Re-issuing Ellora's Cave Backlist Books!

I've got big news about four of my favorite sexy stories!

You might have noticed that Punishing the Art Thief, Ginger Snap, Chastity Belt, and Hollywood Spank are no longer for sale from publisher Ellora's Cave.

That's because the rights to these books have reverted to me, and I'm thrilled to announce that I'll be self-publishing them soon! 

The new editions will be re-edited (while keeping the story intact), have brand-spanking-new covers, and every single one will have lower prices!!

So keep your eyes peeled.... these stories are going to be re-issued soon!

I'm also going to put Punishing the Art Thief, Chastity Belt, and Hollywood Spank into trade paperback editions!

Get ready... this is gonna be fun!!

Best,
Shoshanna xoxo

Sexily *Evers* After...

Sold! To Ellora's Cave - Bedhead

Hello Fellow Writers,

I have exciting news - Ellora's Cave Publishing just contracted my fifth book with them, an erotic romance novella starring a heroine with alopecia - that is, she's bald.

The book is titled Bedhead and it will be a part of the multi-author upcoming plastic-surgery series Skin Deep.

SQUEE!

And just a reminder, Taste of Candy is coming out July 15th from The Wild Rose Press. :)

Yay! My new book Chastity Belt is out now!

My new Ellora's Cave BDSM erotic romance Chastity Belt is available now!


Here's the blurb:  

Georgia Hearn has found the perfect way to make easy cash—performing an interactive BDSM-flavored stage show at the exclusive Gentlemen’s Club.

When handsome GC client Jonathan Syler goes up on stage and locks her into a chastity belt, it’s all supposed to be part of the fun. But Jonathan makes it clear he won’t be unlocking her anytime soon.

Now she’s at his mercy—and has no choice but to see him again, since he holds the key to her pleasure. Literally.

Reader’s Advisory: This book contains a hot girl-on-girl tease and denial scene and some F/F/M action.

Click here for an adults-only excerpt!

Buy Chastity Belt from Ellora's Cave here. If you have a Kindle, you can get the MobiPocket format (.prc). For the Nook, get the ePub format. If you want to read on your computer, get the Adobe PDF. :) 

OMG it's here! Hollywood Spank!

Hollywood Spank

is a BDSM erotic romance 
available now from Ellora's Cave!

Click here for more info or to buy Hollywood Spank.

It's finally here, release day for one of my very favorite books. Please email me if you read it and let me know what you think - I promise to email back!

Blurb:

When the studio heads for Mark Cannon’s new action movie discover that their leading man likes to spank his personal assistants, they insist Mark hire a professional submissive who won’t run to the tabloids with his kinky secret.

Andrea Landley may be a wonderful assistant, but she lied through her teeth about being a BDSM pro to get the job—and now her real career as an undercover tabloid reporter has gotten very interesting.

Andrea is willing to do whatever it takes to get the dirt for her scathing exposé—even if it means learning how to take a spanking from a movie star. She doesn’t realize until it’s too late that Mark Cannon has a lot more in store for her than just a simple stinging bottom.

How to Make a Zombie Sexy - Author Paige Tyler

Hello Fellow Writers!

Today I'd like to introduce author Paige Tyler, who I first met in October at Romanticon. She has a new book out today called Dead Sexy, which is actually a zombie romance. Hmmm. You know I have to read that, just to see how she pulled it off!

Shoshanna: Hi Paige! Welcome to The Writer's Challenge. So, how long have you been writing?

Paige: I started writing in middle school, so back then I did it purely for pleasure.  It wasn't until my creative writing teacher in high school suggested I think about making it a career that I started to think about getting published.  Although I wrote every day and came up with story after story, I still didn't pursue it seriously.  One of the problems was trying to figure out how to get anyone to look at my stories.  I tried cold submissions and even sending my stuff to literary agencies, but those avenues never worked for me and I started to get a little disheartened.  Luckily, that was about the time epubs were becoming popular, so I when I ran across a website asking for submissions, I decided to give it a shot. The publisher loved my stuff, and I've been writing every since.  And while writing is my job now, I've never lost that love for it, so it's still a pleasure!

Shoshanna: Did you ever get rejection letters?

Paige: Ugh, yes!  Well, not from epubs, but from print pubs and agents.  They're disheartening, to say the least, but the stories that got rejected were picked up by other pubs, so it was all good. Just because one pub doesn't like something, that doesn't mean another won't.  So, my new motto is do your best and forget the rest! 

Shoshanna: And it's not like epubs don't reject 95%, maybe more, of what they get. So it sounds like maybe your books were good but not mainstream enough for a print pub to take on. That's one of the beautiful things about e-publishers - good stories get told. So, when did you make your first sale? How'd that feel?

