Have a great weekend!

Have a fantastic Labor Day weekend!

I'm excited for September.

Bring on autumn!

Writing Quotes from the Master of Horror

“If you don't have time to read, you don't have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that."

 

“Monsters are real, and ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win.”

“The scariest moment is always just before you start.” 

 

“Description begins in the writer’s imagination, but should finish in the reader’s.”

 

“A little talent is a good thing to have if you want to be a writer. But the only real requirement is the ability to remember every scar.”

 

“Write with the door closed, rewrite with the door open.”

“Writing isn't about making money, getting famous, getting dates, getting laid, or making friends. In the end, it's about enriching the lives of those who will read your work, and enriching your own life, as well. It's about getting up, getting well, and getting over. Getting happy, okay? Getting happy."

Wicked Wednesday - most popular paranormal romances

I've been checking out lists with the top paranormal romances. What do these books have that make them so popular? I see big authors like J.R. Ward, L.K. Hamilton, Christine Feehan, and Sherrilyn Kenyon. Each of them are different, but they've managed to sell millions.

Here are a few things that I picked out:

1) Every book in the most popular lists is part of a series. There are no stand alone novels. I think it's reasonable to conclude paranormal romance fans love series.

2) A lot of the books feature vampires. Yes, we're told that people are getting tired of vamps, but they still remain the main characters in several best selling paranormal romances. Am I suggesting you write about vampires? No, but if you are, there's still a big fan base for them.

3) Comparing the lists from the last five years, there are more YA books on it now. The YA paranormal romance genre is growing. Readers from all age groups love them.

4) The majority of the books are slow romances. The readers want to experience the build up of tension. Again, this is a change from five years ago where we had more fast romances.

5) The authors have definite formulas. While I enjoy reading books by those big authors, each of their books have similar plots. They've discovered what works for them and they can quickly write new novels.

6) There's still a lot of broad male chests and curvy women on the covers. Not so many couples in an intimate pose, though. I've seen a rise in covers that feature symbols or an object, but the most popular books still have a person or people on them.

What else do you see in popular paranormal romances these days?

Teaser Tuesday with Karma Girl

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Cheesy and over-the-top, but it's so much fun! Karma Girl by Jennifer Estep tickles the comic book geek within me. It's a paranormal romance about superheroes and ubervillains. You'll laugh out loud when you read it.

Here's your teaser:
I also locked and loaded the tranquilizer dart gun I'd purchased a few months ago and tucked it in the back of my jeans. Despite its name, Good Intentions Lane wasn't in the best part of town. (page 63)

Taking some time

It's going to be a very busy week and then I'm off to visit the in-laws on the long weekend. I won't have much time online at all. I'm going to take a bit of a sit-down away from the blogging world for two weeks. I need some time to find a cool patch of grass and get myself together. Hopefully in September, I'll be able to settle into a routine and find time to actually write. My current projects are getting cold.

I have a few posts scheduled, and I'll pop in to say hi. I hope to be back rested and refreshed. I'll see you guys soon!

LOOK! Meme

Thank you very much to Tania Walsh for tagging me in this fun challenge. The rules of the challenge involve me searching my work in progress for the first usage of the word “look,” paste the surrounding paragraph into my blog, and tag as many people as possible. (Actually, that's a lot of tagging. I'll just tag five like Tania did!)

Here's a paragraph in my steampunk short story, WHAT LAY BELOW.

Five steps in and I was by my father's – Captain Foster's - side. I let go of my skirts to take his arm with my hands. Surely he would offer some reassuring words. He glanced at me before turning his gaze to the clear sky. With that one look, my dread deepened. It clutched at my very soul and turned it cold.

I'm tagging:
Cherie Reich
M. Pepper Langlinais
Clare Dugmore
Kyra Lennon
Ciara Knight

Saturday Six for August 25th

1. What a busy week! My son started preschool and it went wonderfully. He walked in like he owned the school at orientation, and then was very eager to return the first official day of school. It just so happened to be my day as teacher's helper (it's a co-op school and so I have to do that once a month), and so I could be there with him his first day. I was pleased he wasn't clingy nor did he protest when I played with other children. I was so proud of him. Isn't he adorable?

2. I rewrote the ending to my steampunk short story and did a bit of tweaking. I submitted it to REAL GIRLS DON'T RUST yesterday. I love the title for that anthology!

3. I received two books in the mail that I won as prizes. The first is from Cherie Reich. I picked Break Out by Nina Croft. I also won Demon Hunting in Dixie by Lexi George in another giveaway. Kensington Publishing sent a bunch of swag with it too! I love free books.

4. Even though I didn't get a chance to attend my local writers' group meeting last Saturday, I critiqued the submissions for it. That took up a little more time than I expected, but I consider critiquing an excellent exercise in improving your craft.

5. FEARLESS has had over 1200 downloads now. It definitely helped that it went free on Amazon for the Kindle. It makes my stomach flutter when I hear how much people love it. I need to get writing and put something new out there for you wonderful readers!

6. No plans for this weekend. Maybe we'll get to the pool one last time before it closes for the season. Next week will be another busy week. I'll have another first: my first parents' meeting at school. Eek!

Have an awesome weekend!