Elizabeth Silver -- Get Your Irons in the Fire!

It's my delight to welcome friend, author, blogger and reviewer, Elizabeth Silver, to my blog today. Along with her friend and writing partner, Jenny Urban, Liz creates awesome and steamy erotic romance which you can read about below. But first, Liz kicks our butts and tell us to get our irons in the fire.  Here's Liz--

Back before I put on my big girl pants and actually went about finishing and submitting things, my idea of “being a writer” was to buy as many writing books as possible and to attend as many talks as I could. Now, there's nothing wrong with improving your craft, or with wanting to understand the business side of writing before you get into it, but what I was doing was really just some very creative dawdling. Ask my mother -- she'll tell you that I have made dawdling a life-long pursuit and have been a champion at it since the first time someone handed me a homework assignment.

But then I decided that if I was going to spend all that time and money asking people for advice, maybe I should actually start listening to all those very nice, very successful writers at the front of the room when they told us that you can't be a writer if you don't actually, you know, write things. So I sat my ass down and wrote, along with my best friend and fellow dawdler (talk about the blind leading the visually challenged), and when we were done, we had a book (Winner Takes All). It was short and it was naughty and we had so much fun writing it, we did it again, and came up with Where the Heart Is. And now we're turning a rough draft into a very solid novel that will be our longest yet, something I'm so excited about, I just can't hold still.

Funny enough, now that I'm actually using the massive collection of tips and tricks I spent all that time putting together, I really do find myself listening more and more to the advice that always drifted over my head before. Lately, the piece that's been the most useful has come from Kevin J. Anderson: always have a lot of irons in the fire. The first time I heard it, it scared the hell out of me; I was too ADD to finish one thing, how could I even hope to work on two or more? But Anderson's point, I've finally accepted, is just as Billy Crystal said in Throw Momma From the Train, “A writer writes. Always.” For example, here's a sample of my works-in-progress:

Currently, Jenny and I are working on the second draft of a speculative fiction romance that we wrote ages ago and couldn't figure out what was missing from the original manuscript. We set it aside and did other things, came back to it, and now can poke and prod and add whole scenes and themes that will make this a really fantastic book. But sometimes my life gets in the way, or Jenny has a book to record (she does audiobooks, how cool is she?), or the fact that we're two time zones apart gets between us and our schedules for a few days, and we can't meet up to work together. I'm a little too fond of shiny objects, so having things to do is always good, which means I need a back-up plan, right? Well, now I do. Several, in fact.

I have a one fully-plotted scifi that was started as a novella and is clearly going to be a novel that will possibly open up a whole series, so that can always be poked at. Or there's the space age story I just started, with only the barest character sketches and plot ideas more development there would be hot. And of course, Jenny and I have been talking about possibly doing an historical, so I've been having fun with my own end of the research. And new ideas are always coming to me, so I try to write them down for later, because you never know when the perfect call will come along. AND I'm a member of Truly Madly Deeply Romance Authors, so I have my free read to write for that (it's going to be so sweet, you guys. I really hope you like it).

Sometimes I even write blog posts. :)

All of these are distinctly different, but they keep me working, keep reminding me that I'm a writer now, no longer that girl in the back of the Dragon*Con Writer's Track room, writing down things that I'll promptly ignore. I'm always writing, always looking to be bringing one of my projects to the next stage, one step closer to putting a bow on it.

I'm envious of writers who say that they never get blocked, or who say they can power through it. Me, if a story isn't happening, trying to force it only screws me over for when I will actually be in the right mindset to work on it again. Paint, corner, anyone? So by having a lot of projects going at anyone time, in various stages of development, I avoid a lot of the frustration. This way, if one of them is being a pain in my ass, I can make a rude hand gesture at the Word document and move on to something else. I still get work done, and in the meantime I can let complicated things work their issues out in due course.

