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book gourmet

First Course – The Amuse Bouche

Liam’s Lessons (by Alyssa Bailey) – Liam and Jocelyn have a second chance at love, but many obstacles to face, including Liam’s Lessons.

Cherry’s Jubilee (by Maggie Ryan) – Can a titled man understand the reality for a woman born to a lower class?

Cara Bristol 0914 smallSecond Course – The Appetizer

I went ‘round and ‘round with myself, trying to pick out a good book to feature in this segment this week. There are so many to choose from. I’m going to focus for a few moments on Cara Bristol’s body of work. From the “Rod and Cane Society” books, through her sci-fi books (Breeder and Stranded with the Cyborg are just two examples), she always provides excellent stories of great quality. If you like a good book you can really get into, books with spanking, romance, sex, and a plot line that doesn’t leave you hanging, I highly recommend any of Cara’s books.

cover the blacksmith's brideThird Course — The Entrée

You might have noticed from my Work In Progress Meter that I’m currently working on two books. This is unusual for me. I generally work on one book and do that until it’s complete and a contract is signed, then start another. For some reason — possibly because I’ve had such dismal luck finding drag queens to interview — I’ve gotten to a sticking point with “Fallen Queen.” It’s frustrating and disturbing. I don’t want to make stuff up about these interesting individuals, potentially get it wrong, and insult them. I’ve never been a drag queen, after all. I have been a performer, which gives me an edge, but not much.

So I started on a new book that I’m enthusiastic about: ”The Doctor’s Daughter.” I won’t give too much away here, but I will say it’s a historical spanking romance. The setting might remind you of my book, The Blacksmith’s Bride.

Fourth Course — The Dessert

You might or might not be aware of a kerfuffle in the industry right now. Amazon is suing over one thousand “paid reviewers” who have been falsely claiming to have read books they then leave positive reviews for. The majority of these “reviewers” (I use that term loosely) were found on Fiverr, a low-cost provider of author services on the internet. Fiverr has lots of legitimate businesses in their service, including cover artists, editors, promoters, etc. But, in this case, the reviewers in question were charging $5 for positive reviews. They never bought these books, they were never even given these books, but they left five-star reviews on them, which popped the books up very high in their catagories. It was totally unfair to those of us who actually earn their good reviews, and it’s a practice Amazon had the right and the moral high ground to stop.

I want you to know that I’ve never, ever paid for a review. My publishers sometimes give out Advance Review Copies (ARCs) of my books to get pre-release reviews that can be posted on the book’s first day online, but they are honest reviews. If a reader doesn’t like the ARC book, they have every right to say so. No one puts pressure on them to give reviews of any particular star rating. It is standard practice in the industry to give out these ARCs, and all publishers do it. We all want to start out with good reviews because — let’s face it — Amazon’s algorithm helps sell books with better and more reviews, but it is wrong to pay for those reviews. If you can’t sell the books after they’re online, if you can’t generate good reviews because you have a quality product, if you have to cheat, then you ought to reconsider your writing career.

woman author 43995616_sSome people call me an “author.” To me, that sounds a little like I’m having tea and sugar cookies while signing book jackets. While it’s true that I “author” books, down at the core, I simply write stuff. Sometimes the stuff is long enough to be a book and sometimes it’s a short story. Occasionally, it’s an article like the one you’re reading now. Before I wrote fiction, I wrote business materials and literary analysis. It’s all stringing words together to create something new and, hopefully, interesting for readers.

I can only speak for myself; and since I do this full-time, I don’t represent all writers, but my typical workweek is made up of five workdays and two days off. On my workdays, I work about seven hours, and take a half hour lunch break. The hours I work are intense because, in many ways, they entail mandatory creativity. Usually, there’s a movie in my head and all I need to do is transcribe it. But some days—oh those days!—there are interruptions, crises, irritations, and the movie just isn’t there. I’ve had days when I felt like a clay brick, dense and heavy and anything but creative, but I wrote. And, you know what? The feeling of dull helplessness went away and, at the end of the day, I’d done a good day’s work.

