Archive for August, 2010

Monday: Another excerpt of Amateur Night

Tuesday: Maybe I’ll throw up a side of beefcake for ya. Tasty Tuesday. haha

Thursday: Thursday Thirteen

Friday: An update on the current WIP

Have a fantastic week everyone!

Well, here’s my Friday update for my current WIP.

The name right now is Text Me. But another friend suggested “Wrong Number, Right Woman.” Thoughts?

Anyway, if the story is contracted that’s something I can work out later. Moving on…I’ve had two people look at it (Thank you Tibby and Margie!) and check my story for plot holes and dumb typos. It ended up being 25,000 words, so a novella. Basically, what I was aiming for. Love it when that happens…

I’m working on the synopsis* right now (oh, how I hate these…) and then it should be ready to submit in the next few days. No clue how much my editor has on her hands right now, but that could take up to a month to hear from.

And in the meantime, I’ll be outlining and working on the sequel. Yes, I’m optimistic.

I think that’s it for now. Hope everyone else’s stories are behaving. Or not behaving…whichever works out better for you.

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*Synopsis, for those non-writer types, is just a summary of the plot and character arcs that you submit along with the manuscript to editors that gives them a good overview of how the book will turn out.

Thursday 13′s are basically a list of things that are going on in my life or random thoughts that I’ve got floating around. Nothing overly special, just stuff I like to talk about.

Thursday 13:

1. It’s Shark Week on Discovery Channel and I’m so excited! If you don’t know what Shark Week is…get with the program!

2. The people who get into the water with sharks without a steel cage are both crazy and amazing. I hope they have unbelievable health insurance.

3. God knows I love my husband, but I sleep so much better without his snoring in my ear.

4. Trying to get the recommended amount of water daily is like trying to drown myself on land.

5. Trying to lose weight while making sure I am writing enough daily seems almost impossible some days.

6. I think I’m more nervous about the next work to sub to my editor than I was about my first one. Now there’s something to live up to!

7. I won a synopsis review from Eden Bradley. Excited! Feel bad for her though…the synopsis is NOT my strong suit! haha

8. My electricity has gone out twice this past week. I don’t understand why, since it wasn’t raining or storming either time. Not cool.

9. Now that the child is walking well, she’s everywhere. Makes sitting down to write while she’s awake impossible.

10. I need to go through my keeper shelf again soon and sell some books to make room for more.

11. I’m so jealous of those who got to go to RWA this year. Next year, NYC, I’m so there!

12. I was asked the other day who my favorite author was. I sat there for five minutes and couldn’t come up with a single person. I had an entire list.

13. When I’m struggling to find names for characters, I flip open my Big Book of Baby Names.

Have a good Thursday everyone!

Today I have the privilege of welcoming Tibby Armstrong to my blog. Tibby’s first ever release, Sheet Music, releases today from Ellora’s Cave. I read Sheet Music, and I gotta tell you guys…good stuff! Seriously. And she’s been gracious enough to answer a few questions I had while reading the book.

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KJ Reed:

Tibby, I loved reading Sheet Music. One thing I noticed—and loved—about this book is how great you are at painting a picture. Whether it’s the characters’ physical traits, the setting of the scene, the action…you really made it easy for my mind’s eye to draw a picture. Do you work off of references or just let your fingers fly?

Tibby Armstrong:

Thank you! I am a huge fan of Emma Holly’s work precisely because she can paint a picture with words. I see her characters as if they were living and breathing in front of me, and have studied her books to figure out how she does what she does. (Don’t ask me! I still haven’t figured it out! Lol)

To answer your question, sometimes the words fly, when I’m in the zone, but generally my approach is a layered one. During the first draft, if I can’t see the physical space my characters are in, the words simply won’t come. Or if they do come, they feel like old chewing gum—stiff and bland. So, I either try to place my characters in venues I’ve been in myself, and/or I do a great deal of internet research. Google is my best friend.

I also spend a lot of time looking at people, trying to think of ways to describe their physical traits. One man in a fast food restaurant became very nervous because I’d been staring at him so intently. I was trying to think of a description for David’s jaw line. He probably thought I was an ax murderer!

The third thing I do is talk to male friends. My long-time friend, Dan, has been the recipient of many a late-night instant message asking him incredibly intimate physiological questions. I want to know what it feels like to be an aroused male if I’m going to write in the male point of view during a sex scene.

After the first draft, I backfill little details that make the scene more real to me. Sometimes the picture is sketched via sentence structure and pacing. If it’s an intense, quickly paced love scene, then I like to use sentences with a staccato, alliterative rhythm. If it’s a languid love scene, then I try to evoke the feeling of a slow honey-like trickle.

KJ:

Haha. Good male friends are a godsend. Especially ones that can handle questions like that. Let’s move on to the characters. Kyra—the heroine in Sheet Music—was extremely single-minded in her determination for the story about David Tallis, the hero and a major music star. Have you ever been so single-minded about a goal, either personal or professional?

Tibby:

I’m actually blushing at this question, because the germ of the idea for Sheet Music (I can’t believe I’m admitting this) is based on something I did.

