Tagged!

I got tagged by Deb the other day, so I thought it would be fun to post my results here. :)

Here are the rules:

a. Link to the person who tagged you.
b. Post the rules on your blog.
c. Write six random things about yourself.
d. Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.
e. Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment at their blog.
f. Let your tagger know when your entry is up.

These are the six random facts about me:

1. I had Subway for lunch.
2. At the moment I'm reading Grimspace, and I'm lovin' it!
3. I'm addicted to anything urban fantasy. ;)
4. I haven't eaten anything from McDonalds, KFC or Pizza Hut for over three years, maybe more. In fact, the smell of these places makes me nauseous.
5. Last night I watched two episodes of Ruby Gloom with my daughter. I think this show is very, very cute. :D
6. I now have ELEVEN eBooks available from Cobblestone Press. Yay!

Oh, and I'm not tagging anyone. Lol.

So, there you have it. That's it from me this week. I'm working on revision for two different stories that I'd like to have finished by the end of the week. Have a great one!


Yolanda
http://www.yolandasfetsos.com/

It's April 29...

And this day is important for two reasons.

First, my little girl is turning eight today. Eight! It's scary, how fast time is flying by.

Happy birthday, sweetie! I hope your special day is filled with love, and laughs, and friendship.

~~~

And second, it's important because DARK MASTER is officially released today. At last! You can buy your copy from online retailers (Amazon, Barnes and Noble) or at your favorite brick and mortar store today!

SURRENDERING COMPLETELY ALWAYS LEADS TO...

Completely broke, Regan Roslund is stuck selling bondage gear to a kinky clientele in order to pay her bills. She has no interest in her salacious merchandise until she feels a leather choker tight against her neck--and gets a glimpse of the muscular, model-gorgeous man who holds her captive. Suddenly, temptation ignites...

THE MOST INTENSE PLEASURE...

Newly crowned king of the undead, Shadow Sorenson knows he can protect himself by taking a wife. He hopes Regan, with her new-found curiosity, will be unable to resist obeying even his most deviant demand. But Shadow would prefer she surrender willingly. For thirty nights, he'll show Regan what it's like to lose control as he explores every inch of her naked flesh, leaving her hungry for release--and moaning in anticipation of an ecstasy she never knew existed...

Warning! This is a REALLY HOT book (Sexually Explicit)

"A thoroughly entertaining tale by a talented new voice." Kate Douglas

Read a HOT excerpt at: www.tawnytaylor.com/darkmaster.html

Tawny
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
DARK MASTER
A penniless bondage shop owner finds herself wed to a vampire king against her will. She wants to leave. He’s determined to convince her to stay… and in this game of seduction, he’s not going to play fair.
Wicked-Hot Erotic Fiction

Gena Showalter guest blogs

Welcome Ms Gena Showalter! The talented, hilarious, prolific author (and hot alien chick) who wrote Awaken Me Darkly, Enslave Me Sweetly, Savor Me Slowly and a thousand more! Leave a comment and you'll be entered to win a chance to win a copy of Gena's Savor Me Slowly! And don't forget to check out Gena and her much younger partner in crime, Jill Monroe's, Author Talk interviews!






What are these Lords of the Underworld books about?

I’ve taken the myth of Pandora and completely turned it upside down. I claim the gods entrusted Pandora, the greatest warrior of her time, to guard the box. But a group of immortal warriors, her peers, fought and won it, opened it, and unleashed the horde of demons locked inside. Because of this, the gods punish each warrior to house a demon inside his own body. So the warriors become the box, so to speak. It’s not an easy pairing, either.

And did you always envision it as a trilogy, or did it evolve from a single-title idea? I’d always envisioned it as more than one book. I had planned to tell Death’s story first, but that was not the book that came out of me when I sat down to write. It was Maddox’s (Violence). Maybe because he was the one who actually opened the box and therefore was the most tortured of the group or maybe because the more I pieced together each warrior’s back-story, his intrigued me most.

After his story, I finally got to tell Lucien’s (Death), then Reyes’s (Pain), the two men bound to Maddox (Pain kills him every night -- as part of his curse -- and Death escorts his soul to hell every night - again, as part of his curse). But there are soooo many more to tell! Doubt, Lies, Misery, Wrath, Disease, Promiscuity. . . I adore these powerful, tormented men who skirt the edge of good and evil, as well as everything about the dark and seductive world I’ve created. Actually, ten might not be enough.

Have you written a series of this kind of scope before? If not, do you regard this as a kind of evolution in your career as an author?

