Happy Thursday!
Did everyone have a good Christmas?
Did you get what you wanted?
Did you get any of my books?
If so, and you got e-books, don't forget to check out authorgraph.com and have me "sign" them for you!
If not, fear not! I have a give away planned to kick off 2014 the right way!
Just stay tuned and you might just win a free, signed copy of Loving Her Volume 1!
Happy Holidays!!!!
This is my blog about writing, my books and the stories that have yet to be written. There are also the occasional ramblings. ;)
Thursday, December 26, 2013
'Tis the Day After Christmas...
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Thursday, December 19, 2013
Mom's Book Report for The Cop
Happy Thursday, gang!
This week, we're going back a bit. My mother's book report for The Cop is in.
Hope you like it! :)
Most heartfelt moment: "After a brief but scalding hot shower, she stared at herself through the steamed mirror. At first, her face was blurred by the condensation. As time progressed, her face became increasingly clearer. She was definitely a good cross section of her parents.
She had her mother’s curly blonde hair and bright blue eyes. Her jaw line and tall, lean, muscular build were definitely from her father. She could see them both reflected back at her, almost as if they were standing right behind her.“Damn it!” Donna screamed at the mirror's reflection. Tears raced down Donna's cheeks. She couldn't escape it. The people she cherished and missed the most were staring right back at her."
Kindest description of an older woman: "Donna looked up and watched her sitting across the table. Beth was a sweet, middle aged woman. She wore a large, fluffy blue shirt which made her appear larger than she really was. Her hair was a combination of wheat and grey all curled and entangled. It was short in length, just barely reaching her ears. Thought clearly aged, her eyes were a soft shade of brown. Small wrinkles made their ways around her eyes, forehead and mouth. Her lips were too thin for lipstick, but her smile was grand."
Most tense moment: "Out of the corner of her eye, she saw another officer approaching one of the thieves from an alleyway behind them. She stood as still as she could, waiting for her moment.
For as hard as she was breathing, her body felt as though it could not get enough oxygen. She focused on her breathing pattern while still watching the other officer.
Inch by tiny inch, he moved his way closer. Slowly and silently he moved until he knew he was in the right place. He suddenly leaped forward, pushing the thief to the ground face down. He grabbed one of the thief’s arms and pulled it behind his back. As he did so, Donna raced forward with her gun aimed at one of the other thieves. Suddenly, Donna felt an incredible pain in her back. She felt as though a great force pushing her forward. All the air escaped her lungs. Her eyes rolled up towards the sky as she lost all control of her body. She felt her body slam against the concrete in a tremendous impact before blackness enveloped her."
Funnies Line: “An hour in the shower?! What the hell is wrong with you? Do you only bathe twice a year that you need to be in the shower that long?”
Happy reading!!!
This week, we're going back a bit. My mother's book report for The Cop is in.
Hope you like it! :)
Most heartfelt moment: "After a brief but scalding hot shower, she stared at herself through the steamed mirror. At first, her face was blurred by the condensation. As time progressed, her face became increasingly clearer. She was definitely a good cross section of her parents.
She had her mother’s curly blonde hair and bright blue eyes. Her jaw line and tall, lean, muscular build were definitely from her father. She could see them both reflected back at her, almost as if they were standing right behind her.“Damn it!” Donna screamed at the mirror's reflection. Tears raced down Donna's cheeks. She couldn't escape it. The people she cherished and missed the most were staring right back at her."
Kindest description of an older woman: "Donna looked up and watched her sitting across the table. Beth was a sweet, middle aged woman. She wore a large, fluffy blue shirt which made her appear larger than she really was. Her hair was a combination of wheat and grey all curled and entangled. It was short in length, just barely reaching her ears. Thought clearly aged, her eyes were a soft shade of brown. Small wrinkles made their ways around her eyes, forehead and mouth. Her lips were too thin for lipstick, but her smile was grand."
Most tense moment: "Out of the corner of her eye, she saw another officer approaching one of the thieves from an alleyway behind them. She stood as still as she could, waiting for her moment.
For as hard as she was breathing, her body felt as though it could not get enough oxygen. She focused on her breathing pattern while still watching the other officer.
Inch by tiny inch, he moved his way closer. Slowly and silently he moved until he knew he was in the right place. He suddenly leaped forward, pushing the thief to the ground face down. He grabbed one of the thief’s arms and pulled it behind his back. As he did so, Donna raced forward with her gun aimed at one of the other thieves. Suddenly, Donna felt an incredible pain in her back. She felt as though a great force pushing her forward. All the air escaped her lungs. Her eyes rolled up towards the sky as she lost all control of her body. She felt her body slam against the concrete in a tremendous impact before blackness enveloped her."
