I know it's the 21st century. I know there are all kinds of wonderful techno-gadgets to make my life easier. Yes, it's true, I couldn't live without my computer and I've become pretty dependent on that hoojigger thingy that goes in my ear while I'm on my cellphone. But really there are soooo many more things that DRIVE ME INSANE!!!
I hate calling a business and being asked to press 17 buttons before someone will actually talk to me. I used to hit "0" until companies realized we were all doing that to get to a human so that's now an "I'm sorry I didn't understand your response" response. But I still have them fooled. If you refuse to say anything or hit any buttons they figure you're too stupid to use their system and someone actually answers the phone ... novel idea people since that's why I called in the first place.
My husband loves this technical age. Every time he's looking to buy something he researches it on the internet. If he's looking to buy a car he'll spend time surfing around seeing which car is the best deal and who sells it the lowest. Me? I'd rather go to the local car dealership, look the salesman in the eye and tell him no BS ... just sell me the car I want for the best deal you've got. I've gotten some really good deals this way (and definitely better service after the sale).
When we wanted to buy a laptop he spent daaaays shopping around on the internet ... why? I have no idea. The computer was for me and since I have special needs with the keyboard and the size of the keys I sure as heck wasn't buying anything I couldn't put my hands on. In the end we made a special trip to Best Buy talked to one of their very knowledgable computer techs who suggested a couple that would fit both my writing/internet and physical needs. We are now the proud owners of a laptop I can actually use.
He'll shop for ANYTHING and this process can take hours ... sometimes days. But here's the clincher folks. We live in the middle of NOWHERE! Which means regardless of how some other store is going to sell it, if the store HERE doesn't have it ... we're SOL. Why bother?
So why this rant? Well, the other day I went to apply for a passport. This requires a birth certificate ... which I knew. I had a certificate of birth, which is not the same thing ... which I suspected. This meant I needed to order a birth certificate. It was Saturday. The man came home and promptly got on the internet to order my birth certificate. Fine, whatever. In the end he found the vital records department of Connecticut where I was born and for $49 ordered a birth certificate. THEN printed out forms which I needed to sign and send with a copy of a photo ID 200% original size and a copy of my marriage certificate (which is buried in the hope chest in my daughter's room) to prove I had legally changed my name ... ummm, 25 years ago. Sooooo not going to happen.
I waited until Monday and got the number for the town office where I was born. Got the wrong department, but the woman that answered the phone giggled and forwarded me to the office of records. There an equally sweet young woman explained that I simply needed to send their office $10 (note the price), a written request for a full form birth certificate, and a regular sized copy of my driver's license. That's it. Done.
I love people. I hate computer services. Yes, I do shop the internet for promo items, but I've found talking to customer service often times gives me better deals. I won't buy clothes or such from the internet. I want to touch it, feel it, know what it looks like on me before I buy. I don't have the patience to buy 2 different sizes in everything I want just because I never know how something is cut and which size will fit better.
I'm not sure I'll ever have both feet fully in the 21st century. I need the interaction. Because let's face it ... I like talking to people just too darn much!
If you're not too tired of being on the internet you can stop by Nina's website and find out all about the books she manages to write in between her conversations.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Friday, August 28, 2009
My love affair with cowboys
They're hot. They're macho. They're sexy. They make my heart beat faster. With their worn denims clinging to those sexy muscles and their Stetsons pulled low over their foreheads, they make me melt even on a cold day. I guess that's why I write about them so much. I can't remember the first rodeo I went to, but watchign the bull and bronc riders and the roping contests only made my love affair with the cowboy that much stronger.
I guess that;s why my upcoming Ellora's Cave release, Rodeo Heat, is so special to me. Who but a rodeo cowboy was better suited to help Grace Delaney break out of the shell of her "safe" existence. To lead ehr on erotic dance that could only have the best ending.
Rodeo Heat debuts September 9 at Ellora's Cave (http://www.jasminejade.com/). Please come and meet Grace and Ben. I promise you the ride of your life.