Paige: I made my first sale over five years ago to an ePub called Blushing Books and it felt fantastic!  My dream of becoming a romance writer came true and I totally did the happy dance!  Actually, I still do it whenever a book gets contracted!  LOL!

Shoshanna: Yeah, me too! Okay, and now you've written a zombie love story. How did you manage to make your zombie Hero sexy?

Paige: First, to set the stage, I need to share a little something with you about myself.  Well, about my hubby and me, actually.  We love zombie movies, from the George Romero gems to Shaun of the Dead and everything in between, including "Walking Dead," the new series on AMC.  You just can't go wrong with  a movie full of walking dead people, can you?  Well, if you've ever seen a zombie movie (or even if you haven't), then you know the creatures aren't the heroes of the film.  I mean, how can they be, right?  They're all dead and decayed and downright unattractive, not to mention pretty damn scary.  Which was why you can imagine my surprise when my hubby suggested I write an erotic romance about a zombie hero.  I was like, you're kidding, right?  What woman in her right mind would fall in love with a dead guy?  No way could that possibly work, or so I thought.
Turns out, my hubby wasn't kidding.  In fact, he started working up ideas for the story. "The hero didn't have to be a zombie all the time," he told me. "Think outside the box - take a little literary license!"Okay, I thought. I suppose I could be open minded. My hubby told me that in his out-of-the-box world, the hunky hero got cursed by an evil Voodoo priestess and only turns into a zombie sometimes.
"I'm listening," I said.
"And when he does go zombie, he doesn't have to be like the kind in the movies," my hubby added. "Well, he has to look like one, you know all dead and stuff, but he doesn't have to be a mindless creature or attack humans or eat anything gross."
So, brains are completely out, thanks goodness!
"Think Jensen Ackles or Jared Padelecki, with a really, really, really dark tan - (yes, my hubby knows I've got a thing for the Supernatural hunks!) - well, maybe more gray and black than tan, but you get the idea."

I thought about that for a minute.  "So, the hero's dead, but he's still sexy, is that what you're saying?"
"Exactly," he said, giving me a grin as my eyes lit up with understanding.
By that point, my hubby had pretty much sold me on the idea.  Of course, I knew if I ran with it, I was going to have to sell it to a publisher, and I knew that could be tough since the hero is a zombie. But I ran with it anyway and ended up with a full-length novel.  And it came out pretty damn good, if I do say so myself!  I still had to find a publisher for it, though.
About this same time, It just so happens that several of my other books were in the process of being picked up by Ellora's Cave and I thought what the heck?  Why not pitch it to my editor there and see what she thinks?  So I did, and she told me to send it to her.  She was interested to see how I handled the whole zombie-thing.  Well, long story, short, she liked it.  A lot!  My zombie romance with it's dead-sexy hero had a home!  I was thrilled and my hubby walked around for a week with a smug, "I-told-you-so" look on his face.
I've been getting the word out there about DEAD SEXY ever since I signed the contract for it and I'm thrilled with the interest from readers who can't wait to get their hands on it!  I can't wait for them to read it, too!

Now that I've revealed the story behind the story, I'd love for you to stop by by website and read the blurb and excerpt, as well as take a look at the trailer, just to your appetite for more!

Read the Blurb

Watch the Trailer

Read an Excerpt

Buy it at Ellora's Cave

Shoshanna: I can't wait to read it! One last question: Do you have a literary agent, do you want one?

Paige: I don't have an agent.  There was a time that I did want an agent, though.  Bad!  But after a couple years of trying, unsuccessfully, I've changed my mind about it.  I got tired of hearing the same thing, that they want something "different," and though they "loved" whatever book I sent them, it was too "different."  Or that they "loved the book," but weren't "in love" with it.  Books, that ePubs and readers absolutely love, by the way!  The rejections did nothing but bring me down and make me doubt myself.  Writing, something that I love with a passion, wasn't fun anymore.  It wasn't worth it, so I said, forget it.  I realized that I was doing it more for validation that for any other reason.  I'm happy as an epubbed author and am lucky to not only be with some of the most amazing publishers, including Ellora's Cave, but to have the most amazing readers, as well!

Website: http://www.paigetylertheauthor.com

Blog: http://paigetylertheauthor.blogspot.com

I'm also on Facebook, MySpace and Twitter!

Shoshanna: Thanks for stopping by, Paige!

Rejections made me a Better Writer: New Author Eliza Lloyd

Hello Fellow Writers!

Can you believe we have only 2 more days till NaNoWriMo? One of my friends told me that as far as she's concerned, there's no such thing as the month of November anymore. We just call it NaNo! I'll be writing an erotic romance set in post-apocalyptic New York City. I intend to write 80K instead of the usual 50K, so I'm already freaking out a bit more than I should be, perhaps. But that's all part of the fun.