Funnies Line: “An hour in the shower?! What the hell is wrong with you? Do you only bathe twice a year that you need to be in the shower that long?”
Happy reading!!!
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Thursday, December 12, 2013
Do you really want to read my books?
Happy Thursday gang! The weekend is almost within our grasp!
Today, I want to be brutally honest with you. I want to talk about why my books suck.
Actually, they don't. LOL. Comparatively speaking, the ORIGINAL Loving Her kind of sucks, but the new ones are some of my best writing to date. I have been told that they are good, and quite honestly, I think they're fairly good myself. Are they the greatest literature ever written? Probably not. I like them, but I'm not an ego-maniac.
But, you see, I suck. I suck at shameless self-promotion. Yes, I want to get my name out there. Yes, I want you to read my books. But...can't the work just speak for itself?
Unfortunately, the writing world is inundated with writers and books. Self-published, indie, small-press, big-press...there are a lot of us out there. It can be very difficult to sell yourself as an author when you are one small fish in a very large and very crowded ocean. I couldn't sell a furnace to an Eskimo if my life depended on it, let alone try to convince you that my books are the greatest thing you've ever read.
It doesn't help that my books don't involve any exploding cars or gratuitous sex. My stories are character driven. The are genuine, intimate, emotional, personal, touching stories. They are stories that stay with you long after you close the book. The characters, their relationships, their lives resonate with you because they are real.
So, how do I push these books? How do I sell myself and my work? Honestly, I'm not 100% sure. I do the best that I can. I know there are better ways for authors to promote their work, but I also don't want to come across as some pompous ass who thinks their work is the best thing since sliced bread.
So, if you could do me a favor and please just read my books. I'd really appreciate it! :)
Happy reading!!!
Today, I want to be brutally honest with you. I want to talk about why my books suck.
Actually, they don't. LOL. Comparatively speaking, the ORIGINAL Loving Her kind of sucks, but the new ones are some of my best writing to date. I have been told that they are good, and quite honestly, I think they're fairly good myself. Are they the greatest literature ever written? Probably not. I like them, but I'm not an ego-maniac.
But, you see, I suck. I suck at shameless self-promotion. Yes, I want to get my name out there. Yes, I want you to read my books. But...can't the work just speak for itself?
Unfortunately, the writing world is inundated with writers and books. Self-published, indie, small-press, big-press...there are a lot of us out there. It can be very difficult to sell yourself as an author when you are one small fish in a very large and very crowded ocean. I couldn't sell a furnace to an Eskimo if my life depended on it, let alone try to convince you that my books are the greatest thing you've ever read.
It doesn't help that my books don't involve any exploding cars or gratuitous sex. My stories are character driven. The are genuine, intimate, emotional, personal, touching stories. They are stories that stay with you long after you close the book. The characters, their relationships, their lives resonate with you because they are real.
So, how do I push these books? How do I sell myself and my work? Honestly, I'm not 100% sure. I do the best that I can. I know there are better ways for authors to promote their work, but I also don't want to come across as some pompous ass who thinks their work is the best thing since sliced bread.
So, if you could do me a favor and please just read my books. I'd really appreciate it! :)
Happy reading!!!
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Thursday, December 5, 2013
Stephania's Page 69 Trial
Howdy, partners!
Today I am teasing you with Stephania's equivalent to a page 69 trial.
Enjoy...
It was around ten in the morning, but both Maria and Stephania were still walking around the
house in their pajamas.
Maria had decided to work from home since the girls had been out so late.
Stephania was taking it easy since she had the shoot with Linda tomorrow. She had just leaned
back in her chair, propped her feet up on her desk and took a sip of her coffee when the business
phone line rang.
“Hello?” Stephania answered after hurriedly swallowing the very hot coffee. She tried not to
cough into the phone.
“Hi, is this Steph-ah-NEE-ya?” The woman’s voice on the other phone clearly struggled with the
pronunciation of Steph’s name.
“Steph-AHN-ya.” She corrected the other woman. “Yes, this is she.”
“Hi, this is Susan from Peter’s office.”
“Hi Susan, how are you?”
“I am doing well, thanks for asking. I’m calling for Peter. He’s home sick with the flu.” Susan
explained.
“Oh poor Peter! If you talk to him later, please tell him I hope he feels better.”
“I will,” Susan replied. “Anyway, we just got a call for a shoot for you that Peter thinks you’d be
very interested in.”
“Okay, go on.”
“Well, you were requested for a cover shoot of…Curve Magazine.”
“Are you kidding? You’re kidding, right? This is some kind of a prank, isn’t it? A belated April
Fool’s? Peter would do something like that…”
“No.”
“This is for real?!”
“This is for real.” Susan answered.
Stephania could not believe this. There was no way this was happening. “You’re sure they
wanted me?”