I produce finished product slowly as a result, but damned if I'm not always writing. Considering that my writing time is whenever I can grab a few minutes of peace (no mean feat) in my evenings after work-and-dinner-and-family, on the weekends around errands and the constant sounds of drunken video gaming from my neighbor next door and the remodeling bonanza downstairs, always having options is a very good thing. Life is full of interrupted trains of thought, and having another line to jump on saves me from wasting perfectly good working time.

So, yes. Lots of irons in the fire. Because a writer writes. Always. And damned if I'm not a writer. I don't have time for as many craft development books or talks anymore, but that's okay. I've done enough dawdling and it's time to stir up the embers and heat my irons a little more.

What kind of irons do you have in the fire?

My most recent completed iron (er... book):

Where the Heart Is

Jason, Steve, and Chris have seen each other through the toughest times of their lives, but when they're snowed in together on their annual Thanksgiving ski trip, they learn that you can still have secrets even after twenty years. After Steve reveals he's on the verge of a major decision that could break them apart, those secrets their desires might be the only thing that could save them.

Then a blizzard hits and snows them in, and there's nowhere to run from the feelings they've been ignoring for years. None of them want to choose one and risk the other, but before the week is out, they're going to have to find a way to make the three of them work again. If not, they're going to lose each other after all.

Find it here from Loose Id: http://www.loose-id.com/Where-the-Heart-Is.aspx

Bio:

International woman of mystery and wearer of many hats, Elizabeth Silver is a writer, a worker, a nerd, and a self-proclaimed internet junkie. An avid reader all of her life, Elizabeth also began writing at an early age, and fell in instant, undeniable love. It's been a long and wicked affair, but literature is damn good in bed with a cup of cocoa.

With her feet planted about halfway between New York and Philadelphia, Elizabeth has often been accused of having her head in the clouds, although what she's really doing is just thinking really hard. Elizabeth can frequently be found at the local diners or coffee shops with internet access and bottomless refills, working on new story ideas on her own or with her close friend and co-author, Jenny Urban.

Find Elizabeth on the web and say hi!

Web and blog: http://www.UrbanSilver.net

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/elizabeth_silver

Twitter: http://twitter.com/LizSilverWrites

TMDRA: http://www.TrulyMadlyDeeplyRomanceAuthors.blogspot.com

Book Trailer: Genetic Attraction

I realize it's been awhile since i posted the Book Trailer for Genetic Attraction. I enjoyed making this trailer so much, thanks to the great workshop by Kris Tualla, so i want you to see it in case you haven't.  If you've seen it five times .. enjoy the music.  LOL.

Welcome Drea Becraft! Live for the Todays

It's my delight to welcome author and friend Drea Becraft to the blog today. (Drea designed the great header for my Book Blog) You may know Drea from her fantastic Yahoo community, Wickedly Sexy Romance.But today, she is introducing her new book, Live for the Todays. We'll get to a yumlicious excerpt in a minute, but first i asked Drea some questions she was kind enough to answer for all of us:

How long have you been writing fiction and how many books have you published?

I have been writing for about a year and a half.  Live For The Todays is my first book ever published and I hope to have many more to come.

Who was and is your biggest inspiration?

Other authors honestly I don't have one.  With each book I get more and more ideas of to mold my writing.

Tell us about the genres in which you write?

I write contemporaries and paranormals.  I love modern technology in books so I tend to stay in the here and now ;0)

Are there genres you haven’t tried that you want to write?

m/m I would love to write a m/m/f someday but I know I do not have that skill as of yet ;0)

Are you a plotter or a pantser? What is your writing discipline?

Panster all the way.  I once wrote a complete short story in a day 11,000 words lol.  Others have taken me way longer I just go with the flow.

Who is your favorite heroine you’ve created so far? Is there one you’re still dying to write that you haven’t put in a story yet?

So far has to be Stasia my redheaded heroine I love her.

Who is your favorite hero? What kind of heroes do you like?

Devlin is my fav but I have yet to write a story for him.  Oh but I will that is when I get the time lol.

What is your biggest fiction writing challenge?

