#WriteTip + $15 #Giveaway - Sprint to the Finish by @OliviaNightRead, spotlighting her @LSB_lsbooks #Romance

I'm a day late wishing my Liquid Silver Books pub-buddy a happy book birthday, and I'm waaaay behind on my writing goals for this year. What can I say? The summer got the best of me. As such, this productivity tip from Olivia Night comes at the perfect time. While I loathe sprinting in real life (as everyone at our local gym can attest), the creative version is tons of fun. After our short writing tip break, don't forget to check out Olivia's newest release, as well as the $15 Rafflecopter at the very bottom. 

Sprint to the Finish

by Olivia Night

Do you ever wonder how authors can produce novel after novel? Me too! After a few years, I have found my “sweet spot” (double entendres are fun!) when it comes to novel writing.

Thanks to a fellow author, Marianne Rice, I discovered the awesomeness of write sprints.

What is a write sprint? Well, it’s exactly as it sounds. You sit and write, write, write without stopping. I did this for weeks this summer and churned out a 100k novel! Here are my tips to making your sprint productive:

  • Find the best space to concentrate. I have to have every bit of noise and distraction completely away from my space. But I do, on occasion, listen to specific music to get in the mind frame of the character or story beforehand.
  • Don’t worry about spelling and other types of errors. Go back later and fix it. Even if “Tom ate an apple” looks like “Tin out a pler”. If you go back and make the corrections as soon as your sprint is over you will know what you meant to say.
  • Start small and increase sprint times. I can sprint for two hours. After that, I’m done, done, done.
  • Don’t worry so much about the amount in the beginning. As you do more sprints get competitive with yourself!
  • Keep your negative thoughts to a minimum. You’re writing! Therefore what you are putting down is better than a blank page! 
  • Remember that writing at all is an amazing feat. At a brunch with my mother a while back she asked my plans afterward. I told her about sprinting and she shook her head and said, “I have no clue how you can sit there and just write down a world”!

Happy writing!

Seduction in Scotland

The Men of FTI Book 3

by Olivia Night

She never thought she’d see him again. Not after what she’d done to them… 

Sarah Cosgrove wakes from labor and emergency surgery to find her soul mate staring down at her. It’s been six years since she’s seen the face of the only man she’s ever loved. Since she broke Logan’s heart. 

Logan Harper, a skilled killing machine and top ranking member of Fairlane Trade International, entered a hostage situation, expecting the task to be quick and easy. It becomes anything but when he finds Sarah—the woman who broke his heart six years ago—giving birth to another man’s baby. When she tells him her life is in danger from the powerful and abusive father of her child, Logan has no choice but to protect the woman he once loved and her newborn baby, but he vows to never love her again. 

As they trek through Europe to get to safety, the mystery of the last six years begins to unfold, sparks fly, and emotions rise to the surface. Can Logan keep the love of his life safe without letting her back in his heart? Can Sarah learn to trust a man again after being abused? Will soulmates reunite? 

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Excerpt

He sighed with his hands on his hips as he stared at the items on the kitchen counter. And then noticed he hadn’t heard any movement above him. At all. The hair on the back of his neck rose as he quickly retrieved his side arm. Quietly, he moved through the kitchen and up the stairs two at time. And what he walked into was his worst nightmare realized.

Two men. One behind Sarah with a gun to her temple while Sarah clutched the sleeping Maddie to her chest, and another across the room, gun pointed at the doorway Logan walked through. He did a visual check of Sarah and Maddie for injuries. None. Tears were flowing down Sarah’s cheeks.

Logan ignored both men. “Are you both okay?” he asked.

She nodded, her gaze darting over to the man facing Logan.

The man behind her spoke. “Put the baby down. Gather what you need for her and you. You don’t want me to tell Aneli you didn’t obey orders.”

Sarah’s eyes closed in pain, and when she opened them, she looked at Logan with defeat. She thought it was over. Hardly. Logan shifted his eyes over to her. “It’s okay. Put her down.” He needed her out of his way.

“Drop your gun,” the man across the room said to Logan as he continued to aim his at him. That was fine, he didn’t need his gun. Not really.

Logan again spoke to Sarah, encouraging her. “Go ahead.” He nodded to the crib. Sarah bent over the crib, and as she did, Logan began to move as if he was placing his gun on the ground. As soon as Sarah was safely leaning over the crib, he directed one shot to the man behind Sarah…straight between the eyes.

About the Olivia Night

Olivia Night, a fictional character herself, has always been an avid reader 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 Men of FTI  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, drinks wine, 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, who 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 - Filter out the Filters! by @CeliaBreslin, spotlighting her @DecadentPub #Shifter #PNR + $10 #Giveaway

To finish off a manuscript, I always pull up the handy dandy Find All function in MS Word and highlight items on my list of "Words to Search and Destroy." Most of these are filter words, and I'll let my Decadent Publishing pub-buddy explain what they are. After this short writing tip break, I'll return you to the main attraction of this post--smoking hot shifters from the Black Hills Wolves series!

