It's Friday night and I'm in my hotel room drinking wine and watching episodes of The Big Valley, my now not-so-secret vice. More on them another day. I'd be watching a movie, but they cost a small fortune to rent for 24 hours, so forget that. So glad I packed my DVD.
Why aren't I out partying? Well, a) I am a shy wee thing (believe it or not); and b) we had our publisher party this morning -- at breakfast -- and tonight is publisher party night (we Kensingtonites just had to be different!); and c) I'm all socialized out. It happens.
Anyway, I just wanted to write in and say hi and hope you're enjoying the fun over at our Yahoo! group (see link in post below) and I also just wanted to say how great it was to finally meet all my fellow authors! I'd met Bonnie Edwards and Susan Lyons before, but I got to sit with Kate Douglas and Lacy Danes at breakfast; met Rachelle Chase and Renee Alexis at two different workshops that my editor was at, met the amazing threesome of "Shameless" women, and I don't remember all their pseudonyms (oops), but I am speaking of Delilah Devlin and co. I'm sure I met more but I'm now blanking. Must be the wine.
A Sonoma County Sauvignon Blanc, if you must know.
I think I shall post about The Big Valley boys when I get back. Right now, it's back to fantasyland with them. Yummy yum yum.
Posted by Celia May Hart ::
11:24 PM ::
3 comments
Jodi Lynn Copeland, Devyn Quinn and I are going to be chatting and posting excerpts on the Aphrodisia Authors and Fans Loop tomorrow, so ya'll stop by!
So you probably see that title and think this is going to be a post on erectile dysfunction or some such thing. While that would make for a fun and interesting post, that actually isn't what this one is about. I was thinking instead of the performance anxiety I feel whenever I have an approaching deadline. When I was employed with an engineering firm my job included just about everything from head cook to chief bottle washer (okay, not really those tasks, but ya know what I mean). I had deadlines and stress galore, but I never had performance anxiety. I think this is because I knew if I had one off day it wasn't liable to sink the entire ship (darned, euphinisms keep popping up--at least they stay out of my writing), or maybe it had to do with the fact that despite my various roles I'd performed them all enough I knew nothing too different was going to come through.
With writing each new novel is new--at least it had better be if I want to keep my readers turning the pages. And with each new novel that I know has a deadline my performance anxiety gets a little worse. I find myself paranoid the story isn't going to be good enoough and so I edit and re-edit/read and re-read, and this makes it very hard to get much of anything done. Not to mention probably steals from my natural voice and the story's pacing. It sure makes for a much longer writing experience. I used to be able to put 6 - 8 books a year or more easily. Now, I find myself lucky to get out 5 a year. That still isn't bad, but it isn't up to my personal par and I find it frustrating when I write slow.
Not having the set hours seems to just make the matter worse. It's so easy for me to say I don't think I could write today if I had to and so I don't. Now, when I was working at that engineering firm, I didn't have a choice. I had to go to work, I had to do the work. If I didn't feel like it, tough cookies. I just did it and eventually persevered.
So, am I alone in this? Do you others with deadlines suffer from performance anxiety? I don't think this pertains just to authors, but anyone who works either from their home or without set hours. How do you get over the performance anxiety hurdle?
Now, that I've said the above, I just had a thought on an erectile dysfunction post. Will have to put that one on my personal author blog today, as I am now eager to ask a Q to you all about a book I am getting ready to ship off to my agent.
Posted by Jodi Lynn Copeland ::
7:50 AM ::
5 comments
I am so happy to share that I just signed a new contract with Aphrodisia. The first book, tentatively titled Body Moves, will be out in December 2007. The second book, tentatively titled Handyman, will be out in mid 2008. I am super excited about both books. The first really strikes a personal chord with me since the heroine suffers from an esteem issue related to a medical condition that I share with her. The hunky hero will of course do his mightiest to see that she overcomes that issue. And the second book is also very close to my heart, since all the men in my life are either now tradesmen or used to be. Just nothing quite as sexy as a low riding pair of jeans that got that way cuz of a seductively swinging toolbelt. Unless, of course, those jeans are on the wrong plumber. :)
I also recently started up a blog, which I will be sharing excerpts from these books and all my others, including WIPs on. If you haven't been by yet, you can check it out here: http://jodilynnsrandomramblings.blogspot.com/
Would love to see ya there!
Posted by Jodi Lynn Copeland ::
9:08 PM ::
2 comments
So, I've never posted a hunky man on the blog. Well, I thought I'd chime in on the parade of handsome men I just love by offering Dylan McDermott as my first. Grrr. Gimme more!
Posted by Devyn Quinn ::
11:39 PM ::
1 comments
I've got a few contests going on. First up ... here's your chance to win a FREE subscription to the new Aphrodisia Book Club, scheduled to begin shipping in July/August 2006. Click the image below for more details ...
Secondly, I just launched my own blog. There's a "Finding Derek" contest underway and next week, I'll start-up a What Would You Do With This? contest, where those who comment may win fun prizes. There'll be lots more fun stuff so I hope you check back frequently.