Just adding more steam I think.  I need to master the art of writing love scenes a bit more but that is just my opinion

You are really good at designing on the computer! How did you learn?

Actually I am self taught.  After messing with the program for so long I have become accustomed to it and its just trial and error from there.

Tell us about the book you’re launching this week?

Live For The Todays Blurb:

Vengeance is only a mouse click away, but what happens when you fall for the one your suppose to hate?  Diane Miles lets very few people into her life, and the ones she calls family she never lets go of.  But what if is she to do when her best friend is dying and her whole world as she knows it is about to be torn apart.

Chase Griffin is in shock when a woman accusses him of treating one of his employees wronfully.  When she takes over his system making it impossible to work, he doesn't know whether to strangle her or spank her till she begs for mercy.  When he discovers who his local vigilante is, strangling is the last thing on his mind as she bocomes his rock during the last days of his sisters life.

You have a number of upcoming projects, I believe. Tell us about them?

The Thirce Princess comes out April 20, 2011 and its a paranormal.  Filled with every mythical creature imaginable.  I plan on it to be a series just have to work more on it lol.

True Fireworks Never Fade comes out June 22, 2011 and its my short story in a day.  Its my favorite combo of friends to lovers/second chance story.  I have plans for a few follow up stories with Kit and Ive which I hope to have done soon.  What can I say to many stories so little time lol.

Where can readers find you?

My Website~ Blog ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ JBP Reviews ~ Wickedly Sexy Yahoo Group

And here is that Excerpt:

Buy Drea's New Book Here!

Dinner was filled with conversation and laughter, all four of them talking freely as if nothing out of the ordinary was going on. Nevertheless, all Diane could think about was getting Chase into bed. Her body ignited instantly with just the thought of his big hands running all over her body.

After the dishes were loaded and the dishwasher started, they all gathered in the living room for a rather loud game of monopoly. After they figured there was not going to be a winner, Jack and Tina headed for their room.

Diane cleaned up the game and put it away on the shelf. The whole time Chase stared at her from the doorway of their room. Turning only slightly when she passed him, she headed toward the sliding door.

“What are you doing?” he asked, shifting his weight.

“Opening the door so we can hear the ocean and feel the breeze.”

“Does this mean I’m not sleeping on the couch?”

“You might if you don’t go take a shower.”

Smelling under his armpits, he then turned to look at her, “I don’t smell that bad.”

“You’re used to your own funk while the rest of us gag in your filth.”

Growling, Chase crossed the room and scooper her up into his arms. Diane couldn’t contain the giggle as he headed for bathroom. “What do you think you’re doing?” she asked between giggling fits.

“I thought we would conserve water and take a shower together.”

“Oh, are you saying I stink now too?”

“I would never.” Faking a shocked look, he gave her a huge smile.

“Then you’re saying I’m just your average dirty.”

“No, I was actually thinking of all the dirty things we can do in there.”

“Oh really, and who says I want to do dirty things?”

Setting her on her feet just outside the shower stall, Chase leaned down and bit the side of her neck, then kissed the sting away. “Are you saying you don’t?” He asked as his hands roamed her back.

“I think I may be able to be persuaded.”

Reaching for the hem of his shirt, she coached him to lift his hands over his head. Once the shirt was off she threw it to the floor and ran her hands down his hard pecs. Scraping her fingernails over his abs, she leaned over to run her tongue over his flat nipple. Pulling it between her teeth then biting, ever so slightly, she was rewarded with a low growl. Taking that as encouragement, she released it and showed the same attention to the other nipple. Just as she was soothing away the sting, his hand tangled with her hair and pulled her up to his face.

His mouth devoured hers, including his tongue. Both dueled as they hastily stripped each other’s clothes off. Chase backed her into the stall until she rested against the cool tile.

Holding his hand up, he spoke breathlessly, “Hold that thought.”