P.S. There's a $10 GC up for grabs as part of her tour, so don't forget to scroll all the way to the end to hit up her Rafflecopter!

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Filter out the Filters!

by Celia Breslin

As a reader and a writer, I love to sink deep into a character's POV (point of view) and the story’s action.  Filter words put a layer of separation between the reader and the character/story, so I say: Edit those filter puppies out of your manuscript!

Filter words include:  saw, heard, felt, touched, looked, seemed, noticed, wondered, etc.

Here’s an example…

Filtered:  I saw the thug hit him. I heard his pained cry, and I saw him crash into the wall and slide to the ground. I felt my own heart pound as I...

No Filter:  The thug hit him.  He cried out in pain and crashed into the wall, sliding to the ground. My heart pounded as I...

Jasmine Moon

Black Hills Wolves

by Celia Breslin

Tech mogul and workaholic wolf Evan Luparell has little time for distractions but takes a break for his brother’s wedding in South Dakota. When asked to escort another wedding attendee from the airport to Los Lobos, he agrees. Then he meets the curvy spitfire, and she ignores him.

Designer and wolf Mina Carver didn’t mean to be rude to the handsome, glowering man claiming to be her ride, but she was busy working. Now she must endure a ride to the Black Hills with the cranky but sexy dominant wolf. Unexpected mating energy sparks between them, but still—should she dismiss, or kiss him?

Kisses win and they agree upon a no-strings fling. But with each wedding activity throwing them together, and their powerful chemistry and mate compatibility complicating matters, can two workaholics truly have their fun then walk away?

All Romance | Amazon UK | Amazon US | B&N | Kobo | Bookstrand | Google Play | iTunes | Smashwords | Goodreads

Excerpt

Evan tipped his head and eyed the ceiling. Prompt replies, punctual people. Striking deals and hitting deadlines. These items made his world tick. Not loitering around a miniscule airport pulling a Waiting for Godot moment on infinite repeat for a no-show, flakey designer from California.

God grant him patience and balls of steel when he showed up without the designer and the all-important wedding dress, because his future sister-in-law Darci would certainly be unhappy. He’d have to beg a favor from his assistant, have her snag a couture dress, and fly it ASAP to the Rapid City airport. He could afford a gown from some famous designer in Chicago or New York, something likely superior to whatever his soon-to-be sister-in-law’s no-name friend had created. Right? Shit, he hoped women’s fashion proved so easy.

He took a deep fortifying breath and froze. Airport smells assailed his senses—the sharp tang of bleach and lemon-scented cleaners, the floral perfume from Rental Car Girl who eyed him like a piece of candy. Black coffee, donuts, fried fast food, and under it all, the distinct musk of wolf.

Female wolf.

She smelled damn good. His wolf perked up, and his legs propelled him toward the empty baggage claim, where one bright-pink suitcase covered in Hello Kitty stickers sat, unclaimed, on the unmoving L-shaped conveyor belt. Her scent, stronger here, socked his gut, and his gaze shot to the corner.

The chaos around the woman stunned him silent. Large, paper coffee cup, half-eaten banana, and a quarter of a powdered doughnut perched on a brown paper bag next to her. Crumbs splattered the linoleum and the woman’s long-sleeved blue blouse in a thick layer of white, sugary dust. On her other side, two pink garment bags lay like corpses, along with a bubblegum-pink unzipped duffel as long as her outstretched, denim-clad legs. Some of the bag’s contents—pads of drawing paper and large swaths of fabric—protruded over the opening, the fabric splaying over her legs in a rainbow-colored blanket. Her feet peeked out of the mess, encased in sparkling pink UGGs. Good grief, sequins? She smacked her shiny boots together in a poor imitation of Dorothy and bobbed her head from side to side in time to some music only she seemed to hear. Her shoulder-length red hair, the color of ripe dark cherries—his favorite fruit—gleamed under the harsh airport lighting and curtained most her face from his view, save a pert nose and small chin, both speckled with a generous amount of freckles.

He’d always liked freckles.

Clearing his throat, he stepped closer, but she didn’t flinch in surprise or look up. Her attention remained on the tablet on her lap, the stylus between her pale, freckled fingers swiping without hesitation over her screen. Her extreme focus reminded him of his sister Lexi in one of her artistic frenzies. The resemblance ended there.

While his sister took after the rest of their tall, lean, and tan family, this woman seemed the polar opposite—pale, petite, curvy, and freckled. His preferred type. A flicker of interest stirred in his gut. Did she have those cute little spots on the rest of her? Speckled fur when in her wolf form? His wolf huffed his interest in finding out, but Jasmine the Oblivious Designer didn’t acknowledge his presence.

His fascination faded, replaced by renewed irritation. She damn well should have scented and noticed his wolf by now, and she should have waited at their agreed upon rendezvous point. She should not be sitting on the dirty linoleum of an airport, lost in her work. Didn’t she realize the dangers of ignoring her surroundings?

