Fall is Here - Where did the summer go?

This morning I had to fish out some of my long sleeved tops.  I'm not ready to do this yet.  I'm not ready for temps below 70.  I've been too focused on my latest WIP to care about changing seasons.   In fact I'm over 85K and at the very end where I now need to make decisions about where this is all going to go.  

The whole novel is comprised of mini stories of each of my characters.  It has presented a challenge in that I've tried to keep in mind that each character needs a character arc; an element that every novel should have.  Do each of my character change from what he/she was in the beginning to what they will become at the end of this story? 

Writing any story is pretty much like taking a journey.  You start out with new fresh ideas, know where you might want to go with the plot.  Then there comes a point where what you thought in the beginning might have to change somewhere in the middle.  It is these twists and turns that take place throughout the creative process that make not only an exciting but challenging endeavor but one that continues to pull me back to it until at least the first draft is finished.

At times I've had to think out of the box on this one and by so doing have been able to I think pull it off. 

Still, nothing is done in concrete and as I progress further on this latest writing journey  I'lll continue to make changes, or get through obstacles in terms of  asking myself is this all making sense?  Is this plausible?  Are there contrivances here?  Coincidences? 

When I'm not at the keyboard and I'm doing other things my mind does not pull itself away from the story plot.  Just the other day while driving to do some grocery shopping I realized one of my characters has a terrible jealous streak in her which will then give more meaning to the final outcome.   I didn't bring along my memo recorder so had to pray this aha moment stayed with me until I got back home to write it down somewhere.   Actually when I woke this morning I remembered preventing it from turning into a faded memory.

Meantime I need to go find some sweatshirts to pull over the long sleeved tops.  It's only 58 out there and fortunately the mercury is still rising.  

EBOOK GIVEAWAY

All those who purchased MISTAKEN IDENTITY today at AMAZON gets a free copy of NIGHT FANTASIES, a contemporary erotic romance.  


Be sure to leave a comment here and an email addy where I can send the PDF of the free ebook NIGHT FANTASIES.  

Or send your email addy to me at collette-thomas@sbcglobal.net and from there I will send you the PDF book. 


This offer is good for today only  (September 7, 2011)

LIVE THE FANTASY -

FOLLOW MY BLOG – NEWSLETTEROF COLLETTE THOMAS

Free Ebook for Today's New Followers

All those who click to follow my blog today as well as leave a comment will receive a copy of my trilogy 

LIVE THE FANTASY.

I'll be checking my blog at midnight tonight.

\

 A Trilogy of Hot Over the Top Fun Sexy Stories that celebrate those special occasions. 

 

Blurbs: 

Happy Anniversary, Honey - Cassie Daniels, erotic romance writer, plays out her very own erotic fantasy with handsome Mannie Rodriguez during a sumptuous dinner.

Happy Birthday, Honey – Tracy Miller wants to be a slut! Her friend Melissa helps her play out this wish. In return, Tracy provides Melissa and her husband Bruce the best birthday gift ever. (Involves a ménage.)

Happy Valentine’s Day, Honey--Gabriele Clarke and Amanda Morelli certainly know how to enjoy Valentine’s Day and do more than swap Valentine Day cards when they enjoy a delightful ménage with one man called Antonio.  (Involves a ménage.)

EXCERPT

An Authorized Excerpt

She bent closer to him and in her most sultry tone said, “So, what do you like doing to a lady?” she asked, as if asking him to pass the saltshaker. “Do you like it straight up, you know, vanilla sex? Or do your fantasies require more? Maybe a quickie, or do you like it long and leisurely where we take our time? Do you want to fondle my breasts, suck my nipples, lick my clit, and would you like it if my pussy gets so dripping wet you can slide right in?”

He straightened more as if he hadn’t heard right. A nervous tic played at the side of his mouth. Innocently enough she smiled at him, all the while taking several sips of her wine, which had already started to go to her head. Two glasses was her quota, but somehow a third glass seemed to be in order tonight.

