Do you like a nice sexy butt on your kickass fantasy novel cover..?

If so, go read this, it's a hoot! And don't forget to weigh in with your opinion, curious minds want to know ;-)

Wanna trick or treat...?

Happy Halloween everyone! The Romance Junkies fun Halloween contest has begun, so get yourself a cup of coffee and prepare to play and win! :-)

Click on the image below to go the site. Once there you can visit each location and find chances to enter contests and win books. One of the prizes is a copy of UNVEILING THE SORCERESS together with a pouch of wishing stones. (hint: try looking in the magic shop for that one, teehee ;) There's a month until the contests end, so you've got plenty of time to visit all the locations and find all the prizes!

Interested in Juno Books?

Check out this article by blogcritic Katie McNeill. Katie gives a great overview of the line.

Taking stock of the past week

This past week I finally finished up the novella that I'd been working on, on/off, for many months. I loved the couple, but their story (setting and history) was challenging. SWEET-TALKING THE OPOSITION is about two journalists who had a fling in the past, and get thrown together again when they are both sent to cover the launch of a luxurious new Rhine cruiser. In the end I loved how it came out and have my fingers and toes crossed that the editor who requested the full MS will like it too.

After winding that up, I took a day out to do some web updates and other stuff that had been waiting, plus some reading for a pal, and now I’m working on Sven Project number 2, revisions for RECKLESS. I was kind of dreading it, but now I’ve started it I see it’s not such a big scary job after all and actually I’m going to enjoying tweaking it! Happy happy :)

If you’re doing the Sven challenge, or you’re about to begin NaNo, good luck, work hard!

Working out with Sven

Okay, I got up this morning and thought "let's do this!" Well, kind of... :-) I have three stories in my head at present, and it's getting kind of crowded in there ;-) First up there's the novella I'm working on (which is overdue,) then there's the novel that needs revisions (plenty of time, but want to get stuck in,) and finally the novel I need to work on for the rest of the 70 day challenge. Something has to shift.

I have 3 chapters to round up in my novella. Each has one half to two thirds written already. I want it all done by end of Wednesday. So, today is going to be a busy day. Wish me luck.

Here's some inspiration for anyone who is doing the challenge:

Sweating with Sven, and news about RECKLESS

My editor has read RECKLESS and she loves it, which is excellent news. (big smiles here. ;-) She thinks it will make a great summer read, so publication has been scheduled for July 2008. I don’t know much about that side of things, but my agent says this is a big compliment because the summer is a great time for a book to come out. RECKLESS will be “a beach read.” Exciting stuff! I have a few revisions to do, but plenty of time to do them in, so I’m finishing up the current deadline first then I’m going to factor the revisions in to my “Sven” schedule.

If you're doing the challenge, I hope it’s going well. Moving forward here, and the end of this first project is in sight, yay!

Today

Another good day, but as I entered my new total on my word counter I realised this novella is going to be over 25K. That's fine. It was a rough target and mostly my novellas run longer. I have a ways to go with the story, maybe 28 or 30K will round it up. Still hoping to have a full draft early next week. Fingers crossed I can keep this pace up.

Have a great weekend, all!

Blogging, and Sweating for Sven

So the other day someone said “I thought you weren’t blogging at blogger any more?” Well, I wasn’t. But people kept coming here, and I felt like a terrible hostess. I thought I could at least post what I post on Myspace/Amazon Connect. It seems to be different readers than those who check on me there, anyway. So it started up again and then it became a bit more than what I’m doing at the other blogs, partly because of Sven. If you call by you will see posts about my writing life, and various other stuff, sporadic, but at least 2 or 3 times a week.

Meanwhile…Sven has me sweating rather well. My novella is shaping up into something cohesive at long last, and I love this couple. They had me laughing aloud last night (yes, they really do live in my head ;) I always wonder if that is some heinous crime, laughing at ones own writing. Maybe it’s just a sign of madness.

I’ve been working all across the story, but today my goal is to complete chapters 3 and 4.

