Cassandra Carr tells us how to put the pieces together.

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Today I have the talented Cassandra Carr on the blog. And she's telling us how to put the pieces together with a story.

To learn more about Cassandra and all her latest releases, be sure to check out her website where you can find blurbs and buy links to all her books.

http://booksbycassandracarr.com/

Putting the pieces together

By Cassandra Carr

I tend to write in a linear fashion. I start at the beginning and I write until the end. I know there are other authors who write a series of scenes, sometimes in the right order and sometimes not, and then write bridges between those scenes to make the story flow.

I’d want to stick hot knives in my eyes if I had to do that.

Each writer is different. The process that works brilliantly for one author makes another want to pull their hair out. And that’s fine. That’s what makes the world go ‘round. But did you ever stop and think about how all these different methods for writing still seem to arrive at the same endgame? Cool, huh?

It’s funny: there are so many different writing styles, but all writers are telling a story. Whether there’s a tight focus on the hero and heroine (which there tends to be in my books) or there are a million quirky characters or subplots, the story still gets told. You guys as readers oftentimes don’t even realize how different the writing styles are, you just know whether or not you liked the story.

And that’s the whole point…

Do you notice writing styles? Can you tell where the writer has made an effort to fit all the puzzle pieces together?

 

Behind the scenes of a sex scene

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Today I have Cassandra Carr on for a chat. Have you read her newest yet, Caught? You really should. Its a fun holiday BDSM that will leave you panting!

Behind the scenes of a sex scene

by Cassandra Carr

Quick poll: how many times have you read a sex scene and thought to yourself, “Yes, please! I’d like to order me one o’ those!” Did you ever stop to think about how that scene came to be. Why was it placed in that location in the book? How did the author decide what to have our intrepid hero and heroine do?

Well, lucky for you, I’m here to answer some of those questions!

So first – how does an author know where to place a sex scene? For me, this is surprisingly organic. I’m not a plotter – I don’t have billboards full of index cards or a complicated scene spreadsheet. My characters have sex when it makes sense for them to have sex. Whether that’s early in the book, early in the day – whatever – as long as it works for the story, I go with it.

All right, so I’ve decided my characters should get busy. What should they do? Well, that depends on what type of romance you write. A women’s fiction book will probably gloss over details and make the scene itself short, whereas an erotic romance will likely have plentiful, graphic, detailed sex scenes. Sex scenes in books like that have to be different from each other or the reader is going to get bored. Insert Tab A into Slot B just doesn’t cut it anymore. Readers expect interesting, inventive sex and if you don’t have it your book will be hurled across the room. Trust me, no author wants that…

What do you feel are the components of a truly exceptional sex scene?

About The Author:

Cassandra Carr is a multi-published erotic romance writer who lives in Western New York with her husband, Inspiration, and her daughter, Too Cute for Words. When not writing she enjoys watching hockey and hanging out on Twitter. Her debut novel, Talk to Me, was released by Loose Id on March 22, 2011. Head Games, Buffalo Intimidators book 1, released on November 2, 2011 from Siren Bookstrand. Caught released December 6, 2011 from Loose Id, and Impact is coming in early 2012 from Ellora's Cave. For more information about Cassandra, check out her website at http://www.booksbycassandracarr.com, "like" her Facebook fan page at http://www.facebook.com/AuthorCassandraCarr or follow her on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/Cassandra_Carr.

BUY LINK:

http://www.loose-id.com/Caught.aspx

Be sure to click the read more to get a look at chapter 1 of Cassandra's novella, Caught.

Fool Me Once by Lacey Wolfe

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Lacey Wolfe has a new book out and it just happens to be kicking off her new novella series Hot Bods. From checking out her website, I see that the second book is right around the corner for release in early 2012.

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice… 

Drew is the last person Skylar wanted to see across from her at a local bar. A month ago he'd wined and dined her all weekend, leaving her feeling fully in love, but then she awoke alone in an empty hotel room and she hadn't heard from him since. 