This one was going to be easy, she mused. Put it right there in front of them, let them think they’re taking the lead, then grab it from them and run with it.

Weather as Setting

Last night the rains came down...I mean they really came down.  I had just gotten into bed and heard the drumming of the rain on the house...I'm talking all sides of the house, the roof, the siding, the windows, and even the skylight in the bathroom area.

I'm thinking what if there's a flash flood and the house comes off its foundation.  Hey, it happens.  Except I'm up on a mountain and rain that comes down travels right down the mountain road so I don't particularly worry about my house getting washed away.

I looked out the window and I could see the whipping sheets of rain through the swirling fog.  What a perfect night to work on my latest story.  I envisioned Waterman Manor as these same sheets of rain and wind pound against its sides while inside all my characters are contained within its walls.

You see I'm at a point where all hell is going to break loose in the story.  Yet I'm also at a point where I'm not sure how that's going to happen.  Or who's going to win.  And who's going to lose.  We have the quintessential story of Good vs. Evil.  And there's a lot of stuff going on inside my brain at the moment.  Before I get back to typing out the rest of the story I need to first let it play itself out in my mind.  At least for now.  Tomorrow I will dive back into the story and get things rocking and rolling.  But a night like last night I'll try to keep in my mind all the mental images.

A night like last night provides the perfect setting for the next scene I'm going to write.  "Weather can add atmosphere and even psychology to our stories.  Temperature is pain or pleasure; humidity is mood; barometric pressure is destiny (in terms of weather, but also in terms of human nature).  From 170 Ways to Save A Novel by Peter Selgin

Meantime, I'm going to bed and tonight should be a quieter night. 

Vampires, Escorts, Evil Doings that Run Amuck

Things That Go Bump In The Night

I'm referring to my latest WIP.  This one takes me into a place where evil doings create a reality not unlike what you'd might find in a Stephen King novel.  I used to read his work back in the 70's and 80's ending up scaring myself silly.  One night while reading his Salem Lot I scared myself to the extent I barely could get myself out of bed...you see a picture fell off the wall while I'm reading the part where Vampires are coming through the window.

Yet, I remember how these stories although they kept me awake at night, seem to take on a reality of their own.  Then for a long time I wouldn't read horror fiction.  In fact the last book I think was the Exorcist.  I couldn't finish it.  Too damn scary and it left me feeling at odds with myself and the world.

Now I'm finding that creating stories involving vampires, and things that go bump in the night presents a unique challenge in and of itself. 

Vampires combined with erotic writing has had me create a host of characters in my WIP that may prevent others from getting a really good night's sleep.  Finishing that first draft took time, and now that the gist of the story line is pretty much in place, I know where I'm going with it, or where my characters are going with it, the rest is simply to ensure it all makes damn good sense.

No coincidences, or contrivances, or whatever plot ploy for me.  Tomorrow I start again on the second draft where it will make even more sense in terms of a storyline that follows the parameters required in developing a hopefully unforgettable read.

The sun is shining and my dog is looking at me, wondering when I'm going to put her leash on and take her out for her walk.  It'll do me some good as well especially since summer is passing by all too fast and I've yet to make it to the shore...any shore.

Two Yahoo Promo Groups for Readers and Writers of Erotic-Erotica and Paranormal Fiction

I maintain two Yahoo groups, moderating them on a daily basis to alleviate any spam from coming through. I hope these groups continue to grow as I think some really great excerpts come through as well as where to go to order these reads.

In the day of Indie authors, there are some terrific reads that go above and beyond what a reader might find in a bookstore mainly because bookstores stock a few select authors.  Yes, don't get me wrong, great reads are found there as well.  But the world is a big place and there are so many other writers who create spellbinding stories that may never have seen the light of day based on whether they are selected and their work is put on a bookstore's shelves.  

