100 - 1 = 99

remember the song "100 bottles of beer on the wall, 100 bottles of beer, you take 1 down, pass it around, 99 bottles of beer on the wall"? well that's sorta how i feel...except instead of bottles of beer, i'm thinking stories. i mean, so far i have only written 1, took it off of the wall, passed it around for 2 friends to read (haven't even passed it to a publisher yet) but i still have 99 more stories to write...give or take a 9.

after much encouragement i have decided to participate in a story challenge within a group from goodreads. mistake? i dunno. fear is taking root (as if it ever left) and i am now second guessing myself. i know, i know. the actual challenge hasn't even started yet and i am already freaking out. so not healthy. but i can't help it. the more i learn about the other participants, the more i grow in awe of their writing skills. and my work is supposed to hang with theirs? riiiiiight.

but maybe, just maybe, if i spent my time working on a story instead of freaking out, i might actually get somewhere! ah, what's that saying? the first one is always the hardest? or is it the first one is always the easiest? actually, i don't even know if either of those sayings are applicable to writing. *shrugs* but what i do know is that jay-z said it best when he sung "i got 99 problems but a bitch aint 1"!

B&N + e-books = happy readers

i am here to spread the news!

as of yesterday, Barnes & Noble has an e-book service. they are offering over 700,000 titles - woohoo! and some of those titles are indeed interracial romance. (note: when i typed in interracial romance, only 8 non-fiction books came up. but when i typed in specific authors, for example marylin lee, i got back a whole jungle of works!) from the quick glance that i took, it looks as though most float around the five dollar price range, some are four, some are seven (yikes!) it seems based on length. however, according to them, their average e-book (fiction and non included) price is $9.99.

anywho, their e-reader service is free to download and available for PCs, Macs, iPhones, Blackberrys, and a few other devices in the near future. the program is somehow connected to itunes - haven't quite figured that part out yet. and it also looks like when you sign up, you get a B&N e-book library that you can access from any computer! so, here's the link. check it out for yourselves and then we can take a vote: yay or nay???

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/ebooks/

g-reading is fundamental

sorry i haven't blogged in a week (that's a long time for me). but i've been busy gettin' my discussion on. "huh?" you may say. well let me explain. i was recently invited to join a few groups from the website "good reads". and let me tell you, joining those groups was like coming home. finding a place where everyone likes to read and even better they all like to read the same things as you, was like hitting the jackpot! there are even two groups dedicated to interracial romance novels - way dope, if you ask me! and through goodreads i have been able to communicate with not only fellow fans of great literature but the authors who write them as well. talk about an added bonus...

i've also finished editing my story. i e-mailed the draft to friend i have made on goodreads in hopes that she will read it and give me her honest reaction. i'm keeping my fingers crossed, hoping i haven't wasted my time on an unlikable story, but only time will tell. honestly though i would rather catch any snafoos now instead of later.

now, back out i go onto the tumultuous sea or choppy paper and rough words, in search of that beast and whale known as the synopsis...oh when will it ever end?

...but then again, does the when really matter, so long as when it does end, it ends with a publishing deal?

heartbeats & wardrobe changes

dear everybody,

too often i’ve wished that there was an ultimate list of the best in interracial romance. fed up that no comprehensive one existed and tired of looking for fan reviews on various websites i've decided we should create one ourselves, so…

CEREMONY: “The Lub-Dubs” (that’s right, the sound a heart makes) - an interracial romance fiction award ceremony for the fans, by the fans. i’ve picked the categories but all of you will pick the nominees and vote for the winners. i will tally the votes and host the award ceremony “live” on my blog at a date TBA (most likely end of September). i will do my best to notify every nominee and maybe we can even get the winners to post “acceptance speeches” the night of the ceremony. depending on its success, the award ceremony might become an annual thing, but for now it’s just one time only, so let’s enjoy. c’mon, people, let’s have fun with this and create THE BEST “go-to” list for everything related to interracial romance books!

