affliction?”

I wanted to share my response because I think it might be beneficial to those of you out there feeling, thinking the same thing.

You know, the need to pursue writing often comes before one even KNOWS if he or she has talent. It comes from a desire, a need to express something. The fact that you’re pulled to write is BIG. For me, writing was always a NEED. Started writing when I was 10, and it was all about looking at the world and writing what interest me, then what I didn’t understand, then what I hated, then what I wanted to be made right, and on and on.

That pull to write is important because it will warm your heart when you’re rejected, it will urge you on when you receive criticism, and it will move you to want to learn so that you can better your craft.

First and foremost, I think you need to KEEP the pull. Recognize it. Communicate with it. Nurture it.

Allow the pull to keep you writing.

As you write, think about what you seem “called” to write about. This calling isn’t set in stone, but it’s a great place to begin to think about who you are as a writer and what you hope to convey in your writing.

As you write, READ. Read works you deem “good,” and be able to illustrate to yourself why they are good and what you can glean from these findings for your own writing.

As you write, READ. Read works you deem “bad,” and be able to illustrate to yourself why they might be bad and what you can glean from these findings for your own writing.

As you write, READ. Read works about writing, especially those books that delve into the issues you find you make consistently in your work. You want as many tools in your writer’s toolbox as possible.

Connect with other writers, especially those willing to read and critique your work. It’s important to know what you want to get out of a critique group and what you can bring to that group; you do not just want to jump into a group and wallow within it. And be open to constructive criticism.

And almost as important as your writing these days is your platform - who you are, what you stand for, how your writing reflects this, who you connect with, network with, how you BRAND yourself.

But ultimately, I think it is about the PULL. If you don’t feel moved to write, who will be compelled to read WHAT you write?

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If getting your manuscript in the hands of an agent or editor is your goal for 2010, you will need a strong, titillating, one-paged query letter. Many agents and editors ask either for a query only first or for the query, synopsis and possible sample chapters, so no matter how you slice it, you will inevitably have to create a query letter.

Agents and editors can receive hundreds of queries in a week, sometimes in a day, so the look of and content within your query letter are extremely important. You don’t want to give him/her an unnecessary reason to reject you.

Read my latest The Write Life for You article on writing query letters; head to APOOO Books to read ["Writing Your Query Letter"].

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Head over to ChickLitGurrl: high on LATTES & WRITING where I talk with Amber Dawn Bell, a lover of romance and medieval history, who uses her loves to spin wonderful short stories and novels!

About Cave of Terror

Gymnast Cheyenne Wilde finds out on her 16th birthday that not only is she a vampire but a hunter of evil as well. She must balance her two lives while dealing with a cheerleader who makes her life miserable, an evil entity that stalks her, a coach that wants to see her make nationals, and the stirrings of first love.

Do you believe in vampires?

I sure didn’t. Not until I found out on my 16th birthday I’m anything but human. And to add the cherry on the freak sundae called my life, I’m the first Vânător born in over 500 years. You see, I’m destined to be a hunter of evil. That’s right; I’m a real life Buffy.

Yep, things are really looking up for me. Welcome to the never boring, anything but normal, you-never-know-what’s-going-to-happen life of Cheyenne Wilde.

When asked, “I’m a writer wanting to be published; what three pieces of advice would you give me,” Amber replied, “Learn your craft—read, take classes. You can never know too much. The market changes all the time. Keep up with it. Join writers’ groups. Listen to the mistakes and successes of other authors and learn from it. Never give up. If you’ve learned your craft and applied your skills to the best of your abilities and still get rejected, maybe you haven’t hit the right person with the right story at the right time. Even the best authors don’t get published without a little luck and persistence. Timing is everything.“

Come by ChickLitGurrl: high on LATTES & WRITING to read about Amber’s journey to publication, her thoughts on social media, and to read an excerpt from her novel, Cave of Terror!

ChickLitGurrl: high on LATTES & WRITING
Chocolate-caramel lattes + Women writers = ONE GREAT TIME!
[chicklitgurrl.blogspot.com]

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Head over to ChickLitGurrl: high on LATTES & WRITING where I talk with a writer who’s definitely in love with love and showcases it within the pages of her works: romance author Phyllis Bourne!

“By New Years Day” in The Holiday Inn

About “By New Year’s Day”

Fed up with their demanding adult children driving his exhausted wife into the ground, Devon Masters whisks her off for a romantic New Year’s weekend.

Eva is furious with her husband for dragging her a thousand miles away from their Miami home. Holidays should be spent surrounded by family.

The couple’s grudges have stacked up over the past year, and their marriage is crumbling under the strain. But as temperatures drop, the Masters’ passion heats up melting both their resentments and the sheets. Will a sexy weekend at the Holiday Inn be enough to revive their marriage before the clock strikes midnight?

