Lord. I consider myself sorta tech savvy. I mean, I know basic HTML. I use the Internet every day and am like a pit bull when it comes to researching and understanding things I’m interested in. Plus, heck, I used to be a tech writer, so my thing is making technical concepts clear to the non-techy of the world.

However, I was trying to be more creative with my Yahoo Newsletter yesterday. I decided I wanted to try something pretty and add more useful content, like links and zowie graphics. But then I realized the limitations of my skills and knowledge.

I can create tables and write clearly, I even can do some more elaborate ‘drawings’ or diagrams. But when it comes to figuring out how to put those things into a newsletter format…? Ugh.

I did manage to make something. It looked like a newsletter with a vintage of around 2001. But I did do it.

I guess I don’t have the right tools. And I’m sure there’s some place where I can find free tools to download. But I have a Mac. You would think I’d be able to do something snazzy with AppleWorks or Word for Mac. I’m sure it’s just a matter of working a little harder and getting examples to work with.

Right now I just feel kinda silly for not knowing how to do this! So, to all my newsletter members, bear with me while I figure this out. I will get better at it, I promise! I suppose most are just fine with a plain text newsletter, but my tech writer self wants to make something pretty and visual and link-o-rific.

Kris

So sorry for the late posting! I meant to have Summer’s interview up earlier today, but I had a bit of a medical semi-emergency this morning. Let’s learn all about Summer Alan, who writes really hot stuff:

Summer is the writer with a no-holds-barred approach to storytelling. She moves around a lot all over the United States with her cat, Martini, and never likes to stay in one place too long. Her interests include nude sunbathing and reading the sexiest books she can find.

Check out her website for more info!

BOOKS:

Isosceles Triangle, Cobblestone Press

Blurb: Dr. McAllister finally succeeded in his life’s work by creating Adam, the world’s first clone cyborg. Adam, however, only has one thing on his machine mind–bedding Dr. McAllister’s assistant, Chelsea. Chelsea has loved David for years, but if his cyborg clone is all she can get—will she take it?

Bone Deep, Cobblestone Press

Blurb: Hailey Rockwell is a flight attendant, recently told by her pilot boyfriend, David, that he needs more “time” to consider the direction of their relationship. Vulnerable, soaking wet in a Seattle rainstorm and miserable, she finds herself in the arms of David’s best friend, Kevin, first for comfort, and then for something considerably more dangerous. Will one moment… one rain soaked kiss… change everything for Hailey?

And here’s our Q & A session:

Q. I heard you just sold another story to Cobblestone Press. What can you tell us about it?

A. Hello Kris! In case I forget to tell you later, I had a really good time tonight—ah, Pretty Woman reference—gotta love that. Meanwhile, the new story: it’s called Two Men and a Truck, and it’s a M/F/M ménage romance. Here’s the blurb: Josie is burned by one man and decides to leave town until two men show her how it feels to really burn.

Q. Are you often inspired by things you see while on the road? (I noticed you are a wanderer of sorts.)

A. Inspiration comes more often than not by things I see around me, things people say, stuff I read. The vegetable scene in Bone Deep was a direct result of overhearing a man and woman talking at a party. The hard part is remembering it long enough to get somewhere I can write it down. It is pretty tough to carry on a dinner conversation with people when all I’m thinking is, “That’s such a great idea! I’ve got to write that down!”

Q. How did you get started writing erotic romance?

A. I’d been writing for a long time, typical romance stuff, then one day, I wrote this story (Isosceles Triangle) that was smoking hot…much hotter than anything I’d ever written before. I had no idea what to do with it. I even tried to give it away to someone else for them to submit under their own name—I’ll tell you that story when I know you better. Ha! A writer friend of mine convinced me that I was insane and that I needed to send it to someone. So, I took her advice, didn’t give it away and finally did submit it to Deanna at Cobblestone Press. She bought it in 3 days, which is still a record for me. Of all the stories I’ve written and published, it remains my bestseller. I got in touch with my “inner kink” and have been writing it ever since.

Q. What’s your writing process? Are you a plotter or a more organic writer?

A. I’d say I’m more of a panster than a plotter. I like to go with the first spark of an idea and see where it leads.

Q. Are you working on anything new? What can you tell us about it?

A. I’ve recently finished the first draft of my first sequel, a follow-up story to Isosceles Triangle. I haven’t come up with a title for it yet—I’ve been calling it “Cyber Sex” until I come up with something better. I’ll get it edited one of these days and submitted to Deanna.