It could have been the animalistic heat of the rodeo, or the pin with special powers that the old woman had all but forced her to buy. But whatever it was, within seconds of meeting rodeo rider Ben Lovell, Grace Delany safe world crumbled in a voluptuous explosion of lust. Every night was something new. From the handcuffs to the intriguing sex toys to the taking of her virgin ass, , Grace gave in to it all, relishing her body’s. As Ben Lowell led her from one earth-shattering climax to another, as her body softened and opened to him, her juices lubricating the way, all she could do was hang on for dear life and follow his lead. But when it was over, could she really walk away from the man who had taken her on an outrageous journey of sexual self-discovery where there were no limits or boundaries?.
Excerpt
He moved his mouth over her body as if drawing a map with it, tasting every nook and crevice, seeking her pleasure spots and dwelling a long time on them. His open-mouthed kisses on her heated skin sent shafts of electricity through her, igniting nerves already snapping and firing.
His cock pressed against the soft skin of her inner thigh and her hands suddenly itched to touch it and hold it. Pulling Ben’s head up from its drifting path down to her pussy, she smiled at him. “Stop.”
His eyebrows raised. “Stop? Am I doing something wrong? Something you don’t like? Just tell me—”
“No. You’re doing everything just right. But I want to play too.” She pushed at his shoulders.
“And just what is it you want to do?” he asked, his eyes bright with curiosity as he rolled onto his back.
“This.”
Wondering where this spurt of boldness had come from, she shifted onto her knees next to him, her gaze riveted to his erection which pointed directly at her. Tentatively she reached out a finger to touch the bead of fluid sitting like a viscous marble atop the slit. Rubbing it back and forth along the velvet surface, she watched the thick stalk bob under her touch and saw Ben’s thigh muscles tighten.
She hadn’t done this since Joe’s death. The few men she’d had sex with hadn’t appealed to her this way at all. Sometimes she wondered if they really appealed to her in any way. Worried that maybe she just wasn’t a sexual person.
No. Wait. Then she wouldn’t be where she was doing what she was. Right?
Inquisitively, she bent her head and licked the surface of the purple head with the tip of her tongue, swiping it back and forth two or three times, loving the slightly salty taste of the fluid and the sensation of the soft skin against her tongue. Her fingers barely wrapped around the thick length of him but she felt the steel beneath the supple covering. She unclasped him and ran one finger the length of the heavy vein, feeling the blood pulsing through it.
“Am I doing this right?” she asked, her voice tremulous, unable to look at him as she waited for his answer.
“Are you kidding?” Ben asked in a strangled voice, one large hand coming up to squeeze her buttocks. “I think you’re trying to torture me.”
Grace’s laugh held just a hint of uncertainty. “Just finding out what you feel like. How you feel.”
His hand moved in slow strokes on the cheek of her ass. “Surely this isn’t the first one you’ve ever seen or felt,” he joked.
“Believe it or not, the first in bright light. At least for longer than I want to remember.”
Because the others didn’t bear looking at. Except for Ben.
Excerpt
He moved his mouth over her body as if drawing a map with it, tasting every nook and crevice, seeking her pleasure spots and dwelling a long time on them. His open-mouthed kisses on her heated skin sent shafts of electricity through her, igniting nerves already snapping and firing.
His cock pressed against the soft skin of her inner thigh and her hands suddenly itched to touch it and hold it. Pulling Ben’s head up from its drifting path down to her pussy, she smiled at him. “Stop.”
His eyebrows raised. “Stop? Am I doing something wrong? Something you don’t like? Just tell me—”
“No. You’re doing everything just right. But I want to play too.” She pushed at his shoulders.
“And just what is it you want to do?” he asked, his eyes bright with curiosity as he rolled onto his back.
“This.”
Wondering where this spurt of boldness had come from, she shifted onto her knees next to him, her gaze riveted to his erection which pointed directly at her. Tentatively she reached out a finger to touch the bead of fluid sitting like a viscous marble atop the slit. Rubbing it back and forth along the velvet surface, she watched the thick stalk bob under her touch and saw Ben’s thigh muscles tighten.
