"Novelist time is reptile time; novelists tend to be ruminant and brooding, nursers of ancient grievances, second-guessers, Tuesday afternoon quarterbacks, retrospectators, endlessly, like slumping hitters, studying the film of their old whiffs." ~ Michael Chabon
"Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on." ~Louis L'Amour
"As for my next book, I am going to hold myself from writing it till I have it impending in me: grown heavy in my mind like a ripe pear; pendant, gravid, asking to be cut or it will fall." ~Virginia Woolf
"Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring twopence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it." ~C.S. Lewis
"The storyteller is deep inside everyone of us. The story-maker is always with us. Let us suppose our world is attacked by war, by the horrors that we all of us easily imagine. Let us suppose floods wash through our cities, the seas rise . . . but the storyteller will be there, for it is our imaginations which shape us, keep us, create us - for good and for ill. It is our stories that will recreate us, when we are torn, hurt, even destroyed. It is the storyteller, the dream-maker, the myth-maker, that is our phoenix, that represents us at our best, and at our most creative." ~Doris Lessing
"Can I be blunt on this subject? If you don't have time to read, you don't have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that. Reading is the creative center of a writer's life."
~Stephen King
"You know, I'm a storyteller. We are storytellers. And ours is an ancient tradition, contemporized by the cinema and the capturing of light. And we should all be very proud of our place in society. On any given night, millions of people across the world buy a ticket for adventures that only we as storytellers can provide. We release burdens, we galvanize emotions, we make people laugh, we make people talk over breakfast. This is a great job and I want to encourage every one of you in this room to give everything you can to the story. God bless narrative. God bless originality."
~Russell
Crowe
2002 SAG Award Winner
"When I write, I feel like an armless legless man with a crayon in his mouth."
~Kurt Vonnegut
"Don't be afraid of your material or your past. Be afraid of wasting any more time obsessing about how you look and how people see you. Be afraid of not getting your writing done." ~Anne Lamott
"America is now wholly given over to a d****d mob of scribbling women, and I should have no chance of success while the public taste is occupied with their trash--and should be ashamed of myself if I did succeed. What is the mystery of these innumberable editions of The Lamplighter (by Maria Susanna Cummins), and other books neither better nor worse? Worse they could not be, and better they need not be, when they sell by the hundred thousand." ~Hawthorne's 1855 letter to his publisher William D. Ticknor, quoted in Pattee, Fred L. The Feminine Fifties. NY: Appleton-Century Co., 1940. p. 110.
ABDUCTION
When Max Cooper, a “damaged” ex-Coast Guard officer, wakes up naked in a strange bed with no memory of how he got there, “alien abduction” is not what pops into his head.
It’s Captain Tyla Natori’s job to bring males from other worlds back to her own female-dominated planet to be put “on the market.” When she finds a perfect male speciman in the form of Max Cooper, however, she decides he’s the one for her…and he has no choice in the matter…Or does he?
TRANSPLANT
Max made his choice to stick with Tyla and become a Transplant on Triton. Only things aren’t going too smoothly, right from the start. Max wants to be Tyla’s only lover, and for a Triton woman, monogamy is unheard of. Then there’s the fact that the queen’s ordered Tyla to marry a Durian prince in order to prevent a war.
Nothing brings two people closer together than facing a common foe, but can Max and Tyla stop the marriage and still prevent a war?
Abduction: 6,700 words
Transplant: 6,591 words
“ABDUCTION by Sasha White is a quick sumptuous read that will have you squirming and wanting to abduct a love slave of your very own. Ms. White developed her characters quickly and solidly in an other worldly setting that you will want to visit again. – eCataromance Reviews
“Hot, fast-paced and erotic, the tension between Tyla and Max is sizzling. This sci-fi Erotica quickie delivers!” – Romance Divas
I forgot to post this yesterday! Again, unedited first draft stuff!
She’d known him since he was sixteen and she was fourteen and he’d become best friends with her brother Boone and the third of their group, Dax Campbell. Boone had made sure she and Casper didn’t cross paths, and Casper hadn’t pressed the point, leaving Faith brokenhearted.
That had been forever ago, and she should be immune to him now. For some reason, she wasn’t. For some reason, her teenage crush had become a very adult fascination. And the way he wore his jeans had a whole lot to do with fantasies she had no business entertaining.
He was crazy reckless, and she didn’t need that in her life.
They both knew this was a waste of his time, but Casper didn’t care. He needed an official report to back up his request for the cash to do what he needed to do. Even shouldering the bulk of the labor himself, the supplies would set him back the cost of half dozen good horses. The house hadn’t been worth that much when he’d spent his nights staring at the holes in the ceiling and hoping the balls of newspaper he’d used to plug them would keep out the biggest of the spiders at least.
