#WriteTip - Planning Ahead by @LandraGraf, spotlighting her @DecadentPub #BeyondFairyTales #Fantasy #Romance

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Fellow Decadent Publishing author Landra Graf has a brand new addition to the Beyond Fairytales series. It features a girl with a gun and a bounty hunter with an attitude—what more can a fantasy romance reader ask ? In addition to snagging a sexy excerpt from Raven Pirate Assasin Spy (which has my favorite Beyond Fairytales cover to date...yes, I'm jealous), I also convinced her to give me a writing tip. As a recovering pantser, it's nice to know all the plotting I have yet to do will eventually pay off. 

Planning Ahead 

by Landra Graf

First up, thank you to Tara for hosting me today. It's always a blessing to have fellow authors give up their space.

Tara asked for a post on writing, so I'm going to talk about writing firsts. With my latest book, Raven Pirate Assassin Spy, there were several writings firsts shoved my way. The biggest around plotting. In the past I've been what the writer world calls a pantser. I didn't plot stories beyond a lose beginning, middle, and end. The details figured themselves out as they went. With Raven I actually plotted the whole book and did the fancy GMC (Goal, Motivation, Conflict) thing. I call it fancy because at the time it was.

The best part - all the pre-work worked! Writing the story came easier, faster, and with fewer issues. The characters still went on their little tangents and I found some scenes required additional POV switches, etc. Overall the process became smoother. A first for me was writing a successful short-length novel without the rambling plot hiccups or the unraveling when I hit the halfway point.

Another first - researching on the front end. I typically research as I go, but in this instance I figured out all the character names, the setting spots, the machines and weapons. It was like a genius moment. There were still new ideas I'd have to research after the fact, but the majority of the hard work was wrapped on the front end.

Overall, I'd say this is my favorite book so far. I love all my creations, but this book combined all the things I love and took my writing abilities to new limits. The best of both worlds, and I hope readers agree.

What's been a recent first for you? 

Raven Pirate Assassin Spy

by Landra Graf

Once Upon A Time...

Sorella Corvino lost her brother to The Cursed years ago. Sorella is so determined to find him, she'll make any deal, rescue the outcasts and those like him, and risk flying into any port to rescue him. When her latest pirate efforts partner her with a bounty hunter who's too charming, sexy, and handsome for his own good, she knows she's in trouble.

Ian Marshall no longer believes in fairy tales…

Disowned and a marked criminal in the United States, this merchant turned bounty hunter, is one bounty away from freedom; and freedom's price is handing over one person to the most cutthroat gang in the world, The Cursed. Yet, he can't get to them without Sorella's help. Too bad she's gorgeous, aggravating, and a little trigger happy.

As the attraction mounts, the danger grows and the pair find themselves invading a skin trader den, the ballrooms of dictator-ruled Germany, and fighting battles in the sky in the hopes of getting everything they want. Only thing they didn't plan on... falling in love.

Excerpt

“Merci, mon petites.” The albino’s voice sounded like gravel in the cylinder-shaped microphone. “I’ll be breaking for a short time. Youse keep yourselves amused and stay out of trouble.”

“Remember…let me do most of the talking,” Ian said as soon as the crooner stood and started making his way to the edge of the stage.

The captain merely nodded, taking in the other members of the band, who didn’t leave their spots on the stage.

Instead, they started playing again, a perky jazz tune with a good measure of saxophone. A few of the couples positioned around the room came out to the dancing square positioned in the middle of the room and began swaying or grinding to the beat. Ian kept his expression neutral although his gut churned at the visual.

Their host grunted as he pulled back a chair, and, as a guest, Ian stood as manners dictated. The captain didn’t.

“Standing on ceremony as if you were still a gentleman?” Janken chuckled.

Ian sat and smiled. “Mama’s rules ne’er do disappear.”

“Mine did, thank God.” The albino tapped his long fingernails on the table top in perfect rhythm with the beat from the stage. “Who’s your friend? She smells like a garden.”

“Castoa--”

“Captain Castoa of the Liberté.” She’d cut him off and extended a hand in peace.

For a blind man, Janken saw remarkable things, and he grabbed her, leaning forward over the small table. He flipped her palm between both of his and sniffed at her wrist. Without rebuke, she submitted to his eccentricities while Ian experienced a sudden desire to throw the skin trader from his seat and put the captain’s fancy knife through him.

“Divine. Absolutely delicious.” Then he let her go. “Such a pretty scent for a woman around filth and dirt all the time.”

They all fell silent. Ian couldn’t find his words at the moment, a red haze of jealousy winding its course through him. Being jealous of a blind man seemed a bit ridiculous, but at the same time he wanted permission to touch her, to smell her—liberties denied him that Janken had taken without even bothering to ask..