AWARD: The Heart (how does it sound? “and the heart goes to…” or “two time heart award winner” lol)

RULES: first and foremost, all stories submitted for nomination MUST be interracial romance. one nomination per category per person (meaning you can’t list three different books for each category, just one!) yes, authors are allowed to vote as well - after all, they are fans too. MUY IMPORTANTE - everything submitted for nomination must have been published (or for free/non-published works, "posted") within a year of when voting ends. (basically the eligibility dates are: the month of august 2008 - the month of august 2009) i’m putting my total trust in you all, so NO cheating! (meaning you can’t nominate a contemporary book in the historical category and you can‘t nominate a book from 2007) and please be as detailed with your nominations as possible, so for example: in the best hero category, nominate mr. so-and-so from the book such-and-such, written by miss ahuh - so that i know who you’re talking about)

WHERE TO SUBMIT: send your nomination picks to: dreamwild1985@gmail.com with “lub-dub” written in the subject box.

DEADLINES: the deadline to submit nominations will be 11:59 PM eastern standard time on Friday, August 21. that gives everyone a little over six weeks to vote. i will tally all of the submissions and the ones with the most votes will make it onto the nomination board (most likely 4 or 5 per category). after all is counted, i will post the nomination list (in multiple locations) that following Monday, August 24 and the voting will begin!!!

CATEGORIES:
Best Hero
Best Heroine
Best Supporting Male Character
Best Supporting Female Character
Best Villian - (can be male or female)
Best Alpha Male
Best Vampire/Warewolf/Shape-Shifter - (can be male or female)
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Best Author of the Year
Best New Author
Best Editor
Best Publisher
Life Time Achievement Award - (do you know of an author that has significantly advanced the interracial romance genre? submit their name!)
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Best Lip-Lock - ( we all love a heartfelt kiss)
Best Love Scene - (only 2 person sex. for three ppl or more, check out the menage cateory)
Best Proposal - (we all love it when the couple says “I do”, pick your favorite down-on-one-knee moment)
Best Fight Scene - (love it when the protective hero, socks the asshole ex in the face? I know I do!)
Best Ménage Twa - (can be any combination of males and females)
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Best Erotica
Best Inspirational
Best Historical
Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Paranormal
Best BBW
Best Mystery/Suspense-Thriller
Best BDSM
Best Western
Best Contemporary
Best LGBT
Best Comedy
Best Series - (can only nominate if one of the books from the series was published during this past year)
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Best Website/Fan-Group/Blog
Best Fan - (know a steadfast fan of interracial romance books that maybe created a fan website or gives great reviews? nominate them!)
Best Choice to Become A Movie - (sure to be a favorite category, which book would you love to see become a movie?)
Best One-Liner - (that one line in a story that’s so f-ing awesome, you wanna share it with the world)
Best Cover Art
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Best Short Story - (less than 20,000 words)
Best Novella - (between 20,000 - 40,000 words)
Best Novel - (more than 40,000 words)
Best Story of the Year - (any length story can be nominated… that’s right folks, short storys can go up against novels)

P.S. i want this be as fun and interactive as possible, so c’mon ladies & gents, hike up those skirts and let’s have a ball!!!

- Maya

one lucky gal!

i was absolutely positive that tonight would be dedicated to my own work and not someone else's. *sighs* that, my friends, was a definite no-go. don't get it twisted, i did do some work. i transferred 50% of my story's corrections from the printed pages to its computer counterpart. so actual editing was accomplished!

that aside...i've discovered the work of yet another talented author. Stephanie Williams, co-author of "Ringside" (which i reviewed in tuesday's post), has written two other pieces that had me glued to my screen. *looks both ways for the writing police* i know i'm supposed to be working on my own shiznit, but how could i possibly turn down two well written stories that had me laughing one second then breathing heavy the next? see, even you don't have an answer...so my semi-slacking was in fact justified, humph!

first i read "Your Local Handyman." nearing a short story in length, this book was a quickie but a goodie! it featured an italian stallion who was damn good with his hands in more ways than one. *fans self* ...shoot, all i can say is miss alexis - the story's heroine - was one lucky gal!

next, i read "Northern Exposure" - book two in "The Three Sisters Series". just as, if not more, enjoyable than "Ringside", "Northern Exposure" was an absolutely awesome read. it was 100% laugh out loud funny (which we all know i love)! and even better, the story was entertaining, engaging, and believable. it touched upon race and nationalism without reading like a history book and the dialogue was hella cute! plussss, i totally want a pair of remote control panties now! i gotta remember to put it on this year's Christmas list *smiles* wanna find out more about super hot remote control panties and the Finnish studs who operate 'em, then go to Red Rose Publishing's website and check out Stephanie William's "Northern Exposure." i promise, you will not be disappointed!

once upon a time...