(This is first draft material and will be edited!)
I will send gift copies from Amazon on December 5th! Congratulations!
*****
Look at those covers! Aren’t they a beautiful set? Don’t they put you in a holiday mood, what with snow and trees, and more snow and trees? And mistletoe? Wouldn’t you enjoy curling up beneath a soft blanket with a warm drink and maybe a cuddling pup to read them all on your Kindle or Kindle app? Yes, I thought so! I’m going to give away a Kindle copy of each (because it’s easy to gift Kindle books), and will choose four winners randomly from everyone who leaves a comment here by Wednesday, November 23, 2011, noon, CST. The stories don’t actually release until December 5th or 6th, so I won’t able to gift them until then, but I won’t forget! Promise!
Brenna Keating is on her way to spend Christmas with her grandmother when treacherous roads and a skittish deer put her car in a ditch. Riding to the rescue—literally—is Dillon Craig, a reclusive doctor who insists she weather the storm in his cabin.
Since returning from Afghanistan where he treated wounded soldiers on the front lines, Dillon’s made it a point to avoid any emotional involvement. But his unexpected guest has him dangerously close to breaking his own rules.
Brenna has a plan for her life – until she’s stranded for three days with Dillon. Soon, the chemistry sizzling between them forces her to re-examine her priorities. The man is gorgeous, if taciturn, and a true hero in every sense of the word. No woman in her right mind could resist him, and so Brenna doesn’t – even though she can’t stay…
Carrie Anders officially broke up with Austin Thomas when she accepted a dream job in the city. Unofficially, she misses him and is tempted to sneak back to her West Virginia hometown to see him. That’s why this year, she’s not going home for the holidays. Her heart can’t take any more mornings-after where nothing has changed—and Austin has made it clear he’s not interested in relocating.
Austin’s been waiting for Carrie to realize she can’t live without him. But when he hears she’s not coming home for Christmas, he decides to take action. If Carrie won’t come to the country, he’s going to bring a piece of the country to Carrie—in the form of a Christmas tree lot just minutes from her apartment. He’s certain daily meetings will entice her to come home with him, this time for good.
Their attraction is as hot as ever, but with such contrary Christmas wishes, can either of them get what they really want this year?
With a disastrous marriage behind him, Wyatt Kent has no interest in getting involved with any woman, let alone his ex-wife’s younger sister. But when Calliope Andrews hires him to build an addition onto her day care center, Wyatt can’t help but notice she’s a desirable woman, as warm and funny as his ex was cold and aloof.
Calliope fell hard for Wyatt the first time he walked through the door of her family’s home, and can’t believe her sister let him get away. He’s still the star of all her fantasies, and she’s determined to prove to him she’s nothing like his manipulative ex. Wyatt may be all business, but Calliope sees the way he looks at her when he’s supposed to be working…
It’s not long before Wyatt and Calliope are keeping each other warm on cold December nights. But it’s going to take a Christmas miracle for Wyatt to put his trust in love a second time.
Claire Rutledge still believes in love, despite losing her husband. So, after two years, she’s not surprised by the steamy dreams telling her it might be time to start moving on. But she didn’t expect her friend Justin to have the starring role.
Justin McCormick has loved Claire since the moment he first saw her, but his best friend got there first. Now that Claire is ready to move on with her life, Justin is finding it harder than ever to hide his true feelings. And when they both get caught up in the holiday spirits at a party, their simmering mutual attraction boils over into a night neither of them can forget…
One of the fun things about self publishing is being able to tweak a book’s content or packaging. I’d been wanting a new cover for AT HIS MERCY for awhile, and since I had some credit with Croco Designs, I had Frauke work me up a new one. And I was able to add a review quote to the cover.
The short story is finally available at most all etailers, though the new cover hasn’t yet shown up everywhere. I’m thinking, too, of writing a sequel with Lise’s brother. I think it would be great fun to revisit these characters again!
Honor, duty, courage, passion . . . the men of the Navy SEALs are a special breed of hero, and in these novellas by eighteen top romance authors the SEALs are celebrated not only as symbols of devoted service to their country but as the kind of men every woman wants to love. They’ll rescue a damsel in distress and her lap dog, too. They’ll battle hometown dramas and international bad guys. When it comes to giving away their hearts, they’ll risk everything.
All proceeds from sales of SEAL of My Dreams go to the Veterans Research Corporation, a non-profit fundraiser for veterans’ medical research.
