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Guest Willa Edwards

I’m so honored to have Willa Edwards on my blog today, and teary-eyed from the wonderful things she has to say!  Please help her celebrate her debut release, Naughty List!  She’s offering a free copy for commenters, too. 

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I’ve wanted to be a writer ever since I realized you could earn a living making up stories (still working on that part). When I was fourteen years old I accidentally bought a romance novel, and had a revelation. All the stories I’d been writing, that I’d been calling paranormal, horror or mystery, were really romances. I was a romance writer.

I had a similar revelation a year and a half ago when I met Joely in a writers group and purchased her novel “Dear Sir, I’m Yours.” My writing style evolved and a dove head first into the epublishing world.

Today I stand before you on the release date of my very first publication. And I definitely feel its due in part to Joely. To her amazing work that shows the sweet and spicy side of all relationships, her bravery to write the truth (even if she has to do it with her eyes closed) and the support she lends so selflessly to other authors.

In honor of all Joely’s done for me I wanted to give a way a copy of my release, Naughty List, here today. Leave a comment and throw your name into the Santa cap. I’ll pick a winner at the stroke of Christmas.

Eric has been in love with Callie since the day they met, one month after someone else put a ring on her finger. Since her engagement ended Eric has been biding his time, waiting for her to be ready. Until he finds a naughty list of Christmas wishes hidden between her couch cushions with his name on the top.

He’s willing to do anything to make Callie happy, including take on the role of dominant Santa Claus and spank her to a blow-your-stockings-off orgasm. But is she ready for everything he wants? Does she want his love?

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Vicki for Christmas

Santa came early and brought me a Kindle!  Lookie what I’m reading on it….

Yes, that’s Vicki I’m reading on my new Kindle. I absolutely love that I can e-mail my own Word file and read it on the device. I’ve always liked to read outside of Word – often using view as html on Gmail. It helps me get a new perspective on the book and I see different errors. Plus it feels so much more like a finished project!

I’ve already made two revision passes through Vicki. The hard one, and then the easier one on the Kindle. She’s off to visit a few friends over Christmas. If you’re absolutely dying to have Miss Vicki stop over by your place, please e-mail me.

The hardest part of having a Kindle?  Keeping it away from the monsters!  All of them have already read a book on it, from Junie B. Jones to Black Beauty.  They LOVE it!

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Review: Hurt Me So Good

MacKenzie of Blackraven Reviews has named HMSG a Recommended Read (review)!

Ms. Burkhart has certainly put herself in a class above the rest with this story. To be able to write such intensity, emotion and drama, and to have the characters remain loving and devoted, was amazing to see. It’s so rare in these types of storylines and that’s a sad thing. I wish more authors were willing to put their skills to the test this way, but I have a feeling the results would be nowhere close to the same.

If you can, stop by Blackraven Reviews and vote for HMSG for top book of the week.  Voting is open until midnight EST Sunday, December 19th.

Thank you so much, MacKenzie!

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Happy Release Day Giveaway

My friend and accountability partner, Jenna Reynolds, is celebrating another release today from Ellora’s Cave:

Tis the Season to be Kinky

Melissa enjoys indulging in spicy roleplay scenarios with her sexy lover, Colin. Doctor, patient. Professor, student. Plumber, housewife. When Colin dresses up as Santa, Melissa is surprised by the visions of naughtiness that dance through her head. After sharing one of her more risqué roleplay fantasies, she has a pretty good idea what he has in store for her following his firm’s holiday party.

What she doesn’t know, however, is that Colin has invited one more person to take part in her racy roleplay scenario. His good-looking, lusty and very hot friend, Jake.

It’s definitely the season to be kinky.

To celebrate Christmas and her release, I’m giving away a copy!  Comment on this post to throw your name in the hat by midnight, Friday, Dec. 17th CST.  I’ll pick a winner and announce it on Sat.

Merry Kinkmas!