As an undergrad I took a publishing class. One of the requirements for class was to write an

article and get it published. I decided I was going to get as close as possible to a rock star—Peter Gabriel. I had tickets to his Us tour in Worcester, Massachusetts in the mid 1990’s and decided I was going to get backstage. I spent several days on the phone until I reached his PR firm in the New York (you don’t want to know the stories I told!). They arranged for me to get a photographer’s pass to the show.

While I was waiting to be let into the venue, I saw one of Peter’s band mates, Tony Levin walk by, and knowing I would never get access to Peter, but wanting to get as close as possible—I asked Tony if I could get an interview with the opening act, Papa Wemba. I still remember the look of shock on Tony’s face. He said, “You want to interview Papa? Not Peter?” All innocent, I nodded. That is the story of how I ended up with an all-area-access pass to the show (which allows you to wander anywhere you want) and came within one foot of Peter Gabriel, backstage. A dream come true for my twenty-something stalker-babe self!

I totally cannot believe I just admitted this. Lol.

KJ:

Hey, sometimes the best writing comes from our personal experiences. You just took it a step further and admitted it! Now I gotta ask, was David Tallis based on any current musicians?

Tibby:

David is completely a figment of my imagination, believe it or not. At first, he was based on a crush I had in college (on someone I knew, not Gabriel!), but over the years he has morphed into his own person. I did listen to a lot of music while I was writing the final version of Sheet Music; and in different songs, with different artists, I heard qualities I knew I wanted in his voice.

The song Kyra hears David singing in the studio was based on a gritty version of Wicked Game by Chris Isaak. Each chapter, actually, has a song that I associated with most strongly while I was writing. The second chapter, for instance, while I was writing the scene in the Ritz Rivoli Bar? Carli Simon’s You’re So Vain was on endless repeat. For chapter one, it was Lady Gaga’s Paparazzi. *grin*

Some other influences include The Goo Goo Dolls (Iris), INXS (Afterglow), Matt Nathanson (Still), and Howie Day (Collide).

KJ:

I love me some Goo Goo Dolls! You can keep your Gaga, though. Haha Now for the really good stuff. Are there any musicians you wouldn’t mind making sweet, sweet music with?

Tibby:

You know, strangely enough, I’m much more of an actor-hound than a musician-hound.

There’s a movie called August Rush that I saw while I was writing Sheet Music. In it, Jonathan Rhys Meyers plays a musician. I became enthralled with his singing voice and his character. Being a Tudors addict, I would have to say he’s in the most danger should I revert to my former stalker-ways. *winks*

KJ:

I love that movie, and the soundtrack. I cry at the end every time with the build-up of music and the emotions and the…oh. There I go again. Anyway…last question. Any musical talent? Singing, an instrument? The triangle? Haha

Tibby:

Oh-my-god! Thank you for the laugh! Singing? No. *ahem* My father used to turn off the radio when I sang as a kid. I think I might sound like a howling dog, but I’m not sure. Just be glad you’re not in the car with me when I sing! *grins*

As for an instrument, I wish! I did play classical guitar rather badly for a couple years in high school. Last November I bought a steel string guitar and I’ve been trying to teach myself to play again. I think that’s where I got the idea for Kyra playing until her fingers bled. I wasn’t kidding about those calluses!

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Thank you, Tibby, for joining me today on my blog. Everyone, Sheet Music is available NOW at Ellora’s Cave. Check out the blurb then check out the book!

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Music journalist Kyra Martin faces the toughest assignment of her career-to write a cover story about enigmatic heartthrob David Tallis. Deadline looming, Kyra plans to go undercover. When she ends up under the covers with the sexy superstar instead, can both her career and their budding relationship survive?

With a closet full of skeletons to hide, and a paparazzi-fueled divorce behind him, David Tallis despises the press. When Kyra Martin bribes her way into his life, her sexy assets have him composing a duplicitous seduction. Ensnared in a media maelstrom of his own making, can David face the music? Or will he lose Kyra, along with another piece of himself?

Kate Pearce‘s first mainstream paranormal romance, Kiss Of The Rose, releases today. She’s not only an awesome lady, but a great writer. Go on, check it out!

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Kiss Of The Rose by Kate Pearce

First in a sexy new series that takes a bite out of the court of King Henry VIII

Desperate to defeat King Richard III and gain the English crown, Henry Tudor made a pact with the Druids that bound him and his heirs to the Druid’s deadly struggle against the Vampires. Ever since, the Llewellyns, an ancient Vampire slaying family, have been in the permanent employ of the monarchy.

Now Henry VIII is on the throne, and his father’s bargain has almost been forgotten. Until corpses drained of blood start turning up in the most inappropriate of places, including the king’s bedchamber. But are these people the victims of the Vampires-or of the Druids?

To save the king from a nameless assassin, Rosalind Llewellyn, Vampire hunter extraordinaire, must form an uneasy alliance with a known Druid slayer. Sir Christopher Ellis hails from a family that has protected the Vampires for centuries, yet Rosalind has no choice but to rely on his help. And with her life threatened and her loyalty tested, Rosalind may even have to acknowledge the unthinkable. This sworn enemy may be her soul mate.