Turning slightly, he turned the handles to the shower making the showerhead sputter then showering them both with warm water. Fiddling with the handles for a few seconds, the water became the perfect temperature. Then Chase reached for her and pulled her under the stream with him.

Reaching for the loofa, he held it under the stream and loaded it with her body wash. Slowly, he rubbed it along her body, starting first with her neck then running it down her back.

As he ran it around the globes of her ass, he slowly lowered himself to his knees on the tile. Dropping the loofa, he grabbed her left calf, lifting it and lowering it over his shoulder. He buried his face in her pussy and began running his tongue along the outer seams of her lips.

The sensation was so great her knees buckled, and he caught her by the ass, steadying her.

Looking down, she met his lust-filled eyes.

“Rest your back against the tiles,” Chase rasped, moving his hands to spread her lips wide, revealing her pink core.

Complying, Diane leaned back, relaxing and trusting that he would keep her up. Once her back hit the now slick tile, she again looked down at him, just in time to watch him run the flat of his tongue along her opening. When the tip of his tongue hit her clit, he leaned in further and sucked it into his mouth.

Pleasure surged through every part of her body, leaving her breathless. Chest heaving, she watched as her nipples puckered in front of her eyes. Still holding his gaze, she used her hands to grope her breasts then pluck her nipples.

Chase growled low in his throat and began to eat at her in earnest. Each lick brought her pleasure higher and higher until she felt as if she were breaking apart, blinding white light shown behind her eyes while Chase continued licking the cream from her body.

Once the pleasure subsided, she lowered her leg from his shoulder and pulled him to her waiting mouth. Still tasting the remnants of her pleasure on his tongue, she sucked his tongue into her mouth.

“I need your cock in me…now,” Diane pleaded between kisses.

“Turn around and grab your toes.”

Thank you all for being here today! Have any questions or words of wisdom for Drea?

[DVD] Dieux Du Stade 2011 - Eliott Coti & Hugues Briatte

I have a wonderful guest blogger here on the site Wednesday. Drea Becraft will be here to answer questions and talk about her new release. So, i thought i'd fill the time til then with a yummy video featuring some beautiful French rugby players -- and a horse. I have to thank my friend, Selena Illyria, for the link. These guys have something for everyone -- hunky for the alpha lovers, and pretty faces for us beautiful boy lovers. Enjoy. : )

Gay McDonald's ad in France:

I think the boy is charming, and i especially enjoy the McDonald's tagline at the end. What a good message for life, don't you think? I don't eat McDonald's, but i have a greater appreciation for them after this ad. : )

FREE READ: ValenTied by Tara Lain

Hi friends --

Here is a special FREE READ for Valentines Day. It involves the characters from Genetic Attraction, Em, Jake and delicious (literally) Roan. This is a long story, so i'm posting the first half here and the second half on my BOOK BLOG. Or, if you prefer, you can hop over to the website and read the whole thing on my Free Reads page. Enjoy! And tomorrow, we announce the WINNER of the FREE copy of Genetic Attraction over at my Book Blog, Beautiful Boys Books. So if you haven't commented or followed that blog to enter, DO IT NOW. 'Kay?

                              ValenTied by Tara Lain --
                                                                              (first half)


Em, or as she was known at work which she'd just left, Doctor Emmaline Silvay, leaned over in the car seat and gently caressed the hard-muscled thigh of her lover, Jake Martin. Doctor Jake Martin. He was her husband in all but the legalities, but since she actually had two husbands, the legalities were a bit complex, even in liberal Connecticut. "Tired, love?"

He glanced at her, his beautiful blue eyes crinkling. That gorgeous face. He was so much a part of her she barely noticed the age difference any more, except on those occasions when the three of them played their "boy toy" games.Hello, young man, are you looking for work with this company? Well, you'll have to convince me of your qualifications. She smiled to herself.

Jake's focus had returned to the winding road that would soon give way to their long drive and take them home."I'm a little tired. Dealing with the compliance department is a bitch."