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Recipe: Beef Stew

On a cold winter night, there’s nothing better than a steaming bowl of humble beef stew.  Usually I just throw all the ingredients in the crock pot, but this time I took a few extra steps.  Boy, am I ever glad that I did.  This was hands-down the best stew I’ve ever made.  I usually use a packet of dry onion soup mix and a can of cream of mushroom soup, but this tastes waaaaay better, and you don’t end up with all those questionable chemicals/ingredients in the pre-boxed stuff.  The kids weren’t real thrilled when I set bowls of brown stuff before them for dinner (Princess Monster even commented that it looked “nasty”), but there were no complaints after the tasting began.  In fact everyone had seconds and there almost wasn’t enough for the grown ups to have lunch the next day!

Beef Stew

2-3 lbs stew meat, chopped into 1″ chunks
1/2 c. flour (for dredging, with salt and pepper to taste)
oil to brown the meat
1 onion, chopped (finely for me, because the kids always moan in despair if they get a chunk)
garlic cloves to taste (I think I used 5 – we like garlic!)
1 c. red wine
1 c. beef broth (I made mine with those nasty salty cubes because I didn’t have anything else on hand)
potatoes, carrots, peas, etc.  whatever your family will eat
salt, pepper to taste
bay leaf

Toss the chopped cubes of meat in the seasoned flour and brown in a little oil.  I used butter in my cast-iron skillet.  Keep the meat in a single layer and take the time to turn each piece to get it evenly browned.  The meat doesn’t have to be cooked all the way through.  After they’ve browned, drop the cubes into the waiting crockpot.

Add another T of oil in the same pan (to keep all those yummy fried bits) and cook the onion and garlic until softened and flavorful.  Spoon them into the crockpot and then deglaze the pan with the wine, stirring up the browned bits into the sauce.  Pour over the meat in the crockpot.

Add the chopped veggies and the broth.  You don’t need a lot of liquid since this is cooking in a crockpot (you don’t want the meat to “boil”) so don’t worry if it doesn’t look like “stew” yet.  As the veggies cook down, more flavor and liquids will release into the broth.  You can always add a bit more broth if desired, and if you end up with too much, add some cornstarch at the end.

Cook on low for 8 hours (or longer) or high for 6 hours until the meat is fall-apart tender.  Serve with buttered bread or biscuits. 

Pray you have enough for lunch tomorrow!

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Dom vs. Domme

There’s a general consensus in the “what sells best” gossip that I listen to that femdom books don’t sell as well as the male dominants.  Let me be quick to clarify that I’m still going to write the book I’m thinking about and then I’ll see if it’s accepted or not.  I won’t NOT write the book just because I don’t think it’ll sell as well as Conn.

To be specific, I’m talking about Mal’s book.  You first meet “the Mistress of Dallas” in Victor’s HURT ME SO GOOD and she ends up hurt and angry at the end.  I’ve known about her hero for awhile and they first meet in Vicki’s book.  The whole reason I’m talking about this now is because I’m working on a new scene where Mal first gets her hands on him, hopefully setting the stage for her book.  It’s seen through Jesse’s eyes–so you don’t get this hero’s feelings first hand.  Needless to say, Mal manages to scare the shit out of him, but…he can’t walk away.

I was talking about this scene to an author friend, and she said her publisher doesn’t even touch femdom books.  I was like, really?  According to personal reader taste, I know there are tons of ways any book could go that I personally wouldn’t like, including femdom.  But Mal’s story…  I think it’ll be hot. 

As I told my friend, it takes a very special sort of tough alpha male who’s actually willing to go on his knees for his lady.

Anyone who’s read Return to Shanhasson (early) knows what kind of hero I’m talking about.  Warriors who’d lay down their lives in a heartbeat just to see her smile, viciously capable and eager to kill in her defense.  If she points, they go, without question.  And if she ever points to her bed…

Laughs.  They’ll go before she can even open her mouth.

What do you think – have you read a story with a Domme that you really enjoyed?  Please recommend it in comments!

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Revision Hell: Vicki

I wasn’t going to work on Vicki until next year.  But I was listening to music on my iPhone last night and Need You Now by Lady Antebellum came on.  So I couldn’t help but pull up her file. 