This is, by far, the biggest project I’ve ever undertaken. Each story stretched my writing and imagination in ways they had never been stretched. There are more emotions, more world-building, more. . . everything. And every time I finished a Lords of the Underworld book, I’d have to vege out for a few weeks because I was completely wiped. But I loved it, I did. I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished with these novels.

What can readers look forward to in terms of the books' male heroes? And what about the female characters?

Maddox, the hero of The Darkest Night, is keeper of Violence. I tried to stay true to his character and show his fierce struggle with the demon. Sometimes, he does not win that struggle and the demon overtakes him. His heroine, Ashlyn, is able to stand in one location and hear every conversation that’s ever taken place there. Lucien, the hero of The Darkest Kiss, is keeper of Death. He’s been ordered to escort the goddess of Anarchy’s soul to the hereafter. The tempestuous and fun-loving Anya views his attempts as a game. Reyes, the hero of The Darkest Pleasure, is keeper of Pain. He’s forced to self-torture to survive. Danika, his heroine, is being chased by his best friend, the demon of Wrath, for reasons the warriors do not yet know. Writing Reyes’s book was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I had to tap into an emotional well I hadn’t known I possessed.

What inspired you to write the Lords of the Underworld books?

I’d just finished writing three lighter books – Playing With Fire, The Nymph King and Catch A Mate. I needed to write either the sequel to Playing With Fire or the next Atlantis books, the vampire king’s story. But neither of those stories would come to me. I had an entire list of ideas I’d been playing with -- one involved Pandora’s box, one involved cursed immortals who lived together in an exotic location, and one involved the grim reaper. On their own, none of the ideas seemed quite big enough. It was as I began to combine them that the magic happened for me. Here’s how it went down in my head:

What if it was the immortal warriors who opened Pandora’s box, releasing the demons trapped inside? What if the gods punish them and that’s why they’re cursed? What if they now house those demons inside themselves? It won’t be an easy partnership, of course, so they’ll have to move to. . . Greece ? Rome ? Budapest ?. . .to protect humans from themselves. (Note to self: research, research, research) And oh my God, one of the immortals could be possessed by the demon of Death – hello grim reaper story!

If you could be a character in any one of your books, who would you be and why?

Anya, the goddess of Anarchy from The Darkest Kiss. There’s something so magical about her. She steals unabashedly, spent some time in an immortal prison, has the quirkiest sense of humor I’ve ever encountered, but loves fiercely and will do anything for her man. Plus, she’s hot J If I had to pick a character from someone else’s novel, I’d go with Holly from Dark Desire’s After Dusk by Kresley Cole. Holly is sleeping with my new boyfriend, Cade. Plus, I just want to live in the world Cole has created.

Where can readers find out more about you? Website, blog, myspace, etc.?

I have spread my love far and wide, so I’m everywhere J For general information about me and my books, visit: www.genashowalter.com. For daily updates about what’s going on in my world, books and beefcake, visit: www.genashowalter.blogspot.com. For more information about the Lords of the Underworld series, visit: www.lordsoftheunderworld.net. For fun, visit: www.myspace.com/genashowalter.

Belgium, Here I Come! (xPost)

Well, I'm heading out of town again for work. Only this time I'm going to Belgium. I've never been there and I'm a bit nervous. See, to get there you can either fly into Brussels then make your way to the train station to get to the city I'm traveling to. Or you can fly into Amsterdam, get the train that's located (thankfully) in the airport, then travel by train from the Netherlands to Belgium...which means crossing borders.

While I don't look forward to the travel, I do look forward to reaching the destination. Wish I were going for something other than work. But then again, there's CHOCOLATE!!! Belgian chocolate!

Leaving on Saturday - be back in a couple of weeks ;D I'll have to have a contest to see who I send the goodies to when I get back!

New Release & Not 100%

The threat of a goblin killing faeries in Sydney was serious enough to keep Miki from the war back home.

Her attraction towards Peter, a human, can only spell trouble.

What she didn’t expect was to smell the undeniable scent of faerie blood on his brother.

This gorgeous cover is for my upcoming urban fantasy novella. I absolutely LOVE it. Sable Grey made it, and she captured the main character and the feel of the story, too. She's very talented.

THE HUNTER will be released on April 25 from Cobblestone Press.

This is actually another Fae-Hunters installment, but it's taking a different direction and switches the narrator. Miki was an awesome character to tap into, and I can't wait to share the tale she has to tell.

