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!

ePublishing: Can A Good Story Make Up for Bad Editing?

A few weeks ago I read a book with a great story, but the editing was horrible. There were so many omitted words that it was distracting and it took me out of the story. I went to the author's blog and was shocked to see that she'd posted a list of people that she wanted to thank for being her proofreaders. There were about five of them. How could that many people miss so many errors?

This brings up a couple of points. First, just because someone can read doesn't mean they can proofread.
Second, can a good story make up for bad editing?

I'm torn. I've found typos in traditionally published books and I'm sure there are a couple in my own book. I'm not happy about it, but I'm realistic. Where I think the line needs to be drawn is when the amount of typos is so significant that the reader is no longer engaged in the story but is busy thinking "who the hell proofread this?"

What do you think? Am I being too harsh? Should readers overlook typos, especially in books that only cost $2.99 (or less). Does a low price give a writer the right to put out a book that needs better editing?

Or, do we all need to up our game a little bit?

Epublishing: 5 Reasons I Like Free Samples Better Than Reviews

I love my kindle. I have read a ton of books since I got it. I love the instant delivery of books at all hours of the day and night. I like all of the free and low priced books that are available. I like supporting indie publishers.

But, with so many titles available (and more each day), how do I choose?

1. Reading reviews can be frustrating. I used to go by the reviews on Amazon, but I found that for every book that I thought stunk, there would be a ton of people giving it 5 stars and raving about what a great book it was. In addition to being frustrated by reading a bad book, I was even more frustrated thinking about all the stupid people out there who thought it was great. (I can be a little judgmental.)

2.  Free samples let me decide for myself. I find this more satisfying than the reviews because instead of relying on others, I can decide for myself.

3. Free samples help me avoid my pet peeves. I have a number of pet peeves when it comes to books. One is typos and the other is head popping---changing point of view from character to character in the same scene. If a story is particularly good, I'll keep going and overlook either my pet peeves. But, too many of either of these annoying features will cause me to stop reading and probably write a bad review.

4. Free samples give me a real sense of what the book is about. Often the descriptions of books are very short and aren't always as descriptive as they could be. But, a free sample gives a real sense of what the book is about and what the tone of the book is. I've read a couple of Christian novels (which I knew had a Christian theme when I bought them). Many reviewers dinged those same books because they didn't feel that the Christian theme was made clear in the description so they felt like they'd been blindsided when they read the book and the Christian theme became more clear.

5. Free samples save me time and money. I've read some free samples and made a decision to either buy or stop reading within a page or two. With others, I'll read several pages and if I decide that I'd like to see what happens next, I'll buy. In either case, I've saved myself from buying books that I don't like and I save myself from spending the time to read books that aren't worth my time.

Next time you're wondering whether or not to buy an ebook, read the free sample. It's not as good as the free samples at the bakery, but it won't make you fat either.

Writer's Dilemma: Self-Promotion

I'm not shy. But I do dislike self-promotion. It seems boastful and that seems wrong.

But, if I want people to read my stories (or my blog), I need to let them know I'm here. And I'm the only one who can do that.

Maybe it's my age, but it seems wrong to wave a flag and say "Look what I did!"

But, if I don't, who will?

I still don't like it, but I've decided to take a different approach. Instead of thinking of it as self-promotion, I've decided to think of it as getting to know others in my community. And I'm bold enough to think that others in the community will be glad to know me.

I hope I'm right.

Book Review: The Boss's Pet: The Contract

I downloaded a copy of Tonya Kinzer's The Boss's Pet: The Contract a few days ago. I've been following Tonya on Twitter and know that she has several books in The Boss's Pet series, so decided to start at the beginning.

The Boss's Pet follows the adventures of Sondra and her employer, Nick. What starts out as a professional relationship eventually evolves into a romance. Nick introduces Sondra to a whole lifestyle of which she was unaware. This book, which is the first in the series, follows their relationship as they move from employer/employee to lovers and eventually to discussions of a dom/sub relationship.

I thought that the author handled the process of someone considering this lifestyle in a very plausible way. Sondra was thoughtful, but curious, in her exploration of the lifestyle and her own thoughts about it. The story is told from the point of view of both Sondra and Nick and this enables us to see Nick's thoughts as well---including the fact that he cares about Sondra and is concerned about moving at a pace that is comfortable for her. The fact that he's rich, handsome and an incredible lover doesn't hurt either!

The sex and bondage scenes were very erotic and full of emotion. I really felt like I was experiencing the same things as Sondra (well...almost).

