Month: February 2010

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Rest and Reward

So far, I’ve read Passion Unleashed and finished Skin Game (I’ve been reading it slowly on my iPhone), and I started Heart’s Blood.  I’ve been writing in my journal by hand.  Oh, I did sort of read through my Greek story (only have 1 chapter), and started reading through the SFR one, but hadn’t really gotten into either. 

Mostly, I’ve been enjoying the silence.

You know, that constant clamor in my head, story A warring with story B for attention, while Gregar is yammering away non-stop. 

It was mostly quiet, and I really was trying to simply turn off the stories for awhile.  I’ve been in the mood to listen to Phantom of the Opera, so that soundtrack has been playing since late last week.  And while listening to those powerful words in the semi-silence in my head, a puzzle piece fell into place for a story that I wasn’t even going to try and write.  (Because I couldn’t figure out the heart of the story, and if I don’t have the heart, why even try to write it?)

Sigh.  So much for vacation, right?  Because somehow, I’ve come out of two days with a new story to work on…

Ironically, its working title is HEARTFIRES.

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Passion Unleashed by Larissa Ione

What a tormented, incredible hero and yet a fun, sexy book!

Larissa is one of the few authors (for me) that can add campy humor and make me laugh out loud instead of rolling my eyes.  I mean, come on, UGH makes me snicker every single time!  I love it!   

The humor helps balance the smoldering intensity of the sex and the bloody action of the plot.  Anyone who’s read the first two books in the Demonica series knows that Wraith is going to burn the page up, and boy does he ever.  

But what I most admire about Larissa’s writing is how she builds these impossible romances.

Wraith is dying unless he steals Serena’s charm.

Serena will die if she doesn’t have the charm.

Although he’s half incubus, Wraith is violently opposed to touching a human woman.  Serena is not only human but also a virgin, and must stay that way, or she’ll lose the charm (see above).

Although he’s half vampire, Wraith despises all vampires because of the torture he received at their hands.  So of course, he must use his vampire skills not only to win the huge external conflict of the story but to also keep Serena alive.

Seriously, you have to wonder how she’s going to pull this romance off, even though we know they’ll end up together in the end.  Oh, and by the way, there’s this really bad guy who’s trying to kill them all and the whole world at the same time.

My only complaint — at myself, let me assure you — is that I can’t remember all the plot details from the first two books.  In my older age (combined with my brain being stuffed with my own storylines), I just can’t always remember who the characters are who show up again, and there is quite a bit of cross over.  However, Larissa beautifully explains who people are for the befuddled with poor memories like me.  Not an infodump or a huge backstory that slows the plot down — just a nicely dropped few lines about where we’ve seen this bad guy before.

And of course, a few lovely scenes with Lore to make me slobber for his book, Ecstacy Unveiled.

Well done, Larissa!

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State of the Writing

January was a busy month of revisions.  I completed not one, not two, but three major revision passes on three different manuscripts.  All are now submitted and the waiting games begin.

Turning in Return to Shanhasson was a major milestone.  The first project I ever completed was Rose…and now that story is complete.  It’s an incredible feeling.  Of course, I’m not done with the Blood & Shadows world.  I have another Keldari novella I want to write, and I have notes and ideas jotted for both of Shannari’s daughters (although it’s been years since I touched them, so likely won’t be able to use much at all).

It’s time for a NEW story to take over.  Thanks to some of my decisions in January, I have two stories I want to write in the next few months.  One is a short and tight romance; the other is a longer, detailed kickoff to a world as big as the Blood & Shadows world.  Since it’s so large, I think I’ll try to get the short work done first, while I make notes and get organized in the SFR world.

That will be my main direction for first quarter of 2010.  Of course, I’m hoping to have new contracted works to announce, and that means revisions and promo and more giveaways.  We’ll just see how all that unfolds.  Right now, I have no scheduled release dates to announce, other than Dear Sir, I’m Yours coming in print April 1st.

Speaking of which, I’m in the building stage for Vicki’s story, Victor and Conn’s sister.  I’m hoping to write that book this year, if I can get her heroes to show up.

But first, I’m rewarding all my hard work since NaNo last year, and I’m going to wallow in reading.  First up, Larissa Ione’s  Passion Unleased and Ecstacy Unveiled, Gail Dayton’s Heart’s Blood, and hopefully Stephanie Tyler’s Hard to Hold.  I have so many other books on my TBR tower that I’m afraid to look, but for sure these are a few I’m hoping to read this month.

Don’t forget to vote for The Road to Shanhasson as the best book of 2009 here!