Q. I noticed “Isosceles Triangle” is a sci-fi book. What attracted you to that genre?

A. The title for that story didn’t come to me until the very end of the first draft. I don’t know what you know about triangles, but an isosceles triangle is one with 2 equal sides and 1 side of a different length. It seemed to fit the situation well with 1 male scientist, the clone he’d created of himself and the heroine. I went back at the end and gave the scientist the middle name of “Isosceles.”

But that doesn’t really answer your question, does it? Sorry. Why do I like sci-fi? Who knows? Why do I like martinis? I just do. They are fun and they make me feel good. Not much of a reason, is it?

Q. Which of your books was the hardest to write and why?

A. Surprisingly, I wouldn’t say any of them have been hard to write. I just try to focus on the conflict and the underlying attraction, and the rest kind of turns out how it turns out. Writing for me is really about having fun—a means of escape from reality. If it gets hard, I take a vacation until the urge to write more comes to me.

Q. Tell us five surprising things about Summer Alan!

1—I have an alter-ego. If you meet many writers, you’ll probably find a lot of us do.

2—I only write the hot stuff…writing a non-erotic romance doesn’t interest me—nor am I especially good at it.

3—I don’t know how long I’ll do this. I have plans to visit the pyramids in the near future, and I can almost see myself staying there. I was born to be a Pharaoh.

4—I love trivia.

5—Writing has opened up a world to me that I didn’t know existed—and that world is a blast. The world of the mind populated by amazing writers who at heart, are really interested in only one thing: telling a great story.

Thanks so much, Summer, for taking the time to chat with me. Hope everyone enjoyed that!

NOW: Make sure to go to The Romance Studio today to enter to win a copy of VARGAS GIRL!

Kris

HOT STUFF

Well, gosh darn that creative head of mine. I was all set yesterday to dive right into my werewolf series, I wrote a few pages, and then I had this flash for a different book. And I *had* to write it.

This new thing is a super-hot shapeshifter story. I mean *really* hot. Crazy hot. I-don’t-know-what’s-gotten-in-to-me hot.

It is not going to be very long…although I’m not sure how much I’ve written so far. It’s in a text file with no word count or page numbers. And it will have the potential for a couple other books at least. Just because this story is too much fun to write!

I’m completely letting myself go for it. Not think too hard about everything. Tossing my sensibilities out the window. So get ready for something really, really steamy in the near future.

SEQUEL TIME

I also know exactly what I’m going to call my sequel to VARGAS GIRL…it’s going to be called CHERRY GIRL. I thought, at first, I wanted to use BOY in the title, but it just wasn’t working for me. I had all these ideas written down, brainstormed a bit. But nothing gelled.

But CHERRY GIRL is perfect! This will be something I want to work on pretty soon. Stephanie and DJ definitely need to get it on. There is so much sexual tension between those two, you could cut it with a knife. Think anonymous masked sex. Yes, this sucker’s gonna be hot!

Kris

Next Monday there are two big things happening…

1) My author interview here on the blog with Summer Alan! Make sure to stop by to learn all about this woman. She writes some hot, hot stuff.

2) My participation in the Book-a-Day Giveaway at The Romance Studio. A copy of VARGAS GIRL is up for grabs. So make sure you log in on Monday the 14th for your chance to win!

Now, what about the ‘more’?  Well, there are a few things to announce. I’ve started work on two different books. Yes, the werewolf series is one. But I also had an idea for something shorter…about shapeshifters in a very cold and isolated setting. We’ll see how that one goes. It may never get done. It may be one of those things that I write in a few days. I don’t know yet.

Yesterday, I also happened to log on to The Wilder Roses site and found out MOONLIGHTING has jumped up to number 3 for all Scarlet Roses and NUMBER ONE for the miniature length. Holy crap! That was really awesome to discover.  I have a few promo events this month with The Wild Rose Press, so maybe I can hold onto that spot for a little bit longer.

Hope everybody has a lovely weekend. In my neck of the woods we might have SNOW before the end of it. Yes, SNOW. Ugh. Today is beautiful and sunny and lovely….and now I have to contemplate digging back into the sweaters. Spring is always a mess around here.

