'My Writing Process' Blog Tour - sex and smiles!

Today I’m taking part in the ‘My Writing Process’ blog tour. Thank you to my lovely fellow HarperImpulse author, Nikki Moore, for inviting me to join in. You can find her post from last Monday here - http://nikkimooreauthor.wordpress.com/blog-posts/ Please do pop over and check it out.

So here is a bit about my own writing process….
1) What am I working on?
I’m currently doing final edits on my next story for HarperImpulse, which is due out on 27th February. It’s called ‘Love Is A Four Letter Word’.

Take one rich girl who has a thing for the bad boys.
Take one tough guy who thinks possession is nine-tenths of the misery law.
Mix generously with a land dispute and a whole lotta lust…. And what have you got?
Sometimes being bad can be just too good to miss.

Now, I'm not sure if I'm supposed to be showing you this yet, but here is a sneaky preview of my very hot cover!

I must say, I liked the cover HarperImpulse designed for me for 'Summer of Surrender' but they've gone one better this time, I love it!

So, back to the story.... It’s an erotic romance, featuring a very sexy bad boy and his motorbike (interested yet?), some hot sex (in very naughty and imaginative positions and places!), a bohemian artist, and a girl who just can’t resist the bad boys – because a good one might expect her to commit and settle down…. But sometimes love can just creep up on you and catche you unawares.

2) How does my work differ from others of its genre?
Although I write erotic romance, with lots of hot sex, I like to bring out the sensual side, genuine feeling and passion between the main characters. I want readers to smile, cry and get hot and bothered! I do have a soft spot for alpha heroes, but they usually have a sense of humour, and the banter between the characters, and the growing relationship between them is as important as the heat in the sack. I also hope that although a lot of romance tropes are used all the time, I do put my own unique twist on the ones I use.

I also love writing contemporary romance, and the next story I’m working on combines all of this – a true bonkbuster based in the English countryside, look out for it!

3) Why do I write what I do?
I write the type of stories that I love to read. About real life characters I can believe in, but with that element of escapism. My favourite films, and books, are true love stories, but have a humorous edge to them that leaves a warm and fuzzy feeling. I really hope that my stories leave that feel good feeling behind as well.

4) How does my writing process work?
Something I read or see usually triggers off a ‘what if?’ and from that I get a gorgeous hero, or sparky heroine, and a very vague plot which includes a start and an end and not much about what happens in the middle! This is followed usually by a first chapter that I have to write before I do any planning at all. I then need a title – I can’t get any further until I have that, plus character names that I love.

With most of my books, I’ve then plotted out the main turning points and the black moment, so I’ve got the four quarters of the book. I then plot out the first quarter in more detail chapter by chapter to make sure I have character development, believable conflicts etc. After I’ve written this I then plot out the next quarter.

But, just to throw a spanner in the works, my latest book isn’t following this route at all! As it is a bonkbuster, with lots of characters, most of my work has been around really getting under the skin of the characters. I need to really know them, and what is going to happen to each of them during the course of the story. How they interact, and how their actions have an impact on everyone else is key. So this one is definitely character driven!
I do have a title (of course), a beginning (which is based on true events), and know the end!


So, that's a brief look at my writing process, which is constantly changing!

Next Monday, 24th check out the posts from these wonderful authors;

Amanda Jane Ward, who you can find <here>

Or visit her website at http://amandajward.weebly.com/ to find out more about her and her books!

Aurelia B Rowl- find her post next week <here>

Aurelia B. Rowl lives on the edge of the Peak District in the UK with her very understanding husband, their two fantastic children, and their mad rescue mutt who doesn’t mind being used as a sounding post and source of inspiration. She regularly wows them all with her curious, hastily thrown together meals when she gets too caught up with her latest writing project… or five!… and she has developed the fine art of ignoring the housework.

Aurelia B. Rowl writes Young Adult/New Adult crossover fiction and contemporary romance. To find out more about Aurelia, or check out which project she’s working on right now, you can visit her website: www.aureliabrowl.com

And on 3^rd March Christy McKellen – her post is <here>

B.K. (Before Kids) Christy worked as a Video and Radio Producer in London and Nottingham. After a decade of dealing with nappies, tantrums and endless questions from toddlers, she has come out the other side and moved into the wonderful world of literature. She now spends her time writing flirty, sexy romance with a kick (her dream job!). Her website address is: www.christymckellen.com

Winter Warming Bargains! My top 5 sizzling stories reduced - one #FREE, three at under a $1!!

I'm finally getting into that festive mood, and I've got lots to celebrate - so I thought I'd kick off by adding to the offers that my publishers have put in place!

So here's a collection of hot and steamy stories to warm up cold December days (or just put you in the right mood for a fun and festive Christmas!)...