That song speaks to me so loudly.  The back and forth angst is totally Vicki and Elias.  They need each other so badly, but they’ve screwed up, swore they weren’t going to call or get back together, but it’s late.  Cold.  Lonely.  I need you now.  Then Jesse comes along, and Elias has to be there, at first, to make sure she’s okay.  Then he can’t tear himself away, even though he’s uncomfortable.

Last night I got through the first 40 pages.  They’re pretty smooth because I’ve had them done the longest (and read those pages the most).  Latter sections will take much more work, and somewhere, I need to find room for 5-10K more words to make it a nice length.  I know I have several [fix] and [add] notes, so I’m not going to stress about adding too much right now.  Let me get a good, solid, polished meaty draft, and then I’ll see where I am on length.  I think expanding emotions during the steamy scenes and filling the known holes will be enough.

I adore the ending.  ADORE.  Absolutely love it.  It’s just the middle that needs work!

Goal:  be ready for beta readers by Christmas.  Synopsis and submit by end of the year!

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Review: Hurt Me So Good

Kelly of I Work for Books says

Hurt me so Good is a novel which was written beautifully and evocatively with powerful imagery and insightful emotion and thoughts description and even if you are not into reading this genre, is still a good book for the romance it entails and you know what? I think I’d read a sequel! 🙂

Read her whole review here.  Thank you so much, Kelly!

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How to Fake a Death

Not just any death — but a spectacular one.  One that will be the talk of Town for years.

I did an insane amount of brainstorming tonight in Lady Wyre’s universe.  (I swear, there’s something magical about purple ink.)

All along, I’ve had several different story ideas in various stages with only a vague notion of how they connected.  Amazingly, all these pieces are starting to come together.  I know that after Lady Doctor Wyre, she instigates events on a Chinese-like planet that ties to Seven Crows (title will be changed). 

Even more frightening–because I didn’t deliberately plan any of this–the free prequel I’m working on is tied to Deathright.

One event sets up or explains another.  Awesome, right?  Except…

I have one major event that sets up her prequel, Lady Wyre’s Regret.  I know how she meets Lord Regret.  I can hear their dialogue in my head.  But her spectacular demise…leaves me scratching my head.  I know the whys and wherefores, but not the details.  It needs to be signficant and meaningful.  Preferably tied to her House or the history I’m warping so irrevererently.

I guess I need to do a little more research.

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Organized, Who Me?

I’m trying to get more organized NOW instead of waiting until Jan.  I always start out the year well, but then get busy and lazy.  I work best when I make myself state weekly goals, and then reassess each week to see how all that panned out.  I’ve got so much to do that if I don’t keep a list and read it regularly, I simply forget.  I really hate spinning my wheels, too, so I’m going to work harder on keeping up on my calendar and to-do this month.  I’d like to get a lot of baking done with the girls this month, which I never seem to have time to do because I’m running around last minute Xmas shopping, finishing the NaNo novel, etc. 

I printed out 4 months worth of a calendar and used sticky notes to move projects around.  I’m sure it’ll change another time or ten before Jan (which is why I used sticky notes!) but at least I have a plan for now.

So far, Dec has been pretty productive.  I made one submission and returned Lady Wyre revisions to my editor today.  I also made a trip to the post office (you know how much fun that can be, especially in Dec!), but I didn’t get all mailings out yet.  I ran out of padded envelopes, but a trip to Sam’s Club resolved that!  I’ve got just a few more to drop in the mail.

This week, I need to access where I am with the new novella (Phantom) and brainstorm a bunch of new stuff for Lady Wyre (one of my favorite things to do).  While running through her edits this weekend, I took notes of all place names, character elements, and “backstory” mentions that I might need to remember for the prequel.  I’ve got one major event to figure out — namely, a faked death! — and then I can move on to plotting a new Lady Wyre novella, which will set up events for Seven Crows quite nicely.

Ah, I love it when a plan comes together, and I didn’t even know there was a plan. :shock:

After that….Vicki revisions!