And if you didn't get a chance to enter my Chase the Dream contest for writers, you won't want to miss the next one. All finalists received manuscript requests from editors. Check out all the winner and finalist entries.
Lastly, though my first Aphrodisia title, The Sex Lounge, will not be out until May 2007, I've just posted an excerpt on my web site. I hope you'll check it out.
This is my first post, and I'm pleased to be here! Will have my newly revamped website up and running soon, but meanwhile, I'd like to explore with you Hot Authors...what makes a book HOT for you? What do you most like to write--or read--in these Aphrodisia stories?
Since I wrote historical erotica for Black Lace, and have switched to contemp for this line, I've had to rethink a little! My November book, ALL NIGHT LONG, is a cruise ship romp--FUN story! Poor Lola gets jilted by her fiance onboard, and then finds out he's also maxed out ALL her plastic and run up horrendous bills before he's stayed behind in Aruba (with the "soul mate" he's just met)...so to pay off these debts, Lola becomes the Greek captain's love slave for the week!
What I enjoyed most about this story was having an international cast of men--a Brit concierge, a young cabana boy, the sexy Greek captain, and a Spanish security agent (who is the hero, in the end). Lots of variety there! And of course, what's not to love about being on a cruise?
And for Lola, owner of a business, being ANY man's slave was SO not her style. But gee, she learned to serve! ; )
Question: I've always enjoyed girl-girl scenes because I think they're edgy, and sexy (way sexier than guy-guy scenes) but my editor nicely asked me not to include that in my next Aphrodisia title because we're targeting a female readership. Do you agree with this?? Have your editors said anything about it?
Just curious! Interested in what you ladies have to say!
Hey everyone...Yahoo is being nasty..so we're going to celbrate the release of PURE SEX on here. :)
To get you all up to date...here's the back cover copy for Our Book.
What you want. What you need. What you crave. Three, count ‘em, three dangerously hot stories that are 100%… PURE SEX
LUCINDA BETTS The Bet
If golden girl Zoe wins the company’s big promotion, she gets Phillip’s bonus. If Phillip wins, Zoe’s his sex slave for twenty-four hours. Losing? That is so not going to happen. But it does—and now Phillip’s in charge of a sinfully uninhibited fantasy encounter. Once all bets are off, there’s no going back…
BONNIE EDWARDS Slow Hand
Is that a furious runaway bride marching down the beach? Caribbean charter captain Jared McKay to the rescue. She’s ready to pitch her wedding shoes overboard and sail away. Aye, aye. Whatever the lady wants. Hey—was that a garter flying by? And wait a minute—a white lace thong just hit the deck. His wildest dreams that are about to come totally true…
SASHA WHITE The Crib
P.I. Alexis Signorino works undercover as a cocktail waitress in a tough biker bar called The Crib—and she just ran into a suspect: Devon Kaye, looking guilty as sin and twice as hot. Alexis is up for a smokin’ hot sexual adventure…and it’s almost closing time…
Here's what Coffeetime Romance reviews has to say aboutthe anthology in general...after giving it 5 cups!! "Pure Sex is packed with three delightful reads that are absolutely luscious. I have to say the cover is quite spectacular and grabs the reader. All three authors have done a splendid job. Pure Sex is like a nice piece of chocolate, once you reach for a bite, you're bound to want more. Sinfully rich, splendidly delicious."
AND...there's a contest for it, along wiht a photo of Devon, and an excerpt on My BLOG . The winner for a free copy of PURE SEXwill be announced on my blog on Monday..so go enter now!
Posted by Sasha White ::
1:13 PM ::
17 comments
Hi everyone, I'm just stopping in here to let y'all know that all of us in PURE SEX, Lucinda Betts, Bonnie Edwards and Sasha White are handling questions, providing excerpts and just all around hanging out tomorrow, Saturday, July 8 at aphrodisiawritersandfans@yahoogroups.com
Time set to begin at NOON EST
Hope you'll stop by and chat and maybe enter some of the fun contests we have planned. There will be giveaways, so come join the fun!
Yay! I've now completed my sequel to Midnight Confessions (Mar/07) which is titled More Midnight Confessions (June/07). I am really delighted that the books will be out so quickly because they're so deeply connected.
And in a stroke of mad optimism, my novella (ROCK SOLID) is a connected story to both SLOW HAND in Pure Sex and my Midnight Confessions stories.
Ya see, Jared McKay in SLOW HAND has a bro' named Jake...Jake restores fine old homes...so, in ROCK SOLID in the BUILT antho (Aug/07 - another big YAY!)...he gets called to work on the mansion featured in Midnight Confessions...which happens to be a haunted bordello...where the ghosts have been telling some wild tales (eg).
Did I stop there? No. The heroine, Lexa, just happens to be a great-granddaughter of one of the ghostly couples...so, voila...connected characters, settings...equals hot, hot hot!