She laughed. "Yeah. I had the fun this week. The new steps in the gene sequencing should take us where we want to go in terms of a commercial product. Poor baby, you got the fuzzy end of the lollipop having to deal with the lawyers."

He grinned again. "But I'm not too tired to celebrate. I made reservations at the Bull and Bear so we can go do a Valentines Day dinner. You up for it?" 

Was she? She had a Valentine's gift she wanted to give them, but she knew she 'd have trouble keeping it secret if they went out to a romantic dinner. "You know what, love? I think we should wait for Roan to get home. He said tomorrow, right? Why don't we miss the crowds and celebrate Valentine's Day one day late."

He looked at her with that special glow she noticed he got whenever he thought about their beautiful lover, Roan Black. Jake and Roan had already been a couple when they asked Em to "be a part of them".Roan had been Jake's first serious male lover and the wise, extraordinarily beautiful supermodel, held a special place in both their hearts. "Thanks, Em. I know Roan would love that."

"Okay. Done. We do our ménage Valentines Day tomorrow. I'll make something for us tonight."

"Sounds great."

"When does he get in?"

"He wasn't sure. The flight schedules from that part of Indonesia are a little erratic. He said he'd have William pick him up." She was happy about William. He took good care of their lover. William was Roan's chauffer, although his self-effacing employer never called him that or even thought of William that way. As the world's top male supermodel and a hugely successful real estate investor, Roan was filthy rich, but aside from their gorgeous home, no one would ever know. 

"Maybe we can plan something really fun to welcome him home?" She smiled when Jake gave her a quick leer. 

The ride down the long drive to their home was like a decompression chamber for Em. From the high-stress world of cancer research to their private oasis of love. Of course, most of the people at the company knew about their unique living arrangements. That had been one of the stipulations of Em and Jake moving over to the new firm – no hiding like they'd had at the University. But still, they really got to be themselves at home. 

As they pulled into the circular drive that surrounded a modern fountain, Em noticed soft light coming from the house. "Did you leave a light on, love?"

Jake looked up. "No. Maybe it was Marsha. She sometimes does a little extra cleaning when she knows we're going to be late several days in a row."

"Yeah, probably so."

Jake parked the car out front, and came around to help Em out with the briefcases and laptops they seemed to carry everywhere. Wow, she was glad to be home. Maybe they could take part of tomorrow off to really plan a homecoming for Roan. 

She hurried up the steps, hunching against the cold. Connecticut was still very much in winter no matter what the groundhog had said. Jake unlocked the door and they both stepped inside where it was warm --- and stopped dead. What on earth. She pushed the door closed to keep the cold air out, but couldn't take her eyes from the tableau in front of them.

The entire entry to the house was aglow with candles – the little votives in glass cups. They formed a pathway around the modern fountain through the hallway. Sprinkled here and there along this path of light were rose petals, and flowers floated in bowls of water strategically placed at intervals on the edge of the path. No other lights were on, just the path of flame. 

Jake chuckled. "I think Roan's home."

Oh, that was so true. Because this – this amazing, beautiful gesture – was so Roan. "Who else would go to this much effort? That's our boy."

They set their bags on the floor beside the entry table and pulled off coats. She passed hers to Jake who hung them in the closet. He held out his hand. "Let's see what the guy has cooked up, shall we."

She felt like a kid on Christmas morning. They followed the pathway, holding hands and giggling. The lights led to the wide stairway. On the stairs, vases of flowers were tucked against the wall, highlighting the flickering route. Ah, but route to what? 

Up they went, stair by stair. The beautiful landing area was awash with flowers and candles. Soft music played in the background through the house-wide sound system. On the table in front of the hall window was a display of something she could barely make out in the soft light. She pointed. "What is it?"

He laughed. "Not sure, but I'll bet it's something to eat." He pointed toward their bedroom. "The door is closed."

She giggled. "I noticed. It feels half like my birthday and half like a fun house. I'm not sure what happens next."

"I doubt it will involve scary goblins."