You can follow my progress by following me on the NaNoWriMo site. My user name is ShanaWriMo.

In other news, I signed my contract for the Berkley Heat anthology, called Agony/Ecstasy. WOOT! So it's official. It's a friggin' dream come true :)

Now - for those of you out there who are still "pre-published authors" - I have found a very inspirational story for you. Eliza Lloyd just had her very first book ever published by Ellora's Cave. She stopped by The Writer's Challenge today so I could ask her about how she went from aspiring writer to published author!

Shoshanna: Hi Eliza! Congrats on your first book! Tell us about how long it took you to get to this point. I wanna hear about rejection letters too, the bane of the writer's existence.

Eliza: I’ve been writing for several years (please don’t make me say how long) using the two-steps forward, one-step back method. I’d finish a book only to realize there were glaring plot holes. I’d go on to the next one, finish it, and find out I’d egregiously head-hopped. So yes, I got rejections, but the mistakes along the way have only helped me become a better writer.

As for a specific rejection, I must tell your audience that Ellora’s Cave rejected this very work perviously (Wicked Desires) but then, a new line came open and it was a perfect fit! So, no matter how many rejections and no matter who they are from, one must keep writing, polishing and submitting.

Shoshanna: When did you start writing? Do you write other stuff other than erotic romance?

Eliza: When I thought about my dream job, the two things that always came to mind were being an author or being a 19^th century archeologist. While I always knew the one was impossible, I woke up one day and asked myself, why are you not writing? So I did. And I am!

Yes, I do write several genres. I have several short stories published in contemporary romance and science fiction. Plus, I like writing romantic suspense and contemporary, both of which are a great relief after writing a research-heavy historical. Historical romance is my true love though, and even my erotica is historical.

Shoshanna: What do you love to read? How important is it for a writer to be an avid reader, do you think?

Eliza: One must read to write! I’ve heard of writers who ‘hate’ to read books from the genre they write in but not me! I can’t get enough of historical romance. I read them all the time and hope to emulate some of the great historical writers…some day. And as a secondary read, provided it is a total distraction with lots of sizzling, sexy vamps, would be a hot paranormal. 

To read the blurb for Wicked Desires, click here.

To read the excerpt (for adults only!) click here. 
To purchase Wicked Desires on the Ellora's Cave site, click here.

Third Sale to Ellora's Cave :)

Hello Fellow Writers,

I've been so busy since getting back from Romanticon 2010 (which, by the way, was *incredible*) that I haven't even had time to update my blog here with my latest news, which is that I sold Hollywood Spank to Ellora's Cave. The crazy thing is that's my fourth sale since April (Punishing the Art Thief, Ginger Snap, and Hollywood Spank to Ellora's Cave, and The Wooden Pony as part of an anthology to Berkley Heat). This whole publishing thing has happened so quickly it seems, although when I sit back and think about it, I wrote my first book ten years ago and only just recently started selling... probably because the first novel I ever wrote, when I was 19, wasn't worth the paper it was printed on!

The menage short story I was starting to write is on hold. I've started writing Taming Casey, the sequel to Chastity Belt, which I just submitted to my editor at Ellora's Cave. Soon though, that will go on hold as well so I can gear up for NaNoWriMo!

I'm very excited about NaNoWriMo. I'm torn though about what to write. Should I write my post-apocalyptic love story, Protecting Emily? Or an erotic Beauty and the Beast? Or a contemporary erotic romance on a longer scale? Or maybe even try my hand at urban fantasy and vampires? I have no clue.

Suggestions, anyone? What are *you* writing for NaNoWriMo?

My First Release Day *Ever*

Hello Fellow Writers!

Yesterday my erotic romance Punishing the Art Thief was released by Ellora's Cave. I went on a couple of blogs to do interviews (see here at Natalie Dae's blog and here at Lily Harlem's site). Hubby and I went out to dinner last night to celebrate :)

When I first started writing this blog, it was because as an aspiring writer I found myself constantly searching online for good information for writers. How to format my manuscript, how to get a literary agent, how to write a synopsis, how to write a query, etc. And I wanted all that information to be put in one place: my blog. And along the way, I've been telling you folks all the steps I've been taking on my path to becoming a published author. Now the sorts of posts I'm blogging have changed a bit, partly because I've covered all the basics in previous posts before but also partly because my own interests have changed. Now I'm interested in hearing what other more experienced authors have to say, and I have an even stronger interest in finding myself a literary agent (I think).

So last night at dinner, the fact that I actually accomplished my life-long ambition of getting published just sort of made me woozy with excitement. (I probably ate enough calories to even out the fast I'm doing for Yom Kippur, lol).

