Please welcome my special guest this week, Sylvie Kaye, whose latest release, Her Maine Man, is out today over at The Wild Rose Press!
Thanks for stopping by, Sylvie. Can you tell us a little about your book?
One weekend a year to bare your soul and your passion. He couldn’t believe the sweet deal she was offering. No commitment, just pure release.
A deathbed promise takes Jon from his consulting desk to a remote island in Maine, where he becomes entangled with one of the loose ends.
As one of the island’s first family and a target for scandal, Maddie longs to share her body and her secrets. The sexy, visiting consultant seems perfect for a clandestine, once-a-year affair—until once isn’t enough.
Although the story and the love scenes are steamy in places, they're also light-hearted and funny in places. My editor said the one love scene was the funniest she'd ever read.
How did the idea for the plot come about?
The concept came from the old movie, Same Time Next Year...but the next generation. And the setting came from a trip to Maine.
I love sale stories (ok I am just nosy!!) so can you tell us about your road to publication - and your call story?
Oh, that was a long time ago. About ten years ago. I wrote short story called Never Dare A Cowboy for the Kensington Precious Gem line which they phased out not long afterward. I was on holdiay in Las Vegas when my husband called from home to tell me the editor from Kensington phoned and offered me a contract. I called back immediately and accepted. The rest of the vacation, even in Vegas, was a downer after that!! I couldn't wait to get home and watch the mail box for my contract.
We are all about the love here, so please share your fave books, movies, TV shows or current fantasy squeeze (it's all in the line of research!)
My favorite book is Sandra Brown's SLOW HEAT IN HEAVEN. The hero is to die for! I love everything she writes. I want to be her in my next life...lol!! Movies, I love the Big Chill. I think because of the music. It's from my era. I also like the holiday movie, Love Actually. Lots of happy endings in that one! It's a real, feel good movie. Movie heroes, I love Brad Pitt and Hugh Jackman and....well, I'll stop there. Too many men, too little time.
Love, Actually is one of my fave movies too. And as for Hugh Jackman, what's not to love?! Can you tell us what are you working on now?
I'm revising a story titled, Tantric Touch, which takes place in New Orleans. It has three interferring aunts, some Vood Doo, and lots of superstitions.
When a harried caretaker with no spare time hires a soulful builder who’s willing to take the time, he fixes more than she bargains for.
Jilly is a New Orleans daycare aide by day and by night an errand-running caretaker to the three quirky aunts who raised her.
Zack is a brawny carpenter who works for his father’s construction company.He’s attracted to Jilly but wants a deep, heart connection when it appears that all she has time for is a slam-bam-thank-you-man relationship.Through his Tantric touch he intends to win her trust and eventually her heart.
I'm also working on a story that's more mainstream, entitled, For the Greater Good of Mann. Mann is a fictional town and also a metphor for humanity. The story attempts to answer the age old question of Why we are here?
I have a short erotic story, Widow Reed, under consideration with the Scarlet Rose line at Wild Rose Press. Older woman, younger man, happy ending :-)
How can readers keep up with your writing and books?
Thanks Christina for your time and for the opportunity to tell your readers about myself!
Sylvie Slip under the covers with Sylvie Kaye Banned in Texas ~Available The Wild Rose Press, Barnes&Noble, Amazon Wrong Side of Love ~The Wild Rose Press DEVIL IN COWBOY BOOTS ~Coming Aug. 29! Contest and Excerpts at www.sylviekaye.com
I cleared out my desk drawers today and judging by the stuff I found I don't think they've been emptied since we bought it about eight years ago!!! Anyway I chucked all the rubbish and rearranged all my essentials *ahem*.
I'm being interviewed by the lovely ladies over at Whipped Cream today where I'm chatting about erotica and porn and the mysteries of tying a cherry stem with your tongue?! Then tomorrow I'll be on the Whipped Cream chat loop if anyone has any questions! There's a copy of Touch of the Demon up for grabs too.
Oops not sure where this last week's gone. But I'm glad to say I finished my novella and sent that off to my CPs. I also spent a couple of hours hammering out a blurb. Why are those things so flaming hard to get right? For some reason I fare better with pen and paper when it comes to blurbs but it was a real struggle tonight.
I've also heard back from my agent on another project and am Very Excited that she thinks it not only has good bones but has potential to be an entire series! So at least I know what I'll be working on next week!
I don't know what's up with my Internet connection lately, but it's on a definite go-slow mission to see how far it can stretch my patience before I explode. It's not another virus (at least I'm pretty sure it's not) since the other computers in the house are also suffering.
Then I had major issues yesterday morning uploading a few minor tweaks to my webpage. A five minute job took me over an HOUR and let's just say the air was an interesting shade of purple. I'm not at all techie minded and it takes me forever to work out something which probably is glaringly obvious to most other people!!