Between them, the authors of SEAL of My Dreams have won dozens of writing awards including multiple RITAs from Romance Writers of America. Their nearly 600 published novels have sold at least 35 million copies worldwide. The SEAL of My Dreams roster includes many of the best-known authors in modern romance fiction. In addition, many have strong family connections to the servicemen and women of our nation’s military, and many specialize in novels featuring heroes and heroines from all branches of service.
I’m so so SO excited about this book, I can’t even tell you. First thing I did this morning was boot up my iPod and download the digital copy I’d pre-ordered, even though I have five print copies sitting on my dining room table! The enthusiasm in the reading community as everyone has waited for the release of this book has just been amazing.
Equally amazing, we pulled this project together, from conception to finished product in six months! From May 5th to November 11th. It’s been such a whirlwind and a thrill to be a part of this. I’m more proud of this book than probably anything I’ve been involved in during my career. Such a great cause and a way to honor those who serve.
Yesterday, four of our authors (Jami Alden, Stephanie Bond, Cindy Gerard and Stephanie Tyler) were the guests of Sheila English on Readers Entertainment Radio. You can listen to their thirty minute show here and learn more about their stories!
Today I’m blogging at RR@H Novel Thoughts & Book Talk about how the anthology came together, and giving away a copy, winner’s choice of electronic or print. The wonderful ladies at the blog are also giving away four Kindle copies, so pop over and read all the posts by the SEAL of My Dreams contributors. Just use the navigation links at the top of each post. (If anything, at least read Loreth Anne White’s entry. Wow.)
You can also visit the the USAToday’s Happy Ever After blog and scroll for several SEAL of My Dreams related entries. We are out and about everywhere! As far as buying options, more will be coming as the digital book propagates through the various vendors systems, but for now, here are the online links I have:
Young Lady Georgiana Montford is heartbroken and infuriated when she discovers her lifelong betrothed, Robert Balfour, in the arms of another woman. Severing their friendship, she vows to choose her own husband, a man who’ll share her thirst for adventure. Yet, despite her attempts to forget him, Robert’s place in her heart proves more unwavering than she could ever have imagined.
After seven years on his Caribbean plantation, Robert returns to England a changed man. Weary of traveling and troubled by his past, he hopes to attain peace of mind through marriage and family. Though scarcely daunted at finding Georgie in love with another man, he soon learns that winning her hand—and heart—will take more powerful means of persuasion than expected.
I will admit to having a pretty hefty prejudice for this book. It was written by one of my critique partners when I was in a group with authors Larissa Ione and Lydia Joyce years ago. I am not a big historical romance reader, and when I read them, I turn to authors like Penelope Williamson or Elizabeth Stuart or Laura Kinsale. Big and meaty and steeped in intense history. But PRETTY PERSUASION hit all my buttons and was a wonderfully fun Regency set romance. Smart, thoughtful writing and characters I adored, and I’m so happy it’s finally available for more people than just me to enjoy!
And because I’ve known Olivia a long time, I know the story behind Julia Quinn reading an excerpt of PRETTY PERSUASION online and getting in touch with Olivia about it! How cool is that! You can visit Oliva’s website here and find a lot of digital buying options for the book (and, yes, it’s also available for ordering in print).
"Every time you write, you go to a construction site in your head. The words are waiting there, like a couple truckloads of loose bricks. They're not going to build themselves into anything, no matter how often you talk to your hands or mouth-breathe or get in touch with your inner Tinkerbell. You pick up the bricks. You mortar them together on a page. You build a story out of them. And that's it. The sweaty, nerve-wracking, non-glittery, unglamorous, orc-free work of writing."
~Paperback Writer
"Writing’s not rocket science. It’s a helluva lot harder. Because once you learn all that rocket science crap, you can (at least in theory) build a rocket. On the other hand, you can read every writing book known to man and attend classes and work with critique partners and get pages of editorial input and still end up with a book that doesn’t quite hit the high notes. Scary, but true." ~Karen Templeton
"My New Year's resolution is to focus on the book and forget all the crap that surrounds the writing business. To lose myself in a story, and not give a damn if it makes any lists, has a good sell-through, gets glowing reviews on Amazon, pleases my editors, hell, even pleases my readers. I want to love what I'm writing so much that none of the rest of it matters, and if I don't, I won't write it. Life's too short to abuse the muse." ~Anne Stuart
What I love: Cookies that log me in @ sites I only visit this time of year. As if I would remember my account info otherwise. Also, cookies. 2011-12-01
One of the fun things about self publishing is being able to tweak a book’s content or packaging. I’d been wanting a new cover for AT HIS MERCY for awhile, and since I had some credit with Croco Designs, I had Frauke work me up a new one. And I was able to add a review quote to the cover.