My beta reader got back to me with her notes on my novella Chastity Belt, so I'll probably take a look at those today. And I really need to get a proper outline going for Protecting Emily. Or maybe I'll just "pants" the whole thing, like Stephen King does?

Wish me luck, and good luck to you too! Please, if you read my book, drop me a line and let me know what you think. I promise to write back :)
Shoshanna

Tracey H. Kitts: "Pirates Cut Into My Earnings"

Hello Fellow Writers!

Can you believe it's already September 14th? That means my book Punishing the Art Thief will be out in just TWO days. I'm so excited but I'm also a bit freaked out. My dream of being published is about to become true. Then I think - "Oh no, what if my parents read what I wrote? Sunday dinner will never be the same again!" Then I think - "Well, I'm married and we have a baby, so surely they don't think I'm a virgin still, right? RIGHT?" As you can see I'm a little weirded out.... lol

I was chatting with another Ellora's Cave author (who just happens to be multi-published) Tracey H. Kitts, and she agreed to answer some questions for us! Of course the whole literary agent thing is on my mind, so I started off asking her about that.

Shoshanna: Do you have a literary agent? If yes, how did that come about? If no, do you think you need one? 

Tracey: I don't have an agent. But someday, it would be nice:) I don't think that everyone needs an agent just starting out, but eventually once you make it big (and we all plan to, right?) then you'll probably need one. As the literary world goes more an more digital, I find myself pushing back when I'll look for an agent. At first I thought it was really important. Then, I learned to put together proposals and got several contracts on my own. Plus, pirates keep cutting into earnings. So, am I glad right now to not have to pay someone else a cut of my hard earned royalties? Yes. It's one of those tricky things that I'm not always sure about. Right now, I think I'm doing alright by myself.

Shoshanna: I've heard a lot about pirates stealing e-books. That sucks that they eat into your royalties. Any tips on promoting your book once it's out?

Tracey: I think that like a lot of authors, I'm still trying to figure out the best type of promo. I've done a little bit of everything. One of my editors told me that the very best promotion is to follow it up with another good book. I agree with her:)

Shoshanna:  Ooh, me too :)

Tracey: Thanks so much for having me:) "Grab life by the fangs" www.traceyhkitts.com

Shoshanna:  Thanks for being here! And can I just say I am *drooling* over the cover of Sex Symbol!

Okay, it's Shoshanna again. So, fellow writers, I've been having such a ball interviewing other authors for their professional tips and advice. I think it's really helpful to hear things straight from the people who know!

Today will be a busy day for me, because I got back the critique from one of my beta readers of The Wooden Pony, the 5000 word short story I just wrote, and I need to revise and submit it soon for that anthology. I know it's a long shot since they are only accepting 20 stories but it was fun to write anyway!

Have a good week, guys, and if you have any questions of your own for Tracey (or me of course) please put them in the comments and I'll pass them along to her!

Find a Good Critique Partner (Tips from Author Lily Harlem!)

Hello Fellow Writers!

I just read one of Ellora's Cave's free reads (what they call "Naughty Nooners") and my first thought was wow - that's a really good, hot story. And free? Sign me up! Now I want to read all the Naughty Nooners!

So anyway, after I read Stockholm Seduction, I emailed the author Lily Harlem and told her how awesome it was, and asked her a couple questions - such as how did you go from aspiring writer to published author? She had a lot of great info to share and she said I could share it with you folks: 

Lily Harlem:  "I first got published through a competition win. Spring 2009 I entered the Love Honey Vulgari Award for Erotic Fiction. I'd entered other writing comps before but nothing erotic - in fact I hadn't even tried to write anything saucy. I dreamed up a tale about the first female president of the US having a secret and passionate affair with the British PM!! It was a wild ride in the Oval Office and a Love Honey sex toy had to be incorporated into the story. I blushed the whole time I was writing it and then hit send never expecting to hear back. You can imagine my surprise when they called and told me I'd won first place in the long story section. Yippee!

"It was financially rewarding but more than that it gave me a massive boost of confidence as I realized I'd finally found my genre. And phew, what a genre! I got writing, writing and writing. I checked out the Erotic Reader and Writer Association on line, they have lists of calls for submissions. I sent off loads of short stories and got plenty of rejections, ranging from 'we like your voice but this is not what we're looking for at the moment' to just 'your writing skills are not strong enough for us'. But I kept on writing and gradually the acceptance emails started to come through - very exciting and worth the disappointment of getting the rejections.

"The best bit of advice I would give my pre-published self is to stick to short stories. I wasted literally hundreds of hours on a few full length novels that were just rubbish. It's so much easier to play around with shorter ones and get them just right without addling your brain. Also find a good crit. partner. Someone who is already into the genre and can pick out glaring mistakes, for example if you're writing about a wild orgy, you don't want someone so shocked by the content that they won't notice if your characters are doing things that are physically impossible!"