FORFEIT - now only 35p on Amazon.co.uk and $0.99 on Amazon.com
Break the rules, pay the forfeit....
Cat’s life is falling apart – her boyfriend’s dumped her, she’s lost her home and she’s about to quit her job. Her boss, Brent, has a solution: become his wife for a year, to help him land a big promotion. But Cat’s had a taste of Brent before, and she knows he’s a bad boy who loves women and leaves them. So she agrees to marry him, but tells him there’s to be no sex. He adds his own condition: if she as much as talks to another man in that time, she must pay, by acting out of 12 of Brent’s kinkiest sex fantasies. When she breaks the rule, the forfeit is on: but opening up and letting Brent into her heart, as well as her bed, could be the most dangerous game of all …

SUMMER OF SURRENDER - now only 0.99p in the UK

Sex is the only thing they have in common. Total surrender the name of the game.
James had it all. Good education. City job and a wife he would have been willing to die for. Their motto had been work hard, play hard, but she’d pushed the boundaries too far and he’d walked. Became the man he felt he needed to be. Detached. In control.
Free spirit Kezia lives each day at a time; sharing, loving and giving are unconditional. And sex is part of the sharing.
When fate leaves James and Kezia trapped together for the summer, her openness is an invitation he just can’t resist. The attraction is instant, the sex all-consuming. And as their fantasies become reality, James begins to realise that willing surrender is a far different pleasure to forced submission…

And because the complete 'Good Enough' series is now available, I want to say a massive thanks to everyone who has supported me, and offer you a chance to grab all three at a cut down price -

GOOD ENOUGH TO SHARE now only 77p on Amazon.co.uk and only $0.99 on Amazon.com
Would you dare to share?
One Christmas, four friends - but will they still be together by New Year?
Divorce wasn't part of the plan for Holly, but then again nor was spending the festive period with two sexy men and Santa's little helper! With a disastrous marriage behind her, and three good friends who are willing to share, moving on could be fun - if only she can accept that sometimes her heart is wiser than her head.
Dane doesn't do commitment, which suits Holly just fine. But when things heat up between the four friends, he's forced to face up to his past. Will realising he's good enough mean he no longer wants to share...?
Laid back Charlie knows that if his best friend becomes his lover he could end up losing big time. But can he resist? And when the girl he once loved comes back, who will he decide to spend the New Year with?
...And Sophie just wants to have fun. She's got the answers to everyone's problems, except her own .... is she the one who needs good friends most of all?
Will a caring, sharing, lust and love filled Christmas lead to the happy ever after they all desire?
WARNING - Christmas may never seem the same again!

GOOD ENOUGH TO TRUST now only 77p on Amazon.co.uk and only $0.99 on Amazon.com

Do you trust the boy you loved, or the man you might?
Sophie has only one thing on her New Year’s resolution list – sorting out her life.
But with a hunky farmer, his sexy brother and a herd of bullocks to deal with, how is a girl supposed to keep her mind on her mission?
Facing up to the man she once loved, and the family she lost, is something fun loving Sophie isn’t going to dodge second time round though. She always knew that retracing her steps was never going to be easy, she never realised that risking her heart again would be even harder.
And when there's two men to choose from will it be easier to trust the man she's never stopped loving, or the one that might give her the new start she needs?

My latest release MAKING IT GOOD ENOUGH will be on offer #FREE! Tuesday through Thursday, check it out on Amazon UK  and Amazon COM.
Holly is happy, or at least she thinks she is. Until Dane's glamorous ex-wife, Sally, arrives on the doorstep - and refuses to leave. With trouble brewing and secrets being uncovered, is his determination to spice up their sex life a smokescreen, or love?
Charlie’s got the girl he loved back. But this time can they go all the way – if it means accepting the lifestyle that he ran away from? Falling in love with Anna is one thing, but is a society wedding a step too far?
Who will be walking up the aisle? Will the friends get their happy ever afters – or will an uninvited wedding guest ruin it all?
With disastrous parties, lustful fantasies and alarming announcements, can any of them make it good enough to last?So, you can snap up the complete Good Enough trilogy for the grand total of £1.54 or less than $2!

*** I'm not sure how long the promotions will last - so grab them while you can :-) ***

If you're spoiled for choice then pop over to my website www.ZaraStoneley.com to read excerpts and reviews! (Or why not buy all five?!)

And now I suppose I really should start thinking about getting a Christmas tree, presents and cards!

Serviced! How hot do you like your men in uniform?

It's the 1st March which means it's release day! Ten great stories from nine great authors, so can we tempt you?

All's fair in love and war, they say. Come find out if it's true in these ten stories where soldiers prove that their skills in the field are only rivaled by their skills in the bedroom.