Kris

I finished the editing of The Opal Hunter yesterday (yay!) and have subbed it. Commence the worrying and fretting phase of that book. Here are my typical frets:

1) It’s boring.

2) Oh, damn, I should have done…this, this, and this.

3) Did I get the ending right?

Worry number 1 usually happens because I know the story too well. To me, there are no surprises in the plot, nothing to discover, so it seems dull as dishwater. Usually, I am pleased with the sex scenes, but the stuff supporting the sex…? Well, I freak out that is just BORING.

Worry number 2 happens a day or so after I’ve finished the edit. I start to reflect on the book as a whole…little spots where I could have added more description. More character. More conversation. I also think it builds on worry number 1…boring must mean I could have written more stuff to make it exciting.

Worry number 3 comes when I start wondering if I tied up everything as well as I think. Did I make the hero and heroine finally coming together realistic? Satisfying? Do the last few lines make you say, “Now that was a nice ending” or “WTF? Where’s my payoff?”

But I’m not changing anything. I’m done with the book. I was satisfied with it yesterday, so I’m sure it’s fine. That is what I keep telling myself!

New Project

I’m definitely going to work on the werewolf mini-series next. I got a bunch of good ideas for it today…a little plot thingie came to me, which helped me decide what my heroine does for a living. And then it gave me the idea how to start the ball rolling. So, I think I will work a bit more on this worldbuilding thing I have to make sure I’ve got it pretty straight in my head about all the rules for my books. And then I’m ready to WRITE! YES!

I’m very excited about these books. I have no idea how long they will be, but they are going to be very dark and sexy. At least, that is the plan right now.

Kris

I am very close to finishing THE OPAL HUNTER. And that means I get to start thinking about my next project. Yay!

We authors get all excited about the new stuff. Yeah, it’s great to be in the middle of a project and really know who your characters are and enjoy the ride with them…but the next book is always that little twinkle in your eye.

I guess it’s because of the possibilities. How good will it be? Oh my gosh, I can’t wait for the hero and heroine to get together! Or, that one scene I’ve been dreaming about writing for weeks now…

It’s bright, it’s shiny, it’s really very pretty.

For me, I think my next project must be my werewolf mini-series.

(For those new to my blog, check out #1 listed in this post for a few more details)

I’ve had the inklings of that book in the back of my mind for 2 years. I think it’s about time I got started on it. Plus, I’ve done a lot of the worldbuilding, and I’ve been dreaming about my opening scene.

Funny how that works for me. It’s all like a dream. You know the details are there, but you don’t see them all in your head. However, you know the minute you start writing, it will appear on the page. So, when I start getting some clear pictures of scenes in the book, my characters, some dark moments, I know that I am ready to write.

I’ve added a little WIP area to my home page. If you haven’t noticed it, go back and check it. There’s a little progress bar there and a tiny bit of other info. I think I may add that to my sidebar, but I haven’t decided yet.

It keeps me ‘honest,’ so to speak. If I have to report to someone…even my own website…that I am making progress, it seems to encourage me to work a little harder.

***Make sure to come back tomorrow for another Hottie of the Week. I have him all picked out. He’s a sexy one!***

Kris

The up and coming author, Cyan Bell, is the subject of our interview today. Cyan is an aussie who writes urban fantasy erotic romances for several publishers. April 4th she had TWO releases in one day: Raven’s Keeper at Cobblestone Press and White Lightning at Changeling Press.

Currently, she is running a contest on her website for a free copy of her books! It’s posted on her homepage, so make sure to check that out and enter.

Let’s get to the questions, shall we?

Q. Your release with Cobblestone Press - Raven’s Keeper - I see it’s part of a series. What can you tell us about your plans for the series?

A. I plan to have at least two more books in the series. Each one concentrates on the three realms introduced in the first book-Earth, Mera, and Hades. The hero and heroine from the second book are in the first book and I’ve already got a tentative title of Keeping the Light.

Q. What is your favorite part about Raven’s Keeper?

A. I love the play between the hero and heroine. They are both very strong people, so that leads to some fairly steamy chemistry. They both have to learn to give a little, but at the same time it’s what they gain more than what they lose.

