#WriteTip - Trust Your Editor by @JamiGrayAuthor (w/ a Spotlight on her @BlackOpalBooks #UrbanFantasy #FreeRead)

Urban fantasy author Jami Gray has a sweet promotion going on this month. The first book in her Kyn Series is currently available for FREE at all major eBook retailers.  She's busy spreading the word around the interwebs, but she managed to duck in to give me a writing tip. As an occasionally spanked minion of EvilMistressKate (aka my editor Kate Richards), I agree wholeheartedly with Jami's advice! 

Why Editors Save Writers

by Jami Gray

I love my editors.  That's right, I am proud to announce I have more than one, more like five to six if you combine both sets from Black Opal and MuseIt Up.  If you're not familiar with what happens to your favorite book after your author types "#END#", here's a quick run down.

The poor baby begins a weight loss program. The first round will beat that baby down until it's bawling in corner.  The second round will coax it out, wipe its nose, then proceed to show it the way with some very straightforward talk.  After some pouting, the story will straighten up, and face down the last round--where the final, professional polish will be applied--hair combed, pants pressed, shoes polished.  Because of this, some writers have a love/hate relationship with their editors, they just love to hate them even as they lovveee the final product.

In preparation for putting SHADOW’S EDGE up for free for the summer, my editor asked me to go back over it and ensure there were no specks of dust on my shiny baby.  She’s my editor, I didn’t refuse.

Know what I found? The difference between the fourth book of the series, SHADOW'S CURSE and the first, SHADOW'S EDGE is...well...tremendous. As in, if I was doing the first book now with what I've learned, it might be a very different novel, but I digress.

In 2011, I got my first round of edits back on SHADOW'S EDGE. I spent at least a week solid going over every point raised, making notes on style (don't make this passive, show don't tell), and pondering each question my editor poised. This turned into long discussions via track changes through all three rounds of edits, until I finally I let the little bugger go, free to walk on its own.  It's very difficult as a new author to release your clutching hold and see your story as a new reader, because you've breathed, cried, screamed at it for so long. Move ahead six months to SHADOW'S SOUL, this time the track change discussions we're down to "got it" , "yep, I can see that", or "What about this?".

Then came SHADOW'S MOON and part of the reason I love my editors. Every bit of feedback I got from editors on the first two books pushed me to look at my craft critically and asked myself, what can I do to strengthen my writing? Challenge myself as a writer? Create something really cool for my readers?

I decided I wanted to change character perspective for my third book since Gavin and Raine needed some breathing room. Plus, well, I was challenged to write a romance. (Challenge me will you?) Not only did I want Shadow's Moon to focus on the evolving relationship between Xander and Warrick, but I decided to mix it up even more, I did two points of views instead of my normal one.  It wasn't easy, but it did teach me quite a bit about what I still had to learn and practice.

Then, mid 2013 when I handed off SHADOW'S MOON and the proposal for SHADOW'S CURSE to Black Opal's caring hands, I decided to pause before starting SHADOW’S CURSE. I'd been living in the Kyn universe for a long time, much longer than the publication dates on the books. Other characters and worlds were pestering me for their spotlight. Plus, since I write from limited third person point of view, and at one time wrote SHADOW’S EDGE completely from Raine's POV (oh yes, much therapy was needed after that), I decided to brave the wild new frontier of first person point of view.

Not as a New Adult story where first person seems prevalent, but in an adult Paranormal Suspense story, one where I could explore my love of military suspense and paranormal abilities. But here was my challenge—I didn't want every damn sentence to star with "I" . Come on, if all you hear is "I, I, I..." you may wanted to gouge out said "I's" eyes.  It wasn't easy, it was difficult, enough so I almost gave up, but finally, FINALLY, I finished HUNTED BY THE PAST and it became part of the MuseItUp family. It also created a new series, the PSY-IV Teams.

