Blogging, and I

I haven’t blogged in a while and I always feel guilty about that, even though I think all my visitors know by now that I’m not all that big on blogging. ;-) Coincidentally I was reading Cecilia Tan’s livejournal and she mentioned she was on a couple of panels at Wiscon. The subject of one of them was blogging. This made me chuckle:

Time To Put Down The Laptop?

Everyone and her sister/brother/dog seems to be blogging these days. Do you find blogging a waste of creative energy and a bane to more polished fiction? Does talking about your process keep you from engaging in it? Counting your words rather than crafting them? Or do you think this is a false economy of scarcity? Does blogging actually help you write more, better, faster, better-crafted? If so, how?

Interesting to see a discussion panel with those questions, isn’t it? I'd love to know which way the majority of writer-bloggers think they veer.

I have to say I don’t believe blogging has ever made me write faster or better -- sometimes reading other people’s blogs has, though, when I learn something new from their experience. Neither have I become addicted to blogging, or feel it takes precedence over my fiction. That’s mainly because I'm not a great blogger. :o) I can see how it could be all those things to someone, and I enjoy reading blogs where the writers are on a real roll with it. For me, it’s not that kind of pastime. At the root of it is the simple fact that I’d rather be writing fiction. However, I do enjoy having it as an extra news channel, a place to chat about things on my mind if the need comes up, and have a bit of fun, post my news or share a smile.

.So, what have I been up to? House stuff, garden stuff (the sun did shine for a few days there,) html, preparing for RWA, reading, going out, sorting promo for RECKLESS, and most importantly I’ve been writing across three stories! Yay! :) Going good there. I have a couple of days away from the desk coming up (writer meetings, fun and exciting stuff!) so I’ve been “making time” as dear old Withnail would say.

Oh, I do want to post here soon about two fabulous books I’ve read, as well as what I've been working on myself. Right now I have to get a shift on. I’m meeting with Wendy/Portia and Rosemary Laurey tomorrow and I’m very excited that I’ll be in such great author company! I may make a fool of myself and dribble my coffee while grinning at them both in awe, but let's hope not.

More from me asap. Hope you’re all having a great week!

Naughty lady!

Possibly my favourite lolcat to date.

The Romance Studio review RECKLESS

I know it's very unsophisticated of me, but I'm squeeing over this review. :)

Katrina Hammond is tired of living life cautiously. She wants to experience life on the edge, recklessly. As if she summonded him into her office at the London auction house, in walks Sergio Teodoro, a dark, highly dominant and sexy man who has her totally at his mercy with a few sensual strokes of his hands and whispered words of heat and need. He has singled her out to travel to Spain to catalog his family's well-known, priceless art collection.

Surprises are in store for Katrina when she arrives in Spain. Enchanted by the beautiful town, on a beautiful evening full of fun and merriment, she meets the mesmerizing Nicolas, Sergio's disinherited younger brother. He sets her heart racing and her blood pounding even as she pushes him away. Tensions run high and the heat turns up as tempers flare between Nicolas and Sergio with Katrina in the middle. Things aren't what they seem at the Teodoro Villa. Secrets, missing items, copies of highly prized art, a highly volatile Sergio, an intense Nicolas, and whispers of right and wrong are confusing Katrina. She finds herself racing to unravel the secrets that have put her in danger.

Reckless is an erotic, suspenseful novel that leaves the reader on edge. The lush, descriptive detail moves the story at a nice even pace, with each question the reader might have neatly cleared up by the author. Each of the main characters are intensely believable and the secondary ones help to put the story lines into perspective. The dialog flowed, the emotions either intense or light and flirty as needed. Each love scene is charged with a sense of danger, tension, and erotic heat. With a climactic ending and a blossoming love, Ms. Walker leaves the reader clamoring for more Reckless. Shannon, for The Romance Studio

Check out Sensual!