He positioned himself right in front of her wiggly, booted feet. “Excuse me, J—”

“Sh.” She raised her arm and flicked her hand in the universal get lost gesture.

He gaped at her. “Excuse me?”

Another wave of her hand while her stylus streaked across her tablet screen with the other. “Not interested.”

Nice voice. Low and husky. Her attitude, on the other hand…. “But—”

“Go away.” Her velvet voice carried a stubborn edge.

In other circumstances, he would’ve admired her strength. But he’d wasted copious amounts of time hunting for the clearly inconsiderate and irresponsible female. “Fine. Get your own damn ride to Los Lobos. Jasmine.”

About Celia Breslin

Celia lives in California with her husband, daughter, and two feisty cats. She writes urban fantasy and paranormal romance, and has a particular fondness for werewolves, vampires, and the Fae. Her award-winning vampire series - The Tranquilli Bloodline - is available from Champagne Books.  Jasmine Moon is her third werewolf story (and a stand-alone read!) for Decadent Publishing’s multi-author, shifter line: Black Hills Wolves.

When not writing, you’ll find Celia exercising, reading a good book, hanging with her family, or indulging her addiction to Joss Whedon’s TV shows and movies.

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#WriteTip - Consider the Audio by @LeaBronsen, spotlighting her @InsatiablePress #AudioBook #NewRelease

Having only just broken my audiobook virginity not too long ago (*cough* Submissive on Display *cough*), I can totally get behind this short writing tip from Lea Bronsen. It should come as no surprise that she has an audiobook to promote (yes, all this word repetition is making my inner editor cringe as well). Find out all about it after this short writing tip break. 

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Write as if your book might be released in audio, because you never know!
The reason I'm advising this today is that I wrote my contribution to this anthology in response to an eBook submission call, and it wasn't until a few weeks prior to release that I learned it would come out in audio, too. If I had known earlier, I would have written my story in a much more direct, spoken style, with shorter sentences and less prose! lol, lesson learned. I still hope my listeners will enjoy the book! ~ Lea Bronsen

Surprising Myself

Stories of Women Fulfilling Fantasies

What is your secret fantasy? That one thing you dream of doing but have never had the chance to fulfill in real life… Thirteen writers present sexy, steamy stories of women getting the chance to live out their personal fantasies. What’s yours? Whether it’s several lovers at the same time for a pulse-pounding ménage scene or the allure of getting caught in public, these stories will set your mind ablaze. From voyeurism in a sex club to swinging, cuckolding to cosplay, SURPRISING MYSELF brings you stories from thirteen hot new writers to watch out for and just might make you think about fulfilling your own wildest fantasy.

Audio: Insatiable Press | Amazon
EBook: Amazon.com | Amazon.uk | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Goodreads

Come Aboard by Lea Bronsen 

Lorna, a young American reporter, travels to a port town in France to cover a yacht race. She hopes she’ll be able to experience her wildest fantasy on the beach – sex in public. Due to getting on the wrong train, she has an argument with the controller, who she finds both immensely sexy and annoyingly arrogant.

When he brings her to the engine, pretending to restrain her but instead getting intimate with her, she sees the opportunity to live out her fantasy…

Excerpt

If lucky, I might even meet a handsome Frenchman with whom to spend Saturday night. I’m single, have been for the past few months, and at twenty-three, the lack of sex for such a long time is driving me half-nuts. An interlude with a local hotness on one of the warm beaches of Sables sounds like an irresistible idea. Yes, a beach, or any other public place. The eBook I’m reading features a heroine getting the fuck of her life in an open park at night against a tree in full view of passersby. I want that kind of excitement, too. The three boyfriends I’ve had in the past few years were good in bed but not daring enough. I yearn for someone to do something crazy and a little forbidden with me, in public visibility. Surely, that hint of dangerousness, the possibility of being caught by the authorities, should increase the sexual experience—and our orgasms—tenfold.

For now, I’ll have to do with checking out the cute Maghrebian controller while waiting for him to examine my ticket. Row after row, he walks the narrow aisle toward me, distributing polite smiles to the passengers and answering questions. Tall and broad-shouldered, he has the looks and build of a soccer player. A black tribal tattoo appears below the short sleeve of his purple shirt and travels down his sun-kissed, muscular forearm. Beneath his gray cap, he sports a short buzz cut, and two or three days’ worth of black beard stubble covers his cheeks and chin, just enough to make him…oh, God, immensely sexy. With full lips, a strong nose, and black olive-shaped eyes, he’s a gem of North Africa, an exotic, roughly polished jewel. He would definitely fit in my fuck-on-the-beach fantasy.

About Lea Bronsen

I like my reads hot, fast, and edgy, and strive to give my own stories the same intensity. After venturing into dirty inner-city crime drama with my debut novel Wild Hearted, I divide my writing time between psychological thriller, suspense romance, and erotic contemporary romance.

I love to hear from my readers! Write to leabronsen@yahoo.com or meet me on:

Website | Lea's Crazy Nights Blog | Facebook profile | Facebook page | Twitter | Amazon