Luckily, he didn’t have to produce the next piece of conversation; the albino did the work for him. “Now what does a marked want so bad he’s willing to darken my establishment with his sinful presence?”

Time for business. “I need to find Luther.”

“You’re not the only one.”

“I’ve got merchandise he’s requested, but a delay had me late to our meeting point. I know you can tell me where he’s hiding.” He’d bet his life on it.

The two illegal-dealing men weren’t friends, but information about anything and everything black market or top secret seemed to be in the albino’s possession. The Cursed were always in need of intelligence. Information allowed them to stay one step ahead of the authorities and determine who’d want their services.

“I may know something, but the rules still apply.”

Ian nodded. “Yes, and she’s got something good to share.”

A white eyebrow rose. “Eh? What could this marvelous woman who captains an airship full of foul-smelling, disgusting men have to tell me that would equal such a trade?”

Excerpt Option 3: Sorella Corvino only made promises she kept. So when she told the crumb in the next cell, “Once I get out of here, I’m going to kill you,” those were words of truth, not fiction.

The evil bastard leaned forward, mere inches from the bars, and grinned. “I prefer my bits handled by a gorgeous dish, but in a pinch, you’ll do.” His six yellowed teeth stabbing up through pinkish-white gums were a stark contracts to his soot colored skin and graying eyes, the gray no doubt a product of the drugs and rotgut sold on every corner in Pontevedre. No one escaped the filth and poison festering in the streets of every European city unscathed.

“In your dreams.” She stepped towards him, eyes narrowed. Maybe she wouldn’t wait until she got out.

“That’s what your girl is dreaming of tonight. Me and my co—“

She slid her hand between the bars and grasped the part of his anatomy he wanted to talk about in every other sentence, effectively cutting him off.

 

About Landra Graf

Landra Graf consumes at least one book a day, and has always been a sucker for stories where true love conquers all. She believes in the power of the written word, and the joy such words can bring. In between spending time with her family and having book adventures, she writes romance with the goal of giving everyone, fictional or not, their own happily ever after.

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#WriteTip - Find Your Character's Tune by Olivia Night (@OliviaNightRead), spotlighting her #LSBooks #RomSuspense

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Those who've read my Safe Harbor series (like, the 3 of you...) know that I like to put my characters in dangerous situations at exotic locales. Fellow Liquid Silver Books author shares my odd predilection for torturing kickass damsels and knights in distress, as witnessed by her new romantic suspense Seduction in Sierra Leone. Before I allow her to pimp her book, I forced her to first give me a writing tip (I'm evil that way). As someone who needs complete silence in order to concoct nefarious plans, it's one I can't follow myself. However, I've heard it can work wonders for distinguishing points of view. 

Find Your Character's Tune

by Olivia Night

I always love when you read a book and while you read it a certain musical genre, or song or artists emerges. Being from the generation whose childhood was half tech free and half tech emergent I find it hard to focus with background noise. I do love, however, to listen to specific songs or genres prior to writing to give me some inspiration.

I find it fascinating that my characters all have their own sounds. Listening to music can help me when I have to make a shift in perspective, as my books do regularly. Otherwise, sometimes, I find it difficult to write from the perspective of a calm, loving woman to the perspective of the soulless man chasing her.

If one were to look at my Pandora account they would find that I have the maximum allowed stations (yep) and these stations range from Pearl Jam to Zac Brown to 2Pac to Muse to Sinatra to The National to Old Crow Medicine Show. It is all over the place! But it’s helpful because my characters, too, are all over the place.

My writing not only bounces from perspective to perspective but also book to book. I am currently working on four separate books and at times when an idea for one book pops into my head while I’m working on another I will turn on the station I think will help and viola! Inspiration.

My first book out, Seduction in Sierra Leone, was written with the help of many, many songs.  But now, that I have planted the seed I would love to hear what music comes to mind as the reader reads the novel rather than reveal it to them!

Seduction in Sierra Leone

by Olivia Night

In the mangroves of Sierra Leone, two strangers, raised a world apart, find themselves inextricably connected. They can run from their pasts, but they can’t run from each other. Passion erupts between a relief worker and an arms dealer as they play a deadly game of hide-and-seek with a man set on vengeance. Seduction in Sierra Leone is a fast-paced, action-filled novel of murder, lust, and revenge from romance author Olivia Night. 

Aislinn Salameh, an American relief worker, is searching for purpose in her self-imposed lonely world. The stranger who enters her village on a blistering hot day seems more animal than human. She knows she should stay far away but can’t stop herself from being drawn to the mysterious man. 

Brandt Fairlane is haunted by the sins of his past. Detached from others, Brandt has spent his life alone. His line of work is too dangerous for the luxuries of love and family. 

When Brandt sees Aislinn and her haunting eyes, he knows he must possess her. But when Brandt’s past comes back from the dead and Aislinn is caught in the crossfire, it is up to him to keep her safe. In order to survive, they must learn to rely on one another. As they run for their lives, the heat between them becomes undeniable. 