She hadn’t done this since Joe’s death. The few men she’d had sex with hadn’t appealed to her this way at all. Sometimes she wondered if they really appealed to her in any way. Worried that maybe she just wasn’t a sexual person.
No. Wait. Then she wouldn’t be where she was doing what she was. Right?
Inquisitively, she bent her head and licked the surface of the purple head with the tip of her tongue, swiping it back and forth two or three times, loving the slightly salty taste of the fluid and the sensation of the soft skin against her tongue. Her fingers barely wrapped around the thick length of him but she felt the steel beneath the supple covering. She unclasped him and ran one finger the length of the heavy vein, feeling the blood pulsing through it.
“Am I doing this right?” she asked, her voice tremulous, unable to look at him as she waited for his answer.
“Are you kidding?” Ben asked in a strangled voice, one large hand coming up to squeeze her buttocks. “I think you’re trying to torture me.”
Grace’s laugh held just a hint of uncertainty. “Just finding out what you feel like. How you feel.”
His hand moved in slow strokes on the cheek of her ass. “Surely this isn’t the first one you’ve ever seen or felt,” he joked.
“Believe it or not, the first in bright light. At least for longer than I want to remember.”
Because the others didn’t bear looking at. Except for Ben.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
The Sexually Assertive Woman
What is it with men these days? Or perhaps it is just the ones in my neck of the woods. I am proud to say that I am a sexually assertive woman. At the age of thirty-six I know what I want from my partner and I'm not afraid to ask for...no, to demand it. I know what excites me, what gets my motor running, and I have even...(dare I admit it) masturbated. Gasp. I know. Not saying that for shock value just trying to convey that I know my body very well.
We no longer live in a society where women are to be chaste and pure while men are free to play. Or do we? Is there still that core value that sees a woman who is sexual as a whore? Slutty? Cheap? And who is really giving us this label? Men? Or other women?
I remember my twenties fondly. But I was far from the woman that I am now. I was easily intimidated and shy. I was never happy with my body, my appearance, my anything. I was far from assertive. But I lived. I experienced life and learned from it. Did I make mistakes? You bet, sometimes more than once. But they all brought to where I am now, to who I am now. So I regret nothing.
I was married for twelve years and although it ended sadly in divorce, I dont' regret it and will hold love for him somewhere inside always. He is the father of my children. I have dated. I have loved. I have walked away unscathed and I have walked away deeply wounded. I have even succumbed to the occasional booty call.
My original point was that I am a sexual woman. I love sex, every facet of it. I am confident and secure within myself and that changes how I behave in the bedroom...or wherever. Call me what you will but when it is all said and done, I never fake anything. I don't have to.
Men may be intimidated because they actually have to prove what they claim. I'm not some naive school girl that is going to be wrapped up in pleasing him. I'm a woman and I'll tell you what I like, what I don't, and what I'd really enjoy. Just maybe we'll both walk away with a smile...or even better, we won't have the strength left to walk at all.
So women don't be afraid to embrace your sexual side. It is more than okay to know what you want and to demand it. Don't settle. NEVER FAKE IT! And men. There is a lot to learn from a woman who knows her body. Explore it with her, listen, and you just might walk away a much better lover for it.
I am woman. I am Goddess. Hear me roar. More importantly just hear me!
Lacey Thorn
It's your world...unlaced.
We no longer live in a society where women are to be chaste and pure while men are free to play. Or do we? Is there still that core value that sees a woman who is sexual as a whore? Slutty? Cheap? And who is really giving us this label? Men? Or other women?
I remember my twenties fondly. But I was far from the woman that I am now. I was easily intimidated and shy. I was never happy with my body, my appearance, my anything. I was far from assertive. But I lived. I experienced life and learned from it. Did I make mistakes? You bet, sometimes more than once. But they all brought to where I am now, to who I am now. So I regret nothing.
I was married for twelve years and although it ended sadly in divorce, I dont' regret it and will hold love for him somewhere inside always. He is the father of my children. I have dated. I have loved. I have walked away unscathed and I have walked away deeply wounded. I have even succumbed to the occasional booty call.
