Jennifer Lyon

Archive for October, 2015

« Previous Page

Wednesday, October 14th, 2015
Wednesday Worthy

So this guy shows up for Wednesday Worthy Tryouts (yes, I know, it’s a tough job, but I do it for all of you <g>) And all I can think of — is what is he planning to do with that chain????

Attractive hunky black male bodybuilder doing bodybuilding pose in gym with iron chains over shoulders

So now that I have your attention, do you think he’s worthy?

Monday, October 12th, 2015
Weekend Roundup

It turned out to be a whirlwind weekend. Saturday was awesome at my local RWA Chapter meeting. Deb Werksman, and editor for Sourcebooks, spoke in the morning. Her talk relied heavily on data, and what Sourcebooks can do for an author’s career. I liked her, and think Soucebooks is innovative and motivated.  In the afternoon Lauren Dane spoke–she was fresh, passionate and so funny. She warned right off the bat she was going to use some of “those words” while discussing writing hot sex scenes. But she did it so well, I didn’t see anyone taking offense.

Her overall point was that the sex scenes should be woven so deeply into the emotional fabric of your book, so that you literally can’t remove the sex scenes without ruining the book. Otherwise, why have them at all? I’ll recap what I remember, but I am paraphrasing from memory not quoting as I didn’t take notes:

–Make sure the sex scene has a purpose related to the theme of your book.

–Sex must change characters in some way: They learn something about themselves or their partner, one of them exposes secret or has an emotional revelation. Something that leads to character growth and touches on the theme of the book.

–Keep the scene concise, take out every extra word or action. For example, we don’t need a play by play of using protection when one mention will do the job. Unless the protection is part of the characterization in some way. She went off on a wickedly funny point about a possible latex allergy that had everyone snorting laughter.

–Dialogue. If the characters are talking, make sure they stay true to their character. So a former Marine isn’t likely to use silly names for parts of his anatomy. Language is important. On the other hand, a former Marine who never swears can be very interesting. Just make sure you know your characters and keep them true to themselves.

— Most people know what sex is, and most adults have sexual experience. Don’t make it so unrealistic that the reader is bored, rolling their eyes, or worrying about “chafing” The chafing comment created another burst of laughter. She had perfect delivery on that, LOL!

Those are just a few things. Lauren did a great job of outlining the intimate and very human connection of sex, and how if an author is going to have it in their books, make it significant and real, while staying true to who the characters are.

And now I must get more of her books just because I liked her. She also had a really cool Mac laptop that I am jealous of :-).

Saturday was a great day, I got to see a lot of friends and had a great time, but man, I came home exhausted. Then Sunday we celebrated Special K’s birthday and had more fun. All that was great, but the heat is getting to me and I think, most everyone else here in California.

Now I’m just begging for time to write.

Oh, and a week from today SOUL MAGIC releases!

How was your weekend?

Friday, October 9th, 2015
Happy Friday!

So I went shopping yesterday to find some clothes. Uh…have clothes suddenly shrunk due to global warming? No?? This is Wizard’s fault!! Ever since he retired, he’s been all, Let’s go to dinner! How about breakfast? I’ll buy donuts! Witch, you haven’t baked anything lately, make me some cookie? Or something I’ve heard over and over in the last year, Just eat it, we only live once.

Wizard did this!

And did he get fat??? Of course not.

Let’s talk about something else. This weekend is busy (and calorie laden). First I have my Romance Writer’s of America’s Chapter Birthday Bash. Lauren Dane is speaking. And even better, I get to see old friends–I’m happy about that. Then Sunday we are celebrating Special K’s (Oldest son’s wife) birthday. We’re going to dinner and she has requested lemon pound cake. And I’m hoping to write a blog (for Monday)  on the Business Side of Writing. It all depends if I get enough time to get my thoughts down in a coherent format.  Plus I want to work on my book.

That’s my weekend, what do you have planned? TGIF English Bulldog

Wednesday, October 7th, 2015
Wednesday Worthy

Whew, okay we got Blood Magic launched with one small glitch (so far).  On the print copy of Blood Magic, which I had set up for weeks, they decided the night before release they needed proof that I held the copyright.

But you know what? I am NOT mad. Nope, I am GRATEFUL. Sure it may have cost me sales, but Create Space is clearly working to prevent piracy and I applaud and support that wholeheartedly. So that glitch is one I don’t really mind. I had all the documentation so they cleared it last night and hopefully it’ll be back on sale today.

And hopefully the next three books release on their dates with the same ease :-) Sometimes, all the prep work and agony really do pay off.

Now I’d like to take a moment to thank all of YOU for helping with promo. I appreciate that so much! I see most of it, and every time, I am truly grateful. Word of mouth (even via social media) is the most powerful tool we have to spread the word about books. Reviews also help tremendously. So thank you!

I’m also working on the new book. It’s slow but when I do actually focus, I’m really falling for Justice and Liza Beth.  But man, I wish I could warn these two what is coming down the pike for them. There’s a little part of me that’s yelling, “Guys, watch out!” But if I warn them, I doubt they’d listen any more than my kids ever listened :-)

Now for our Wednesday Worthy. I’m frankly bored with the selection of guys. And with that stellar and exciting introduction…here’s our candidate:

handsome young bodybuilder showing of his fit body and muscles

So what do yo think, is he worthy?

