Pick Me Up Monday -My Creative Family Tree

HummingBeard

This is a bit of a different post. I've been asked more than once about my creative process, how I come up with the ideas for my books. The inner working of my brain can be a scary thing...it sometimes even scares me!

For those who follow my blog have notices in the past few weeks a daily funny I've been sharing. It comes from www.botaday.com the worlds only art humor blog with a decidedly twisted bent. The sole author of this site and the art therein is none other than my Cousin, Mike Martinet.

As I have said in many interviews, I come from a family of artists. What form it takes is as unique as it is inspiring. Though not all, like me have kept to canvas and oils. Denise Barr my mentor who kept me sane and believed in me enough for me to reach for my dream of writing also has taken her vision to become a top notch fashion designer. Here is a few of her designs from a fashion show a few years back. 

Creativity comes in many forms and can be as much a gift as it is a curse. It is something you can't call on at a whim, but sparks wild and untamed it takes complete possession of you not letting go until it is satisfied. The outcome of this divine inspiration is what we try to bring to life in this reality. Some are hits, some misses. We can only interpret our vision's the best way we can in the medium we have chosen. The three of us are the renegades and in many ways the survivors of our eclectic family, moving outside of the box designed for us to make our own paths. Mike, with his incredible art, Denise with her fashion and I the author who uses oil painting to work through my stories.

Mike Martinet and Denise Barr

My cousins inspire, excite the mind and nurture the soul. Without them, the world would be a far poorer place to live in. They keep my dream alive and keep me pushing ever forward. To be better at my craft of storytelling, to give you the spark of my creation at it purest. 

I look forward to seeing what these two create everyday and now it's time for me to get back to my creation. 

Keep those in your family who follow a different path close to your heart. Nurture their gifts even if you may not understand what they do, give them your support.

You never know what they may turn out to be, but I'm positive it will be wonderful.

Pick Me Up Monday- Why I build sexual tension between characters

Here is a little sizzle for your Monday.

The age old question, when to make love...or not? For this storyteller it is all about the build up. I must admit, I do feel sorry for the poor heroes I write, who struggle through the excruciating hit and misses of getting any relief from the object of their desire.

How soon is too soon? These days it seems to happen around page three. In the ever growing popularity of erotica, instant gratification seems to be the sign of our times. The art of "the tease" is still there, but the books making the big sales are all about getting it on as soon as you get the characters names.

If you are looking at that type of writing then you really don't want to read my books. I go for the build of tension, the clash of wills between characters, drawing it to a fever pitch. By the time they do have sex you will want to do a hell, yeah fist pump in the air.  

With Firestorm I find I must focus most on their reactions to one another more than any other book I've written. Since my shape shifting dragons are a sensual race of beings with the need of sex with their mates as soon as possible or they decline into madness. Yet, even with the urgency tugging at me to make the moment happen I hesitate knowing there must be more. I realized I'm all about the dance, the coming in close only to move away building the fires of passion as high as possible. 

When I pick up a romance book there is a specific thing I want within the story. The sexual burn between the two characters ramping up the tension to a point where you can feel it come from the pages in waves is what I crave. It keys me up until finally...finally that passion erupts on the pages nearly burning your fingers as the world around you dissolves and the intimacy you are experiencing becomes in essence yours also. 

Now that is one hell of an attraction.

So Rogan and Sabine have started the dance in Firestorm and though they may get close to that burning flame the pressure will and must continue, if for no other reason than to grab you, the reader by the throat and drag you within their world. 

How else can you fully appreciate the sensual experience of a dragon for a lover. 

Pick Me Up Monday-Countdown to Hot Mojave Knights

Happy Monday!

Love the tough guy look. To me it says, "give me your best shot." 

Things are getting a bit crazy these days since my latest release Dark Desire on July 4th. I am finding time to work on Firestorm, but could use another eight hours in the day to just spend writing. 

Now, the gears are turning with Hot Mojave Knights. The event page on Facebook is now live and ready for all to use. The schedule of events is filling out and will soon be done. Then it's all the fine tuning needed, the little details no one really sees and the small personal touches to put in place. The special attention to hand made favors for each author and attendee is just one of those details we strive for to make the event memorable.

Seeing this dream grow and evolve is an amazing thing. What I first envisioned in the early stages emerged from it's cocoon totally different than what I imagined. This is a good thing in this instance, since it is the people who attend who give it life and nurture it. Every idea an author, blogger, sponsor or reader has only makes it better.

The excitement for this event fills me with gratitude. This is our second year and word of Hot Mojave Knights is spreading. We are small and will only be as big as those who come want it to be. We, the committee and I stand firm on this. We offer a unique opportunity to have a close one on one with authors who are hard to see in normal conventions. And to become fans of those who normally don't get the chance to showcase their work and build that much needed fan base.

Through it all I will continue to bring those small touches to  this event,which brings authors and readers together for one memorable weekend out of the year. One weekend you will come back to and why? Because this is the event you helped me create.

  

Cover Reveal and Teaser from Dark Desire-Releases July 4th!

As promised here is the new cover for my fourth book in the Dark Breed Enforcer series. Zeke's book promises more of the same fast paced action and electric chemistry as my previous books with plenty of twists for you, my fans.

Release date is set for July 4th which gives me more than one reason to celebrate the holiday. Stay tuned for many opportunites to win a copy of Dark Desire. Now here is a teaser for you as promised.

 

 

TEASER:

 

 

He barked out a harsh laugh, his words laced with venom as his lip curled into a sneer. “There is no such thing as a peaceful Lemurian. You are all killers. It’s in your nature to war and take what you want by force. Leaving nothing but devastation and ruin in your wake.”