Good point there, Lily! I completely rely on my beta readers to save me from embarrassing mistakes... once I changed the Hero's name halfway through. Um, oops. Thanks beta reader, lol!

Here’s the blurb for her fast paced, kinky kidnap…

I was having a fabulous extended gap year in Oz. Sun, sea, sand and seriously hot surfers rolling in on every wave. Mmm, what could possibly be better?
But then I was taken…taken against my will. Stolen like a prized object. I was tied up, held for ransom. I didn’t know if I would survive, if I would walk away alive. And then, to top it all off, I was tortured in the sweetest, most delicious, most sensual way imaginable.
That was when I realized my fun down under had only just begun.

If you want to read Lily's free book Stockholm Seduction, click here.

"Stick With It!": Author Darah Lace

Hello Fellow Writers!
So recently I wrote a 5K word erotic story to try and submit to an anthology. They only need 20 entries though, so the chances that mine will be among them is slim, I admit. Still, it was fun to write! I sent it off to one of my beta-readers for critique, and I also took on one novella and one story from two of my beta-readers to read for them, so I will be a busy bee for a while.

Today I asked one of my fellow Ellora's Cave authors, Darah Lace, to chat. She wrote Saddle Broke for EC, and Unmasking Zorro and Bachelor Auction for The Wild Rose Press.

Shoshanna: When did you first get published, and did you get rejections before that?

Darah: Rejections? OMG, yes. I have a file cabinet full of rejection letters from editors and agents. I think that goes with the business we're in. My first novella, Wrong Number, Right Man, was published in 2006 at The Wild Rose Press, but I sort of dropped off the face of the earth for a while. I didn't try again until 2009 and in 2010 I sold to EC (Saddle Broke) and TWRP (Unmasking Zorro and Bachelor Auction). It's been a great year so far.

Shoshanna: If you could go back in time and tell your pre-published self something that you know now about writing, what would it be?

Darah: I'd tell myself, "Self, stop short changing yourself. Don't stop trying. Stick with it!" After a particularly disheartening rejection I lost my self-confidence and it took me way too long to get it back.

Shoshanna: I did the same thing years ago, I got a form rejection and just completely stopped submitting stuff! Fortunately I kept writing, even though I was just sticking my manuscripts in a a drawer, lol.

Without further ado (has anyone ever said "we need more ado?"), here's the blurb for Bachelor Auction:

Marcus Preston wants a relationship built on love and trust, but the woman he wants made it clear long ago she's only interested in fun and games. Yet, moving on proves difficult when no one else can erase the memory of the night they shared last summer.
Charlotte Reese doesn't believe in love, marriage, or happily ever afters. An occasional one-night stand is all she needs to take the edge off her loneliness and enhance the bad-girl image she uses to discourage commitment-seeking men—especially Marcus, the only man to melt both her body and her heart melt.
When Charlotte wins Marcus hot off the block of Houston’s Most Eligible Bachelor Auction and they’re forced to spend the weekend together, she seizes the opportunity to seduce him and extinguish the attraction sizzling between them once and for all. But for Marcus, it’s all or nothing. He won’t be seduced. Instead, he’ll show Charlotte she has more to offer a man than sex.

This week is a holiday week (Have a sweet New Year, L'Shana Tova!) so who knows how much I'll get accomplished. I'll probably get all my reading done if possible. And I still need to outline Protecting Emily. Or maybe I'll just go to temple and not get a thing done...Today I'll write my advice column for The Mahopac News early so I don't have to worry about it tomorrow. Wish me luck, and good luck to you to!


And thanks Darah Lace for joining us! Oh, and by the way, I adore her tagline: The Seduction of Lace.

45 Books Published and Counting: Author Natalie Dae

 Hello Fellow Writers!

As many of you know, now that I'm published with Ellora's Cave (will I *ever* tire of saying that? Nope! lol) I am part of several author groups on Yahoo, and I have the wonderful opportunity to chat with other authors and learn from their years of experience.

Then I thought - hey, let's share! So, I asked author Natalie Dae a couple of questions.

Shoshanna: When did you first get published, and did you get rejections before that?

Natalie: I was first published back in 2006 with one of my other pen names. That book was my first submission, so I got lucky. I’ve been rejected about 6 times now, and since then, in my various names, I have had 45 books published and feature in a few anthologies. I have seven books yet to be published, all in the editing stages, and I’m in the process of writing three more. It’s all go!

Shoshanna: If you could go back in time and tell your pre-published self something that you know now about writing, what would it be?

Natalie: That I can push myself harder and produce better work. I’ve always been a self-doubter, so finding out that there is more inside me that I’ve yet to tap into has been great. We never stop learning, and our voices change over the years, but the experience along the way is so refreshing, I would tell my former self—and myself as I am now!—to stop worrying and just enjoy writing.

