Writing dilemmas

Last night I hit the two-thirds point on my current WiP, and at the very same moment realised I was going to have to axe a couple of scenes. Grooooaaan!

It happens. I know I’m being more professional than I was back when I started, because nowadays I can more easily identify the stuff that doesn’t move fast enough, material that doesn’t contribute to the story in a powerful enough way to warrant being there. In the old days, I couldn't bear to part with anything that I thought was good, regardless of whether it was moving the plot forward or not. Pretty little scenes that I had lovingly crafted stayed put, whether or not they played their full part. I started to get published when I took a step back...gritted my teeth...and picked up my axe.

Nowadays I mentally go back and interrogate each scene as I'm working. A scene has to be worthy of being there. Even if it looked good in the plotting stage, it has to work in actuality. A story never works out exactly how I plotted it, either the characters lead, or a new idea grabs me. In this case, it was the new idea that meant tightening up. All good stuff, but it’s still hard to axe. :-) Being able to do it is part of being a professional, though. If I can do it, I know I am worthy (laughs) There will, however, be a painful yelp that echoes across the land as my word count rockets down!

Conversely, AGAINST THE GRAIN, my next editing project in the queue, moves too fast at points and needs a small extra scene or two. What would I do without my CP?

I’m missing my blog hopping time. Looking forward to catching up with everyone soon, when I catch up with myself. :-)

Quiet time

This blog might be a bit quiet for the next few days. Two novellas have arrived back to edit - AGAINST THE GRAIN and WHAT YOU WISH FOR - as well as the current WiP to finish in the next couple of weeks. Yikes. Wish me luck!

Congrats to Jane Thompson

I just wanted to blog quickly about my SUPER STAR fellow SECRETS volume 15 author JANE THOMPSON – who is a finalist in the RITAs for her novella SIMON SAYS. Go Jane!!! I’m so proud of her. SIMON SAYS is a terrific read. I sat down one dreary day when I wasn't feeling good and within pages the story had me laughing out loud and unable to put it down. We want lots more of Jane’s stories to read in this world. Give her a clap and a cheer, she deserves it!

Crazy busy here, I’ve been doing a combo of writing, edits and revisions across a bunch of projects here and it got pretty chaotic. Hopefully things will be a little less busy next week and I'll have time for proper blogging. In the meantime many thanks to all of you who called by to read my excerpt and comment!

Excerpt from WHAT YOU WISH FOR

In case I can tempt anyone to an advance peak, I've uploaded a nice juicy excerpt from the paranormal erotic romance I've just sold to Red Sage, WHAT YOU WISH FOR. You can read it HERE. NB: adult content. Have fun!

Advice on writing fight scenes from Angela Knight

Award wining erotic romance author Angela Knight has started a series of posts over at Romantic Times about writing fight scenes. I'll be reading avidly! I find them really hard to write. I knew it was something I’d have to push myself to do, especially when I got a super mail from a fellow author about ALONG FOR THE RIDE, telling me how much she loved the story, but that I should have pushed the first fight scene in the novel further. It was true. I built it up then cut away. Ever since then I’ve challenged myself to do better. Still got lots to learn!

Another new sale!

I’m so pleased to be able to announce this sale, my third novella for the Red Sage SECRETS erotic romance series. This novella, WHAT YOU WISH FOR, was written over a year ago and I revised it last summer. It has been on hold because I was waiting to be assigned to a new editor. I learnt heaps from Judith Pich, my previous editor, but I’ve now been assigned to Cindy Roussos who is also very talented and equally enthusiastic about my work. Cindy contacted me last night to let me know that she loved the story and tell me the good news about the sale. Wooohoo!

WHAT YOU WISH FOR is another favourite of mine. The story is set in Cornwall, where we used to spend holidays when I was between the age of 8 and 13. My imagination was harnessed by Cornish myths and legends, as well as the rugged, incredible landscape. As an adult I attended a wedding in Newquay, the pretty, (surfer’s paradise) harbour town with a dramatic coastline, and that’s where the story is set. I grabbed this photo from google images to show you the famous Bedruthen Steps. This rocky coastline is reknonwed through history, a spot where many a vessel came a cropper. It also has an important role in my story. ;-) Here’s the blurb:

Lucy Chambers loves life in her historic house on the rugged Cornish coast. The only thing that would make it even better is if the sexy man who walked through her dreams every night was real. Little does Lucy know about Cornish magic... Under the watchful eye of the local white witch, Lucy is about to find out about the power of wishes and the vagaries of time. Two centuries before, Cullen Thaine wishes for one last night with an English wench before leaving for the colonies to pay a debt of honour, and then Lucy finds herself in his arms.