She really didn’t know what to say to that one. His hate chilled her skin, the air so thick with his animosity she could barely pull in enough air into her lungs. The room closed in on her making her head swim. She needed to get away from this madman who just told her he had every intention of killing her.

“I’m just a damned stripper.” Her voice shook with fear and desperation. “Please let me go. I won’t call the cops. Just let me go … please.” The words didn’t come easy to her, nor did the fear she felt coursing through her like icy sludge threatening to immobilize her.

“Save it.” He bit out, his face as hard and implacable as stone. “You just don’t get it, do you? Nothing you say will make a damn bit of difference. Your ass is mine, and I alone will decide how long you live and how much pain you exist in. Face it. You’re screwed, so save your breath.”

His movements blurred as he once again closed the space between them and gripped her arm, tugging her through the living room and down a hallway, and past several closed doors along the way. He opened the last one on the right, shoving her into bedroom. Nothing but a bed, white walls and old battered dresser adorned the room. An old brass pot stood near a wall, but it was the chains attached to thick metal manacles bolted to the wall that made her heart stutter within her chest. Her throat dried up as terror on a level she never knew existed took hold of her with unrelenting force.

A scream bubbled out of her throat as he shoved her back against the chains. She fought with every ounce of strength she possessed, kicking and clawing at his unprotected face and throat, but he proved too quick and jerked away from her in time. Her nails only caught air.

He snatched one wrist, attaching the cuff, then the other, effectively subduing her arms. Her foot slashed out, but again he maneuvered out of harm’s way by simply stepping back. She struggled to break the manacles, the chains only giving her a few precious inches of freedom.

“Let. Me. Go.” She snarled the demand feeling anger rise deep inside, burning away the paralyzing fear from only moments before.

“I don’t think so. You can scream all you want. This room is soundproof.” He shook his head and walked to the door.

“Wait, what am I supposed to do if I have to go to the bathroom? You can’t just leave me like this.” She spat the words out, the taste of bitterness sharp on her tongue.

His gaze moved to the pot near her feet. “I’m sure you will find some creative way to relieve yourself. Not my problem.”

She shrieked, hurtling curse words at his retreating back and continuing long after he closed the door after him.

 

Available through Evernight Publishing

http://www.evernightpublishing.com/pages/Coming-Soon.html

Amazon Kindle week of July 7th!

For pre-sale of Dark Desire leave me a comment with your email address. 



Pick Me Up Monday - Happy Independence Day!

Happy Monday!

As everyone prepares for the approaching holiday with family and friends it brings back memories of summers past and the ones who always stay in your heart.

I remember summers spent at James Camp up at Kern River above Lake Isabella. Hanging with my cousins Deborah and Denise who I grew up with. We would swim at a local swimming area called the Curve and walk to the little market to grab as much penny candy as we could carry. We would sit by the fire at night and talk and laugh the night away watching our crazy family with their antics. Made me wonder sometimes who were the adults and who the teenagers lol!

It was there I fell in love for the first time and had my first heartbreak. Life lessons learned and kept close to my heart.

Life has not always been so idyllic as an adult, but those carefree times helped me through to rough spots. Of all the people in my life who inspired and encouraged me my cousins top the list. If not for them I don't know if I would ever had the courage to embrace my creative side. Denise especially had an impact on me. In incredible artist and creative genus with fashion design, she was always there in my informative years to help me embrace my uniqueness. Not always a good thing in my family. The odd duck in a pond of exquisite swans Denise guided me to embrace my creative side, my dreamer, who gave me the emotion and words so I could put them on paper. First in illustrations and then with words on paper. What ever success I receive in this world is due to her and Deborah's influence on me as a child. So, in closing, I dedicate this post to my twin cousins. Deborah, who has passed on leaving loving memories behind and Denise, my secret mentor who guided me when I was young. That guidance helped me to find myself. Her positive words an echo resounding in my soul to this day and giving me the strength to step out of my safety zone and take a risk. 

Guess what Denise, I did it and it all began with you.

Everyone have a wonderful holiday, be safe and I'll chat with you again on Monday. 

I    

Pick Me Up Monday - Preparing for Cover Reveal and Release of Dark Desire

Happy Monday!

This guy's got the right idea on how to cool down on a sizzling summer day.

Final edits are done, an excerpt chosen and dedication written. Now comes the wait for my cover and official release date. I'm planing some great promo for the book and a cover reveal so stay tuned for more information on how you can win some prizes and yes, even this latest release.

In other news, I'm crazy busy between writing Firestorm, preparing writing events through Opensim and Second Life, and of course producing Hot Mojave Knights with my committee. This is the second year for the reader event had I'm happy to say word of mouth has been great. 

Things are really picking up and now it's crunch time where I need another eight hours to get everything done! Oh, well I always hated being idle anyway. I find if your this busy you don't have time to be nervous about how everything is going to turn out.

Well, back to work, have a very productive week.

Pick Me Up Monday - Dark Desire:#4 of the Dark Breed Enforcer Seroes Summer Release

How's this for a little Monday Inspiration. He is also a character inspiration for me. He screams at me to write him into one of my books and my muse agrees. Don't you think he would make a great dragon shifter?

I'm only weeks away from my fourth book in the Dark Breed Enforcer series, Dark Desire and will soon unveil the book cover. I am planning on a few giveaways and will post all the fun right here. 

With edits done it's back to work on Firestorm and using my new historical paranormal series as a platform for Opensim, a 3D alternate world where people go and socialize, learn new things and be immersed in a different reality. There are some who use it for role-play and games, others who, like me use it as a promotional tool to invite others to interact with the worlds I write. This is very exciting technology and I will be posting many more blogs about my experiences with this along with pictures of my builds and interactions so stay tuned.

Well just wanted to touch base with you all, but now I must get back to writing. Have a wonderful week.