Here are the blurbs from two of Natalie's books - click the titles for more info and to read excerpts!

Soul Keeper

Carrie Marsh anxiously awaits her online lover of two years, pacing the station in her stylish red coat with nothing but luxurious black lingerie underneath and stilettos on her feet. Will Rob Edwards really be on the train from Scotland? Will the attraction still exist in person? Can she even stave off the first anticipation-induced orgasm before he arrives? Excitement spirals through her, for Carrie has planned a night to remember.

Rob is shy, and Carrie intends to show him how to unleash his sexy side during a series of sexual encounters. But once he arrives, she can’t wait until they get to the hotel, let alone a bed. No. They hardly make it to the first tree, where anyone could spot their antics.

One unforgettable evening of passion leads two virtual lovers to a lifetime as each other’s soul keeper.

Magenta Starling

Cursed at birth, Dion is a demon who has searched for his beloved for centuries. Upon meeting Morgan, he knows she’s the one he’s been waiting for, the one woman he can love forever, the one woman capable of helping him break the curse. However, Jistin, the curse-giver, has other ideas…

Morgan longs for a relationship and release from her solitary life aboard her yacht, The Magenta Starling. She longs for Dion—who’s not all that he appears. When he reveals his feelings for her, Morgan allows Dion to take her to his world, the realm of Thradmos. Her love for him growing even as she struggles to accept his reality, Morgan realizes she would do anything for him—including give up her life in the real world.

At a party held in celebration of Dion’s impending freedom, Morgan is snatched away by Jistin. In a final battle, Dion will fight not only for his freedom, but also that of his beloved, lest he be cursed for all eternity…and lose Morgan in the process.

Thanks, Natalie, for sharing, and come back to The Writer's Challenge to visit anytime! 

 I also want to point out that Natalie's book Soul Keeper is a "Quickie", which is what my book Ginger Snap will be. And now you've gotten a preview of what *my* book cover for Ginger Snap will look like, because I actually chose the same Quickie cover that she did, lol!

Can You Write Two Books at the Same Time?

Hello Fellow Writers!

Love that comic by Dave Coverly. It tells how I'm feeling at this moment! Um, figuratively, that is.

My self-imposed internet restriction has gone smashingly well. I don't even need all the time I allotted myself. The trick has really been to avoid constantly checking my email inbox. Three times a day and I'm good! There's no way people can say that I don't get back quickly if I go online thrice daily, right?

Last night I finished writing an erotic novella tentatively titled "Chastity Belt". One of the main characters, Casey, gets involved in a menage with the couple in Chastity Belt. But Casey deserves her own HEA, so I'm thinking about presenting Chastity Belt as Book One in The Gentlemen's Club series, (the GC is the name of the exclusive BDSM-flavored club the book is set in) - and Book Two would star Casey as the heroine. Whaddya think?

Of course that means now I *really* want to get started on Casey's story. But I've also got this epic book roaming through my head that I think really needs to get out and get on paper...um, keyboard. In my head, this book is tentatively titled "Protecting Emily". And it's a *big* book. Longer than anything I've ever written. So I probably need to get some sort of outline going.

Part of me thinks - hey, outline Protecting Emily while you write Casey's as-of-yet untitled story! But I just don't think I can write two books at the same time. Can you?

When Do You Need a Literary Agent?

Hello Fellow Writers!

I've been a busy writer bee lately. I signed the contract with Ellora's Cave for a Christmas themed Quickie titled Ginger Snap, and I resubmitted Hollywood Spank to my editor. Fingers crossed that she buys it!

I also went back to my Taste of Candy erotic romance and decided it could work as a Quickie as well (a Quickie is what Ellora's Cave calls 10k-15k fast-paced erotic romances) so I sent that off to one of my beta-readers to see what she thinks before I submit it to my editor. I want to wait until I get a yay or nay on Hollywood Spank before I submit Taste of Candy, too.

Now I need to get to work on the next project. I have my Chastity Belt book to work on - that went by the wayside when I was doing Punishing the Art Thief edits. So I want to reconnect with that piece.

At what point, I'm wondering, do I need a literary agent? I imagine that now that I've got two books published with Ellora's Cave it might be easier to get my foot in the door, but I'm also wondering if it's a bit premature for me to start handing over 15% (or more) of my royalties.

But then I think - there's probably so much that could be done, that I'm not doing because I don't know any better! An agent could help with that. I love Ellora's Cave (whenever I want to read something hot they are the first place I hit up) but I know that some EC authors write for other publishers as well. I'm not quite sure how that works since EC options your next book when you sign their contract. So that's another thing I suppose an agent could help me with - figuring out all the fine print.