Q. Do you only write urban fantasies? What else can we expect from Cyan Bell?

A. I love urban fantasy! I like taking the world we live in a intermingling it with fantasy. However, I have written a sci-fi/vampire story that was published with the Dark Castle Lords called Arianna’s Leap - part of Once Upon A Dark Castle Lord, which was an anthology. Also Once Bitten…which is part of Behind The Masque-at Cobblestone, was a shape shifter. I’ve also got plans for some paranormal stuff.

Q. You’re an aussie. Do you think that brings anything unique to your writing?

A. I think there has to be a different flavor to every authors writing, and being that I live in Australia gives me the opportunity to inject that into my stories. My release at Changeling, White Lightning, is set in the sunshine coast hinterland - a little place called Montville. It’s just a really beautiful place to be at any time of the year and hopefully I shared that with my American readers.

Q. How do you spend your free time when you’re not writing?

A. What the heck is this free time you speak of? LOL! I have a family, so they keep me busy. I’m also a blue belt in Taekwondo and looking at competing at form in the near future, so I don’t really have the time to relax.

Q. When did you start seriously writing?

A. I started writing a couple of years ago, just two hours a day and then I asked a popular author how I could get into publishing. That story hasn’t been published, I’m hoping to pull it out of the moth balls some time, but the next story after that-Arianna’s Leap-was published. That was a huge feeling of accomplishment.

Q. Tell us a little bit more about White Lightning, your release with Changeling Press.

A. Like I said earlier, it’s set in Queensland during summer. The weather here at that time is humid, and sticky and hot. The perfect remedy is to take a swim at night. The story opens with the heroine, Taylor, skinny dipping and being found by an old flame. It’s been many years since they saw one another and they both have secrets, but the one Ryan is keeping puts Taylor in harms way at the hands of a dangerous vampire.

Q. What are you working on now?

A. I’ve just had one other manuscript contracted by Changeling titled Ruling Lacey. I’m really excited about that because I absolutely loved writing the book.It’s also set in Brisbane, and about a woman who works in the dead letters department. She gains psychic abilities which enable her to see things about the letters she finds that are undeliverable.
I’m in the process of writing the second Blood Bonded book - Keeping the Light, and I have a couple other manuscripts I want to get done in the next few months.

Q. If you could be anything else besides a writer, what would you be?

A. I honestly can’t answer that, lol. I’ve been a lot of things to other people for so many years, and not really sure of what I was to myself. With writing I can be passionate about what I do and it only takes a bit of commitment in between the day to day stuff.

Q. What is the one place in the world you would visit if money and time weren’t an option?

A. That’s easy! The U.S. I have become friends with so many lovely people there, I would want to spend a couple of months traveling around and getting to know them in person.

Hope you all enjoyed the interview. Make sure to visit Cyan’s website today and enter her contest.

Kris

I don’t go out to the movies much anymore because the theater is quite a distance from where I live, and the prices have become too ridiculously expensive. So, needless to say, I’m probably 6 months to 12 months behind everybody else in movie viewing.

This weekend, a friend  brought over her collection of DVDs. Someone in our little group decided we should watch “The Break-up” with Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn.

I will say this: I did laugh quite a bit. But the movie as a whole was seriously disappointing. Then, I realized why…it was written by three MEN.

Now, I haven’t done my research to know, but I would guess that the best romantic comedies have at least had ONE woman on the writing team. We all know “When Harry Met Sally” was written by the brilliant Nora Ephron. One of my faves, “Bridget Jones’s Diary” was based off of a book written by a woman. I suppose I should go to imdb.com to do some kind of study, but I won’t.

The banter between Jennifer Aniston’s character (Brooke) and Vince Vaughn’s character (Gary) was very real. I believed in their break-up. What I didn’t believe is that Brooke would ever want to get back together with an idiot like Gary. A beer-swilling, video-game-playing, I-don’t-clean-ever leech.

And the ending was even more of a ‘huh?’ There *was* no ending. No satisfying ending. Nobody got back together with anyone, and there wasn’t even a HINT of other romances to come. It was just so abrupt and odd.

That was a movie I wanted to rewrite. Because it *was* humorous. The story just didn’t play out like I wanted it to.  I wanted either one of two things:

1) the ex-boyfriend and ex-girlfriend continue to live together, but each pursues new people and drive each other crazy in the meantime…sabotaging each other. At the end, both really want the other to be happy and they both find someone perfect.

