More Writers Tools

I hadn’t really decided what I was going to write about today when I began preparations for Tuesday’s critique evening. I had been really slow this week in getting it together to write anything coherent on my current work in progress when I realized I needed to do a little research. Along the way to finding the ultimate restaurant in the Edinburgh, Scotland area, I stumbled across a couple of great websites I thought all of you should know about.

First up is the blog for Harlequin Blaze located at http://blazeauthors.com/blog/. Here you will find items from authors, special story themes and items from the editors themselves. There are also humorous stories from the authors which had me entertained for a while. So, if you are looking to write for Blaze this is the place to be. Occasionally, they give away critiques and hold contests for a chance with an editor.

Next up is an amazing set of podcasts located at http://www.podfeed.net/podcast/Harlequin+Meet+the+Editors/13708# . I didn’t know that all the editors at Harlequin did these in order to better clarify their positions on submitting to them and acceptance by them. They are done very well and with eighteen podcasts, there is sure to be something right up your alley.

Another great site is one called Romance University at http://romanceuniversity.org/and what caught my eye here was the column about men done by a male psychologist. The first one I read was about how guys really interact with each other and women as well as how men open up to each other. After reading that column, I better understood why my DH had said to me on numerous occasions when we talked books, ‘Honey, guys really don’t act that way.’ Now I understand why. There is tons of good information on this site gals!

Next came Maggie Lawson’s website at http://www.margielawson.com/ and again, I was surprised at exactly what she had there. This woman is a NYC bestselling author yet she finds time to hold classes, puts those class notes and exercises in notes so those who can’t afford actually attending one of her workshops in person can take it like a self study type of workshop. Now some of the classes may not help me, but there is still lots of good information.

These were the best in my opinion but here’s a list of even more good websites with very brief explanations on what they are:

http://paranormalromanceblog.com/ - This is Harlequin’s Paranormal blog. Lots of interesting articles, author interviews and author ramblings.

http://www.romance-ffp.com/ - This is the official website of RWA Futuristic, Fantasy and Paranormal chapter commonly known as FF&P. Great information so join when you can.

http://translation2.paralink.com/ - This is a free translation website. Good for if you are trying to translate something. We used it for Russian to English and were pleasantly surprised.

http://www.etymonline.com/ - This is a free etymology dictionary and was given to me by another author friend. You can look up anything here. And I mean anything.

http://paranormalityuniverse.blogspot.com/ - Paranormalty is an interesting mix of authors and industry professionals again in the paranormal field but isn’t bound by one publisher.

http://fierceromance.blogspot.com/ - Fierce Romance talks about the kinky side of romance including BDSM so if you don’t know much about it, this is where you can find out.

http://www.scifiguy.ca is a very interesting review site which talks about the industry of sci-fi and sci-fi romance as well as the books themselves. You can win all sorts of freebies here.

Now, I know there are tons of good places out there to learn things but very few have been as thoroughly checked out as these have been. Goes to show you just what can happen when one is bored...LOL!

Now for the fun stuff!

Celebrate my new novel, More Than Robotics and get me on the best seller list for September by purchasing it TODAY.

From now until mid-October I am also giving away one copy of a previously released elf book, newest to oldest, in anticipation of this year's Christmas release, An Elf's Love. The giveaway book this coming week is The Thing About Elves!!! Also, I will be giving a copy of the first book in my Orchid series, Fluke, to the first person who comments today only! And don't forget to leave me your email addy in today's comment so I can get you your book! It's another double-whammy week as you have the chance to win TWO FREE eBooks!!! One now...one later!

I know you’ll love both these series as much as I love writing it! Enjoy getting ready for Christmas AND a space ride during the month of September!

All you need to do to be entered is to just comment on my blog, The Many Shades at www.themanyshades.blogspot.com to get into the weekly drawing. Every Wednesday is my day to post here and the contest runs from then till midnight Tuesday for the weekly portion. So come see about all the wonderful promotion opportunities I'm offer fellow authors AND the planned giveaways for all readers out there.

Hope to see you there!

Just to get you even more excited about these FREE giveaways, here's list of the previous winners! See...people really do win...and are enjoying their books right now. This could be YOU!

August Giveaway SiNn
9/2/2009 Annalisa
9/9/2009 quilting reader
9/16/2009 Susan [garysue@dejazzd.com]
9/23/2009 Laura Beck
9/29/2009 Gwynlyn MacKenzie

Thanks for stopping by and I’ll see you all next week!

Lynn

Exciting Things in Idaho

I am still on vacation this week and I had planned to tell you just how wonderful it is. I have had a wonderful vacation so far. British Columbia was just fantastic and here are a couple of pictures to show you just how wonderful. These are from our trip to Vancouver and I can truly say this is one city I would just love to live in. Are these pictures great?

BUT this isn’t the true wonder of this week. This week I got two beautiful covers. On August 1st, my novella Giselle’s Elf will hit the internet for all of you anxious fans. Here’s the cover:

Isn’t it wonderful? Next week I’ll post an excerpt so you all can see just how wonderful.