Having a literary agent is one way to avoid the slush pile. That picture above is of an untouched pile of slush in the corner of a publisher's office. An agent gets you past that and onto an editor's desk.

From Agent Query about why we need agents:

Literary agents have connections you don’t. Good literary agents are one-degree-of-separation away from the editors who decide “to buy or not to buy.” Good literary agents are tuned into the literary trends. They know which publishing imprints publish which kinds of books. They hobnob with those editors over lunch. They’re like mini-gods running the literary universe. For better or for worse, they serve as the first gatekeepers in the screening process. Okay, it’s true. The literary agent “hierarchy” adds to the bottleneck. Too many writers competing for the attention of a small pool of movers and shakers. But write a fabulous timely book, and you’ll shoot right through.

Do you have a literary agent? Do you want one?

This week I'll be writing a synopsis for Hollywood Spank - I'll need it if my editor decides to buy it, because all the contracts have a cover page with the synopsis of the book on it. So I'll write the synopsis in the hopes that I'll be needing it :) I'm also going to get back into Chastity Belt (um, not into an actual chastity belt, just into the manuscript!).

And... I may just start doing some research on which literary agents are looking for erotica.
Wish me luck and good luck to you too!

Release Date: Sept 16th 2010!

Hello Fellow Writers!

I'm happy to announce that I've finished my edits on Punishing the Art Thief for Ellora's Cave and I now have an official release date: September 16th, 2010! Whoo hoo!

I've also created a Twitter account for myself. I know, the last thing I need is *another* social networking site to constantly check, but hey, that's the age we live in. So follow me on Twitter @ShoshannaEvers !

For anyone interested in reading the excerpt from Punishing the Art Thief, click here, and please let me know what you think. Thanks!

Now that I've made my initial revisions for Ginger Snap, my erotic Christmas "Quickie" for EC, I'm now free to make another round of revisions on Hollywood Spank and incorporate the notes my two beta-readers gave me. When I finish those notes I plan on resubmitting it to my editor at EC.

Wish me luck, and good luck to you too!
Yours Truly,
Shoshanna Evers (I know, I know.)

A Second Book Contract from Ellora's Cave!

Hello Fellow Writers,

Oh boy, I've got big news. I'm so excited I just had to share. Remember how I wrote a kinky Christmas story, hoping to be part of the Ellora's Cave "Merry Kinkmas" anthology they are coming out with this Christmas? Well, I just got word from my editor that my story "Ginger-Figged for Christmas" (tentative title) is not really fetishy or kinky enough for "Merry Kinkmas". Apparently ginger-figging is too common to be considered kinky! LOL

Bummer, right? Nope! She wants me to add a few things and said if I'm willing to do that then she'd like to offer me a contract on it as a stand-alone book.

And as I'm sure you can imagine, I'm willing! My editor has a real knack for knowing how to make a story shine, so her suggestions will come in handy when I start revising (and lengthening) my Christmas story.

The funny thing is, I was planning on spending this week reworking my WIP Hollywood Spank to include the revisions my beta-readers suggested, but now I'm putting Hollywood Spank aside to work on the Christmas story.

I am over-the-moon happy to have sold my second book. I'm kind of in shock that it actually happened :) Wish me luck revising tomorrow, and good luck to you too!
Yours Truly,
Shoshanna Evers

RWA Conference 2010!

Hello Fellow Writers!

I'm pretty much in the same boat as when I last blogged, ie waiting to hear back from my beta reader about my latest revise-and-resubmit for Ellora's Cave - Hollywood Spank, writing a kinky Christmas story for EC, waiting (patiently, right?) for my cover art for my contracted book with EC Punishing the Art Thief, and writing my weekly advice column for The Mahopac News. Chastity Belt is on hold until the Christmas story is submitted.

I know, I'm not spending enough time on my writing career ;)

The annual Romance Writers of America Conference is coming up, and I am so sad that I will not be able to attend. I'm hoping to hear all about it from those of you that are attending. If you look at their website and see all the famous names that will be making appearances, holding workshops, and doing Q&As, you will understand why people pay the money they do to be a part of that experience!

Hopefully I'll be able to go next year. And I am going to Ellora's Cave Romanticon 2010 in October, so that will be fun.

Here's what RWA has to say about it:

Every year, writers and industry professionals come from all over the world to attend Romance Writers of America’s Annual Conference. The Annual Conference is a four-day event filled with educational workshops, career enhancement, and community involvement.

At the conference, career-focused romance writers can anticipate:

• Education and information,
• Networking with fellow writers,
• Interaction with editors, agents, publishers, booksellers, and other romance publishing industry professionals.
  