2) the BOYFRIEND pursues the girlfriend by changing his ways and showing that he really does care about her even while she is dating other men. In the end, he appreciates her and treats her differently and they live happily ever after.

Either of these could have worked for me. But they made Gary so unredeemable and unlikeable from the get-go, I really was PISSED that Brooke was sad they had broken up and schemed how to get him back.

If you’re writing romantic comedy, there MUST be some kind of happy ending. I can watch tragic love stories that end sadly. That doesn’t bother me. In fact, every now and then I like a good cry. But a romantic comedy that ends with NOTHING happening for either party is a real kick in the pants for the audience.

Kris

What do you do when your creative mind is working on overdrive? Yesterday, I was watching a movie. As I was trying to figure out the mystery presented in the film, this fabulous idea came into my head for a book.

Okay, maybe not a fully formed idea, but I got the title and the bare inklings of what this would be about. A sort of time travel-y romance-y thing. Sort of science fiction/fantasy/romance. Which is totally not my thing. Well, it *is* my thing, but I’ve never tried to write something like that before.

As a writer, I feel I’m new to this talent of writing. I’ve written stories and paragraphs and little ideas all my life, but not until 4 years ago did I get serious about my writing and make an effort to complete books. Erotic romance is even newer to me. I’ve only been writing that for about 18 months.

There is a progression to writing. First, you tend to write something a little too close to home. A barely veiled book based a lot off of yourself. At least, that is how the first 2 books worked for me. One was full of a lot of emotions I’d been carrying around for about 8 years. Something that needed to get out on paper. A kind of therapeutic thing. The second book I wrote was a little more distant from me, but still had the flavor of my life in it.

It wasn’t until that 3rd book where I really took off in my imagination.  Creating an entire world of new stuff that had no connection to me at all. And then my creativity just burst forth.

I doubt it works like that for every writer. But that’s what happened to me.

When I wrote my first erotic romance, it was another rush of emotion. All the stuff I’d liked in romances, plus what I always wanted to read in them but hadn’t. I think that’s why I wrote contemporary books. Closer to home, closer to reality. (Just to clarify: I’ve never had sex in an elevator, met up with an old high school crush, had wall sex with a complete stranger, or gotten frisky with a cop)

Note: if the parenthetical comment made no sense to you, may I refer you to the My Books page?

Now, I seem to be branching off into more creative endeavors. My werewolf idea, the sister witches idea, and now this nifty time-travel romance thingie. I think I want to grow my ideas a little bigger. Stretch a little further. Try something new and challenging.

That’s not to say that I won’t still write contemporary romances. I still have one or two that need to be written (especially the sequel to VARGAS GIRL). But I do want to pursue these other ideas.

Thank you, Idea Fairy, for sending me in a different direction. I’m looking forward to finding out where it takes me.

Kris

I’m a news junkie. Usually the first websites I log onto in the morning are news-oriented. And look what I found today….which I am sure will be all over the internet (in the writing world, anyway):

HarperCollins announces…no more advances!

That’s right. HarperCollins is starting something new for the big traditional publishing houses. There wasn’t a heck of a lot of detail. I’m hoping more will come out later on. But in the meantime I find it fascinating that they might be following what has worked for so many ePubs. No advances (although there is at least one, eRed Sage, who does offer advances). Books without a returns policy (which may mean they are planning on doing some kind of pub-on-demand thing). And an interest in taking on new, untried authors.

That last part interested me. I’ve worked with ‘no advances’ before. And if you are used to writing a book without knowing whether or not it will sell, it’s really not that big of a deal. You *do* get paid, but only based on your sales…so there is more of an incentive to promote yourself. Plus, in this type of scenario, you also get a bigger cut of the pie…usually 35 to 40% of the sales price.

I find it exciting that bigger publishers are starting to move into the 21st century. It may not make the big guys happy - the authors who are used to big advances and such - but this system will work very well for new authors that a bigger publisher was afraid to take on due to the risk involved. You pay an advance, you don’t get that money back. So if the book fails to sell as hoped, the publisher can lose money.

Anyone else want to chime in on this interesting development?

Kris