When asked, “How important is social media (Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, etc.) in the marketing, promoting of your works,” Phyllis replied, “I have no idea. I don’t think any author does. We just try everything and hope something works. There are no guarantees in this business. However, I’ve been a romance reader for over twenty-five years. I gobble up books like chocolate. As a newspaper reporter, I even took a romance novel along to cover a riot (to read when things got slow). So I am my own target market. As an author, I’d love to believe social media is a magic bullet and a barrage of notes on Twitter, Facebook and MySpace will send everyone running to the bookstore to grab my latest. Readerwise, I know better. I’ve never bought a book because of something I’ve read on social media. I’m influenced by reviews, back cover copy and the first few pages. Also, the more popular the social media outlet, the more people are on it trying to sell things. It comes to a point when it’s just a lot of noise.“

Come by ChickLitGurrl: high on LATTES & WRITING to learn more about Phyllis’ journey to publication and to read a GREAT excerpt of her story “By New Year’s Day” from the anthology The Holiday Inn!

ChickLitGurrl: high on LATTES & WRITING
Chocolate-caramel lattes + Women writers = ONE GREAT TIME!
[chicklitgurrl.blogspot.com]

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Victorian Dreams by Empress LaBlaQue

Allie Beset is employed by Sullivan Realtors. When asked to photograph an old mansion for their Internet site, she opens a door and finds herself back in the Victorian era. Although it’s the 1800’s, Allie discovers she was never a slave, wealthy, and married to a refined blue-eyed lawyer. Edward Coe is about to run for Governor, but people are not about to accept his Black wife. How far will people go to destroy this mixed-matched pair and their undying affections?

Keywords: BW/WM, Interracial, Fantasy, Historical, Time Travel, Empress LaBlaQue

Take a taste of Victorian Dreams with the following excerpt…

Excerpt

By the time I reached downstairs, I photographed the kitchen where I found When the door swung opened, I marveled that the room was totally furnished. Elegant Victorian style furnishings filled the room. Busy wallpaper adhered to the wall and heavy velvet curtains were draped impressively about the large windows.

Three people turned toward the door when it opened. A heavy-set black woman, wearing a white blouse with puffy sleeves acknowledged my presence. With her legs tucked beneath, her long black skirt flowed neatly about the sofa. Her collar was stiff and high; around her neck laid a lovely cameo pin. Sitting on either side of her were two men in padded back minuet chairs.

The older black male had a heavy build, and graying temples. Although, the other male was a younger Caucasian, he was quite pleasing to the eye. Both were wearing white shirts with dark-green brocade vests. Around their necks were oddly shaped neckties. I didn’t recognize these people at all. “What tha . . .” Feeling as though I had interrupted a rehearsal for a Victorian stage play, I stepped backwards, then turned to walk away.

“Ali,” the woman said affectionately, “we were just discussing you, Dear.”

“What’s going on?” I asked, feeling slightly nauseated. “What’s the occasion?”

The woman spoke up with a cheerful tone. “We’re having afternoon tea.” She nervously preened her tightly curled hair. “I’ll bet you’ve had a difficult day. Are you hungry?”

Suddenly, I felt faint. I reached out my hand, held the door facing, and leaned against it. My head slumped toward the floor. “I’m feeling kinda strange,” I managed.

The younger man rushed over. “Are you feeling okay? That was quite a ghastly fall.” He supported my elbow with his hand. “Really, Ali–you must be careful.”

Raising my face toward his, I repeated, “A fall?” Gasping for breath, I acknowledged, “I don’t recall- any- fall.”

Want more? Order your copy of Victorian Dreams at [Amira Press] today!

About the Author

Empress LaBlaque is a connoisseur of fine romance. She has the ability to find romance in any situation. Her subject, character, and plot are never boring which creates a hard-hitting and interesting read. Whether writing a good romantic mystery or a breathtaking time travel, Empress will not disappoint her reading audience.

You can learn more about Empress at MySpace and her blog.

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http://clg-entertainment.com

Starting January 1, 2010, the number of edits I do a month will change indefinitely. One or two edits will be done per month (and no books over 200,000 words). I will not be doing edits in May, September, or December 2010. If you are interested in my services and wish to reserve a spot for 2010, spaces are available; however, they do go quickly because I have many repeat clients, and new clients crop up weekly.

You will need to reserve a space at least a month in advance. When you reserve a spot, you will be required to put down a $50.00 deposit on editorial services (paid through PayPal ~ will be applied to overall editorial fee); the remainder balance will be paid according to a fee schedule you and I set up.

I will contact all scheduled clients at least two weeks before an edit to insure you are still interested in the services. If for any reason you wish to cancel or postpone editorial services, the deposit will not be refunded.

Vacant spots not filled within two weeks before an upcoming month will be deleted from the editing queue.

Be sure to check out the Editorial Services page at CLG Entertainment and contact me at the e-mail address provided on there. The page also contains the type of information you should send in the e-mail, such as project name, genre, and word count.

Thanks ~ looking forward to hearing from you!

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