Meaning not all stories fit into one specific genre but actually cross genres and produce literary worlds that can be unlike anything we've read since mankind first realized words on a page (or in stone) tells a story that others can enjoy.

EROTIC-EROTICA FICTION GROUP and LET'S PROMOTE EROTICA PARANORMAL FICTION are two groups to join to learn about new reads and new authors.

For the Love of Writing

There's a book titled "Do What You Love, and the Money Will Follow."  

Well, I just got an email telling me that money has been deposited into my Paypal account for books I have written and have been out there for the reading public.   All I have to do is log in into my Paypal account and transfer the whole $1.85 to my bank account. 

I can then go celebrate, maybe with a cup of tea (small size) at Borders, which I plan to do this week. 

$1.85 for stories that received great reviews and feedback. A writer doesn't get four start reviews for stories that aren't good.  Night Fantasies, Stormbound, No More Secrets, No More Lies, To Love A Soldier, and my Todd Hollow series Deadly Games, Deadly Affairs, etc. all earned great reviews.

So now I sit here and wonder.  Many authors are doing well as Indie Authors.  Then how come not more sales?  I'm on a host of various promo loops. I moderate and host two Yahoo groups myself where others promote themselves, and yet my sales are so poor I no longer have words to express what I'm now feeling.  Well I can try.  Disheartened.  Frustrated.  Sad.  A little angry perhaps. Discouraged.  Yet at the end of the day still hopeful.  All of this comes with the territory.  Some people become overnight successes.  Some take more time to get to that point they consider themselves successful.  And others go at a snail like pace, eventually getting to their destination.  I'm probably in the last category, which is okay except I guess considering where I am age wise, my patience is starting to wear thin and I'm feeling it's now or never.    

I probably shouldn't put this stuff on my blog, yet frustration sometimes pushes us to a point where we need to let it out of our system to avoid keeping it in and suffering whatever consequences arises from "keeping such things bottled up."

Most writers I know go through all this self doubt, as well as the frustration, and we wonder if we should simply give up.  Should I now go and fill out those employment forms at Walgreens, Wal-Mart, or Price Chopper?  Then I would be ensured a steady paycheck every week. 

Yet do I throw in the towel?   Somehow I've never been able to do that mainly because I know once readers read these stories, they will enjoy them.    And I in turn enjoy writing them, creating fictional worlds that provide a means of escape from a world going crazier by the moment.  Plus it's what every writer needs to do, which is to keep believing in themselves and their work and not throw in the towel at any point if they don't need to.


Someone like Casey Anthony will have someone help her write "her" book, and her words will be read by millions.  (Sounds like sour grapes, doesn't it?)

But trust me, although many say they won't buy the book, go see the movie, I'm sorry to say curiosity does more than kill any poor feline because yes there will be the enormous advances, and readers will be rushing into bookstores (if any are left) to buy the  tell all book , or simply download the thing from places like Amazon, B&N, or  whatever outlets will carry the story.  

I'm just hoping in this tell all book she will let the world know exactly what happened to a three year old girl and that whatever happened would result in her death because nothing at the trial made much sense other than the fact that the mother in some way caused the death of her beautiful young daughter.  And with the monies she makes hopefully she will  use them toward good rather than for selfish means.

Meantime, I will continue to write my books, and do what many writers do, which is to do a bit of struggling with our own lives, eek out a living for ourselves, and then be thankful for whatever comes our way.

Actually I always maintain an optimistic approach to life.  I appreciate the fact that I am able to sit here and write.  Also, that I enjoy my time with family and friends, as well as my Peekapoo who by the way she looks at me with those big oversized brown eyes tells me every day that I am special, and as far as she's concerned  I am a successful writer. 

Still, what can one really do with $1.85?   Simply throw it into my piggy bank and watch it grow.

