Taboos and Perversions

 

This picture reminds me of my WIP( Read more... )

I have been busy That's the reason I haven't posted in a while. I'm working on three books right now, one of them is a book called Immortality's Gift. It's in my Immortals series and involves these three men. These are the twins from my Taboo series, Ryland and Ryder, with their human lover, Dale. Immortality's Gift will be my first MPreg. I've been wanting to do one for a while and since I don't want to give away spoilers that's all I'll say.

Michael and I are also working on Crossfire, PROTEKT 3 and it's also going well. I'm doing it without much plotting, which is different, but it seems to be okay so far. Although both books are my focus, I can't help but be excited about Immortality's Gift. Not only because I love MPreg, but because I love paranormal/fantasy. I adore vampires, demons, mages, just the weird stuff. lol I believe Michael loves it too which is why this book has more words the others. I'm working on this right now and I don't want to move from it. Despite this, I'm going to because the other books need my attention.

My goal was to get Immortalitys and UTG3, which I am also working on, done by the end of June. Not sure if that will happen, but I'll certainly try because I have a subcall to do that's due on 7/30. Oh and if you'd like to read Mon Trois and the other books, please follow this link! Ryland and Ryder Durand  

 


So here is the deal with SMOKE.

No, no, no, don't panic. I didn't add more words to the 117K that I'd already done.
 
*whew* You say.

No, I just wanted to talk more about it. Not in terms of plot or anything because, duh, you wouldn't read it if I did. 
Instead, I wanted to share how long it had been in the WIP box and how you should NEVER throw away ideas.
We writers are strange creatures. Yes, you knew this already right? We spend as many hours thinking of stories as we do writing them. 

It's TRUE! I swear! Ask any author if you don't want to ask me. 

*laughs*

Anyway, yes, when those glorious plot bunnies pop up in our heads we find anything, absolutely anything to get it down. Some of us have fantastic memories and we're able to remember. While others find anything to jot it down with. Lipstick, crayon, pen, pencil, and of course, any electronic device. 

I've never done the lipstick, but I have done the crayon before. I have a pretty good memory, but sometimes that brain won't be functioning correctly so it's always best to write it down or tap it into my phone.

As far as SMOKE is concerned, I'm not sure how it came about, just know it's been on my WIP list for almost four years.

Yes, that's right. 4!

The plot line was agonizing, because ... 
I'm not fucking telling you! 

*inserts maniacal laughter here*

Sorry, I can't. I'd give you the basis of it if I were self-pubbing. I'll tell you this much. It's a writer, a fireman, and a businessman. That's all. Oh and it's interracial, and angsty and that's all I'll say.

Anyway, SMOKE was an incomplete idea. I had a couple of scenes and because I'm more of a panster, I didn't have the plot set up for this story. I only knew who I wanted to "star" in the book. If you look back a few posts in this journal, you'll see the muses for the story. I started to put them on that graphic, but ... yeah, no. Those RF stock models will do. 

Back to the story. While letting it fester, I wrote a couple of shorts on it. I participated in a freebie sharing group called Wednesday Briefs and actually wrote 3 different scenes for SMOKE. None of those made it to the actual book, but I saved all three as a reminder for the story. 

When I started it last NANO, I had those small parts as well as the muses faces on the page. All I had was a basic idea, and seemingly the more I wrote on it, the more it started to flow through my fingers. Even when I took a break on the story, I was still able to pick up where I left off without an issue. Actually, I'm thinking the break was the best thing I could've done because it went so smoothly after that. Sure the characters took me on a rough ride, but hey, that's what makes a more intriguing book.

Now, I've often talked about how endings are an absolute bitch for me. They still are, and this book was no exception. I do believe that I ended the book correctly though. It had a nice epilogue that showed a beautiful scene. The characters seemed satisfied with it too, so I'll just have to see what the feedback will be from the betas. 

The moral to this story? NEVER throw any ideas away! Regardless of how bad that story sounds, how choppy, or whatever, it might turn into something big later on. SMOKE might have never been written if I didn't want to do something out of the ordinary. Well, at least out of the ordinary for Michael. 

Writing is like a journey that takes us on different paths each time. Some might stay on that same path, while others, like me decide to wander off onto a different one. Sure the road was bumpy and it did take me a long time to complete, but I'm glad I did. It was an excitingly frightening experience, as every book is. And it all started with 3 scenes and a half ass idea. 

Writers, don't concern yourself with how many ideas are in the WIP folder. Most likely, unless you write at the speed of wind, you'll never finish them all. All those half ass ideas and small notes, might end up being something bigger in the long run. Cherish them all in the notebook, on the laptop, on piece of paper in a box written in crayon. They're all valuable whether you write them or not.

Whew!

Okay so that ends this post. 

This is the WIP list now.

Or instead, why don't I let Michael tell you? Read his post here.

Yes, I am still working on Smoke.
Yes, it is still reving up my anxiety!
But, I love it. I love the story, it's characters, especially this big lug above. He is the muse for Jonas Sandbauck, the hotheaded fireman in this story. Now you know why smoke is in the title, right?

Heh!