Monday, October 5th, 2015
Re-Release Day! &Weekend Roundup

It’s here!! After all the work and worrying, Blood Magic has re-released for 99¢!

desperation most vendors

Kindle / Nook / iBooks / Kobo / Google Play

Amazon Print

 

If you want to enter the $25.00 Amazon Gift Card Contest, here is the entry widget:

http://Blood Magic Re-release

Now onto chatting. My weekend was good. Friday night we celebrated Biker Witch (my sister) and her Biker Hubby’s birthday, and that included some lemon pound cake :-) It was a fun night. I’m also writing a little bit, and of course, spending time on Blood Magic’s re-release. It’s amazing how distracting it is. Even the second time around, I worry about the book.

But then Middle Son’s girlfriend texted me a picture that helped me take my mind off it. Unfortunatley it’s a bit blurry and I had to cute middle son out of it (I really didn’t want to!) but here’s Bailey dog. It seems Middle Son and Girlfriend were having a date night on their patio, and Bailey had to get right in the middle of it.

Bailey ready for a chat

Yes, Bailey is spoiled now that he’s getting older. But look at that face…who can resist?

How was your weekend?

Friday, October 2nd, 2015
Welcome Niki Daninger! Guest Post Interview

We have a new feature today – Guest Blog/Interviews. And here to launch it is Niki Daninger (aka Ban) with her very first release! Niki wrote a short story that is part of an anthology collection titled: BEWITCHING DESIRES: A SAVANNAH COVEN ANTHOLOGY

Micah's Mess cover 12032181_1623094491290087_338278726545482248_nNiki has graciously agreed to let me interview her hero, Micah. Okay maybe I begged, because once I found out he’s a witch, I just had to talk to him. I knew you’d all want to hear from him too. So grab yourself a cup of coffee or tea (or wine or martini, we don’t judge here) and settle in for a fun interview with the hero of MICAH’S MESS by Niki Daninger.

Jen: Hi there Micah. Thank you for stopping by today.  I know you’re busy, so I’ll jump right in with the first question. From the blurb of Niki’s book in the anthology, MICAH’S MESS, it looks like you’re a witch. That’s cool, but all of us here on the blog need to know–are you a hot witch? Like the kind of hot that could entice us to get on the back of your bike and ride off into all kinds of sexy trouble?

Micah: No one would ever mistake me for some pre-teen wizard, waving a wand around, if that’s what you’re asking. I’ve turned more than a few heads, and I’ve seen my share of fights because of it.

Jen: What’s the deal with you wanting to take over the Savannah Coven? Do you really feel you’re the best leader for the coven or do you have ulterior motives that make you a bad boy kind of hero?

Micah: Would I the best leader? Probably not but I’d be better than my sister. No one wants this more than I do. No one has worked as hard as I have— Hell, I’ve memorized every single one of my grandmother’s potions. Now SHE was a leader. Someone has to honor her memory. That someone should be me.

Jen:  Tell us about this angel who gets in your way. Is she hot? Are you thinking about her when you should be thinking about your goal?

Micah: Isa is beautiful in the way that makes breathing hard so yeah, she’s a distraction. And that’s why I didn’t want to take her with me.

Jen:  What is your favorite part of Micah’s Mess?

Micah: My favorite part… good question. I guess it would be learning I can be more than I have been.

Jen:  Since you were “born” in Niki’s mind, maybe you could leave us with one thing about Niki that we probably don’t know about her.

Micah: Well, she just put this on her bio page but— Niki never wanted to be an author. She hated writing growing up! She loved reading but she’d rather take 100 tests than write a paper, even a creative one. Me and the others ‘living’ in her mind took care of that ;)

Jen: And last, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?

Micah: Yeah, don’t let your past define you. You can be the person you’ve always wanted to be. Life starts anew every morning. Don’t give up or in. Ever.

Great advice! Thank you Micah for coming by today! It’s been a pleasure to have you here. But one word of caution. All the witches who hang out here REALLY like hunky guys. Beware of innocent looking women offering you cookies…more than one hunk has fallen for that trick and ended up under a witch’s love spell until she decided to release him.

If you’d like to get to know Micah, pick up a copy of BEWITCHING DESIRES: A SAVANNAH COVEN ANTHOLOGY and check out Niki’s story in there!

bd-cover

Amazon Kindle  /  B&N Nook

 

Author Bio:

Niki's author pic 12026696_1623094637956739_582126088_nNiki grew up reading fantasy books, day-dreaming about elves, magic, magnificent beasts and worlds that only she could visit. Those imaginings were sketched onto every piece of paper she could find. After High School she went to Manhattan, majored in art, and planned to enter the field of animation but that was not to be. After college, she moved to Pennsylvania, found her husband, and had two daughters. But those stories kept coming back to her and she took up pen and paper for a different purpose. To write. Inspired by her author friends, she joined NaNoWriMo. That’s when her dreams took a new turn. They became insistent. The ideas and characters that had slowly taken up residence in her mind demanded their stories be told. Micah’s Mess is Niki’s first short story, but she hopes to finish her current WIP soon, so she can share more of her dreams with those who have supported and encouraged her over the years. Find Niki on  Facebook  or her Blog

 

« Previous Page

JenniferLyon.com