My original point was that I am a sexual woman. I love sex, every facet of it. I am confident and secure within myself and that changes how I behave in the bedroom...or wherever. Call me what you will but when it is all said and done, I never fake anything. I don't have to.
Men may be intimidated because they actually have to prove what they claim. I'm not some naive school girl that is going to be wrapped up in pleasing him. I'm a woman and I'll tell you what I like, what I don't, and what I'd really enjoy. Just maybe we'll both walk away with a smile...or even better, we won't have the strength left to walk at all.
So women don't be afraid to embrace your sexual side. It is more than okay to know what you want and to demand it. Don't settle. NEVER FAKE IT! And men. There is a lot to learn from a woman who knows her body. Explore it with her, listen, and you just might walk away a much better lover for it.
I am woman. I am Goddess. Hear me roar. More importantly just hear me!
Lacey Thorn
It's your world...unlaced.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Birthdays are wonderful...until you get past 12! But today is a great birthday!
And yesterday I got my birthday present...
Dictated by Fate
was just released from Resplendence Publishing!
My third release, and my first from Resplendence, this is a full length novel about two lonely people who find themselves in situations that can't be remedied without help...and when Fate steps in to help, you can bet things will heat up quickly! Between Fate and erroneous assumptions, things get pretty rocky pretty fast!
Chris
Facing eviction and being homeless is not quite the most humiliating thing that has ever happened to her...not quite. Her short and disappointing marriage to a gorgeous guy who never bothered to mention that he was gay took top honors in that division! But finding another affordable place will be virtually impossible if she has to move out within the week!
Tonio
A man on a mission...a mission to find a very temporary wife to meet the requirements of his father's will. He has no desire to be saddled with a "'Til death do us part" relationship, but where can he find a woman who is attractive enough to convince his family and the lawyers that he is in love, without that woman sinking her claws into his hide and fortune? He only needs her for 24 months...and she must be willing to walk away with no strings at that point. The ideal candidate is a woman who has no interest in him as a man...who will be willing to let him go after 24 months...and who won't try to take his fortune when she does leave!
Assumption #1
He is utterly gorgeous, yet he has to find a wife to satisfy some legal requirement within his family? He can get any woman he wants! Why plain, dumpy Chris? He has to be gay...just like her ex! He obviously needs a showpiece wife to make his family believe he is straight. There can be no other explanation! What a waste! Will she never find a man who wants her for anything other than a facade? Is there a sign on her forehead that reads "Stupid and desperate"?
Assumption #2
A woman who is disinterested in Antonio Rodriguez? The maddening red head doesn't seem to find him in the least attractive, and she acts as if his touch is repellent! She must be a lesbian...after all, she was married to a gay man. Of course, she is exactly what he needs...except that he has never met a woman who didn't fall all over him and cling to him like a limpet. Too bad she doesn't like men...
But you know what they say about that odd little word ASSUME...right?
I am running a contest to win a FREE copy of my book on my website at:
http://www.franleeromance.com
It will end August 31, 2009.
Drop in and enter...there are also dozens of secondary prizes as well.
was just released from Resplendence Publishing!
My third release, and my first from Resplendence, this is a full length novel about two lonely people who find themselves in situations that can't be remedied without help...and when Fate steps in to help, you can bet things will heat up quickly! Between Fate and erroneous assumptions, things get pretty rocky pretty fast!
Chris
Facing eviction and being homeless is not quite the most humiliating thing that has ever happened to her...not quite. Her short and disappointing marriage to a gorgeous guy who never bothered to mention that he was gay took top honors in that division! But finding another affordable place will be virtually impossible if she has to move out within the week!
Tonio
A man on a mission...a mission to find a very temporary wife to meet the requirements of his father's will. He has no desire to be saddled with a "'Til death do us part" relationship, but where can he find a woman who is attractive enough to convince his family and the lawyers that he is in love, without that woman sinking her claws into his hide and fortune? He only needs her for 24 months...and she must be willing to walk away with no strings at that point. The ideal candidate is a woman who has no interest in him as a man...who will be willing to let him go after 24 months...and who won't try to take his fortune when she does leave!