When I wrote Rescued by the Spy, I had trouble with the ending. I spent an entire day on about 1,000 words. I knew what I wanted to say; it was getting it just right that was tricky. That’s a huge outlay of time for very little progress, but ultimately it was the ending that the story needed, and although I wasn’t having a particularly creative day, I managed to come up with the important segment in a workmanlike way. Sometimes, a little mental muscle is what it takes.

My last book, My Vacation in Rio: Romantek (not yet released), flowed like wine from a carafe. It was full of panoramic landscapes just waiting to be described. Those are the days that a writer lives for. They’re the drug of choice, by far.

Research is also part of a writer’s day. You can’t write about what you don’t understand. When I wrote my historical romance, The Blackmith’s Bride , I had to do extensive research on the historical period, the geography, and the cultures involved. Fortunately, I enjoy history and scholarly pursuits, so the research was a pleasure. Then I had to pick and choose which tidbits to use. I think we’ve all read books where the writer sort of dumps all that research on the reader. One of the fiction writer’s chores is to sort through and use what needs to be used, rather than every “fascinating” detail.

Even contemporary pieces require research. For Striker, I had to investigate police procedure, for example. And for Liv’s Journey, I had to study Texas geography, even though I lived there for five years. Research can also lead to creative moments.

Marketing is a big factor in writing. Writers of all levels have lots of marketing to do. I spend an hour or two each day at marketing chores. Would I rather be writing fiction? You bet! But I’d be writing only for my own consumption if I neglected my website, blog, lists, and social media.

There is a business aspect to writing as well. Becoming a professional writer is opening a small business. One has to track royalties, sales and taxes, as well as preparing manuscripts for sale, synopses for proposals and cover letters that entice publishers.

Writers also have to be readers, and for the majority of us, that’s where the writing bug bit us. We’re inspired by what we read, so much so that we are compelled to do it better, explore new aspects of characterization and plot, and build new worlds. So, a chunk of any writer’s day has to be spent reading. That sounds like fun, but remember, this is critical reading and analysis, and entertainment is only one factor.

When I’ve finished for the day, I close my various documents (character profiles, setting profiles, plot notes, and manuscript) and walk away from the computer. I don’t stop thinking about the story, and often I dream about upcoming segments, but I don’t write anything more than a scrawled note to myself. Mandatory creativity is tiring.

So that’s a day in a writer’s life—my life. Creativity, research, analysis, marketing and business are all part of the process. Does it sound like fun or work? For me, it’s fun most of the time, and work part of the time. I can’t imagine having a better job.

book gourmet

First Course – The Amuse Bouche

The Sons of Johnny Hastings Box Set (Various Authors): “Five full-length historical romance novels by five of Blushing Books most popular authors!”

Rescued by the Spy (by Patricia Green): “Can an undercover spy save the women he loves without blowing his cover?”

her highland guardianSecond Course — The Appetizer

Ava Sinclair, author of four great kinky romance books, is offering up her latest, Her Highland Guardian. When a modern woman of the future is transported to the Scottish Highlands in the distant past, she gets more than she bargained for. Unable to go back home, she has to make some significant adjustments in manner and tolerance. But can she get used to Clan Chieftan Alastair McDonald and his high-handed ways?

Third Course — The Entrée

The Blacksmith’s Bride, my historical spanking romance set in Texas, has garnered sixteen five-star reviews. Here’s an example:

“The plot is great well written keeps you turning the pages wondering what the heroine will do next. The Hero is a strong Alpha Male and knows what our heroine needs. He has no trouble lending her a helping hand even if it is applied to her bottom. There is a lot of action romance and everything you could want as these two take you on a journey that you will be sure to love.” ~noangel on Amazon.com

See this review and others on Amazon.

Fourth Course — The Dessert

It’s currently a work in progress, but my Author Assistant, Maranda, and I have been working on setting up goodies and incentives for a Patricia Green street team. We hope to have all the swag ordered and delivered for distribution by October 1, and will start taking sign-ups then. If you like my books, I hope you’ll think about joining. More details will follow in the coming weeks. The sign-up announcement will go to blog subscribers first, so if you haven’t signed up for newsletters, I hope you’ll do it today. (Sign up in the form at upper right.)

Thank you for dropping in this week. Come back again next Thursday for more book tips and news.

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