Even more exciting than this is my cover for More Than Robotics. This book is just so cool and I’m really excited about it. It has a release date of October 1 and I just can’t wait. And just look at the cover…isn’t that just one of the sexiest things you’ve seen? I just love science fiction erotic romance and can’t wait to write some more.



This week is short and sweet…the storms are rolling in here in Idaho and I still don’t have full time internet access. So I just have to do what I can.

Don’t forget that for each of you who comments on this blog will be entered into my August basket giveaway which will include a brand new iPod.

Now for the question of the day: based on my cover of More Than Robotics, give me your idea of what the story is about?

I can’t wait to see all you answers. Until next week…

Lynn

My Busy Week

I have a lot to talk about this week.

First, I’ll be turning in More Than Robotics this afternoon. Everyone who is a BSG fan will like it since it has a similar theme. It is the second book in the Orchid series and is about a group of people and another group called clonedroids. The clonedroids, bio-cybernetic units, have been programmed to replace key human personnel but there is a faction of them who think it is wrong and side with the humans. Then there are those of Orchid who have been genetically engineered or altered or had cybernetic replacement parts utilized when they have been severely injured on a mission. Not all members of Orchid are cybernetically enhanced but they understand their mission parameters and know they may become one of them.

The book covers a short period of time when a group of clonedroids are trying to take over the ship the Hannibal from Captain Bekka Taylor. She is being protected by the cybernetically enhanced Orchid operative, Lieutenant Javid Malik. But Bekka has her own secrets as she was once known as the Fiery Phoenix by those with her in the academy. She must reconcile just who she is before she love again and become a leader in this offensive against the clonedroids.

At this time, the book is slated for an October 1 release date. I’ll keep everyone posted but I am just so jazzed it’s in the can, so to speak.

Second, I was privileged enough to see the film What Goes Up with one of the producers Saturday evening in Las Vegas. I went with some trepidation as I had heard from my DIL, who's the producer's niece, that while she thought the first cut was good, it had some issues. And unfortunately, I am very critical when it comes to movies due to my writing background.

I have to say I was truly amazed at the quirkiness and depth of this story. Yes, it did have some issues. There were places where I would have liked to have more in-depth characterization, there were places I thought the pacing was slow and it had some disjointed action. The acting was good and dead on with what characters had on their plates. And in all honesty, this is the type of movie that comes out of the blue and ends up a cult favorite. It is that good in some strange way.

It’s about the week leading up to the space shuttle Challenger disaster. So, maybe part of this is because I can remember this week so well myself. I was just out of college and worked for Lockheed. We were on top of the world and it just came crashing down on us all that Thursday morning. I can't imagine having the whole week being that bad. LOL!

Then again, maybe it's the part about being adult enough to understand when you've done something so wrong yet there is no way to ever take it back. I remember this lesson well too.

Or maybe, it's just that the misfits are so true to life I can empathize with what is going on in their lives. I know I would have been devastated if my favorite teacher had died during my high school years no matter what the cause. Still, it would have been worse if said teacher had committed suicide. I was angsty enough then to have wondered if it were my fault in any way at all as some of these students did.

Adding all these elements up, you have one heck of a story that can appeal to the masses. And I have to say in an odd, quirky little way, I liked it.

And last, another author, Lex Valentine, is desperately searching for a place for her three adorable kitties. Something has happened so she has to give them up. She lives in Southern California, so if you all know anyone in need of some feline companionship, send them her way. Here’s her blog for you all to drop by and see them here: http://flirtyauthorbitches.com/2009/06/02/mobilizing/

That’s about it for this week. See you next.

Lynn

Being in the Story

Oops! It’s blog day and I just almost forgot. And I never forget since I have a calendar that reminds me of everything. But this week, I’ve been so much into my story, More Than Robotics, I’ve actually been on a computer which has no internet access.

Why you may ask? Well, because I am like every person on the planet who can read right now. The internet is fun and distracting. I can start reading the news and read more and more and more until I realize that I’ve been reading for well over three hours.

So just recently, I decided to get an Aspire. You know…one of those little tiny machines…which has a hard drive, internet access and very little else. I decided the moment I opened the box that I loved this thing. It is small and can fit in my purse. But the most amazing aspect it that other than the software activation of my Word and Excel, it’s never been online. And I plan for it to remain that way as all it will ever be used for is writing and getting things to my editor.

Now, I already have two other computers…a huge graphics oriented desktop…and this graphics oriented laptop that I’m working on right now. Why in the heck did I need another computer? I didn’t in reality. But I do need convenience and the ability to stay away from the internet when necessary. This same machine I can just pick up and walk to another room or go outside in the early morning, have coffee and start typing away.

Which leads me to the crux of this blog today. This week I have checked my email less than ever, I’ve looked at the news only once and that was yesterday. Most of my time has been spent with my head stuck in a story. And for a writer, that’s exactly where it should be most of the time.