She has to be dreaming, right? So why not enjoy the experience? And they do, their mutual passion burning fiercely through Cullen’s last hours on English soil. But fate works in mysterious ways and Lucy finds she can no more face his leaving than she can figure out how she got sent back in time. What will transpire when Cullen confesses he longs to stay in his beloved Cornwall, and can Lucy find a way to make all their dreams come true?

No idea when it will come out as yet, but very happy to have a third slot in the SECRETS series.

In other news, it’s still freezing here and the cat is huddled by my side on the sofa, happily watching the fireplace.

Writing, writing, writing...and planting

I’m swamped here, but things are going well, if a little slowly. I sold a short story that I’ve only just written. Hurrah! That sort of fast turnaround is exceptionally rare in the print world and it did me a lot of good. The story is called A COMPROMISING POSITION and will appear in a Bold Strokes books anthology called EXTREME PASSIONS. As a result, I’m a very happy woman! I’m having a lot of fun with the one I’m currently working on, too, THE IMPORTANCE OF GOOD NETWORKING. I’ll be launching into the second phase of my novella writing tomorrow. The exceptionally naughty bit, so lots of loud industrial dance music will be pumping through my office. Hehehe.

In other news, it has been freezing cold here in Yorkshire and I heard today that March has been colder than December, January or February, something that hasn’t happened here since the 1880’s. How strange is that! We’ve got plants that need to go out, but the frost is making us harbour them indoors for the time being. Yes, picture us surrounded by fledgling plants awaiting the good earth of Yorkshire -- and getting me and loud industrial dance music instead LOL Should make ‘em hardy! :-)

Progress, and fun with beer

March is flying by, and I’ve got so much to do in the next couple of weeks! Eeeek. I'm trying not to panic! ;-) Yesterday I was mostly editing and proofing stuff that's already sold. Back to new stuff today.

Hope you all had a great St Patrick’s day! I had a quiet one, while the Man of the House was out with two old work mates he meets up with on St Pats every year.

Had a great time at the opening night of the Beer festival on Thursday. No Summer Lightning or Witches Brew (awwwww) so I had Moorhouses Black Cat and then some rather splendid Perry from Barkers. Made out like a bandit on the tombola. LOL Bought five tickets got three winners: a bar towel and a pump clip (suggestions for alternative uses on a postcard please) and best of all, a T-shirt in my size. The tombola man handed it over and it had “Harvest Moon” emblazoned all over it. I was made up. Since the new sale to Juno my mind has been filled with moon rituals and female power, so it felt very apt and fortuitous. :-) I shall be wearing it for luck when I’m writing it during May.

When we had a closer look we discovered it’s from a small brewery in New Jersey. We checked the stand that keeps the bottled beers from around the world, but couldn’t locate the beer, alas. Maybe tonight. The grand finale of the festival is tonight so we’re venturing back (to do our bit for CAMRA lol) and sometimes they have different beers out.

The Man of House only won one item on the tombola, and was rather disappointed with his half pint tankard from the 1989 beer festival…until I got it home and pointed out the novelty nudey couple depicted on the front, he cheered up muchly after that. Tut! ;-)

Have a great weekend all.

Supporting the campaign for real ale

Busy day today, got things moving on the last of my to-be-done-in-March projects. (hurrah!) Later on we're off to do our bit to ensure that real ale continues to sell and sell well! The CAMRA beer festival arrives in Leeds today for the weekend and the venue is a mere stagger from our nest.

Ah, the taste of real ale, the camaraderie, the well-meaning backing band, the bizarre tombola prizes. It's always a magical mystery taste tour, but I'm also hoping to see some of my favourites, including Witches Brew and Summer Lightning. And yes, I did name my first ever novella after a beer. :-) Seemed like such a good name...oh and I was drinking the inspirational stuff at the time. Hehe. When I told fellow author Leigh Wyndfield where the title came from and about our love of real ale, she challenged me to write a story called Witches Brew as well. Ha. It may well happen yet. Especially if I've had a few glasses of the stuff...

A new sale!

I’m very excited to announce a new novel-length sale! I’m going to be part of new fantasy romance line, Juno Books. Here's the press release:

Wildside Press announces a new imprint, Juno Books, debuting the fourth quarter of 2006 with one title planned monthly for October, November, and December. Juno: fantasy featuring strong female chracters in richly-imagined contexts with romantic or erotic elements. Initial releases include original novels Jade Tiger by Jenn Reese, Beyond the Hedge by Roby James, and Rags and Old Iron by Lorelei Shannon as well as anthology Best New Romance: Fantasy, edited by Paula Guran.

