Writer's Dilemma---When is the Right Time to Write?

I know that many writers are so driven that they squeeze out time for writing whenever they can: while the baby naps, tapping out a line or two on their phones while waiting for the kids, getting up early to write for an extra hour or so before work or staying up late. I don't have any of those restraints, though I do have a job and other responsibilities, I have much more time for writing than most people probably do.

Yet, I still am not very productive. There's the adage "work expands to fill the time available" and I think that's at least part of my problem.

But, here's another thing that I've realized. I get energized and ready to write about 4:00 in the afternoon. Unfortunately, that doesn't leave a lot of time if I want to make dinner or go to an evening exercise class or if I have to work then. Or I might end up working really late into the night, which isn't good if I have to work the next morning. I guess the other thing I have to acknowledge is that I just can't operate on a few hours of sleep like I used to do. Getting old sucks, but that's a whole other blog post.

One good thing that has come from this realization is that I don't beat myself up all morning if I don't get anything done. I'm trying to work with that natural creativity that seems to arrive in the late afternoon so I do other things earlier in the day and when I don't feel like doing anything at all, I tell myself it's ok because I'll pep up in a few hours.

Or, is that just an excuse to sleep in and lounge around? I suppose the fact that my productivity is not what I'd like it to be is an indication that something needs to change.

Maybe just my attitude.

What about you? When is your most productive time? How do you get geared up to write and how do you keep yourself in the chair when you'd rather be doing other things?

Book Review---Chubby Girl's Vacation by Michelle Fawkes

I reviewed Chubby Girl Hot and couldn't wait to read more in this series by Michelle Fawkes. Chubby Girl's Vacation did not disappoint.

In Chubby Girl Hot we meet Katie, who is sweet and funny but also chubby. The first book in the series is about how she and Brad, the hot new guy at work, fall in love, despite Katie's determination that he can't really love a curvy girl like her.

Chubby Girl's Vacation continues the relationship between Katie and Brad as they head off to Cancun for a much needed vacation.

This story is romantic and sexy, but it also includes characters that are likeable and who genuinely care for each other. Brad is the sort of guy everyone would like to meet, but he's not perfect, and that's part of his charm.

The back story to the vacation is the series of events that look like they will sabotage the couple's get away. I won't go into the details, but it starts to look like more than just a coincidence. This part of the story is also resolved in a very satisfactory way at the end. Again, I won't spoil it for you, but it's fun.

Chubby Girl's Vacation is a fun read that stands alone, though I'd suggest reading the whole series in order. It's just the right length for before bed or during your lunch hour (provided you can get back to work without being too distracted by all the hot sex scenes!).

Chubby Girl's Wedding is also available and I'll be reviewing that soon.

What's The Right Price For Erotica?

As I mentioned a few days ago, I've lowered the price of my collection of short stories to $4.99. That's still a dollar or two (or three) higher than many similar books out there.

Which raises the question...what's the right price to pay or charge, for good writing?

I've noticed that many writers provide free dowloads of some of their books and that seems like a good way to get readers, especially if you have other titles for sale. Once I read a book that I like, I usually buy more by that writer. I expect that others are probably doing the same thing.

Just like those freaky extreme cheapskates on TLC (did you see the show about the woman who used rags as re-usable toilet paper? Eeewwww.) there are some people who will never pay for a kindle book. They will simply fill their ereaders with all the freebies, since there seems to be an endless supply of them. They probably aren't my target audience.

So then the question becomes, what is the right price? 99 cents? $1.99? $2.99 seems pretty standard. Should price be based on the amount of erotica? The quality of the writing? Or how about the length of the book?

What do you think? What factors do you consider when deciding to buy a book? How much does price play into your decision?

Book Review--The Devil Made Me Do It by Amelia James

I loved Amelia James' book The Devil Made Me Do It.

I think my husband, who didn't read the book, is probably an even bigger fan (though he doesn't know it) because after reading these very romantic and erotic stories I was feeling romantic and playful myself. I guess we'd say he was an indirect beneficiary.

And...isn't that the goal of writing romance? To elicit feelings in the reader? I've read a couple of stories recently (which I won't be reviewing) where it was just a sex scene, as though I was peeking in someone's windows. I know some people like that, but I want to connect with the characters so that I feel something other than just titillated.

The Devil Made Me Do It is twelve short stories. According to Amazon, it's 104 pages currently selling for $1.99 so that makes it quite a bargain too. The stories range in length and can be read over time or you can do what I did and just go for it and read them all at once.

What I particularly liked about the stories overall is that they were about married couples who had loving and playful relationships and despite being married for several years or having children, they were hot for each other. Really hot.

Each story also had a fun twist at the end, which was clever and unexpected.

Ok...I'll admit it...there were several times when I thought "Damn, I wish I'd written that!"

Ms. James has several other books available and I'm looking forward to reading more of her work. I encourage you to do the same.

You can check out her blog, which is in my blog list, and other books here.

Chubby Girl Hot---Book Review

I follow author Michelle Fawkes on Twitter and was intrigued by the title of her book, Chubby Girl Hot. Since I've struggled with my weight my whole life, I was curious about a sexy heroine who is chubby.

This story was really fun and sexy. Katie, the heroine, is likeable and real. Because of her weight, Katie thinks she's not allowed to play in the A leagues of dating so she settles for a friends with benefits relationship with scrawny Freddie.

When Brad, a new and hot, guy turns up at work, Katie is smitten, but she assumes that she's not his type because of her size. The rest of the story follows Brad's efforts to get to know Katie and her struggle to believe that she might actually be able to attract a hot guy.

I enjoyed this book. For once, I could identify with a herione who had to struggle to get into (and out of...heehee) her jeans.

In addition to being a fun read, I think this book makes a good point about how society/movies/television/etc tell us that only thin and beautiful women are worthy of love and the chubby girls are relegated to secondary roles as the loyal and funny sidekick. The sad part is that many of us who are not model thin believe this about ourselves too and sell ourselves short.

I say, it's time for all of us chubby girls to go out and get ourselves some good lovin' just like Katie.

A second book, Chubby Girl's Vacation, about Katie and Brad is also out...I can't wait to see what happens next.

Price Reduced!

Hi Everyone,

My book of short stories, The Long Arm of the Law is now selling for the reduced price of $4.99. I hope you'll check it out.

The book has been available for a couple years and started out priced in the $8.00 range, which seemed reasonable for the amount of content and the type of stories. But, with the advent of so many ePub books selling for under $5.00, it seemed wise to lower the price to be in line with similar books on the market.

It's 56,000 words...about 14 short stories that all involve romance and spanking. Please let me know what you think!