I have a story in Regina Perry‘s newly edited anthology for Ravenous called I KISSED A GIRL. It’s a story called “Freckles” and I have to give kudos to Kilt Kilpatrick for pushing me to write a story for the anthology when I was “too busy” to do so, LOL.
I finished a story for another anthology, too, but while I was invited to submit I haven’t yet heard confirmation that the editor liked it, so I’ll let you know when I hear.
Woot! Coffee Time Romance has reviewed Chastity Flame and given her 5 CUPS. Yep, that’s their highest level of praise. I am so excited! Here’s a taste of Danielle‘s review:
Chastity Flame is the beginning of a trilogy and is one thrill ride after another and while there is tons of spicy sex, it does not detract from the overall storyline. Debut novelist Ms. Kempe amazes me with her wonderful writing talent. Chastity is the type of person I would want to be on my side, boy, can she kick some serious butt! Damien is every woman’s teacher fantasy come to life, complete with oozing sensuality and a hot body. If the first book in the trilogy is this mind blowing, I can only imagine how fantastic the other books will be; I cannot wait to read another story about Chastity and the life she lives as a spy!
Just what I needed to spur me onto faster work on the sequel!
The wonderful and terribly sweet Savannah Chase shares her words with us today:
Inspire Me Any Way You Want
I want to start off by saying a huge thank you to C.Margery Kempe for letting me be her guest blogger today. It is my pleasure to be here.
The one question that I get asked a lot as an author has to be Where do you get your ideas from?
Oh boy….the only thing I can tell you is from everywhere.. I’ve always had a wild imagination that has given me stories and ideas. I don’t have one thing or another that influences me when it comes to my books. Things that happen around me play a huge part. I will say one thing….Music plays a huge part in the stories I create. I get inspired by the different genre’s I listen to. There is something about them that get the muse going.
I’ve said this before, my mind never takes a break when it comes to new ideas. Even when I go to bed at night my mind is racing with ideas and things that interest me. Many times I find myself scratching down notes in the dark on the notepad that lays on the table next to me. You can only imagine how bad my writing sometimes looks since I try to jot this stuff down in the dark before I forget it.
Sometimes all I need is a title for a particular story and the words just flow through my fingers as I type. Other times I need a kick to get me started but it doesn’t take much.
When a new book idea comes to me it is pretty much in the form of a mini movie…All I have to do is get it all down on paper or most the time my computer…
I hope that my imagination never stops working overtime since it has been amazing to me so far. This gift has given me the chance to bring to life so many different characters and tales of passion to life. Ones that readers have fallen in love with and cheered for.
With the way my muse is working you can bet there will be many many more books coming soon.
Savannah
Author Of Romance & Erotica
Join her Yahoo group!
Thank you, Savannah! It was a delight to have you here.
Sit down, and put down everything that comes into your head and then you’re a writer. But an author is one who can judge his own stuff’s worth, without pity, and destroy most of it.
Colette
One of the least celebrated parts of writing is the art of revision. Working on my forthcoming sexy tarot story for Midnight Showcase last night, I was struck by the usefulness of having one more go at the piece. There’s always a little more polishing to be done. The more the story shines, the more I do, too.
The story focuses on a tarot card reader who takes more than a slight interest in a client at a psychic fair. It’s loosely based on some friends and a local psychic fair — and the diner everyone goes to afterward. The signal card is the Two of Cups. I found this charming image by artist Kathleen Lolley, who has a lovely print of it available. It’s amazing all the people who have been inspired by the tarot over the years. What’s your favourite deck?
RR editor Lori Perkins is featured as a guest blogger over at Romancing the Blog. She writes about the woman who was also my inspiration, Anäis Nin, and “feminist smut”.
The one and only Inara Lavey laps up your acclaim over at the penultimate stop on the Ornery 11 blog tour. We’re hosted by the hoot-a-licious Never Black, writer and bon vivant. Join us for the usual hilarious fun as we hang out with the witty women of Ravenous Romance.
Of course, we can bribe you, too — there are valuable prizes to be won! All comments enter you to win the daily giveaways (books! gift certificates!)
We get a short break on the RR Ornery 11 tour bus before we’re back on board tomorrow at Bryn Greenwood‘s blog. If you stopped by yesterday, you saw just how much fun the tour can be! What a terrific bunch of writers — full of ebullient spirits (in all sense of the word!). And what a perfect host Sia proved to be — loved that fudge cake. Yum!
I’m the spotlight writer on tomorrow’s stop, so I get to share Chas with a few more people. Don’t forget that you can read a free excerpt over at Ravenous Romance.
The Ornery Eleven Blog Tour Schedule:
04/18 – Zhadi’s Den – Intro Stop
04/19 – Jennifer’s Random Musings – Elle Amery
04/20 – Unbound – Lisa Lane
04/21 – Talk About My Favorite Authors – Angela Cameron
04/22 – Kissa Starling – EM Lynley
04/23 – The Countess – Jamaica Layne
04/24 – PNR Inklings Blog at ParaNormal Romance – Sephera Giron
04/25 – Wicked Thorn and Roses – Isabel Roman
04/27 – Sia’s Thoughts on… – Neve Black
04/29 - Bryn Greenwood – C. Margery Kempe
04/30 – Bookwenches – Savannah Chase
05/01 – Neve Black – Inara LaVey
05/02 – Night Owl Romance – Final Stop
We’re off on the tour bus again, drinks spilling and voices raised in laughter and good-hearted shouts. Our featured writer today is the fabulously Neve Black, author of Sex Through the Zodiac. The amazing Sia has put up *ALL* our covers! Wow, you rock!
And of course, don’t forget to stop by and leave a comment. You will be entered to win VALUABLE prizes!
We’re off to our next stop on the blog tour and our hosts are the lovely folks at Paranormal Romance. Featured writer of the day is the lovely Sèphera Girón, compelling writer and fantastic tarot reader (I know, she’s read for me!).
Stop by and leave a comment and — as always — you will be entered to win valuable prizes (you know what that means: BOOKS! and gift certificates for books). Share in the rollicking conversations; all the RR writers gather to gossip, laugh and talk about our inspirations.
I just finished a novel (a sexy espionage thriller) and experienced once more the incredible relief and joy that typing the very last words of a book brings. There’s such satisfaction in finally reaching that point after the long haul of chapters. This was a relatively short process, about two months (some novels have taken me years), so the beginning was still fresh enough in my mind to feel a genuine sense of wonder that I had reached the end.
It’s satisfying to have created something out of nothing. That’s the magic of writing.
I find it especially gratifying when it’s on the scale of a novel. You’re conscious of juggling narrative threads, characters and locations with manic energy throughout, so when you can finally set them all down neatly in a row, the sense of accomplishment is worth savouring—and celebrating.
But then comes the inevitable sadness; with luck, you get to enjoy the happiness for a while before you realise that the people with whom you’ve spent so much time have gone away. You miss them. They’ve been talking in your head for so long and now the voices are silent. Fortunately, I will in all likelihood be seeing many of these characters again.
However, the only real solution is to find yourself typing those other words that have as much thrill as “The End”—those words, of course, are “Chapter One” or any other start up phrases. Think of the thrill inherent in the phrase “Once upon a time”.
Begin again—writing is an endless cycle. Stories only end so new ones can begin. The magic is always waiting to be reborn.
Make some magic today.