Check out Sensual! I’m helping to spread the word about the newly redesigned website Sensual. If you like your romance novels on the steamy side, you’ll love this site. It’s full of reviews, interviews, excerpts, information on the newest print and ebooks and lots more. You can even win books and other goodies. So check it out. http://sensual.ecataromance.com

Authors, you can spread the word too! If you’d like a chance to win one of 20 Cover Ads and get a shot at a fabulous grand prize (a 3 Pack of their huge billboard ads - a $100 value!) just repost this blurb on your blog or website. Then stop by Sensual and leave a link to your post. All authors are eligible to enter and win so why in the world wouldn’t you? See their site for more information and official rules: sensual.ecataromance.com/?p=688

I’ll see you at Sensual!

First reviews for RECKLESS!

Here's are some snippets from the first reviews for RECKLESS:

What started out as the opportunity of her career turned into a surreal nightmare. Katrina Hammond helps people sell their art collections. When a handsome Spanish collector asks for her to help catalog and sell his families collection, she can’t resist. And who would want to? This is her chance to show her employer what she’s made of, as well as her coworker and ex-fiancé, Henry. Besides, Sergio is hot!

What looked like a textbook assignment quickly became cloudy with lies and deceit. Why wouldn’t Sergio get the proper paperwork signed by his father? Wasn’t Sergio a little volatile and unpredictable when asked certain questions? Enter Nicolas, the devastatingly gorgeous, and according to Sergio disowned, younger brother. He hasn’t spoken to his father in two years. Why is he now shadowing Katrina’s every move?

This was a really intriguing mystery. I had clues as to what was going on, but certainly *didn’t expect what the author revealed at the end*. The relationship developed at a steady pace, and the sex was steamy. Definitely a good read to invest your time in. Reviewed by Chris for Night Owl Romance.

The line I've highlighted acutally made me whoop aloud and beam from ear to ear! The mystery element was a big part of the challenge I set myself and I was delighted with that response. The reviewer at Just Erotic Romance Reviews, on the other hand, had a very mixed response. She said she was "disgusted" by my reckless heroine, (not good,) but then later goes on to say some very positive things:

Then the mystery started unfolding, the plot thickened, our heroine blossomed, and the confusion over which brother was the hero and which was the villain made the story exquisitely interesting. The book was enjoyable, the tension high, and I found myself really caring about the characters, including and especially Katrina. The sex is tortuously tender and the hero very in control of making certain the heroine enjoyed every second, which made reading the scenes a steamy experience. Karen Haas, for JERR

And finally, from Coffee Time Romance:

Reckless is a thrilling read that keeps the reader engaged. Katrina, Nicolas, and Sergio heat the pages like a match burning every page. The world that the three share is fascinating. I loved the setting and atmosphere especially when Katrina gets to the country home. Saskia Walker creates passionate characters that almost grab the reader and pulls them inside the pages. With a great plot, she weaves a tale that is hard to put down. The way she molds the characters into the storyline is cleverly done and the secondary characters add great finesse to the theme of the story, making it a superb read. Cherokee, Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance

My week

It's been a good week here! I've been moving forward with the new MS, INESCAPABLE, (totally immersed now and loving it,) and I have a short story ticking over as well. And the sun has been out, which is the best news of all!

There's also lots going on to do with the RWA conference in July, and especially fun is that the dinner and party event invitations are arriving and my schedule is filling up fast. The whole event is going to go so quickly, but I'm determined to enjoy every moment! The only downer is that Mark isn’t coming too, and we've both been feeling that with the events being timetabled. He’s been such an important part of my career I'm seriously gutted he can't be there with me to “schmooze with authors” (as he would say. ;-) Our budget just wouldn’t stretch for another flight ticket to SF. We're determined that we'll go over together next year, though, whether to RT or RWA.

It's only 6 weeks or so until RECKLESS is published and reviews have started to come in over the last few days. It's always an exciting and nerve-wracking time in the run up to a novel coming out, and this is no exception. With every novel I write I set myself new challenges, and with RECKLESS I tried to achieve several things I'd never done before. My editor called it "a wonderfully compelling read," but I'm still very nervous about this stage. I'll post some of the comments I’ve had over the weekend.