I enjoyed this book and plan to buy and read the rest of the series. I suggest you do the same.

Writing Tips: Character Names

I'll admit it. I'm terrible at coming up with names for my characters. When I look back through my short stories I see that I tend to repeat certain names, especially mens names. Mac seems to be popular with me. I'm not sure why.

For men, names with a K sound seem sexy and strong. Kirk, Dirk, the previously mentioned Mac, Curt, and Cord, for example.

For women, it's a little harder. If she's someone sort of cute, then I think she needs a name that is kind of cute which usually means something with a y-sound ending: Marcie, Darcy, Penny or Cici. If she's a little more business-like, then she might have a short name like Kate, Anne, or Liz. Or maybe a name that sounds sort of tomboy-ish like Ronnie, Ricki, or Joey.

Sure, I could go against character and have a very silly woman who is named Margaret, but when you write short stories, I think you need to use a few of these stereotypes to make your point since you don't have a lot of space.

One exception might be, though, someone who laments their name. Maybe a fun loving free spirit named Margaret who wishes everyone would call her Maggie or Meg and gets frustrated when they call her Margaret.

My problem is that I'll be writing along and decide that I need to add a secondary character but I can't think of a good name for them so I'll stop writing and think about names, maybe I'll even look through the phone book for a good name. This lack of planning causes me to stop writing and get distracted from my story.

How do I solve this problem? If I can't come up with a name quickly, I just leave a blank line ______ where there name should be as a reminder to myself that I need a name there. Don't just leave a blank space because you might not remember to come back and fix it.

The other thing that I'm going to start doing is to keep a list of possible character names where I'll write down interesting names either when I hear them or think of them. That way, I'll already have a ready supply of possible names.

What about you? How do you come up with names for your characters? As a reader, how important are names to you? Do you get annoyed with a story where everyone has an unusual name or a quirky nickname?

Writing Advice: What if I'm Embarrassed About Things I've Written in the Past?

A few days ago, not being sure of what to post on my new blog, I included an excerpt from my very first published story. I think I wrote it about 8 years ago. At the time, especially when it was published on Discipline and Desire, I was so excited and proud.

I still am, but when I re-read it a few days ago, I was a little bit embarrassed too. Parts of it made me cringe. I suppose I could have edited it for the post, but that seemed deceitful because if anyone bought my book, they'd see that the story as printed there would be different from the edited version on the blog. I know...I'm probably the only one who cares about that sort of thing, but I do and it's my blog, so there.

It's sort of like looking back at photos from high school, especially the ones that you thought made you look really good at the time and now realizing that you looked hideous. I'm sure you didn't look hideous. You were probably attractive all the time, but I looked hideous and I'm sure that any of your friends who were also in the picture with you looked hideous (especially in comparison to your loveliness). :)

As much as parts of that first story make me cringe, I also look at it in much the same way that I look at my high school self---with a little bit of compassion for who that person was at the time and with a little bit of pride that I've moved on from there.

What about you? Do you throw away those horrible pictures (or stories) from the past, or do you think of them as little reminders of where you've been?

Erotica Writer's Secret Life: How Do You Account For Your Time?

Are you a writer of erotic fiction? Would you like to be? Here's one of my dilemmas---how do I account for my time when I'm engaged in my secret life?

More specifically, here's my problem. In addition to writing erotic spanking stories, I also write funny chick lit type stories. None of them have been published yet (stay tuned) but I do want to work on getting them to a publishable state. I have a friend who also writes mainstream fiction and we often read each others work etc.

Her head would pop off if she knew about my secret life. I'm not kidding. So, for her sanity and my own, I will never tell her about my work as the mysterious Celeste Jones. (ha!)

That's all background to get to the time issue. My friend knows that I have quite a bit of time for writing these days, but as far as she knows, I have nothing to show for it. In actuality, I'm close to 12K words in a great three chapter story, but she doesn't know that. It's not like she's competitive or I need to account to her for what I do, but it's sort of weird when she tells me that she's edited five chapters of her book this week and she knows that I've had plenty of time to write, but I don't have anything to tell her about.

I have been feigning a cold in order to excuse my lack of productivity, but that can only last so long.

One idea might be to work on both stories at the same time, but I'm just not very good at dividing my attention that way, especially when one story is really getting good. Plus, I've made a New Year's Resolution to finish every story I start, no matter how bad it is, so I want to finish the spanking story that I'm working on before I move on to the next thing.

What about the rest of you? Do you keep your erotic writing secret? What are some of the challenges? Do you have any advice for me?