I’m so pleased -- I can’t quite believe it. I’ll be pursuing my first love in fantasy, alongside my contemporary erotic work. The best part of all, I will be working with award winning editor Paula Guran. (Faint!)

"What Paula Guran doesn't know about the fantasy and horror genres is not worth knowing. A perspicacious editor who knows exactly why a story will or will not sell, she knows the business and the market-place. If she tells you to change something in your manuscript you'd better damn well do it, because she can make all the difference when it comes to selling your story." Graham Joyce

"Paula Guran is the grey eminence behind the world of horror. She is the secret mistress of the genre. Listen to her." Neil Gaiman

So how did this come about? I’d sent Paula my Strangeling novella for consideration for a “Best of” anthology (thinking I didn't stand a chance, but what the hell..) and she asked me if I’d be interested in working it to novel length for this new line. Would I? (Faint!)

Now, remember what I recently said about "submit, submit, submit," this is a case in point about how it can work in mysterious ways... However, I have to admit I thought I was hallucinating. LOL (I have a head cold ;-) I was just delighted. The Strangeling is a total favourite of mine -- the setting, the magic and the characters really got a grip on me. Having the opportunity to expand the world building and story is a dream come true. And because it was published with Loose Id I still own print rights, (one of the many great things about Loose Id,) so I was able to go ahead.

As many of my readers and friends know, I started out writing short horror/fantasy stories for the small press in the UK, under the guidance of Storm Constantine. I’m so excited that I’ll be able to pursue that side of my writing as well. And I guess by now you all know what this news means… yup. Head colds or not, we’ll just have to celebrate…. :-)

About writing

These two quotes about writing tickled me to bits:

"It's an adrenaline surge rushing through your body. You have this spark of an idea that keeps threatening to burst into flames and you have to get the words out on paper to match this emotion or picture in your head. After this comes the work of cleaning up the mess that you made." Janet West

"When we read, we start at the beginning and continue until we reach the end. When we write, we start in the middle and fight our way out." Vickie Karp

I read those words and thought: thank goodness it's not just me! I don't write in a linear way. I do get to a point where I complete a story by working my way through it, but in the early to mid-stages I'm working right across a story and getting key scenes in that will help me characterise strongly throughout. I've already plotted it thoroughly, so I can afford that luxury, and I believe it helps me define my characters. If I capture their reactions to an intense scenario that is vivid in my mind, then I have a stronger idea how they'll perform throughout. The quotes made me smile. Find more HERE.

A smile....

...for those of us who are trying to lose a few pounds.

On giving writing advice

Over the past couple of months I’ve had three readers send me bits of their writing for my opinion. I’d had people e-mail me about writing before then, asking about publishers and places to sub their work to, but this was the first time people had asked for my opinion and sent me some of their work to read. I can only think it’s because my Erotic Readers and Writers Association circle of friends membership went up around the same time. ERWA is a great community for aspiring writers as well as established, and I’m guessing they saw my name there and read about my progression from aspiring to full time writer.

Two of the people wanted feedback on their writing. A third had already had short work published in magazines and wanted to know about how to move from short story to longer fiction and how to get a publisher. When I received these e-mails my hands went up in horror! What on earth do I know? How could I give advice to anyone else?

Then I got a hold of myself. Of course I could help them. I’ve already got a bunch of information on my web site aimed at helping aspiring authors. I could direct them to that and to forums where they might chat with other writers, as well as places where they could see calls for submission. I could tell them what was striking and strong about their work, what I knew would appeal to editors from my own experience, and anything I thought that they could learn from. The person who was already published flummoxed me most of all, but I sat down and logically talked myself into it. After all, I had moved from short stories to longer fiction, the least I could do was just to tell that person how I’d done it.

Anyway, it got me thinking that I should put a link here to my web page of tips and thoughts for aspiring authors, (which also includes links to top writer resources,) recommend the ERWA forums for meeting and exchanging information on writing, and point out the ERWA calls for submission page, a goldmine for anyone starting out and aiming to get their work published.

The best two tips I can repeat here from my thoughts for aspiring writers are as follows:

The magic formula: Read, write, submit, repeat.
If you’re not in you can’t win. Submit your work, but always be prepared to learn from rejection and build from that point.

I’d also add, enjoy your work -- revel in creating fun, exciting stories. If you don’t enjoy it, it will show. Happy writing!

Excited,me?