Ahem, anyway, I've been writing like crazy on this story. I've written about 6k the last two days. Is it done, you ask?
Hells no! Not even close.

Right now the story is up to 78K plus. I have put the characters through one obstacle with like four more to go.

Yes, I am placing hurdle in their way to get them to where they need to be and I'm still worried about the end results. Will I satisfy the characters, will I tie up all the loose ends? I worry about that last one more than anything because that is what determines how much a reader will like a story.

Of course, number one audience is me, but there will be others who will read it. I hope. Regardless, I will need critical eyes on this one for sure and I'm hoping for the kind of feedback that will make the story as close to perfect as possible.

Damn muses. Complicated, unpredictable, and I love them!

So I left on February 26th and came back March 3rd from Mardi Gras.

I've made this trip for the last 6 years straight and this time, I took my 9 year old daughter with me and my husband.

It was a glorious trip. I didn't get much any writing done because we were out in the streets most of the day and not a lot of down time except at night. Of course, with my daughter there, we couldn't go on Bourbon and party on Fat Tuesday, and yes, it felt really odd! But still she had a great time and I'm glad I got to take her. With her being there, partying was limited, but we did do the touristy things.

She wanted to go to the cemetary, so we went on the cemetary tour because you can't go into one of the Louis cemetaries (there are 3) without a guide. Though it was pricey, it was well worth it. I learned a lot from our person, who btw, is named Daphne. She reallyw as hysterical and very knowledgable. We really enjoyed it.

We also visited the Louisiana State Museum on Thursday. And boy, did the plot bunnies snowball on me then! I mean, historicals, ideas for a couple of ghost stories. I've done cops in NOLA, and with a little help from a fmr cop friend in LA and lots of reading, I hope it did okay with trying to make the series believable.

Now, I want to do more paranormals, esp. with Michael, and more historicals. More books with Native Americans, books during the civil war, the slave trade. etc. There were so many little scenarios I thought about. And they're all in my brain. :P

Now I just need to write everything down.

EEK that's gonna be fun NOPE

and I have to catch up with my boys in SMOKE because believe you me, they are waiting.

Oh, and my muse? Well that's Nick Bateman. I have a story for him that BL will write and hopefully sub by the end of the year. We'll see what happens!

* * * *

So with no writing, I am still on the same WIPs.

SMOKE
Reader Request
DDFanfic

I haven't started Immortals yet, but I will this week. By the time i finish the reader's story, I should also do my 3rd book in the PROTEKT series. I hope to have that finished by June/July.

The first book in Immortals has to be released by late April for me to stay on Schedule. :)

Some random guy I downloaded. Not sure who he is, but he's hot!

Greetings all. So, I've been really busy. Me and my co-author finished our book. yay!

*throws confetti*

We came in just under 80k. YIKES

yes we have some editing to do, but we'll see who it goes.

I also did my fanfic. Not the DD one, the other one. It went well and I'll post it on my Wattpad later on, with the names changed of course. My DD fic still isn't done because I put it down to write on the other fanfic. Now, I'll be working on the DD fic, as well as the reader request story. I did a little research and i think I can pull it off. I'm also OFFICIALLY starting Immortals. Book 1 will be about 30-40K, I think. I'm looking to release it in April. I have 5 books right now, so I'm thinking 1 every other month. I'm also still working on Smoke. I got some more words in and I hope to have it done in the next 3 or so weeks. That's the goal anyway.

So, my WIP list looks like this

DD Fic
Story Request
Immortals Book 1
Twins Prequel
Smoke

Once I finish one of these, I'll be starting on Michael's 3rd book in the PROTEKT series.

A lot I know, but I think I can do it! Wish me luck!

Yep, that's been me lately with a drink nearby as I trudge through the year. I can't believe my last entry on LJ was in 2013, or maybe I can since so much has gone on the last couple of years.

Oh, no worries. If you still follow me somewhere, I still write. Funny, I was just reading the last entry about writing over 500k. Phew, was I productive! Yeah, well, I haven't gotten close to that in the last year or so. More responsibilities, growing kids and sometimes, well ... I lost the love I once had for writing.

Why you ask?

Well, because I feel as though I could do better accomplishing wise. Sure I have books published, some of them have been out 2 or 3 times. *laughs* But, when you're not feeling the excitement because of lack of sales, notieriety or a combination of both, it zaps your resolve. Your love for the craft starts going down the proverbial drain of self doubt and anxiety. Why isn't my shit good enough? Why isn't anyone giving a damn about anything I do?

Then, something happens to give you a little spark. An email from the publisher, from a reader, a good review and you say, yeah, I am good enough. I might not be the best and I have a ton to still learn but, I am still a newbie. It's six years and counting that I've been writing professionally and though I'm not exactly where I want to be, I have done a lot in that span of time.