Friday is date night around here and I've got a heap to do before then, so.. gotta dash. More news and chat over the weekend. I'm behind on stuff like email and Myspace so, if I owe you, I’ll get there soon. I'll leave you with this piccie because it made me chuckle. For some reason it made me think of certain times negotiating our way through this curious life… ;o)

Apparently I have a kindle book

We’re home, and we had a terrific short break in York! We visited the gardens and the art gallery, and we had lots of good food and good wine. Oh, and we shopped :) The weather was glorious, which is always a bonus. We came back feeling refreshed, and I'm fired up about my writing. I’m working on my novel length called INESCAPABLE, and enjoying it immensely. More about that soon.

It’s amazing how much email 48 hours can accumulate, though. I’m still playing catch up. I had an interesting google alert -- apparently I have a kindle title! My futuristic novella, AGAINST THE GRAIN, is listed. There’s been a lot of talk about Kindle so it was fun to see something of mine listed there.

In reading news, I’ve just finished up Jina Bacarr's NAUGHTY PARIS, an exciting erotic romance time travel set in the Impressionist period of art history. Jina's writing style is dynamic and vivid, and I enjoyed the novel immensely. While I was away Cynthia Eden's HOTTER AFTER MIDNIGHT arrived, and I can’t wait to get stuck into this one. Cynthia is a fellow Red Sage author and a terrific storyteller. I’ve been anticipating this title for some time. (rubs hands in glee! :)

I hope you’re doing okay and enjoying summery weather, as we are here.

Away from desk

We're off an a short city break to York. Back on Friday. See you then!

Coming very soon in print: ALONG FOR THE RIDE

ALONG FOR THE RIDE will be available in print from Total-E-Bound around the middle of this month and is now available for advance order from Amazon in the UK! US readers will be able to get it Stateside, no overseas shipping. It's already listed on Amazon.com here, and should be ready to order soon.

ALONG FOR THE RIDE was my first longer publication and has been available as an ebook for almost three years. It's a ménage a trois story and it's probably still my naughtiest erotic story. :) If you'd like to read an excerpt and reviews, go here.

And just check out the cover flat, the colours are gorgeous!

Writer, growing and changing

I feel as if I've gone through a big change in my approach to writing over the last year and it's a good feeling, so I thought I would post about it.

During 2007 I made a conscious effort to spend more time on my novel-length ideas and a wee bit less on short stories. It was a hard transition, and after a while I realised that short stories had become a comfort blanket to me. Bit of a shock, tbh! I had to admit it to myself, though. I'd started out as a short story writer, and once I'd had a few accepted and published it felt safer and less scary than the novel-length world that also tempted me. :) Shorts also give a sense of achievement in a smaller space of time, and that can be such a lure when dealing with all the doubts and insecurities that crop up... But I *wanted* to spend more of my time on my novel length ideas.

Last year it was a struggle, a battle, but this year it seems to have happened, and I’m so pleased! How did I do it? I’m not sure. :) Perhaps it was a natural transition, or maybe it took me a year to rearrange my thinking..? I did spend a lot of time pulling together my novel-length ideas before Christmas, and drafting outlines. Perhaps that was it.

I’ll never give up writing short stories –- aside from anything I think shorts are the best possible promo a writer can do. In fact, I’ve been quizzed more than once by other writers as to why I write short stories for a small fee, and I always respond by pointing out it gets my writing in front of hundreds of readers, who might then go on to buy more of my work. Shorts are a terrific way to learn, and to gain a readership, but the only way I can learn and grow as a novelist is to keep writing longer work and keep challenging myself.

I’m excited, because when my mind has been idling, it's always on the bigger stories. I'm brimming with thoughts about the two novels I’ve got open right now: Inescapable (a contemporary erotic romance) and Rampant (a paranormal erotic romance.) So, wish me luck –- I truly feel as if I’m entering a new chapter in my writer’s journey. Exciting!


more cat pictures

WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS contest winner

Many congratulations to the authors of WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS on their publication day, and many thanks to all those who commented and entered the contest to win a free copy!

The winner is: bamabelle. Please email me (link on the menu) with your postal address. Thanks!