   

Borders Demise

I heard it on the news.  I read it in the postings of Yahoo.  Borders will soon join those businesses that do not survive this last recession.   This is not a good day when a business like Borders falls by the wayside.  I'm quite sadden by the news.  Yet I can say for myself that I always have been a supporter of all bookstores.  Proof of that lies downstairs in my basement, as well as upstairs where my shelves overflow with books on pretty much every subject, most of which come from Borders or Barnes and Noble.

Borders was a place to go where one could enter any world and all worlds.

Just now on the eleven o'clock news they are announcing a Border's closing--the one near Westfarms Mall.

For most of us this is the end of an era.

For me it now becomes one more memory adding to my memories of people and things who no longer occupy my life, namely my late husband, my parents, my in-laws.

Summers were always special for me and my family especially with my late husband who was off during summer months from his teaching job.  Summers meant not only taking trips to various shorelines, or places of interests, but also spending quiet afternoons and some evenings in places like a Borders.

One of the special things we'd do on a Saturday or Sunday was to first go out to breakfast to a diner that made great blueberry pancakes.  Then we'd spend a few hours at a casino, usually Foxwoods.  (I haven't been to Foxwoods since July 5, 2002.  I have been to a Borders. )

Afterward we'd enjoy a nice lunch at either the buffet or one of the local inside restaurants at Foxwoods and then we'd call it a day and leave.  On the way home we would stop either at a Barnes and Noble or a Borders Music and Books.  There we'd enjoy a snack, and browse through the store.  I do know I never left either of those stores without purchasing a few books.

After my husband passed on I found myself at Borders several times a week, spending hours in the store, mainly to give my mind a rest from the grieving process and also to focus on writing my stories.  Somehow the browsing always inspired me.  I'd find myself hurrying home to work on a story I had already started, or start a new one.   I had gotten to the point where I knew where just about every subject could be located within a Borders, even at times helping other customers like myself  find what they were looking for. 

Writing is such a lonely endeavor.  I don't have to tell any writer what that is like.  Interaction over the internet is never quite the same.  Places like Borders gave me a place to go where I could be surrounded by not only the books I love but by people who shared the same emotion toward books.

Places like Borders was my home away from home, and more often than not going to a Borders gave me a place of solace that I sought and needed, as well as reprieve from some of the emotional turmoil that originated with the death of my loved ones.

An empty Borders building is quite depressing to say the least.  I came upon the one in Simsbury, CT.   It left a hole in my heart knowing that inside were shelves devoid of books and that what had been such an enjoyable experience would be no more.  That's when I panicked.  Was the same going to happen to the one near Westfarms Mall?   No way I thought.  Yet, I was wrong.

Okay I'm an Indie Author who never did have the chance to see any of her books on a Border's shelves.  I did what was necessary to survive as a writer by uploading stories to places like Amazon, Smashwords, Pubit (B&N). 

In this life we do what we need to do to survive.  The internet might just well be the "Beast" that changes the world.  We have yet to find out exactly what affect that's going to have on the world as a whole.  So far it's not good for bookstores. 

Unfortunately with the demise of Borders, jobs will be lost, more people out of work.  In turn this can only hurt an already sluggish, struggling economy.

As for myself, I'll keep writing my stories, creating new worlds, and look for another place to go where I can alleviate some of the loneliness that comes with the writing life.

It's all any one of us can do.

I'll go to Borders this week if just to reinforce inside my mind that yes, this is another era that will end and leave behind its memories. 

Free Ebook with any order of any of my books

Romantic Picnic Basket Recipes is an ebook I compiled to help celebrate summer festivities.  This book includes the following recipes. Order any of my ebooks and I will send you this ebook free.  (Offer lasts until the end of summer.  If you want the ebook you can go to Amazon.com and order it for the Kindle for $2.99)  To get your free copy just email me the receipt at collette-thomas@sbcglobal.net. 