once upon a time there were two very talented authors who spun fairytales brilliant enough to make any interracial romance fan believe in happily ever afters...

i just finished reading Lena Matthew's "Head Over Heels" and it was SO f-ing good! but really, do we expect anything short of perfection from miss Matthews? like with all of her other books, i found myself laughing and loving from beginning to end!

now, i heard it through the grape vine that "Head Over Heels" is actually one half of a planned re-telling of two classic princess tales. the magical pair's second half is owned by Eve Vaughn's "Mistress to the Beast" - which i gave rave reviews in the post entitled "be still, my heart." released last year, both e-books are available for purchase on the same publishing website. and without further ado, here is Samhain Publishing, Ltd.'s juicy description:

Sometimes you have to make your own happily ever after.

Working at the Glass Slipper is anything but a fairytale for Cyn Elder. After one especially long day, all she wants is to kick off her shoes and put her feet up, but she reluctantly lets her friends drag her out to a new club.

Movie mogul and fledgling club owner Parker Maguire is bored with the Hollywood scene and its plastic women, and the club scene isn’t proving to be much better. Until he finds a sassy woman refusing to back down from his overzealous bouncer.

Cyn is a breath of fresh air, neither impressed by celebrity status nor bowled over by his charisma and wealth. She’s honest, genuine—and arousing in more ways than he could have ever imagined. For once, Cyn puts herself before her shop and lets herself be swept off her feet by a man who pursues her with a delightful vengeance.

Her father’s evil girlfriend and her two lazy daughters, however, see Cyn’s new happiness as nothing more than a threat to their own comfortable lives. Their plot to break the two lovers up could turn Parker and Cyn’s “once upon a time” into a “happily never after.”

Unless Cyn’s Fairy Drag Queen can pull something out of her pink-chiffon sleeve…

and incase you're still on the fence, here's an added warning that i know will have your mouse clicking 'purchase': This title contains hot, dirty, workplace sex; hot, dirty, sauna sex; heck...just hot, dirty sex in general. As well as fairies of the non-magical variety, and dreams coming to life.

1 part black cinderella + 1 part white prince charming + 2 parts fierce & fab fairy godfathers = one heck of a happy ending! and the feminista in me couldn't help but notice and appreciate the fact that this cinderella was sexy, assertive, and very capable. *smiles* can anyone say ab-fab?

schlemeel, schlemazel

*sings* : "one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. schlemeel, schlemazel, hasenfeffer incorporated!"

so, i find myself caught off guard by the wonderful work of an author that doesn't need a Shirley to be a success. i'm talking about LaVerne Thompson. see, normally i hesitate upon purchasing a book that has more than one author. i can't help but be skeptic of two peoples ability to make their 'writer's voice' sound as one. however, i took a gamble about a week ago when i bought LaVerne Thompson's and Stephanie William's "Ringside." and in doing so, i learned that there is definitely something to be said for taking chances. i absolutely adored the story! it was original and heart warming. *smiles* released just last month, "Ringside" has claimed an impressive spot in Red Rose Publishing's bestseller's list - and now i know why. ...cannot wait to read the rest of "The Three Sisters Series"!

unbeknownst to me, after reading that first book, the seed of fandom had been planted. this lead to me to read not just one, but two more of Thompson's stories, earlier today. first i read "Hold On." now, you must know that i'm an absolute sucker for damsel in distress plots, so it didn't take much to sell me on this buy. and surprise, surprise, i was not disappointed. the story's hero was a total knight in shinning armor (or business suit, as the publisher describes). and the heroine is an appreciative mix of capable yet vulnerable. plus the love scenes were tender, and sometimes a reader just wants to have a good "aww."

next, i read "Come To Me." hella cute, this short story left nothing to be desired. its beginning and end points seemed well chosen and the story's pace was perfect. on top of that, oh girl's character development was on point (given the story's length)! from the get go, i was sucked in. and at the end i was left inspired and hopeful. like i wanted to run and tell all the world's singles that there that their 'one' is most definitely still out there!

miss Thompson, you are officially on my radar! *applauds*

thoroughly unrelated post #1

as of late, there has been a series of kettle one vodka commercials on tv. (see videos below)

they all seem to feature the same bunch of super fine white menz. it looks as though any one of them could be a hero in a romance novel. if only one of the marketing execs. had thought to throw some sistas up in the mix...shoot! *sucks teeth, snaps fingers* it would've been on like donkey kong!