The weekend Drew spent with Skylar was phenomenal. There had never been anyone who made him feel as complete as she did. He shouldn't have disappeared, he should have called, but his feelings for her scared him, so he distanced himself. But when he saw her again, he knew he couldn't stay away any longer. 

Skylar's determined not to give Drew another chance to hurt her, but he's just as determined to win her back. Although it won't be easy, he's up to the challenge, and he's willing to do whatever it takes to accomplish his goal. 

Content Warning: Explicit Sex


Excerpt:


What the hell was he doing there? Skylar was finished with her aerobics class. Grabbing a bottle of water and squirting some in her mouth, she checked her schedule. She had an hour before her next class. That meant she had an hour to figure out what he was doing at this gym.

Taking a towel, she wrapped it around her neck and wiped off the sweat. She headed out of the room, intent on finding him. He was easy to spot. He was in the cardio area, in the back row like a typical man, watching the ladies' butts jiggle as they worked out. Rolling her eyes, she started his way.

"Hi, Drew," she said sweetly.

He turned off his machine and grabbed his water bottle. She watched as he touched it to his full lips, taking in a long sip.

"If you're done, do you mind following me so we can talk a minute?" she asked. She knew a confrontation in the middle of the gym wouldn't look good for either her or the business.

"Sure."

Spinning around, she headed toward the staff only break room. Once there she stepped aside so he could come in. Luckily the place was empty. She shut the door and locked it.

"What are you doing here?" She placed her hands on her hips, trying to portray she was irritated by him, when all she really wanted was to feel his mouth on her again.

"Honestly, I had no idea you would be here."

"Yeah, and I should believe that. I haven't seen you in a month until last night and then today you show up at my work place."

He took a seat, clearly worn out from his run. "My company just switched gyms. I was having a tough morning, so I wanted to blow off some steam by taking a run."

"Sounds convenient," she retorted.

"Shit, I didn't know you would be here. It's a plus though." He eyed her belly, and she imagined his tongue there, licking her sweat off.

Silence filled the room. She didn't know whether to believe him or not. His explanation sounded logical, and she would hate to think fate worked this out. Fate was what she first thought brought him into her life to begin with. He seemed so perfect for her. When they made love, it was so hot it almost seemed like sparks were flying off their bodies. At least at the time she considered it making love. Now she knew it was just sex to him, nothing more.

"Come here." He motioned to her.

She snickered. "I don't think so."

"Please, I just want to feel you again."

"Ain't happening, buddy. You had your chance." She knew all she had to do was resist him; that was the hardest part.

He reached out, grabbed her arm, and pulled her to him. Yanking away from him, she took a step backward.

"Come on, Sky, I know you still have feelings for me."

"Oh, I definitely have feelings for you, just not the ones you're hoping for."

He chuckled. "You know, there's a thin line between love and hate."

"That line is pretty thick for me."

"I'm not so sure."

"I am." At least she hoped.

He stood, closing in on her. As he stepped toward her, she found herself once again flat against the wall. Shit, how does this keep happening? His mouth was too close for comfort. Her eyes drifted to it for just a second, knowing it was a mistake.

"This is not a good idea," she whispered. Desire stirred in her.

"I want to have you. I need to have you. You're all I have wanted."

Placing her hands on his toned chest, she pushed him back. "You're not doing this to me again, got it?"

"I will win you back," he said.

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Buy Links: Amazon / Nook / BeachwalkPress/ _AllRomance / Bookstrand

Excerpt: Blank Slate Kate by Heather Wardell

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Today I have an excerpt from Heather Wardell's newest book, Blank Slate Kate. Below you will find chapter one. Its a good chapter! Don't worry, I included buy links at the end. :)

Chapter One

My mouth tastes awful, like a thousand people have used it as an ashtray and garbage can. As I try to work up enough spit to swallow, my head begins to pound and my stomach churns. The flu's been going around my high school and I must have caught it. I want to yell for Mom but my throat's too dry, so I force my sleep-sticky eyes open so I can get out of bed.