As they got closer, she could see two glasses and some fruit and cheese on a plate. "Do you think he's telling us we should eat because we're going to need our strength?"
Jake pounced on the fruit. "Oh, I hope so." 

She lifted a glass, already red with a splash of wine. Jake lifted his and they clinked. She smiled over the rim. "To the three of us." She looked toward the door. "Do you hear that, darling." Since their doors were extra heavy – they needed the sound-proofing when they had guests – she knew he couldn't. She set down the wine glass and took a nibble of gouda and apple. "I'm too excited to eat … food, that is."

"Shall we see what our Valentine Master has in store?"

She really was breathless. "Can't wait."

They approached the door. Jeez, she was shaking. Jake reached for the door handle and pulled back. "Look."

She looked down where he was pointing. A strip of red ribbon lay on the floor and stretched back under the door. Oh my God, what was he doing in there?

Jake pulled the door outward reaching down to grab the ribbon. He motioned Em to walk around him into the room. 

She stopped inside the door, vaguely aware that the room was ablaze with candles. Not just the little votives like outside, but beautiful tapers and pillar candles. Some of them must have been scented, because a soft fragrance like lilac filled the room. But her eyes couldn't take in the details of the room because they were riveted on the big bed in the middle of the far wall. The red ribbon stretched across the wood floors and Persian carpets, snaking up onto the bed where it attached to a huge erect cock that could belong to no one but Roan. There it formed a big red bow. 

Writing a Novel: My POV on POV

When I first submitted my manuscript for Genetic Attraction to Loose Id, I got a revise and resubmit letter that suggested that I needed to work on point-of-view.  Now, I’m new to fiction writing (although I’ve been a non-fiction writer for a lifetime), but I thought I knew about POV. I looked at my manuscript closely. I wasn’t head-hopping (jumping from one character’s point-of-view to another’s  a number of times in a scene). I always clearly indicated switches in POV.  What was the matter? I expressed my frustration to my editor who tried to help, but I just wasn’t getting it.

After weeks of bad trial and error, my editor sent me a document from a workshop that talked about deep point-of-view. (DPOV). I read it and the lights came on. It was the “wa-wa” experience (remember in the Miracle Worker when Helen finally connects the feel of water on her hand to the symbol for water Annie was making?) Suddenly, I understood the difference between skating lightly on a character’s viewpoint, and being locked into his or her thoughts and feelings, and that understanding literally transformed my writing on the spot. I got the difference between:

Omniscient POV- -It was a dark and stormy night.

Shallow POV --John saw it was a dark and stormy night.

Deep POV – John pushed against the door, fighting the intense wind that tried to slam it on him. He held up his hand in front of his face, but his eyes just couldn’t adjust to the darkness. Crap, he didn’t know it could get this dark. He hated the blackness. He couldn’t stand the sense of isolation. 

I understood that point-of-view wasn’t a thing that made writing good, it was in many ways, everything. It is the key to the reader’s emotional involvement and satisfaction. A reader doesn’t know necessarily why they feel unconnected with a book or scene in a novel, but, chances are, it’s because the writer has missed deep POV. Some pretty famous authors who are notorious for head-hopping likely get away with it because, while they are in a character’s head, they are in DPOV.

Since that first moment of understanding, I’ve gone on to workshops and readings in an effort to make my point-of-view expression deeper and more natural. While I went through my first two books line by line to edit the POV, I find that today I more automatically write in DPOV, and when I don’t, I catch myself more quickly.  I’m still a newbie and have much to learn, but I’ll be forever grateful to my editor s for that guidance. Now, if they could just improve my commas! 

As a reader, do you notice point-of-view? Does it ever intrude on your reading experience?

Torchwood kiss

My friend, Selena Illyria, introduced me to Torchwood. I still haven't seen an episode, nor do i understand the plot, but i'm a total fan of Captain Jack. This scene is heartfelt and lovely, even if i don't know the story, and i had to share. Enjoy. : )