Well, that's it for me today. I'm not feeling that well. I've had a really sore shoulder/neck/arm all week and today it just seems to be worse. I thought it would've gotten better by now. Looks like I'm going to have to go to the doctor later. :/ It's getting a little unbearable. Oh, and lets' not forget that it's raining, it's still school holidays, and it doesn't take much to irritate me lately.

Have a great week!

Yolanda
http://www.yolandasfetsos.com/

Real Life & New Covers

I'm running super late today. My daughter's home with me for two weeks. Damn those school holidays. ;) Anyway, when she's home life becomes a whole lot more hectic and my writing time decreases by quite a bit. I find there just aren't enough hours in the day when she's home from school. But I'm determined to ride it out and still accomplish some writing stuff.

Last week I completed a story, and this week I'd like to complete another. I'm taking part in the latest Cobblestone Main Street BIAW. I've almost crossed the 10k mark, so to do that today will be awesome. I think I know exactly what needs to happen from now until the end, so that always helps. :)

Anyway, wish me luck on keeping my sanity while she's calling my name a thousand times a day. :/

Oh, and before I go, I just wanted to share two new covers for my upcoming Forbidden Press eBooks:



They were both made by Dawné Dominique, and I think they're lovely. What do you think?

Have a great week!

Yolanda
http://www.yolandasfetsos.com/

Heading to Pittsburgh!

Well, it's that time. Today I fly out to Pittsburgh for the 2008 Romantic Times Book Lovers Conference. I've been planning for this week for months, and wow, the weeks just flew by.

I'm nervous and excited! Can't wait to see all my writing friends, my publishers, fave reviewers and readers. And I'm looking forward to soaking up some great info at the workshops.

For those who are also attending, I hope to see you there!

Tawny
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
DARK MASTER, April 29
Wicked-Hot Erotic Fiction
www.tawnytaylor.com

This & That

Today, I'm going to talk about a bunch of different stuff. I'm feeling a little nuts at the moment. I've got so much packed inside my brain, it's hard to keep a sharp focus. Do you ever get like that? I mean, I've had clutter-brain before, but this is different. Usually, when I'm cluttered I'm all over the place and wander around aimlessly. This is not the case now. :)

There are a lot of things I'd like to get done during the next three months and I just need to tackle one thing at a time. :/

Okay, firstly, I can gladly say that I got the second draft of my futuristic novel finished last week. Yay! It's now sitting at 86,032 words. Very happy with it so far. I've gotten rid of a lot of weak words and long sentences. I noticed a few explanations that just didn't need to be there. So, now they're all gone. The novel is going to sit tight for a few weeks. Then, I will embark on the third and final draft.

The other night (Tuesday, to be precise) I started writing a new story. This one's going to be a shortie. When I sat down to write last night, I kept going and going. The research for this one was a lot of fun and actually helped me change a very important part of the plot.

Anyway, this is the progress so far:

I'm very happy with it and would absolutely love to crack the 10k mark today. This new world is very vivid. And to think the idea started with a girl who was born different, even for her own kind. ;)

Last night, I updated my website.

The other night, I sent out my April newsletter.

If you're in my Bits & Pieces group, then you've already seen a bunch of new covers I posted the other day. :D

I know have a bunch of books over at Fictionwise.

I'm really, really trying to get back into my reading groove. It's been hard the last few weeks because I've spent every available moment doing revision.

Oh, and I'm asking a question about vampires over at The Vampire Oracle blog.

Okay, and last but certainly not least:

Yolanda
http://www.yolandasfetsos.com/

The Final Countdown!

Today is Tues, April 8th. Why is that significant?

First, because my brother's birthday is tomorrow (happy birthday Carl!)

Second, because in exactly ONE WEEK, I'll be on a plane, heading for Pittsburgh Pennsylvania for the Romantic Times Conference. To say I'm excited is a HUGE understatement.

This is my third RT, so I have some idea of what to expect:

Days spent dashing from one workshop to another; nights spent tromping around the hotel in fairy wings and vampire fangs. Lots of hugs and laughs and time spent with friends I only see at RT. There is NOTHING like RT. It's something you have to experience to appreciate, IMO.

And third,

I received my author copies of DARK MASTER, my first Aphrodisia release. And I know what that means...it means books are shipping to stores. I expect you'll be able to find copies in your local Borders within the next couple of weeks. You have no idea how excited I am!

So there you go, three reasons why today is significant to me. Anyone else want to share what makes Tuesday April 8th significant to them?