The 2010 RWA Conference has been relocated to the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort in Orlando, Florida, from July 28–31, 2010. Visit the registration page to learn how you can join us at the 30th Annual Conference!

Wondering what to bring with you if you're going? They suggest you leave your manuscripts at home, because if you do snag an invite to submit your manuscript from an agent or editor, they won't be able to physically take it back with them - they want you to mail it to them. If they all took all the manuscripts they requested they would need an extra suitcase to carry them!

This week I plan on finishing my Christmas erotica story. Wish me luck, and good luck to you too!
Yours Truly,
Shoshanna Evers

Revise and Resubmit from Ellora's Cave

Hello Fellow Writers!

Sorry it's been a while since my last post. I've been crazy busy. I heard back from my editor, Jilly, at Ellora's Cave regarding "Extremely Personal Assistant", about a movie star who likes to spank his assistant. Jilly sounded like she like it a lot but wanted me to revise it and resubmit it as well as retitle it. What do you think of the new title - "Hollywood Spank"!

I also was happy to meet another erotic romance writer at June's monthly Hudson Valley Romance Writers of America meeting. We're going to be each others' beta readers, so I told her I am going to try and have "Hollywood Spank" revised and sent to her by the end of the week. I've been meeting with one of my writing buddies at Cortlandt Panera every Tuesday night to write, as well as my writing buddies from NaNoWriMo every other weekend Sundays at Fishkill Panera. I'm still writing the advice column for The Mahopac News.

I was also told that since I'm going to Romanticon 2010, Ellora's Cave will try and have my book "Punishing the Art Thief" ready for the book fair. That's pretty exciting, it means my book should be out by October 2010!

I've been working on "Chastity Belt" and it's been going pretty well, but that is getting put on hold right now while I get "Hollywood Spank" in order. Then I have to get to work on a Christmas Quickie for EC, since the publisher put out a call for submissions to all the authors. They want short (7K-15K) kinky Christmas stories. I have an idea brewing about a couple who puts Domestic Discipline into practice to make it through the holidays without divorcing!

I'm going to get to work now. I haven't had much time to write since my mother-in-law was in town and just left today. Wish me luck and good luck to you too!

Yours Truly,
Shoshanna Evers

You Did It! Now, Do it Again.

Hello Fellow Writers!

I submitted my second erotic romance, tentatively titled "Extremely Personal Assistant", to my editor at Ellora's Cave. I'm terribly nervous about her response. The ironic thing is that if I hadn't sold "Punishing the Art Thief" to EC already, I'd basically be expecting a rejection letter. Instead, I'm feeling like if I don't sell this second book, then perhaps the first one was a fluke.

My husband says I'm being silly, that even if EC doesn't buy my next book doesn't mean they won't want the one after that. And maybe they will want this one! We'll see, I guess. I just have to do my part, which is to keep writing books.

My whole life I've dreamed about writing a novel and then selling it to a publisher. Now that it's happening, I have come to the realization that that dream is not an end goal in itself. I did it once, now I have to do it again! Of course, I love to write, and I would write even if I couldn't sell it. I started writing erotica for my husband's eyes only, after all. But if I'm going to be spending a huge chunk out of every day writing, then it really would be a good idea to make some money at it in the process! I also love the idea of reaching out to an audience of readers.

Speaking of readers, I've been spending so much of my free quiet time writing that I haven't been spending nearly enough time on my first true love, which is reading! That's going to change right now.

I made my book trailer for "Punishing the Art Thief". Here it is:



What do you think?
Yours Truly,
Shoshanna Evers

Book Trailers, Business Cards, and Websites

Hello Fellow Writers!

I am still floating on air, relishing my new title of "Author". I'm pretty sure it's not going to get old anytime soon. Well, it might get old to everyone else... :)

I've been working on creating an author website for my pen name, Shoshanna Evers, and also on creating a book trailer for "Punishing the Art Thief". I got royalty free stock photos and royalty free music, and I'm trying to figure out how to put it all together into 30 seconds of pure enticement to read my book! I found a great article about book trailers on Brenda Coulter's blog, here.

I even got free business cards with my pen name, name of my book, Ellora's Cave website, and my website and email written on them. They look darn good considering they just cost me $5 for shipping!

As for "Extremely Personal Assistant", I'm almost done with that now that my lovely beta reader Maureen has given me her notes, and I'm gearing up to submit it to my editor at EC. Fingers crossed!

All of this boils down to one main thing - it's time for me to write another erotic romance! Today I'm at the Panera in Fishkill with my writing buddies, and I'm going to get started. I've got some new ideas swirling around in my head, and I also have the beginnings of other erotica stories that I started but didn't finish, including "Taste of Candy" and "The Chastity Belt".

Wish me luck, and good luck to you too!
Yours Truly,
Shoshanna Evers