APPETIZERS

Tangy Stuffed Tomatoes  

Deviled Eggs 

ENTREES

Romantic Burgers                                

Soy and lemon Chicken                                              

Salmon Sandwiches                                                 

Rib Eyed Steak in Bock Beer Marinade                          

Pinto Bean Casserole                                                               

Hot Wings                                                                                     

More Summertime Burgers                                             

Portobello Mushrooms and Goat Cheese Sandwiches           

Grilled Chicken     

Chili Chicken Casserole  

SIDE DISHES / SALADS

Italian Pasta Salad        

Antipasto Pasta Salad 

Artichoke Dip       

Grilled Sweet Brown Sugar Potato Sticks

Potato Salad  

Spinach Dip in Hawaiian Round Bread 

Macaroni Apple Salad   

Red Cabbage with Apples 

Avocado Salad      

Avocado, Tomato and Sweet Onion Salad 

Green Salad with Cranberry Vinaigrette 

Grilled Chicken Citrus Salad 

Mandarin Orange Salad  

Oriental Spinach Salad   

Spring Mix Salad  

DESSERTS

Cantaloupe Soup        

Cream Cheese with Fresh Fruits    

Banana Bread 

Margarita Dessert Dip with Cinnamon Chips 

Cinnamon Tortilla Chips (or as appetizers as well) 

Strawberry Blossoms  

Strawberry Delight 

Chocolate Bars    

Cocoa Kisses  

Both of my books are included in Program Book at Thrillerfest 2011!!!

DEADLY GAMES AND DEADLY AFFAIRS are included among other great titles from ETERNAL PRESS and DAMNATION in the program book at Thrillerfest 2011.

You can check out these stories at DAMNATION BOOKS   and ETERNAL PRESS 

Great Summer Read

Getting Back On Track

Holy smokes!  We're over one week into May.  I'm trying to get back on track with my writing.  I have several projects that I now feel I've neglected and are in a holding pattern.

Last night my neighbor is over.  I made her a nice peach shortcake and we enjoyed some tea as we watched Dancing with the Stars.  Yes, in the back of my mind I kept telling myself I need to be here sitting at the computer and getting that latest story uploaded.  Instead, I ignored the "voice" and continued to stuff my face, sip the tea, and watch Kirstie Alley make it through to the semi finals.     GO KIRSTIE!

Now all I can say is I've been rooting for Kirstie.  After all she's only five years younger than myself.  I of course easilyb identify with Kirstie knowing that because we've reached a certain age does not mean we're totally out of the game.
No.  Instead we can go the whole course and perhaps even make it pass the finish line.

Yet, when my neighbor says things like "What did you do today?  Not much, huh."   She says this a lot because after all I'm not working outside the house but instead I'm here inside with only myself to tell me what I should or shouldn't do.

And the words triggered a reflex inside me telling me I better get off my ass or more aptly I better affix my ass to this chair and get back to my writing projects because I'm the only one who is going to make it across that finishing line.  If I don't focus now when will I focus? 

Poor Rhonda.  Her story has been languishing here inside the computer on my hard drive waiting to be released.  The fact that it presents a turning point in my mini series that takes the story into a slightly different direction should be enough motivation to get it uploaded.

You think?

Lately in fact I may be my own worse enemy.  Lately I haven't been all that confident and so that may be one of the problems.  Yet inside my mind scenarios, characters, plots, dialogue continue.  The well has been filling up and I think it's now about to overflow.  Also, I feel this anxiety building up inside me; another way of my subconscious mind telling me to get to it.

Writers need to write.  That's a given.  And when we don't exercise that creativity a lot of other stuff can arise, such as depression as well as the anxiety, and a feeling that time is awasting, plus the fear that years are flying by and we may not get to write all those stories that exist in our subconscious, just below the surface where they will continue to wreak a bit of havoc.

Okay, enough.

I'm going to open up the file to Rhonda's Story....go through it once more and hopefully feel it is ready for a go!

On Writing

I am just about to upload the eighth story in my mini series The Pleasure of Our Company.  This one has proven to be the turning point in the way the storyline is progressing.  In fact it may be the pivotal plot point that shows these stories indeed have a purpose in the overall scheme of what is going to occur next.