Horror fills me, shocking the sick feelings away.

I'm not in my bed. I'm in a strange bed facing a sleeping guy. A guy I don't know. An old guy.

I can't breathe. Did I lose my virginity to him last night? I was going to wait until I got married. What happened? How did I end up here?

I scrabble backward and half-fall out of the bed, but before I can run away dizziness sweeps me and I throw up on the worn rug between my feet.

The guy blinks and sits up. "Kate? You okay?"

Chasing Her Trail by Keri Ford

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Publication Date: November 9, 2011
Genre: Erotic Contemporary Romance
Heat Level: R
Format: E-Book
Series: Uninhibited in Apple Trail, Arkansas (#6)

Blurb: Jessie McBride barely survived the unexpected death of her loving parents. Forced to fend for herself with few people to depend on while raising her younger cousin, Jessie learned to be self-sufficient. She kept a few friends close and pushed the rest of the world away, along with that helpless, dependent girl she was once. Been there, done that, never again.

It works until Henry Green enters her life, with sentimental tales of his grandpa and family. Jessie is drawn in as Henry strives to take care of the man who raised him. But while Henry is putting things in place for his grandpa to retire, his well-intended controlling ways are smothering Jessie. 

Can Henry’s invitation back to life and love tempt Jessie to drop the emotional wall, or will Henry give up on chasing the girl she once was?


My Thoughts: This is the last of the Apple Trail series that many of us have fallen in love with. We started with Through The Walls and have not finished with Chasing Her Trail. I have read each of them and enjoyed each very much. But, it isn't like Keri Ford is done, nope she already has another series all lined up for us as we are in withdrawal from this one.

In Chasing Her Trail, Jessie finally gets her turn. Jessie has done everything herself for a very long time and plans to continue. She doesn't take crap from anyone. She has never been told what to do -- until Henry comes to town. Henry comes looking for land to build a house on for his father, but he finds a whole more. Henry is a fixer and he wants to fix Jessie, but she doesn't make it easy. This is a fun little romance as we watch these two battle it out before they finally just give in to what their feeling. While I read this I really just wanted to bop them each across the head and have my own talking to with them.

And since this is the last book, Keri Ford tied it all together in a neat little bow. She gave us updates on them all and it was nice to see all twelve characters together at one time and see how they interacted.

Don't miss this one!

www.keriford.com
Buy Links: Amazon / Nook / TMP / AllRomance




 

Winners!

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I had two giveaways end so that means its time to announce some winners!! That is the fun part!

The first giveaway winner is for The Lonely Dominant by Ella Jade
Patricia

The second giveaway winners are for Darn Good Cowboy Christmas by Carolyn Brown
Tanya
Debby (please message me your e-mail)

Congrats to the winners and if I have your email I will be e-mailing you shortly.


 

*Giveaway* Guest Post: Carolyn Brown - Hot Sexy Cowboys!

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Today I have Carolyn Brown on the blog talking hot and sexy cowboys! Best of all, Sourcebooks is sponsoring a giveaway of Darn Good Cowboy. I am going to do the giveaway differently then usual. Tell me and Carolyn  if you love cowboys, police officers, military men, etc. There will be two winners and I will announce them on December 7th, 2011. This giveaway is for US and Canada only.

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Good morning! Thank you for inviting me to your blog to visit for a while today about my cowboys. It’s always a delight to talk about cowboys, to write about them, to visit with them and to watch them!

When y’all invited me to your blog today, you asked me to talk about what real life cowboys inspire me to write all these books about hot cowboys. I’ve thought about that a lot and decided that to name all the cowboys who inspire me would take several volumes because there’s something about every cowboy I’ve ever met that has inspired me. Many of whom I have no idea what their names might be and they have no idea that their walk, the way they opened the grocery store door for a lady, the way they tipped their hat at an elderly woman on the street…all those things were an inspiration for a character in one of my cowboy books.