Assumption #1
He is utterly gorgeous, yet he has to find a wife to satisfy some legal requirement within his family? He can get any woman he wants! Why plain, dumpy Chris? He has to be gay...just like her ex! He obviously needs a showpiece wife to make his family believe he is straight. There can be no other explanation! What a waste! Will she never find a man who wants her for anything other than a facade? Is there a sign on her forehead that reads "Stupid and desperate"?
Assumption #2
A woman who is disinterested in Antonio Rodriguez? The maddening red head doesn't seem to find him in the least attractive, and she acts as if his touch is repellent! She must be a lesbian...after all, she was married to a gay man. Of course, she is exactly what he needs...except that he has never met a woman who didn't fall all over him and cling to him like a limpet. Too bad she doesn't like men...
But you know what they say about that odd little word ASSUME...right?
I am running a contest to win a FREE copy of my book on my website at:
http://www.franleeromance.com
It will end August 31, 2009.
Drop in and enter...there are also dozens of secondary prizes as well.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Friday, August 21, 2009
How Much Sex Is Too Much Sex In A Book...
Taken from the Writer's Evolution blog which hosted this excellent topic this week.
By Mia Watts
As someone who writes character driven stories, my answer has everything to do with what the characters would want. If Mavis is especially hot for Marvin and they finally get it on. She will not suddenly become inhibited or withdrawn. No, they will go at it like bunnies. And while I've never seen a bunny perform a blow job (the animal bunny), take it in the back door, or English mount another bunny, my characters will if the thought occurs to them for such a position.
Easy enough, yes? And yet there are still the publishing requirements. One publisher wanted sex within the first four pages. From Mavis meeting Marvin for the first time, to having his face buried in her p*ssy, there was to be immediate sex play. Once established, the idea was to keep it coming throughout the story. I believe the request is, quick, hot, often with a focus on sex and a plot directed at allowing sex to occur.
Another publisher requested (different than require but not by much) sex within the first 3k (12 pages). Much more do-able, if you'll forgive the pun. At least the characters can get beyond the handshake-jackmeoff moment and into, I'vejustmetyoulet'sfucknow moment. Breathing room.
Why do these publishers have requirements like this? Because it sells. With all the discussion around who has too much and who doesn't have enough and what does the reader really want to see, there is still that hidden question. Yes, we tell our stories and we give you the characters that you want to read about. But if you only wanted to read about the plot, most likely you wouldn't be book shopping in the erotic section (link). Or am I off-base?
There has been a strange twist in the market where the over abundance of gratuitous sex way overshadowing plot has reached an all time high. Readers are now saying that even erotic novels or short stories have too much. Where is the threshold? I believe we are currently seeking that line as authors and publishers.
So how much IS too much? Publishers push for more but have seen the downturn in sales. Readers want it but are disappointed in the level of plot development. Writers are frustrated, caught in the middle, wanting to give the readers what they want while reaching the demands of the industry standard.
I believe we need to write what fits. If Mavis and Marvin and nymphos, fine. Perhaps they are nymphos who meet in a hotel which has now caught fire and they are trapped on the top floor with the added twist that they must have sex on every floor to win a bet of some juvenile nature. Or perhaps Mavis is shy but a hot one and Marvin is the computer geek with whom she works. This character combo allows for a delay before intimacy begins. It would be out of character for Mavis to straddle him at his keyboard and go wild. Write what fits.
I believe that as long as the book isn't being forced and the characters made to act out of character, your reader will follow along with you, quite happy with the direction of plot and sex. But when it's forced and rushed... the reader will know it and knowing it creates discomfort. They will feel it in their gut that you, the writer, had it wrong. And potentially this wrong-ness could alienate them enough where they will be betrayed (see betraying your reader), possibly never coming back to you again.
If it's believable, write it. If it isn't believable, make it believable. It's your contract with your reader and is far more important than the contract you hold with your publisher. Change your story if you must, but do not betray your audience.