HELL YES. (laughing!) My first print novel is now listed on Amazon, what a sight. And, you know what, I think this deserves a celebration.. (any excuse ;-)

Making progress

Progressing well today, my novella is now outlined in skeleton form, with a third of the body written. Yesterday I lost all of my writing time to real life stuff, alas. Frustrating! Had some lovely surprises though, a super email from my Bold Strokes Books publisher congratulating all the authors who were listed as Lammy finalists, and a congratulations on my recent sales from an erotica editor/author who likes my work, someone I've admired from afar for a long while. It was such a lovely surprise, and both messages showed me that people really enjoy my stories, something I dreamed of when I first started out. I can’t tell you how much it means to me. Enough already, I’m getting emotional here ;-)

And in other news, this Guardian article on erotic fiction is well worth a peak.

Authors sign books from afar

Incredible stuff, a new invention from Margaret Atwood!

A taster from my work in progress

Here's a taste of my current project, SEX, LIES AND BONDAGE TAPE.

BLURB:
Fitness instructor Kelly Burton is a woman on a mission, and this time it’s sneaking backstage at a rock concert to get super star Clayton Warren's autograph for her friend. What she doesn’t factor in is becoming privy to a big media secret, nor being captured by a sexy security guy who sends her pulse racing.

Backstage security man Tommy Samson’s speciality is sending rogue groupies on their way with a playful spank and a threat, but this woman is responding to his behaviour in an entirely different way and very soon they’re locked in hands-on-combat of an intimate kind, kicking off a sequence of crazy sex games back and forth across London.

When Kelly wants to track Tommy down, she has to resort to being a 'groupie' all over again, shanghaiing Clayton Warren and doing a deal over his big media secret to get hold of Tommy’s contact details. Kelly is a stubborn, independent woman who plays the men at their own games, but it only makes Tommy want more, and what Tommy wants...Tommy goes after.

Want more? Go HERE for an excerpt! (NB: link contains adult content)

Thrilled to bits....

Great news, the anthology, EROTIC INTERLUDES 2: STOLEN MOMENTS, is a finalist in the Lambda Literary Awards erotica category. This Bold Strokes Books lesbian erotica anthology, edited by Radclyffe and Stacia Seaman, features some terrific writers and includes my short story THE LUNCH BREAK. I’m so thrilled!

And to top it all, GHOST IN THE SHELL is about to show on UK TV. I first saw this anime film 10 years ago in an art house cinema in Bradford. The cinema was so small the 20 or so chairs were fold out school chairs. I'm looking forward to seeing it again. Cheers all!

We're in St Moritz

Not really, we're still in Yorkshire. But with several inches of snow, glorious blue skies and blazing sunshine, it could almost be... :-) Hope it's sunny where you are. Have a great day!

Character images

Part of today (a much larger part than I originally planned) was spent hunting down possible images of the central characters in my current work in progress, SEX, LIES AND BONDAGE TAPE. This will be for the web page I’ll be putting together soon for the novella. I usually hunt down this sort of graphic much later on (I haven’t even put the DOUBLE DARE pix on-line yet,) but I felt like doing it this way around, and I thought I’d share what I went for here.

My heroines are always independent, mostly curvy women with long hair, but I decided that this one was going to be different in appearance. The relationship between the hero and the heroine is based on extreme physicality, from the outset. So, I decided early on that Kelly would be a super-fit gym instructor and Tommy a super-fit roadie/security guy -- just to up the stakes, don’t you know. ;-)

Who was I going to have as my Kelly lookalikey? Didn't take long for me to decide that Milla (droooooool) Jovovich was the perfect model for my fit, slightly crazy gym instructor on a mission. So I spent a lot today gazing at photos of the delectable Ms Jovovich, and eventually (what a chore!) I found just the picture.



And for Tommy? I had to have another long, wearying hunt through pin ups, this time of..
Mr Sean Bean.

The fact I found pix of them both in bed is a mere coincidence. Honest, your honour...

FUN link

This fun link courtesy of the dashing Wenlock. Check out your name, or your character names, for sluttiness on the slut-o-meter! Much fun had. And the slutiest name of all in my repertoire was my own. Saskia Walker came in at a whopping 92.9% slutty. What a NAUGHTY slutty lady I am! >:-)

Publisher's marketplace (big grin!)

Fiction: Women's/Romance
Sasha White and Saskia Walker's KINK, an erotic anthology, featuring White's WATCH ME about a married woman, her exhibitionism, and the husband who catches her at it, along with Walker's SEX, LIES, AND BONDAGE TAPE, in which a backstage media secret leads to sex games, to Kate Seaver at Berkley Heat, by Roberta Brown at Brown Literary Agency (world). broagent@aol.com

I used to read these things and never thought I'd see my name there, so if you're aspiring, it can happen, just keep at it. Submit, submit, submit! :-)