From the cowboy who struts across the rodeo grounds to mount up on a wild bull to the one I met in McDonald’s out in the panhandle of Texas. He was about sixteen and he said, “yes, ma’am,” in that deep Texas drawl that I feel certain already had all the teenage girls swooning. We visited for a while and he became the inspiration for a young Raylen O’Donnell in Darn Good Cowboy Christmas.

Then of course, there’s my son, Lemar Brown, who is a real life cowboy down in southern Oklahoma. His spread might not be as big as the O’Donnell horse ranch in Ringgold but he’s a cowboy through and through. Maybe it comes from all those Louis L’Amour he read over and over again.

And my son-in-law, Todd Morgan, who lives five miles from where Darn Good Cowboy Christmas was set, who is a cowboy at heart! Both those cowboys are my inspirations and I swear they are so cowboy that they strut in their sleep and drawl when they laugh.

But in addition to real life cowboys there are those who are real to me even if they are just characters in books, movies or television shows. The first one that comes to mind is John Wayne in The McClintock. It’s one of my very favorite western movies. I saw it when it first came out on the big screen and have seen it many times since and like it just as well as an adult as I did as a child.

And then there is Timothy Olyphant from Justified. That fellow wears his jeans and his hat just right and his southern accent would make a woman’s panty hose start to creep down toward her ankles. He would be a cowboy in Texas as well as the hills of Kentucky or in Wyoming as well as the beaches of Florida. You can take the cowboy off the ranch and out of the saddle but you can’t take the cowboy attitude out of a real cowboy. And that’s what is the true inspiration.

Oh, and the Sackett brothers in Louis L’Amour’s books are as real to me as the cowboys who walk down the streets of Davis, Oklahoma. The movie, The Sacketts, was fantastic with Tom Sellack playing Orrin Sackett and Sam Elliott as Tell Sackett. Whew! Now those are two actors that make their cowboy characters as real as the ones I see every time I leave the house in my part of the world.

When I’m writing sometimes I can talk Sam Elliott into being my muse. He sits behind me and tells me if I’m getting the cowboys described just right. With his deep southern drawl, his voice has been the inspiration for many characters. And Tom Sellack: put him in cowboy boots and a hat and he is a real cowboy in my eyes. With that cocky grin, I bet he’s inspired more than one western writer!

Now put them all together. Sam’s voice, Tom’s dimples and cleft in his chin, Timothy’s swagger and John Wayne’s force and it creates a very real cowboy like Raylen O’Donnell who graces the front of Darn Good Cowboy Christmas.

As a reader, what is it about a cowboy, real life or character that you like? What makes you grab that book from the shelf in the bookstore that has a hot cowboy in a hat, boots and a silver belt buckle with a bull rider or a bronc rider on it? Is it the anticipation of reading about a man with a deep drawl and feeling his strong arms around you as you read?

Darn Good Cowboy Christmas by Carolyn Brown—In Stores NOW!

He’s One Hot Cowboy

Raylen O’Donnell is one smokin’ hot cowboy. He could have any woman he wants, but he’s never been able to forget a certain dark-haired girl who disappeared from his life. So when she suddenly returns to the ranch nexct door, Raylen’s not fixing to let her get away again…

And She’s Out for a Sizzlin’ Christmas

Raised in a traveling carnival, Lizelle Hanson thought all she wanted was a house that didn’t have wheels and a sexy cowboy for her very own. But settling down’s going to take some getting used to, and cathing Raylen, the hotter-than-hell cowboy next door, might just take a little holiday magic… 

About the Author

Carolyn Brown is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author with more than forty books published, and credits her eclectic family for her humor and writing ideas. She writes bestselling single title cowboy and country music mass market romances. Born in Texas and raised in southern Oklahoma, Carolyn and her husband now make their home in the town of Davis, Oklahoma, where she is working on her next book, One Hot Cowboy Wedding, which will be in stores in April 2012. For more information, please visit http://carolynlbrown.com/. 

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Leave a comment about what type of man you find sexy to enter the giveaway. Thanks!