Oh yes, and I can't find my glasses so am now peering through my old ones. On the up side I'm collecting my new ones tomorrow, and they are a lovely bright red pair (hopefully this means I won't keep losing them - ha ha yeah right!)
And we have severe weather warnings! Everything is flickering and the shutters are banging!!!
Conference time is rapidly approaching, which means readying pitches for appointments with agents and editors. I came across a couple of blog posts by my agent on this very thing, one over at Romancing the Blog where she talks about the best way to pitch to an agent, and also over at Hooked on Romance, where readers sent in their short pitches and Emmanuelle gave feedback on them. Interesting!
I have this little dream that some day one of my books will be turned into a movie (I realise I have yet to have a full length novel published, but this is my fantasy!!!) I know how long the odds are, even if a book piques a producer's interest it's no guarantee of anything... but! Still, it's a nice dream I think?
Well, I was thrilled to discover that this has recently happened to a lovely writing buddy! And for her debut novel at that!
Fox are going ahead with the adaptation of Phillipa Ashley's Decent Exposure, published by Little Black Dress, for their Lifetime channel. The location's been changed from the Lake District to the Rocky Mountains and retitled The Twelve Men of Christmas, and it's all very exciting!!!
Oh, and it also proves that these trillion to one shots can and do happen!!!
Thank you to everyone who popped over and left Shelley a comment over the weekend! I'll be doing the draw later today and will post it up probably first thing Tuesday morning (down under time)
Well I finally succumbed to the dark side and joined Twitter. I still haven't worked out how to respond to people who reply to my tweets (does anyone know?) So I'm not ignoring you, I just can't figure out how to reply!!! Hopefully I'll get the hang of it soon!
Today I'm very excited to welcome my good friend, Shelley Munro, whose latest release from Ellora's Cave, Make That Man Mine, hit the cyber shelves earlier this week!
Shelley is generously giving away a copy of Make That Man Mine to one person who leaves a comment on this post. The winner will be picked Monday morning, US time (later for us Down Under!)
Shelley, it's great to have you back on my blog. Can you tell us whether being published is how you imagined it would be? Given the chance, are there things you'd do differently?
When I was an aspiring author, all I used to focus on was getting to the published side of the fence. Everything I did was aimed toward achieving that goal and climbing that fence. It’s funny, but I actually think life on the published side of the fence is harder and more time-consuming than anything I’ve ever done. When you’re first published there’s a steep learning curve, and the amount of promo necessary is a rude shock. It’s not an easy business, and the truth is a writer has to produce books at a fairly fast clip to stay in readers’ minds. Most people’s vision of a published writer dressing in pink, having long, leisurely breakfasts and doing a little dictation is way off course! So, long story short—no, it’s not how I imagined it would be. It’s hard work, it can be lonely and soul-sapping at times with long hours. It’s challenging, and I can’t think of a better job.
I would have started dabbling in e-publishing a lot sooner if I had my time over. Oh, and I would have started writing at a much younger age. Not that I regret the years of travel that I experienced instead of writing and rejections! *grin*
You're a very prolific writer, Shelley, and an inspiration to me. Do you write every day? Do you give yourself daily/weekly goals?
Yes, I write every day. I get twitchy when I don’t write. On the occasional day when I don’t write, I’m usually thinking about writing or plotting or doing some sort of promo. I don’t have rigid goals, although I might get up on a Monday and think, yes, I want to finish this story this week or edit a particular story to send to my editor. When I’m in writing mode, I try to write a constant 2000 words a day. I haven’t done that recently because I’m editing manuscripts, but I’ll get back to writing soon.
I know that twitchy feeling! Would you call yourself a panster or plotter?
These days I’d call myself a hybrid. I do a bit of both. I lean toward the panster style of writing, but if I get stuck, I’ll sit down and plot. Occasionally, I’ll plot an entire story. It depends on the story really.
What keeps you motivated when the writing gets tough?
Sheer bloody-mindedness. I hate to fail. If I decide to do something, no matter what it is, I keep trying until I succeed. I never give up. Some people—my husband included—would probably call me stubborn!
Is there any advice or light bulb moment you'd like to share about getting/being published?
I think the one thing to remember is not to compare yourself to other writers and worry about doing things wrong or differently. Each writer’s journey is different. There is no right or wrong way to get to the final destination of publication.
That's so true. Do you have critique partners (CPs)? If so can you tell us how you met up and your process?
No, I don’t work with a critique partner. I’ve found I prefer to work alone, although I wouldn’t mind a couple of beta readers, if anyone is interested in applying for the job *grin*
Tell us about your latest release. What can we expect?
My latest release is Make That Man Mine. It’s a paranormal story featuring a taniwha shifter. (a taniwha comes from Maori mythology and is a sort of water dragon) Oh, and it’s an erotic romance with a bit of a suspense plot.