Now, that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t come up for air. Every writer should but what it does mean that for the first time in a very long time I have been exclusively focused on my chosen profession. I have been so focused that I’ve been writing an average of 5000 words a day. And while that may not seem much to some people, that’s a book a week if the book is small. Basically, it means that I am almost writing to my potential which in itself is a miracle.

Not many writers live up to their potential because life or the internet can get in their way. Some spend years plotting or editing a story because they just want to get it perfect. So perfect in fact that they never get around to finishing it or ever having it ready to submit to an editor.

So this week, I’ve been a good little author and had my head where it should be in my own books. Which is wonderful when you think about it but I have allowed myself some lead way and actually read some books this week as well. My TBR pile had grown enormous over the years and I decided to start at the top. I was amazed at how many books I’ve discarded after the first chapter. It made me wonder why I picked them up at all because I found myself not liking the writing, the story or just generally going yuck and moving on.

But my real passion came back to me as I’m ready more and more sci-fiction based books than ever. I can highly recommend Close Encounters by Katherine Allred. It’s an amazing story about a women sent to another planet to save the people living there. Another one I just recently finished was Linnea Sinclair’s Games of Command. Yeah, it had been on the shelf that long. All I’ve got to say is OMG and wonder why I never picked it up before. Now those are the type of books I want to write. Sigh. I’m working on it.

And in that vein, here’s a bit of my next story in the Orchid Series. The series started with Fluke which was about a woman who couldn’t quite remember her past. It’s a story where she finds the strength to do the near impossible while planning for the future. In it I introduce two new concepts, and yeah, they are copyrighted, clonedroids and mindswiped both of which I use in this new story. Here’s a little bit of this new story, More Than Robotics, set for release October 1 from eXtasy books.

Remember, these are the unedited versions. And thanks for giving this story a look!

More Than Robotics

BLURB: (This is unedited.)

There were only three things in life that Commander BekkaTaylor wanted in life: 1) Command of a Warrior Class Star Marauder, 2) To grow old gracefully and 3) A lover who understood her fiery nature. She was accomplishing two out of her three objectives very nicely when an internal IUA conflict begins to encompasses the whole world as she knows it. Then Lieutenant Javed Malik comes aboard, clearly younger than she, with dreamy eyes and a secret meant only for her. But letting him in means getting rid of years of frustration, anguish and maybe her career as old secrets come to the surface. Can she survive another war or the smoldering looks from her junior officer sent to protect her 24/7?

TEASER EXCERPT: (This is unedited.)

“That’s all for now and it’s most of what I know. But we all share the same concerns as I’m sure you have. Javed has the specifics on our next contact. And please don’t get mad at me for the unconventional way I have instructed him to give those orders to you. It was necessary.”

I turned from the vidscreen to look at him suspiciously. “What is she talking about?”

In less than the blink of an eye, he was again by my side, pulling me up from my chair, his hands taking my face to gaze in my eyes. “Don’t struggle,” he whispered close to my ear. “I think we have prying eyes.” His lips came down fiercely on mine, his tongue snaking in to dominate me and I wanted to do the very thing he asked that I not do. Instead I tried to let myself enjoy the moment as it had been quite some time since I had had this type of human contact.

My hands gripped his waist and pulled him even closer to me. I could feel his legs press harder into me as his arms went completely around me. Within moments, I could feel the hard bulge of his body and mine responded in kind. There was nothing more I wanted to do except rip his clothes off that luscious male form.

He pulled away from me and shuddered, resting his forehead against mine. “We should really stop right now.” His brown eyes looked deep into mine and I nearly passed out as his next words flashed across my consciousness. You are an amazing woman and rest assured, we will finish this.

The last bit had exploded across my brain and I raised a shaky hand to rub my forehead. It was as if he were right inside me, whispering his thoughts.

Don’t fight it. Let it happen. The clonedroids helped us to perfect one of their technologies for our use. This is the major way they communicate between each other. You are now the proud owner of some audiobotic nanotechnology. They attach to your nerves for hearing and other pertainent areas of your brain associated with the function. From now on, we’ll be able to communication this way as we are attuned only to each other. No one else is on this frequency.

I glanced quickly toward the camera I knew Trevor had poised on us. You realize that Trevor was the only one spying on us, don’t you?

A slow lazy smile crossed his face and he gently caressed my cheek. That’s what you think. The other ability that we’ve been given is you will actually sense when someone is a clonedroid. It’s an ability they have as well as they can immediately tell who is clonedroid or who is human. Fallon 2 has been so helpful in our development of these abilities.

I swallowed hard. It would be hard but I knew what I had to do. “Just what do you think you were doing?”

A brief look of surprise crossed his face. Bravo! Well done. Fallon said that you’d be quick to adapt. And because you adapted so quickly, I know you haven’t been brainwashed. Those who have been have some difficulty when trying to access certain aspects of their brain which are necessary when using this technology.

Thanks again…and see you next week!

Lynn