Since my last post, I believe I've put out like 20 books. lol I finished The Wretched Tales and now I'm working on a spinoff series for a new character, Hirah Blaze. I finished On the Run with Michael and it's sequel to the PROTEKT series, Closely Guarded releases in 2 weeks. I'm almost done with N'awlins Exotica. I'm on the final book, See No Evil and I love my characters. I also wrote a book with a co-author. It sold pretty well and is now being translated into French and Italian. I re-released Under the Gun, Smooth Like Latte, and Time to Make the Donuts. The last 2 as a duet with a new publisher. So yes, I've been hella busy. And all this with a teen, almost going to college and an 8 year old who is going on 25. *laughs*  And of course, the dreaded EDJ which I have 2 of now because I thought we'd need the extra money for son to go to away to school. Now though, this extra money is to help my ailing mom and hopefully help us save some money for the family goals.

Anyways, writing is very few and far between these days. I got an email from my co-author and told her since I've been working so hard outside the home, I don't want to commit to co-writing again until the new year. We have several other projects on the docket, but with my schedule which is not as flexible anymore, I don't want to say I'll be availaible when I'm not sure I will be. All this makes me antsy. I still love to write and my muses are bursting with ideas, but dammit, it's hard when I barely have time to eat, sleep, and breathe. Hubs has bene supportive. He told me to keep pushing and not worry, but it's hard not to when so many doubts creeep in the back of your mind. Same thing with BFF who urges me to keep trucking, whch is good.

However, what's most helpful is gettng my thoughts here on LJ. When I checked into this a couple of days ago, it reminded me of my zeal to write and how much I pushed to do it regardless of what was going on. How I managed to finish Nano even with a horrid EDJ. I changed the EDJ since then, but it's still a PITA. *laughs* Reading my old entries and what I was working on has lit a little fire under me that I sorely needed.

So I'm thinking, I'll start filling in this journal again with my thoughts because I need this as part of therapy. I need to actually write down what's going on in my brain to make sense out of the mess up there and to clear my head of my anxieties and doubts. I believe this will help, just as it did back then. Maybe, some will follow, some will not. Its cool either way, because as I said, it really is like a couch session for me. *laughs*

BTW, that's my new muse above. Isn't he the cutest? He's the male MC in Hirah Blaze's story. Chad Stevenson. I'm hoping to get Hirah up and going by the end of next week. Until next time! You can check out all my available books on Pinterest

* * * *

Works in progress

Free story Wanting part 3 BL
See No Evil Book 6 N'awlins Exotica Michael/Rawiya
Hirah Blaze Book 3 BL
Under the Gun 3 BL
Immortals Series Book 1 Michael
DD Fanfic An Unexplainable Predictament

Why did I decide to do this for the 4th time? I have no idea. Yeah I do, because I love competition, and even though the camaraderie is great throughout the author community for the whole year, it really comes together for Nano. The fellowship, the sprints, sharing each other's successes and joys or their troubles over plot and writer's block.

And I'm doing this with the stress of the horrid EDJ and my wonderful family. How am I going to do it? Well, I have a plan that I'll share with you in a moment.

Amazingly, I've wrote a little over 423k for the year. That is quite astonishing since I've taken several days off, especially this past October when I took almost half the month off due to the job and the same in Feb when I was on vacation. I've trudged soldiered on, writing the Wretched, the Nawlins Exotica/Paranormal, shorts for Rawiya as well as her latest novel, Something Like Jayden. I've done plenty of fanfic too which has gotten me through some rough patches as well as some shorts for Wednesday Briefs.

For Nano, I'll be tackling I Love it Rough, the sequel to I Like Em Pretty by Michael as well as finishing up the novella for Rawiya's Xmas tale, a sequel to Comet. My goal is to get at least 45k out of ILIR and the rest from the novella. That equals 50k plus. I need to finish Rawiya's novella by Monday and as I write this, I've finally hit my stride with the story. Thank goodness too, since I was about to scratch it and move on to my novel.

Oh yeah, did I mention I changed my mind again? The story was supposed to be On the Run by BLMorticia but instead, because of my EDJ which made my muses go into hiding for that story, I went with the stronger and more complex plot, the familiar characters but a harder story. This is an erotica romance with murder and suspense. I'm reading a crime novel right now and have been doing more research on homicide detectives and CSIs. I'm about to introduce 4 new characters and actually plotting this story by chapter, making changes as I go along. Oh boy, really stressful. I hope it works too but in all honesty, I don't see the book getting out until January after I've sent it to betas and done the edits. Due to the complexity and amount of research on this tale, I must push back the release date. The goal is to get the story as close to fact and reality as possible and that will take some time.

My NANO plan? To write at 12am and try getting the required 1667 or at least 1000 before I go back to sleep to head into work. My EDJ does allow me to pretty much work my own schedule so I wont be heading into until almost 930 on most days. When I get home, I shall see if I can push out more words or I'll take the time to blog, read, and or do research.

Will this work, I don't know but I have the goal in mind to complete this NANO despite the odds stacked against me! So please, cheer me on! I'm needing some encouragement and to those of you who are also doing the NANO, enjoy, and good luck!

* * * *

PROGRESS

Jayden is loved by betas, need author beta now to send to pub
ML3 was accepted, waiting on contract
No word on UTG yet
Mon Frere, Plus One the 3rd book with Ryland/Ryder is finished and should be out today or tomorrow
The Wretched Volume 2.1 will be started after ILIR is done
Xmas Story for Denny and Preston from Comet is almost done. Will send to beta when finished.