Now, Brandt must not only protect Aislinn from a madman committed to stealing her away, but he also must protect her from himself. Because if Brandt steals her body and her heart, he’ll never let her go. 

Teaser

He cleared his throat. “Are you hurt?” 

“No,” she said quietly.

He knew she could feel the charged current in the atmosphere. “Are you sure?”

“Yes, I washed up. Thank you for putting the water out for—”

Brandt didn’t let her finish. He crossed the room in four short strides and pressed his mouth into hers. His hand came up to trail her thigh. His tongue was instantly invading her mouth, his teeth biting at her lips. She gasped. She was confused by the pain and pleasure of the sensation.

“I’m sorry...” he said into her mouth. 

His hands pulled at her head, forcing her face up to him. His tongue softly trailed the delicate skin to her collarbone. His right hand came down and grabbed her thigh, guiding it around his waist. He moved both hands to her round ass and lifted her up so that he could wrap both of her legs around him, his cock pushing against her intimately. He pushed her backward into the wall. A moan escaped from her mouth as she tilted her head back to give him better access. 

“That’s right. Let me have you,” he murmured. 

About Olivia Night

Olivia Night, a fictional character herself, has always been an avid read and writer. She found the romance genre in college and has never been able to get enough. One sleepless night, the main characters of Book One in her Seduction series sprang from her head fully formed. They demanded she tell their story; so she did. As they revealed themselves, so did two other intriguing characters. Those characters convinced her to give them their own books because their stories were worth telling too. And so Olivia suddenly became a romance author. When Olivia is not writing, she has the best job in the world, which, too, will remain a secret. In her free time, she reads, write, runs, or is, most likely, out emulating Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Olivia lives in one of the most diverse and vibrant cities in the U.S.—Baltimore. She lives with her cat, which she is convinced was a gladiator in his past life. Olivia plans to continue being awesome at this thing called life. Really, that’s her only goal.

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#WriteTip - Keep a Notebook Handy by K. T. Black (@KTBlack_author), spotlighting her #Sexy #LSBooks #PNR

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My Liquid Silver Books pub-buddy K.T. Black had a paranormal romance come out recently. Before getting some alone time with her hunky hero Dylan Holt, I asked her to impart a writing tip. I actually haven't managed to pull this one off with any degree of consistency, but I'm working on it!  

Keep a notebook handy. I always carry a notebook with me and keep one beside my bed. Don't risk losing an idea forever. Get it down on paper.  

The Assistant

by K.T. Black

Elise Bennette doesn’t do relationships … even though her sexy-as-hell new assistant has her consumed by erotic daydreams. But things aren’t what they appear to be, and her dream life and real life are beginning to blur. Will her fantasies eventually become real or will a secret shatter the illusion?

Available Now

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Interview with Dylan Holt,
from The Assistant

Hello. My writer wanted me to take a few minutes to tell you a little bit about myself, and perhaps even entice you with her new story.

My name is Dylan Holt. I come from a long line of succubus/incubi, and history hasn't always painted my kind in the best light, nor has it gotten things completely accurate. I'm not a "Demon", but I'm not exactly human either, even though I do resemble one. An extremely attractive one. <Shrugs and grins smugly>. I know that makes me sound egotistical, but it's part of how I'm able to draw humans to me.

So, I'm guessing you're wondering if part of what you've heard about a succubus/incubi is true. Do I enter into dreams and tempt humans with erotic suggestions? Absolutely! It is my nature after all. The sexier the dreams, the more potent the energy for me to feed from.

Now don't look at me like that. Before you go judging me, I must point out that this isn't entirely one-sided. I don't completely drain the life force of anyone I'm involved with. I do take what I require, but I also give them something in return. The inspiration to pursue the thing they desire most.

I also have the ability to enhance dreams, make them seem real. It helps to motivate the human I'm pursuing to keep them dreaming. If things progress to an intimate relationship, even better.

As far as me in general, I'm a bit of a wanderer, able to adapt to any situation. A true "Jack of All Trades". I'm a whiz with modern technology, which comes in handy. I've had to reinvent myself more times than I care to count. And, for a long time I thought I was happy moving from town to town, person to person. Then I encountered Elise Bennette. That's when everything changed. She made me want to set down roots and get lost in her dreams.

About K.T. Black

K.T. Black often mixes genres when creating her romance stories. Whether her (F/F or F/M) stories are filled with witches or regular people, they frequently include mystery/suspense, sci-fi, fantasy or paranormal elements. She never limits the direction her imagination takes her when telling a good story.

When she's not writing, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, going to movies, cooking, traveling, playing video games, and meeting interesting/eccentric people--many of whom help color the worlds she creates while writing. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her family and three very spoiled cats.

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