For One Night Only by Allie A Burrow
Over A Dead Body by Leona Bushman
Reds, Whites, and Blues by Mickey J. Corrigan
Leave Taking by Angelica Dawson
First Date � The Italian Colonel by Jesabelle Jones
Major's Minah by Ravan McAllan
Knock Out by Natalia Petrovskii
A Chance At Love by Shelli Rosewarne
Taking Command by Zara Stoneley
Riding Out the Storm by Natalia Petrovskii

‘Taking Command’ Serviced Anthology Vol 1, Zara Stoneley

Mike Sands knows that loving a soldier can lead to heartache, so when he falls hard for his best mates little sister he knows he has to walk away.

But can Jade let him, when one taste has left her desperate for more? Or dare she take command of the situation and prove to both of them that maybe what they have is worth taking a risk over?

Sometimes one night of passion is not enough, sometimes you just have to stop thinking about the future and live in the present.

And a little teaser...
"You wouldn't believe how much I want you." He swallowed hard. "But, I should never have touched you." He should never have touched her, and he should never have left her. Shit, if she carried on doing that, he'd be coming. He shouldn't have kissed her; he shouldn't have wrapped his arm around that firm ass and pulled her in tight so that her breasts rubbed against his shoulder. He shouldn't have run his hand up the inside of her creamy thigh. Even though he wanted her so much it hurt, and she knew, they knew each other so well. Too well. Maybe, just maybe nothing would happen to him...and maybe she was strong enough to cope if it did. Jade wasn't his mum, Jade was unique. 

The string of rational thought shattered and his stomach clenched as she stepped closer, leaned down, and ran her tongue over his lips. She teased at his mouth with her teeth, pulling just short of pain, and he groaned. 

Want to be one of the first to snap up a copy? I'll add links as I get them, but you can order from Breathless Press now! Enjoy :-)

TagLine Tuesday! #TLT

Welcome to another Tagline Tuesday and some more great taglines (and covers!). Click on the links to find out more.

If you're an author and  want to take part then drop me a line at ZaraStoneley@gmail.com - all I need is a cover, buy links and a catchy tagline.

If you enjoy reading contemporary romance why not check out Tagline Tuesday over on my Susie Medwell blog.

TOO COLD TO LOVE by Doris O'Connor

In a marriage based on blackmail can passion turn into love, or will secrets and lies destroy all?

Buy from -  Amazon,  ARe Books, Evernight, Bookstrand

CAT'S EYES by Melissa Jolley

For Sarah, being a shape-shifter means having a wild side that craves variety. Can one human man tame her animal instinct?

Buy from -  Amazon (US), Amazon (UK), Breathless Press, Barnes and Noble, ARe Books

 

 

 

 

RIDING HIGH by Zara Stoneley

 

Sometimes lessons in lust can lead to love...

 

Buy from -    Amazon (UK), Amazon (US), Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Xcite Books

Guest interview - Lucy Felthouse

I’m lucky enough to have Lucy Felthouse on the blog today – answering all my questions about ‘Finally Found’ which is in the Lover Unexpected anthology. I couldn’t resist asking a few extra questions which are just pure nosiness!

Book blurb –

Girlfriends share lots of things, including their most sinful secrets. When those secrets involve love, lust and long denied desire, sparks are sure to fly. And sometimes, there is no denying the need for a woman’s touch. In this volume you’ll find seven delicious stories of sensual, daring women who open their hearts to discover love, fulfillment and satisfaction—closer than they expected.

Buy links – http://lucyfelthouse.co.uk/published-works/lover-unexpected-sappho-edition/

 About the story

Q. If you had to sum up ‘Finally Found’ in 30 words or less what would you say?

It's a friends-to-lovers story with fun, humour and erotica thrown in – literally! The characters read an erotic anthology! J

Q. What/who inspired you to write it?

It was actually written specifically for the call for submissions from Evernight Publishing. They wanted lesbian friends-to-lovers stories, so I thought long and hard and came up with Finally Found. And I had fun writing in some of the places in London that I've been to.

Q. It’s a great title, where did it come from?

I have no idea. I'm pretty rubbish at titles, so I'm glad you like it!

Q. Where did you find inspiration for your characters? Are they a little bit you, people you know, or inspired from what you see/hear?

I tend to base many of my characters on actors and actresses. Check out my Pinterest board to see my character inspirations: http://pinterest.com/cw1985/finally-found/

Q. What do you most like about Natalia and Ashleigh? If you met them would you love them or would they drive you mad?

I like their senses of humour, and their happy-go-lucky attitude. They're good fun, and I think I'd love them if I met them. We could continue exploring London together!

