Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Hot Damn!!!

Recently finished reading a few of Larissa Ione's Demonica stories. 

Absolutely fantastic! 

I discovered her through a friend of mine (Thank you, thank you Marie!) who loaned me these books with a death promise attached (the books are still in terrific condition, I promise). 

Let's see ... Demons, sex, hospitals, slayers, tattoos, hot, hot, scorching hot guys, strong women, edge-of-your-seat plot lines, and did I say sex already? 

It thrills, it takes you aback with surprise at the twists and unexpected events (love stuff like this). 

It leaves you panting and pining for everything that goes on in these pages and, like all good writers do, Ione's stories makes you wish you could be a part of this high-paced and dangerous world. 

I can't say much more as I'd give away the goods, but if you haven't tried her out yet, you MUST read her stories. 

Ahem.

Today. 

Right now.  

You have no excuse. 

And you know you want to ....

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Feeding the Girl Within

I love to read (and write) all types of love stories.  I like dark and angsty, I like drama mixed in, I like paranormal and even the highly erotic and taboo with sex-dripping off the pages in puddles.  Where the orgasms of the characters involved vibrates so intensly I can feel it in my fingertips as I turn the pages.  This feeds the grown woman in me.  The one who's been-there-done-that, or wishes she could (or had) been-there-done-that.

Every once in awhile, however, I like to feed the inner girl within myself.  The one that encapsulates romance with the old-fashioned fairy tales of love everlasting and nervous anticipation.  Don't get me wrong - I'm not talking all innocence or anything.  (Hell, I discovered a Chic magazine when I was only ten years old - I'm not talking about the fashion one, either.  My blindfolds were off a loooong time ago, and I like it that way. *saucy grin*)  No, I'm talking about stories where you can't help but sigh as you read the developing love between the two main characters and when they finally, finally, finally entagle themselves in bed, you smile for them, for the absolute rightness of their joining. 


I recently fed my inner girl and she is dancing in fulfilment inside.  Eloisa James recent book, A Kiss At Midnight, is absolutely splendid.  James is an autobuy for me anyway, but her recent book is a true pleasure if you're up for a change in pace of storyline.  As she states, this story is a true fairy tale, taken from the idea of Cinderella.  The heorine, Kate, is forced by her evil step-mother to masquerade as her step-sister.  She meets the handsome prince and yes, eventually falls in love.  Mix in a menagerie of animals, little "rats," as they are affectionally called, a glass slipper, and lovemaking that makes you place your hand over your heart, and you have your little girl fairy tale all grown-up. 


Give it a try.  If you like historicals, you'll love this new one from Eloisa James!  

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Is this Cool or What! [Otherwise known as Stream-of-Consciousness]

Oh man, my thoughts can waver too easily sometimes.  I opened my blog intending to find a picture of a crowd of people, indicating how many times my head becomes so full of ideas and characters that are all hollering for me to "pick one" to focus a story line around.  Then this picture pops up and wow - my previous thoughts derail and I'm all into this chick. (I'm sorry, this picture is removed. It was an animated portrait of a gypsy, spinning in swaths of colored silk, dancing with a sword.)

What her story is, who she is, why she's a gypsy (or dressed like one ... hmm ... ).  My mind instantly conjures up scenarios of how she came to be where she is and who she's running from ... or maybe she's hunting for someone.  I already know that she is an expert swordswoman and that passion burns in her body.  Passion yet untapped for the perfect man for her as well as passion in her, I was going to say mission, but that's not ringing true for me when I look at her.  When I see her move in my mind.  No, she's in her situation by accident, or by a tumbling series of events that is beyond her control.  Let's see ... she does know how to belly dance.  I'll make her outfit intentional.  Perhaps she's tops in her particular brand of dancing and she was scheduled to perform when simultaneously there are shady dealings going on in the back of the room, or nearby.  Or perhaps it'll be a classic switch scenario where she was supposed to show up at one location but got the address wrong, or the address was given to her wrong ...

The sword is not her own but someone else's.  Or it was a decorative piece that she picked up when the situation turned deadly with the sub-plot.  Or someone thrust it into her hand.  Maybe it is hers and she uses it as a prop in her dancing (I've seen that before and it's really cool).  Yeah, that would make more sense if she does know about swords to have her own.  She keeps it sharp not only for the extra thrill to give her audience the "danger and sexiness" of her performance, but also as self-preservation.  She's been hit on before and has learned to defend herself.

Ah, now I digress to imagining her hero.  He'll be tall and dark (handsome? Of course. :)  I don't know, but personal preference usually has me choosing a darker figure as a hero.  But darker fits for what's swirling through my head.  Maybe he's a good guy trying to bust whatever is going on with the subplot. Maybe he's a part of the deal but internally disagrees with the way things are going down.  A bad guy with a conscious.  Is he taken with the gypsy dancer right away, watching her with hooded eyes from the shadows while she dances, not knowing how she's captivating him?  Or does he blow her off initially, his concern more on the deal that's going down?  No, I like that he's taken with her.  The lithe way her body moves and sways.  Her perfection in her control and the bone-deep sexiness with every pop of her hip and sway of her arms.  She is like sex molded into form and it makes him distracted, something that usually never happens.  And the flash of the sword as she dances with it, balances it, moves it as though it is a natural extension of her body. 

Maybe when the "deal" goes to hell faster than anyone would have thought, the dancer keeps her poise but begins to back off the stage when her way is cut off.  He is torn between taking care of whatever happened where he is and wanting to save her, but is amazed - even though in hindsight he shouldn't have been - at the way she deftly handles herself and remains out of harms way.  And when harm does come her way, how she slices and sways her way out of danger.

Whew.  I think I made my point after all.  Out of the crowds of people and ideas swarming through my mind, SHE has chosen to jump the highest to make herself known to me.  She is already taking a more solid shape in my thoughts, her story invading my waking moments until I can hash through them on paper (or, ahem, on screen). 

All writers begin in different ways.  This is an example of mine.  I don't always work this way, but I love it.  The challenge, the "who's out there," I call to my inner self.  And then the progression.  Like a corporate brain storm, to let myself be free and open to a story yet untold, to let myself see where the characters take me without hemming them in right away.  It's the most exciting ride ever.

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Categorically Speaking...

From grade school, we learned that books are categorized.  Usually by a general theme and then by the author or editor.  It makes life easy to be able to go anywhere, for print or even ebooks, and know that if you're in the mood for horror, look in the horror section.  If you want a book on how to make balsamic chicken, go to the recipe section.  And if you want a love story, go to the romance section.

As a serious reader for many years, especially of the latter genre mentioned, I do know there are a ton of sub-genres within the broad spectrum of romance - and even erotica.  You have your suspense, your paranormal, your multiple partners, for example.  This is still refreshing and even easy.  Sometimes I bet you wish the rest of your life could be so easy to peg.  I know I do. 

What happens, however, when - as a serious reader - you want more than just a thriller to read?  You want to explore a new author, but not just any new author.  Let's say your life is dying for a little laughter.  You want nothing more than to snuggle down with a glass of wine and a love story (or two) that will make you smile and even laugh out loud!  Hey, guess what?  It's hit-or-miss time.  There is no definitive way to tell you if the ensuing story will make you laugh, cry, shiver or shock.  Okay, maybe I'm going overboard.  There are readers' reviews and maybe the blurb can give hints to the emotional content, but it's not always that precise. 

There is nothing I can do about the bookstores out there, but that's okay.  I have my own hovel of books, both print and e-pub, that I can swap around and order them in their own new category - Emotion.