Then while working through the toughest Kyn book yet, SHADOW'S CURSE and the fiendishly difficult Natasha,  I got hit with the edits for SHADOW'S MOON and HUNTED in one fell swoop. Anxious, I opened up the track changes, leery I may soon find myself curled up in a bloody pile in front of my computer. Instead I got something better. Both editors left me notes, really heart warming ones, on how much my writing had deepened and how much they were touched by the story. And this hardhearted wench of words, got a little bleary. There were still discussions and muttered comments (not in Track Changes because I didn't want a hit put out on me), but I'm still loving my editors, because they are still providing me insight on things I can do better, ways to consider things differently, and how to ultimately become a more successful writer.

So when the conversation arises among my partners in writing plots about what makes a successful writer, my first answer is: EDITORS.

Whether your Indie or Traditional or any mixture of writer, an editor can only help you. Not only can they give you an unbiased opinion on your work (Like my question prior to writing TOUCHED BY FATE of "So I'm going to change the POV on Book 2 of PSY-IV, you're okay with that right?), they will keep your story straight, catch when you add an extra arm, leave a character standing at the side of the road, or another one decides to not only change hair color but their height (w/o shoes), they will be the first one to push you off that cliff of what ifs when you can't get your feet to move. Because if you want to be a successful writer, you need to continue to grow your craft and your skill set. Otherwise--same story, different....you get the picture.

Pick up SHADOW’S EDGE for FREE for a limited time and dive into the shadows of the Kyn…

Free for a limited Time!

Amazon | ARe | iTunes | Kobo | Smashwords | Scribd | BlackOpal 

Shadow's Edge (Kyn Kronicles 1)

by Jami Gray

Everyone fears what hunts in the shadows—especially the monsters…

When the supernatural lurks in the shadows of the mundane, hunting monsters requires unique skills, like those of Raine McCord. A series of deaths threatens to reveal the Kyn community and forces her to partner with the sexy Gavin Durand.

As the trail leads to the foundation haunting Raine’s childhood, she and Gavin must unravel lies and betrayals to discover not only each other, but the emerging threat to them and the entire magical community.

About Jami Gray

Jami Gray is the award winning, multi-published author of the Urban Fantasy series, The Kyn Kronicles, and the Paranormal Romantic Suspense series, PSY-IV Teams. She can be soothed with coffee and chocolate. Surrounded by Star Wars obsessed males and two female labs moonlighting as the Fur Minxes, she escapes by playing with the voices in her head. 

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#WriteTip - Switching Sides by @SSaraDaniel (with an excerpt from her @DecadentPub #1NS #Romance and a $20 #Giveaway)

Fellow Decadent Publishing author Sara Daniel has a brand new contemporary romance out for the 1Night Stand series. Before we get a sneak peek at what Madame Eve's got cooking in One Night with her Husband, I convinced this multi-talented author to impart a writing tip. This one is a tried-and-true method I've employed many a time. Trust me, it can work wonders on a scene that just doesn't have the necessary oomph.

Switching Sides

by Sara Daniel 

In romance, the story is generally told from both the hero and heroine’s alternating points-of-view. Sometimes I’ll start a scene, and it feels flat and lacks tension. Usually, it isn’t working because I’m writing it from the perspective of a character who doesn’t change or have much to lose during the scene. Rewriting the scene through the other character’s eyes can bring out the emotion, conflict and angst. If the other character’s spin on the situation doesn’t make the scene engaging, then the scene doesn’t belong in the book and/or the story itself needs be reworked.

One Night With Her Husband

by Sara Daniel

She walked away from her marriage seven years ago...

Marcia Johnson always assumed her husband would follow her eventually. She’d achieve success while she waited and prove her decision the right one. But when he finally turns up, she’s not ready. Her career hangs in the balance, and her weight has skyrocketed. How can she face the man she loves and show him she made the right choice? Especially when he’s matured from a decent-looking college student into the sexiest man she’s ever seen.