“Yes, they wanted you. They’ve seen your portfolio and your wonderful work for the gay
community. They would like to do a cover shoot and an article.”
Steph gently put the phone down on the desk and then proceeded to scream and jump around
the room.
Maria scurried in to come see what was wrong.
Steph waited a moment, took a deep breath, and picked up the phone again.
Maria just stood there, puzzled.
“I’m sorry, Susan. I just needed a moment,” Steph cleared her throat. “Peter was correct. I
would love to do this shoot.” She could hear laughter on the other end of the phone.
“Great! I’ll have one of the Curve reps call you and we can get you all set.”
“Thank you.” Stephania said, trying desperately to maintain her composure.
“Sure. We’ll talk again soon.” Susan hung up.
“Would you care to explain why you gave me a heart attack?” Maria demanded.
Stephania put the phone down. “Well…” She said slowly, playing this out. “I got an offer for a
shoot and…”
“And?” Maria cut her off.
“It’s for the cover of Curve! They want to do a shoot and an article!”
Now it was Maria’s turn to scream. She hugged Steph and the two began to dance around the
office.
Finally out of breath, Maria said, “This has been your dream for years! That’s great! I’m so
happy for you. Congratulations, baby. So when is the shoot?”
“One of the reps from Curve will call us. Knowing everyone at Peter’s office, they’ll call later
today.”
Maria squealed with excitement.
Stephania paused, and then her eyes lit up. “I’d better hit the gym! I have to look good. I’m
about to be on the cover of Curve!”
She slammed her coffee mug down, gave Maria a peck on the cheek and ran out the door.
Today I am teasing you with Stephania's equivalent to a page 69 trial.
Enjoy...
It was around ten in the morning, but both Maria and Stephania were still walking around the
house in their pajamas.
Maria had decided to work from home since the girls had been out so late.
Stephania was taking it easy since she had the shoot with Linda tomorrow. She had just leaned
back in her chair, propped her feet up on her desk and took a sip of her coffee when the business
phone line rang.
“Hello?” Stephania answered after hurriedly swallowing the very hot coffee. She tried not to
cough into the phone.
“Hi, is this Steph-ah-NEE-ya?” The woman’s voice on the other phone clearly struggled with the
pronunciation of Steph’s name.
“Steph-AHN-ya.” She corrected the other woman. “Yes, this is she.”
“Hi, this is Susan from Peter’s office.”
“Hi Susan, how are you?”
“I am doing well, thanks for asking. I’m calling for Peter. He’s home sick with the flu.” Susan
explained.
“Oh poor Peter! If you talk to him later, please tell him I hope he feels better.”
“I will,” Susan replied. “Anyway, we just got a call for a shoot for you that Peter thinks you’d be
very interested in.”
“Okay, go on.”
“Well, you were requested for a cover shoot of…Curve Magazine.”
“Are you kidding? You’re kidding, right? This is some kind of a prank, isn’t it? A belated April
Fool’s? Peter would do something like that…”
“No.”
“This is for real?!”
“This is for real.” Susan answered.
Stephania could not believe this. There was no way this was happening. “You’re sure they
wanted me?”
“Yes, they wanted you. They’ve seen your portfolio and your wonderful work for the gay
community. They would like to do a cover shoot and an article.”
Steph gently put the phone down on the desk and then proceeded to scream and jump around
the room.
Maria scurried in to come see what was wrong.
Steph waited a moment, took a deep breath, and picked up the phone again.
Maria just stood there, puzzled.
“I’m sorry, Susan. I just needed a moment,” Steph cleared her throat. “Peter was correct. I
would love to do this shoot.” She could hear laughter on the other end of the phone.
“Great! I’ll have one of the Curve reps call you and we can get you all set.”
“Thank you.” Stephania said, trying desperately to maintain her composure.
“Sure. We’ll talk again soon.” Susan hung up.
“Would you care to explain why you gave me a heart attack?” Maria demanded.
Stephania put the phone down. “Well…” She said slowly, playing this out. “I got an offer for a
shoot and…”
“And?” Maria cut her off.
“It’s for the cover of Curve! They want to do a shoot and an article!”
Now it was Maria’s turn to scream. She hugged Steph and the two began to dance around the
office.
Finally out of breath, Maria said, “This has been your dream for years! That’s great! I’m so
happy for you. Congratulations, baby. So when is the shoot?”
“One of the reps from Curve will call us. Knowing everyone at Peter’s office, they’ll call later
today.”
Maria squealed with excitement.
Stephania paused, and then her eyes lit up. “I’d better hit the gym! I have to look good. I’m
about to be on the cover of Curve!”
She slammed her coffee mug down, gave Maria a peck on the cheek and ran out the door.
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