Readers who have been following will begin to realize that the series brings them on a journey of not only discovery but also that call to adventure many fiction writers based their own story line on.

Distractions have been the bane of my writing existence lately only because I allow them into my life.  Today I found too many other things to do when I should have been sitting and typing away.

I'm not sure at this point why I allow these distractions to take top billing.

Okay, writing is hard work.

And it can be tiring as well...until one actually gets into a story.  That's when a sense of exhilaration can rise inside that will provide the necessary energy to get to that so sought for ending.

I'm there with Rhonda's Story, again this is the eighth story in my mini series The Pleasure of Our Company.

The first seven are already up on Amazon and Smashwords. 

IT IS FINALLY SPRING!

I think! 

I'm still wearing winter clothing.  I'm looking out there now and will soon take my dog for her walk.  Do I still put on my earmuffs, gloves, scarf?  Yesterday we had a wet snow falling during the afternoon.  I do see a few robbins and wonder if they're confused by it all.

Meantime, I'm finishing up on the latest story in my mini series The Pleasure of Our Company.  I'm enjoying this project simply because although I have an idea where it's going to go, getting there is half the fun as well as the frustration.

Rhonda's story is the most recent and creates a turning point in the overall story line.  Readers will realize yes the small community of Weston Cove is indeed at war, or will be soon but don't realize it yet. 

The story should be available at Amazon by next week.  I'm tweaking a few things and look forward to adding it to the seven stories that are already available at Amazon.com

Meantime, let me go get my earmuffs, gloves, scarf and get my dog out there.  We both need to get out there and get some good old sun.

It's Almost Spring ---

We had a rainstorm last night.  I looked out my window this morning and saw my lawn for the first time in weeks!  Yes, I have been pretty much snowed in this winter.  It was a rough winter for most of us here in the Northeast, especially here in Connecticut.  And especially with roofs caving in right and left, one of them not less than a mile from me, an abandoned building that is now a pile of twisted steel and concrete. 

The winter actually distracted me from my writing projects.  For some reason I just couldn't quite concentrate.  I gave myself a bit of slack because of it.  When you see your neighbors climbing their roofs to shovel off two feet of snow it can produce some anxiety and cause for concern.  I literally had tunnels made so that I could get out of my house.  For some this was a fun adventure.  For me at my age it kept reminding me how mother nature can dictate what we can or cannot do. 

Today I felt once again hopeful that things may get back to normal, except normal is a term based on a lot of variables.  Living all the years I've lived normal loses its full meaning because a life changes in ways that one is either prepared or not prepared for and simply learns to go with the flow.

The certainty that I had once felt in my younger years is gone.  Yet because of that life takes on a whole new dimension that at times fills me sometimes with awe, sometimes with "uncertainty," and sometimes with a determination to see it all through.

The snow is disappearing, and soon the crocuses that always show up bringing along with them that feeling of certainty will hopefully find there way up through the soil again.  Four plus feet of snow laid on top of that earth pile for weeks so I'm hoping and praying that things will get back to normal.

My latest story  - Rhonda's Story is awaiting my input.  I think the longer days help me by providing the sunlight that in turns feeds the energy I need to complete this latest in my mini series The Pleasure of Our Company.  The whole thing has been germinating for a while now, and I am feeling that restlessness that can come when developing these storylines.

Meantime, I cannot wait to spot my first Robin. 

Ipad

I'm typing this short post via an Ipad. It never ceases to amaze me the way technology gives us these newer devices that brings the world to us in a way that we are able to get our message out there in a matter of seconds.

The laptop may become obsolete. I see the pros and cons. Focus on the writing might be difficult only because a device like an Ipad offers so much at this point it seems unlimitless in what is can do.

I feel as if I'm only touching the very tip of the iceberg.

2011 I think will be a very interesting year indeed.