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Chapter 1, Part 3, the last part of the chapter is here. To read Chapter 1 in its entirety, head on over to the Bookshelf’s Free Read section.

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Chapter 1 Part 3

Charlie. From the moment she stepped on the stage, he knew she hadn’t done this before. Despite it being amateur night, nine times out of ten it seemed the girls had danced on a stage either here or somewhere else. But Kevin would bet his savings this was her first go. Her steps were hesitant, she paused at awkward moments, and she didn’t know to look down, instead squinting into the light before figuring it out.

Her dark brown hair was swept up off of her slender neck, showing off pale, delicate skin. She wore a plain white blouse that buttoned down the front, the spotlight making it translucent, showing off her black bra underneath. Her black pencil skirt reached to her knees and hugged her hips as she walked in tall, black strappy heels. No cheap, clear platform stilettos, but real shoes a woman would spend serious cash on. The entire outfit screamed class, not something bought just for the occasion. Well, maybe the bra…

She made eye contact, and he felt his cock instantly react. How long had it been since he had such an immediate and powerful response to a woman? Too long to remember. He’d owned the club for too long, seen too many women take the stage for a typical dancer to catch his eye immediately, to spark such a quick fire in his gut.

Warrant’s “Cherry Pie” started thumping out of the loudspeakers, and for one moment, the woman called Charlie looked frozen to the spot. Before anyone could breathe, she gathered herself, shoulders stiffening, and walked toward the pole. Sashaying her hips, she circled the pole, her head swiveling to keep him in her eye line.

Swirling around the pole, making a few tentative moves, he felt himself harden. She definitely wasn’t a pro. But she also wasn’t as inexperienced as he thought she might be. Probably taken a class or two at a gym, thanks to the arrival of strip aerobics. She was tone and athletic, that was certain.

After a few turns around the pole, Charlie moved to unbutton her shirt. As she shrugged out of the blouse, letting it fall behind her, her lacy black bra was revealed in its entirety, supporting a lush pair of creamy breasts. What did that scrap of black lace hide? What color were her nipples? She brushed her hands up her neck into her hair, dislodging whatever contraption held it up. Long dark waves cascaded down her back, and Kevin developed a sudden urge to tangle his fingers in it, dragging her head back so he could make love to that delicate throat, lick the hollow between her neck and shoulder.

Charlie bent down to touch her left ankle, as if she were unbuckling her shoe, but merely skimmed her fingertips up her leg, her eyes telling Kevin she wished it was his fingers she felt. Me, too, darling. Her hands caught the edge of her skirt, lifting it slightly, then letting it fall back down to her knees. He wanted to rush up there and rip it off, to see what she wore underneath.

A few more novice moves around the pole and she unzipped her skirt from behind. Swaying her hips back and forth, the skirt slinked its way down her body thanks to gravity. She stepped out, showing a matching lacy black thong. Not as racy as some of the other panties the strippers wore, but almost more of a turn on. It forced Kevin to wonder more about what was hidden. A full curly mound of hair, a smooth, bald peach, or somewhere in between? His cock pressed almost painfully against the fly of his jeans.

Charlie put her back to the pole, sliding down until her ass hit the floor, then inched down until she lay prone on the stage floor. Her fingers danced down her stomach, tugging on the elastic of her panties, teasing that she might give them a show. But she rolled to stand up and licked her lips instead, her gaze never leaving Kevin’s.

As the dance drew to a close, he became aware that never once did she approach the edge of the stage to hold out the elastic of her thong for picking up tips. Unlike all those before her, she never removed her bra. And she kept her eyes on him almost the whole time, never bothering to look elsewhere.

What was it about this woman that drew him, where hundreds of others didn’t rate a second glance? He finally realized when she posed at the end of the song. It was her freshness that made her stand out. Her moves weren’t as overtly sexual, more sensual in nature. It wasn’t a bored, practiced routine that she could have done in her sleep. She had never done this before, he knew for sure. And she kept more covered up, piquing his curiosity and imagination.

He watched her breasts move as she greedily sucked in air, nerves and exertion of dancing overcoming her, nipples proudly poking through her bra. Her skin glowed in the light with the sheen of perspiration. And her face held the look of triumph long coming.

He wanted. He desired. He would have.

Clasping Hugh on the shoulders, he said, “Guys, I need to head upstairs. I’ll be back later, maybe. If you need to go before I get back, stop and see Jenkins first and he’ll call a cab.” He stood up, ready to leave.

His friends ignored him for the most part, watching Charlie pick up her skirt and shirt and slink off the stage faster than a cat with its tail on fire. As she bent over to grab her clothing, he was awarded with a nice view of her rounded ass. His cock throbbed, and he knew then that he couldn’t wait.

Kevin made quick work of arrangements and walked up to his  office.

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COMING UP THIS WEEK:

Wednesday, August 4: Tibby Armstrong guest blogs

Thursday, August 5: Thursday Thirteen

Friday, August 6: Update on Text Me, my current work in progress