now, for your viewing pleasure... *dims lights*

"call me ishmael"

so, i've been hunting this illusive great white whale of publishing submissions known as the synopsis. ...harder to write than the actual story itself, the synopsis has been kicking my ass! really, how can a person be expected to condense tens of thousands of words into a mere thousand or so?

in an attempt to ease my burden, i have written an author's outline. which came out roughly double the size of what my synopsis will have to be, yet drastically shorter than the novella i have written. a perfectionist, i rarely pat myself on the back but i might just have to this time. *pat pat* after hours of mental labor (and some physical) i was able to summarize each chapter into a coherent paragraph or two. however, now i can't possibly imagine whittling my currently four page summary down to less than two pages. yes, every how-to guide i have encountered has stressed the term "bare-bones" but i don't think my synopsis is meant to have an eating disorder. it can't possibly spare the weight-loss...can it?

i know, i know, why should my synopsis get special treatment. submission guidelines are in place for a reason - i get it. yet i hesitate. could it be nerves? i suspect so. all of those horror stories about an author's work being rejected simply as a result of a poorly written synopsis scares the stuffins out of me. however, i will not falter. i am enjoying this writing thing a bit too much to not see it through. ...who knows? maybe someone will actually be crazy enough to publish my shiznit. *fingers crossed* here's a hoping!

be still, my heart!

knock knock
who's there?
great book
great book, who?
great book called "Mistress to the Beast", that's who!

...wooo child...be still, my heart! *fans self* earlier today i read Eve Vaughn's "Mistress to the Beast" and boy was it good! so good that i actually e-mailed the author simply to sing her praises - something i absolutely never do, but should probably get in the habit of. i mean if we, lovers of this genre, don't support each other, who will...

where do i begin? with a brief summary? here's the publishing website's - Samhain Publishing, Ltd. - description of the book:

Can this beauty tame the beast?

Her father’s shop is more than just a family business. It’s the place they lovingly call home. When a powerful property development company stoops to barely legal tactics to force them to sell, Lila’s outrage spurs her straight to the source to fight the injustice.

A serious accident left Hunter Jamison’s body scarred. A bitter split from his latest lover has left the former playboy without faith in the female sex. Yet, confronted with Lila’s fiery beauty, he finds himself offering her a deal: If she’ll be his mistress for three months, he’ll allow her father to keep the shop.

A simple agreement? Hardly. It’s a battle of wills that flares into much more than either of them bargained for—a consuming passion that could heal Hunter’s soul-deep scars…or inflict new ones.

sooo, have i peaked your interest? hope so, because this book is worth the purchase!

last night i accidentally stumbled upon a list i created a while back containing books that were highly recommended on various bwwm forums and i decided to finally purchase one. was so not disappointed! i mean, the fact that on the website the publisher warns: this title contains blackmail, vehicular sex, angry sex, light bondage and graphic language would make anyone want to read it simply out of curiosity.

anyway, i found this list at the perfect time because i've recently encountered a string of disappointing interracial romance novels and it was starting to grate on me, to say the least. i can't tell you all how refreshing it was to read a story that was so engaging, entertaining, and well written that i wanted to print out copies of it and mail it to all the authors of sucky books so that they can see what real writing is all about!

plus, no grammatical errors - now if that doesn't sell you then i don't know what will! *snap snap snap*

economic recession = e-bookin’ it!

hola!

my name is Maya Wilder and i am a newbie writer of interracial romance. in other words, I WRITE SMUT. only a year ago did i stumble upon the interracial romance genre and i believe that it is safe to say i am officially obsessed! enough so that i took on the daunting task of trying to write my own story.

about a week ago i discovered interracial romance in e-book format. *sighs* and like the fiend i am, i have downloaded the hell out of ’em. hubby actually had to create a separate folder for me in a back-up hard drive in order to support my habit. this past year my only option has been amazon, because lord knows the book stores and libraries shun that which is a shade darker than khaki. however, no more waiting for books to arrive in the mail. …i mean we are in a recession, and the price of over-night shipping is no joke. now i order - at a super cheap price might i add - and there it is! no waiting. i just click and the book is all mine! speaking of which…

that’s right folks, it is a weekday at just past 1 am eastern standard time and my un-employed ass is going to go read. …and i will be sure to post a review of the book tomorrow…or should i say later today? *winks*