  

Q. I know you always have lots of stories in the pipeline, any you’d like to mention?

Yes – I have a new release coming tomorrow. It's my first gay story, and it's military erotica! It's a short story called Ditched and is published by Resplendence Publishing. Here's the link: http://lucyfelthouse.co.uk/published-works/ditched/

I also have quite a lot of other stuff in the pipeline. I just sold my first story to Ellora's Cave. It's called A Taste of London (yes, London again!) and is the first in a series which will then go to Paris, Rome and beyond... I also have quite a lot coming up in terms of other stories in anthologies.

I'm currently writing a novel, too. But that's a work in progress – but if I'm lucky that'll be published at some point, too!

And getting personal…

Q. Where/when do you write?

Where: usually in my office directly on to my laptop. Occasionally I'll take a notebook into my bedroom or the garden and get some words down and type them up later. If I sit in the garden, though, my dog insists on sitting on my knee and 'helping' by trying to lick my face! NOT sexy.

Q. What part of writing do you enjoy most, coming up with the idea, planning, writing it or typing The End?!

Typing The End, I think. Especially at the moment – I'm writing my first novel and it feels so strange to keep writing and writing on the same story and characters. My current word count is around 27k and I keep thinking how many short stories I'd have finished in this time. Having said that, I'm enjoying writing it, so let's hope 'The End' isn't too far away and that a publisher will take the book. Fingers crossed!

Q. Sum yourself up in 30 words or less?!

I'm laid-back and don't tend to worry too much about things—unless they're really important things. I love writing, I love my job, I love my friends, family, etc...

Q. Do you spend much time reading? What’s your favourite bedtime/holiday read? Favourite author/genre?

I spend lots of time reading! I review books, too, so I've always got one on the go. I tend to alternate a dirty book with a clean book. I don't have a favourite bedtime or holiday read, I just keep reading whatever I was reading. I don't have a favourite author, either. I read so much and so widely that I just couldn't pick a single one. After erotic romance, I'm a sucker for paranormal. But just lately I've been getting into thrillers. I quite fancy writing a spy thriller one day, but with the sex left in!

Q. Coffee or tea (or wine!)?

None of the above. Unless it's fruit tea.

Q. Starter or dessert?

Dessert. I have a sweet tooth.

Q. Favourite place in the world?

The Peak District, followed closely by Paris.

Q. What would you be doing if time, money, age were no object?

Everything!! I love to travel and explore new places and cultures. One of my lottery fantasies (there are lots, so I'll only mention one or we'll be here for weeks) is to rent a huge camper van in America and go exploring. I know so many writers over there that it'd be great to go and meet some of them, too.

I'd also be having a house built from scratch in the Peak District with lots of land and stunning views over the countryside. And it would have an enormous library and a swimming pool and sauna.

Q. Best bit of advice you’ve ever been given, and by whom?

One of my tutors at University taught me that you have to learn to edit yourself. Even if you love a particular word, phrase or sentence, if it doesn't make the story better, you have to be prepared to remove it. Unfortunately, the tutor is no longer with us, but I try hard to make sure his teachings live on in my work.

Where can your readers find you?

On my website, http://lucyfelthouse.co.uk.

On Twitter, http://www.twitter.com/cw1985.

On Facebook http://www.facebook.com/lucyfelthousewriter.

On Pinterest http://pinterest.com/cw1985.

And finally, on my author newsletter, http://eepurl.com/gMQb9

Bio -
Lucy is a graduate of the University of Derby, where she studied Creative Writing. During her first year, she was dared to write an erotic story - so she did. It went down a storm and she's never looked back. Lucy has had stories published by Cleis Press, Constable and Robinson, Decadent Publishing, Ellora's Cave, Evernight Publishing, House of Erotica, Ravenous Romance, Resplendence Publishing, Sweetmeats Press and Xcite Books. She is also the editor of Uniform Behaviour, Seducing the Myth, Smut by the Sea and Smut in the City.

Six Sentence Sunday

Hi all, hope you're having a great Sunday.

I decided to do something a bit different this week. Just for fun I went to the sixth paragraph on page 66 of Forfeit, and these are the six sentences I found. Hope you enjoy them.

The stroke of his hand over her hair was comforting, warm, possessive, and she could feel herself melting further into him in a way she didn’t think was possible, then gradually the sweeps lengthened as strong fingers twirled her hair so that she could feel it feathering against her back. She gave an involuntary shiver, not wanting to move, to say anything that might stop the sensual pleasure. She could feel her nipples hardening against his chest. ‘I love the way your body responds to me.’ His soft voice stirred feelings deep in her stomach, a voice thick with promise and seduction. The warmth of his hand travelled down her back in smooth, steady strokes, cupping her bottom and then moving back to her shoulder, smoothing down her sides, making her tense as it hit her sensitive waist.

Don't forget to check out all the other great excerpts, you can find the links at www.sixsunday.com  or follow the hashtag #sixsunday on twitter.