Emma Montrose works as a secretary for a private investigator firm called George Taniwha & Son and wants to become an investigator. She also has a crush on Jack Sullivan (a taniwha shifter) and decides it’s time to make her move and go after Jack. It’s time to make that man take notice.
Jack is horrified when he learns he has to work with Emma. He’s noticed her curvy body but doesn’t want a partner. Besides, there’s a full moon on the way, and he’ll need lots of sex to keep things together and his taniwha at bay. No way does he intend to complicate matters by becoming close to Emma.
Unfortunately, the case means they need to pretend they’re lovers and have to share a room…
Here’s the blurb:
On her 25th birthday Emma Montrose decides it’s time to show bad boy investigator, Jack Sullivan she’s more than an efficient secretary. She’s a woman with needs, and she wants him.
Jack is a taniwha, a shifter, who requires women to satiate the sexual demands of the serpent within. Nothing more. Then work forces the reluctant Jack and ecstatic Emma undercover as a couple. Thrown together, pretence and reality blur generating hot sex laced with risk…
And here’s a short excerpt from the start of the story where Jack and Emma are arriving at the resort to start their investigation.
“You’re gonna have to cure the jumpiness around me. We’re meant to be lovers.”
Emma’s gaze shot up to meet dark chocolate brown eyes. Sinful eyes, she thought with an inward sigh. Those eyes could certainly lead her into sin.
Anytime.
“Sure, honey,” Emma said, miffed for almost giving them away. Yet she was angry with Jack too because she thought he was doing his best to show her up. He’d certainly tried hard enough to talk her out of the assignment. Emma wanted to glare but it wasn’t loverlike. Most of all she wanted to needle him. Yes, she felt like poking the man with a sharp stick to see if she could rattle him.
“How long before we get to our room?” she cooed, fluttering her lashes at him. “I need your cock inside me.” Part of Emma was shocked at her words, but the couple standing in front of them grinned at her in sympathy.
“Have you seen the contents of those goody bags the hostess is giving out?” the young woman said. A theatrical shiver jiggled her pert, braless breasts.
“No, what?” Emma asked, her fertile imagination creating all sorts of pictures. Handcuffs? Powerful aphrodisiacs? Torturous sex toys?
The woman leaned closer to whisper, “A pair of edible undies.”
“Both his and hers,” her partner added with a grin.
“No!” Emma breathed. Good grief. It would probably be like trying to choke down pills. She’d gag and throw up all over the man’s groin. All over Jack’s groin. “I hope they’re chocolate,” Emma said, waggling her brows.
“Oh, you’re terrible,” the woman said with a giggle.
So terrible that Jack’s arm tightened around her in silent warning, his fingers digging into the sensitive flesh at her waist. Emma smothered a grin. Perhaps if she kept needling him, she’d forget her nervousness.
“I’m looking forward to this week,” Emma confided to the young woman. “My honey works so hard. He’s exhausted when he gets home and most nights just falls asleep.” Emma peeked through lowered lashes to gauge Jack’s reaction. Her stomach flipped anxiously when she noticed the tic in his shadowed jaw. He looked as though he might burst while the arm around her waist tensed until it felt like a shackle. But not enough to make her stop goading him. “Too tired for good sex, if you know what I mean.”
A low growl vibrated through his chest. Emma stilled and the hair on her forearms stood to attention. Slowly her gaze rose from his broad chest and traveled up his neck, across his rigid jaw and collided with eyes the color of onyx.
“We intend to make up for that, don’t we, sweetheart?” His flashing eyes promised retribution when they were alone. “Can’t have you saying I can’t get it up often enough to keep you satisfied. Wouldn’t want you to wander to greener pastures.”
The last week has gone by in such a blur, it wasn't until I dropped my son off at school this morning and he asked what the date was that a terrible truth hit me. It's my anniversary and I had totally forgotten!!!
Now, it's not that I actually forgot the date of my anniversary (in case you're wondering!!!) I just hadn't realised we were that far into June already! OMG where has this year gone?!
Everything is now with my agent, so now I'm being a good CP and playing catch up. Next up I need to finish my novella, and it would probably be a good idea to tackle the ironing... on second thoughts when is that EVER a good idea?
Don't forget to pop back tomorrow, Friday 19th June, when the lovely Shelley Munro will be here, and to be in with a chance of winning her hot new release from Ellora's Cave, Make That Man Mine, all you need to do is leave a comment for her!
I write erotic romance for The Wild Rose Press and juggle my writing life with one husband, three kids, and way too many hot heroes keeping me awake at nights. This is my crazy life, thank you for visiting!
Please welcome my special guest this week, Sylvie Kaye, whose latest release, Her Maine Man, is out today over at The Wild Rose Press!