Tawny
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
DARK MASTER, April 29
Wicked-Hot Erotic Fiction
www.tawnytaylor.com

Revisions & Guarded

Gee. Is it just me? Or do the days just seem to go really fast? :/

Anyway, I hope you're all having a great week so far. I wish there were more hours in the day at the moment. I'm busy working on the second draft of the novel I wrote in February. It's 85k, so it takes a whole lot longer than short stories and novellas to get through. Lol. I'm also doing other stuff on the side too, so the days are going too fast.

I'd like to have the second draft done by the end of the weekend, which includes typing in all the changes. Yeah, I'm printing it out a little at a time and trying to keep up with the changes that need to be made into Word. Otherwise it's just too overwhelming. I'm slowly making my way there. At the moment I'm sitting on page 235... I'm aiming for 300 today. It's a bit ambitious, but we'll see what happens.

Oh yeah, and I wanted to share another excerpt with you. This time it's for:

If Jemma wasted another second drinking her coffee, she’d miss him. The highlight of her day would get away.

She downed the rest of her vanilla coffee and burned the back of her throat in the process. But it didn’t matter. Temporary discomfort would be worth it. In the past month, she’d seen him almost every single day. Their little smile-and-greet game had been going on for much longer, though.

At first, Jemma hadn’t thought anything of it. They were just two strangers being polite to one another with a little greeting. But now, every time they crossed paths, her heart skipped a beat. Her palms got clammy and fingertips itchy at the thought of running them through his hair. Her attraction toward him was strong, and she often wondered if it was one-sided. Was this just her fantasy? Although, the smile he usually flashed her way had convinced her there was definitely something between them.

Come on, come on. She silently cursed the damn light for staying red so long. Impatience wound its way around her body. She didn’t want to miss him this evening. Around this time every weekday, the nameless man would be inside this part of Hyde Park.

She’d gone out of her way several times during weekends in the hope of seeing him, but it was only a Monday to Friday thing.

Her gaze cut across the dense traffic of Elizabeth Street to focus on the park. Hyde Park was a serene section stuck in between the hustle and bustle of Sydney. Whenever she was inside the park, an air of romance always wrapped itself around her. All because of him.

Until she’d noticed him months ago, the park with its many paths and fig trees had been a shortcut from the main city streets to her apartment. Now, she woke up with the anticipation every weekday, and daydreamed all day about the handsome stranger.

Even as the breeze the cars gave off chilled her arms, her cheeks warmed. He was tall, with longish black hair that curled around his collar. He had the darkest eyes she’d ever seen. His complexion was pale, and his face was always sprinkled with stubble. He was the sexiest man she’d ever seen. She hated to seem like a sentimental teenager lost in a fantasy, but she only wanted him. No other man could hold her attention for longer than two minutes before he invaded her mind. He was beneath her skin and had already touched her heart.

One of these days, she’d work up enough courage to break the silence between them. It was just a matter of time…it had to be.

The simple glance, smile and nod stages had been abandoned. They were now up to the, “Hi,” point, and she was trying to get up the nerve to start an actual conversation with him. It didn’t need to be anything too deep. Just a mention of the weather would be enough to break the ice.

She sighed. If only it were that easy.

The traffic slowed to a halt in front of her, and the little pedestrian man flashed green.

The coffee made her feel sluggish as it sloshed around inside her stomach. The anticipation of seeing him built up into an excitement she could hardly contain.

Today could be the day.

GUARDED BY STONE is now available from Cobblestone Press.

It was #5 on the Best Seller list for March.

Yolanda
http://www.yolandasfetsos.com/

Cool Reviews & Idiot Sightings

First before we get to the funny stuff, let's get the writer stuff out of the way. I submitted my first contemporary to my editor and am shaking in my books. Contemporary romance didn't seem to flow from my fingers to the keyboard like paranormal does, but I got this idea in my head and had to put it to paper. So, we'll see...

Second, my good friend, SHELLEY MUNRO, GOT A KICK-A$$ REVIEW on her book FANCY FREE from Ellora's Cave. In fact, it's been Joyfully Recommended. Visit Joyfully Reviewed to read the review.

Now, for the Idiot Sightings:

Beware, They Walk Among Us! (This was at the Ford dealership in Canton , Mississippi) When my husband and I arrived at an automobile dealership to pick up our car, we were told the keys had been locked in it. We went to the service department and found a mechanic working feverishly to unlock the drivers side door. As I watched from the passenger side, I instinctively tried the door handle and discovered that it was unlocked. 'Hey,' I announced to the technician, 'its open!' His reply, 'I know. I already got that side.'

They Walk Among Us!

I walked into a Starbucks with a buy-one-get- one-free coupon for a Grande Latte. I handed it to the girl and she looked over at a little chalkboard that said 'buy one-get one free.' 'They're already buy-one- get-one-free, ' she said, 'so I guess they're both free'. She handed me my free Lattes and I walked out the door.

They Walk Among Us!

One day I was walking down the beach with some Friends when one of them shouted, 'Look at that dead bird!' Someone looked up at the sky and said, 'Where?'

They Walk Among Us!

While looking at a house, my brother asked the real estate agent which direction was north because, he explained, he didn't want the sun waking him up every morning. She asked, 'Does the sun rise in the North?' When my brother explained that the sun rises in the East, and has for sometime, she shook her head and said, 'Oh I don't keep up with all that stuff.'

They Walk Among Us!!

I used to work in technical support for a 24/7 call center. One day I got a call from an individual who asked what hours the call center was open. I told him, 'The number you dialed is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.' He responded, 'Is that Eastern or Pacific time?' Wanting to end the call quickly, I said, 'Uh, Pacific.'

They Walk Among Us!

My sister has a lifesaving tool in her car designed to cut through a seat belt if she gets trapped. She keeps it in the trunk.

They Walk Among Us!

My friends and I were on a beer run and noticed that the cases were discounted 10%. Since it was a big party, we bought 2 cases. The cashier multiplied 2 times 10% and gave us a 20% discount.

They Walk Among Us!

I couldn't find my luggage at the airport baggage area, so I went to the lost luggage office and told the woman there that my bags never showed up. She smiled and told me not to worry because she was a trained professional and I was in good hands. 'Now,' she asked me, has your plane arrived yet?'

They Walk Among Us!

While working at a pizza parlor I observed a man ordering a small pizza to go. He appeared to be alone and the cook asked him if he would like it cut into 4 pieces or 6. He thought about it for some time before responding. 'Just cut it into 4 pieces; I don't think I'm hungry enough to eat 6 pieces.'

Yep', They Walk Among Us,
and they Reproduce,
and Worst of all
.....they Vote!

Blog Cruisin'

Hey all!

I thought today I'd have some fun cruising a few romance industry blogs, to see what's up.

The first blog I visited was the Red Lines and Deadlines Blog. The EC editors are hosting a quick First Line contest. Sounds like fun! And the prize is a free download.

You don't have to write a whole story - just the most important sentence in the story. That's right, send us the best opening line you can create. Something you think would really grab an editor's or agent's attention, make them keep reading your submission. Now, don't go too over the top - it has to be something you could actually build a story on. It could be tense or traumatic or frightening or mysterious or humorous or romantic. But one sentence only, your envisioned first sentence.

Send your entry to RedlinesDeadlines@gmail.com by next Wednesday, April 2. On Friday we'll post the best ones we received and announce the winner (or maybe even winners). Prize is a free download of an EC/CP/TLC ebook.

On the Bookends Agency Blog agent Jessica Faust is talking about respond-by dates.

On Romancing the Blog, I found an interesting article addressing a common question unpublished writers ask-- should they establish a web presence BEFORE they sign their first contract?

All of the agents I surveyed said that if they find your query or partial interesting, then they’ll most likely visit any URL you’ve included in your query or cover letter.

Smart Bitches reports that Ellora's Cave is launching a new were-duck shapeshifter series. It's April 1st. I'm 99% sure it's a joke, even if what they say about mallard male bits is true. Then again, some EC authors might go there...

Ellora's Cave has decided to unveil their new line of were-duck romance. Heather Trix, the new editor of this line, explains why ducks are the ideal model for romance heroes, not the raptors that have captured the popular imagination all these decades.

Uhhh...did you know that some ducks have 18 inch you-know-whats?! I didn't believe it until I saw these pictures (ICK Alert! If you're squeamish, don't look).

So there you go, we've got a writing contest, an intriguing article about an agent's submission process, another informative article about the benefits of an unpublished writer established a web presence...and duck bits :)

Ahhh, the world of romantic fiction.

Tawny
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Dark Master, April 29, Kensington
Wicked-Hot Erotic Fiction