By Mia Watts
As someone who writes character driven stories, my answer has everything to do with what the characters would want. If Mavis is especially hot for Marvin and they finally get it on. She will not suddenly become inhibited or withdrawn. No, they will go at it like bunnies. And while I've never seen a bunny perform a blow job (the animal bunny), take it in the back door, or English mount another bunny, my characters will if the thought occurs to them for such a position.
Easy enough, yes? And yet there are still the publishing requirements. One publisher wanted sex within the first four pages. From Mavis meeting Marvin for the first time, to having his face buried in her p*ssy, there was to be immediate sex play. Once established, the idea was to keep it coming throughout the story. I believe the request is, quick, hot, often with a focus on sex and a plot directed at allowing sex to occur.
Another publisher requested (different than require but not by much) sex within the first 3k (12 pages). Much more do-able, if you'll forgive the pun. At least the characters can get beyond the handshake-jackmeoff moment and into, I'vejustmetyoulet'sfucknow moment. Breathing room.
Why do these publishers have requirements like this? Because it sells. With all the discussion around who has too much and who doesn't have enough and what does the reader really want to see, there is still that hidden question. Yes, we tell our stories and we give you the characters that you want to read about. But if you only wanted to read about the plot, most likely you wouldn't be book shopping in the erotic section (link). Or am I off-base?
There has been a strange twist in the market where the over abundance of gratuitous sex way overshadowing plot has reached an all time high. Readers are now saying that even erotic novels or short stories have too much. Where is the threshold? I believe we are currently seeking that line as authors and publishers.
So how much IS too much? Publishers push for more but have seen the downturn in sales. Readers want it but are disappointed in the level of plot development. Writers are frustrated, caught in the middle, wanting to give the readers what they want while reaching the demands of the industry standard.
I believe we need to write what fits. If Mavis and Marvin and nymphos, fine. Perhaps they are nymphos who meet in a hotel which has now caught fire and they are trapped on the top floor with the added twist that they must have sex on every floor to win a bet of some juvenile nature. Or perhaps Mavis is shy but a hot one and Marvin is the computer geek with whom she works. This character combo allows for a delay before intimacy begins. It would be out of character for Mavis to straddle him at his keyboard and go wild. Write what fits.
I believe that as long as the book isn't being forced and the characters made to act out of character, your reader will follow along with you, quite happy with the direction of plot and sex. But when it's forced and rushed... the reader will know it and knowing it creates discomfort. They will feel it in their gut that you, the writer, had it wrong. And potentially this wrong-ness could alienate them enough where they will be betrayed (see betraying your reader), possibly never coming back to you again.
If it's believable, write it. If it isn't believable, make it believable. It's your contract with your reader and is far more important than the contract you hold with your publisher. Change your story if you must, but do not betray your audience.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Even Pantsers Plot--Sort of
I am a card-carrying, proud to be pantser. My editor says my plots are so convoluted they're impossible to follow--which may be why she hasn't bought anything recently. So, while rewriting my new futuristic--a wholesale, barely anything from the original salvageable rewrite--I laid out a bare bones plot. It consisted mostly of my hero/heroine traveling to various planets. End of detailed plot.
And here's where the pantser fun kicked in. Without belaboring scientific fact--like atmosphere and temperature and gravity--I created worlds where those elements are addressed with an appalling disregard as to whether or not they could be done. Domed planets, after all, make everything possible.
And then the characters took over as they tend to do in my stories. I discovered that my heroine has a domineering father yet cannot resist matchmaking for other people. My hero is a successful businessman and philanthropist who wants what he wants when he wants it. And what he wants is the heroine. Duh!
Haven't decided what the "black moment" will be. Probably he'll insist she marry him and she'll refuse. Probably--because not being a plotter--I don't know yet.
And that's the adventure of being a pantser!
BTW: If you're going to be in the Sacramento, CA area on October 3 and/or October 24 contact me for where and when I and several other local romance authors will be signing. deebrice@sbcglobal.net
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