If you’re sweating for Sven, work it, baby! You’re looking good. ;)

New review for UNVEILING THE SORCERESS

Katie McNeill, who reviews for Blogcritics, has reviewed UNVEILING THE SORCERESS. I'm so pleased with her response to the story! Here's what she had to say:

Unveiling the Sorceress, Saskia Walker’s second novel published by Juno Books, is lush and exotic. I was pulled into the story, unable to set the book down as the kingdoms of Aleem and Karseedia came to life on the page. With haunting imagery and strong characters the story is filled with intrigue and romance that blossoms on the page and captures the reader's attention....The supporting characters are just as finely drawn as the main characters...each is unique and holds a thread that weaves through this intricate tale of intrigue and magic. If you are looking for a quick read that will carry you away to somewhere else, Saskia Walker will take you there with Unveiling the Sorceress.

..read the full review here

70 days with Sven, reporting in

Sven has me sweating, yay! :) Today is day four of the challenge. I hit 3K last night and woke up with a problem solved. Sometimes that happens for me. I can't figure out what's wrong with a piece, I go to sleep and when I wake up I realise what it is. In this case, two short scenes are in the wrong order to achieve their full impact. It's a little thing, but across the novella it will be crucial for the story arc.

The other good news is that my lovely CP has read the first two chapters and loves it, so that really encourages me. I've had doubts and shaky confidence about my writing over the last few months (for various reasons) so I gave a big sigh of relief. Hoping for another good "workout" with Sven today.

If you're doing the challenge - power to your elbow. Get typing! :)

Trailer for SECRETS VOLUME 15

Book trailers are a growing interest, a fun way to promote and lots of fun to be part of! Fellow SECRETS volume 15 author Leigh Court thought it would be cool for us to have one, and the multi-talented Cynthia Eden created it for us. Check it out!

New covers!

First up, here's the cover for RECKLESS, my second contemporary erotic romance, coming in 2008. I love it. It's so perfect for the story, which includes several forbidden midnight trysts on the balcony ;)

At the age of twenty-nine, London valuation expert Katrina Hammond is evolving into a stronger, more sexual woman. When she subsequently finds herself at the center of a struggle for power and dominance between two brothers, she welcomes the darkly erotic charge the situation brings.

Katrina's job is to value a collection of art objects for auction in the Catalonia villa of the Teodoro family, where Sergio Teodoro rules. Sergio is a dominant master who compels her attention. Nicolas, his younger brother - a disinherited artisan - also seeks her out. As Katrina uncovers the subterfuge surrounding the collection, she finds that there is more to Nicolas and Sergio’s battle than meets the eye, and more to her growing allegiances than may be good for her.

And here's an anthology cover, BEST MAMMOTH NEW EROTICA volume 7.



Sexy AND naughty, how can I not approve? :) My short story, WATCHING LOIS PERFORM, was selected to appear in this edition, due out December/January. WATCHING LOIS was originally published in SLAVE TO LOVE, edited by Alison Tyler and Cleis Press.

Seventy days of Sweat challenge

Hi honeys, I'm home! We've been away for a week, sunning ourselves in the Mediterranean. Shame it had to end. ;) It was superb.

The long overdue break did me a lot of good. I'm feeling motivated and now I'm back Wendy/Portia has lured me into joining the Seventy days of sweat writing challenge. It's starting today, so if you're a writer and haven't checked it out, click on the image:



I've got a novella to finish, (currently at 19K) and I'd also like to get the bulk of a novel done by the end date of January 15th. Good luck to all the participants!

More from me soon, I have yummy new covers to post! :)

Old photos with stories to tell

I put this piccie up on Myspace this week because I figured it kind of went with my current publication, UNVEILING THE SORCERESS.

The pic resulted in a bunch of curious email. If you want to know the story behind it, you can read about it here. :)

Love this..

Gotta love this crazy old world we live in....

A convent in Italy is being shut down after a fight between its last three remaining nuns.

Call for submissions

Eredsage has put out a call for submissions.
Go here to read the guidelines.

New ebooks!

Quick update - UNVEILING THE SORCERESS is now available as an ebook from Fictionwise. Yay! It's a very good price too. Click here if you want to take a look or download.

I now have four ebooks at Fictionwise, exciting stuff. Later on in October THE STRANGELING will also go up there as an ebook, and I have a new shortie erotic romance contemporary, WINNER TAKES ALL, coming in November. You can see them all here.

More news from me soon. We're away for a few days next week for a well needed break and I'm madly trying to get stuff done before then, but will post my latest news before I go. Hope you're having a great week!