He’s waited seven years for his wife to finally need him…

If Adrian Torres can save her business, maybe he’ll have a shot at saving their marriage. But the woman he finds is too competent and independent to ask him for help. She even shrugs off his touch instead of reacting with the desire he hoped to ignite. Have the embers of their marriage finally died? Is it time to end their relationship and move forward?

He wants a divorce…

Her world ripped apart, Marcia turns to 1Night Stand to give her one more night before she lets Adrian go. She dares not hope for more. Even Madame Eve couldn’t have the magic to save their neglected disaster of a relationship…could she?

Available Now!

Amazon | ARe | iTunes

Excerpt

For better or worse, he would not live the rest of his life in a suspended, married-but-not-married state.

“I’m sorry I shocked you with my presence.” He wasn’t sorry for surprising her, but he regretted how unwelcome his surprise had been.

She swiped at her eyes and began rummaging in the glove compartment. “You have my phone number. You could have warned me you were coming.”

His chest tightened. “Those stiff, formal calls don’t change anything, except suck away my soul. I needed to shake things up.”

“So you decided to burst in during the biggest business crisis I’ve ever faced?” She extracted a pack of tissues from the compartment and mopped her beautiful face. “I hope you have a better strategy to save my company, or we’re doomed.”

With the pressure to convince her to believe in him more intense than during his meeting with Mr. Gladstone, he crouched next to her seat. “While we work together to fix Sunburst’s crisis, we have a chance to bridge the distance between us, too.”

Mouth gaping, she met his gaze again. “Your idea of bridging the distance is to ambush me in my own conference room and then introduce yourself like we’re freaking strangers?”

Failure tasted metallic and bitter in his mouth. In his plans, he’d skipped straight to wowing her with his marketing prowess. He hadn’t considered he’d upset her so much she wouldn’t stick around to listen to his spiel. “No, I played my ace card. You put your trust in Gladstone PR. I made myself the face of Gladstone so we’d have enough common business interests that you wouldn’t immediately kick me out of your personal life.”

Marcia squeezed the steering wheel until her knuckles turned white. “I don’t have time to think about anything personal right now, and I certainly can’t let my employees see me as an emotional wreck. They’re counting on me to lead them with a solid plan.”

Business and her career didn’t just come first in her heart. They owned her whole heart. Adrian had been a fool to lose sight of that. Burying his own hurt and frustration, he said, “I have a beautiful plan for the company. We’ll put it in action together.” Afterward, he’d have to decide if he could handle coming in a distant second place with her for the rest of his life. “Trust me.”

She stared at the steering wheel for a long time before turning to him. “I have to. You’re my only hope.”

About Sara Daniel

Sara Daniel writes what she loves to read—irresistible romance, from sweet to erotic and everything in between. She battles a serious NASCAR addiction, was once a landlord of two uninvited squirrels, and loses her car keys several times a day. One Night with her Husband is the latest book in her One Night with the Bridal Party series.

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Visit her website: http://www.SaraDaniel.com

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#WriteTip - Keeping the Flow by @LibbyWaterford (w/ an excerpt from Endless Devotion, a @DecadentPub #Romance)

Fellow Decadent Publishing author Libby Waterford has a brand new multicultural contemporary romance out. In addition to snagging an excerpt from Endless Devotion, I also convinced her to give me a writing tip. I spend many a morning staring at my manuscript, unable to add words to the page. Here's a trick that just might boost my productivity. 

Keeping the Flow

by Libby Waterford

My writing tip is about productivity and flow. Never get up from the keyboard at the end of a scene or a chapter. If possible, stop your writing session the in the middle of a sentence when you already know how the rest of the sentence will go. Finishing a block of writing time by using up all your ideas will make it that much more difficult to get back into your story the next time you sit down to write. If you keep an idea or two in reserve, you'll be able to start quickly with those and then get into the flow much more easily.

Endless Devotion

by Libby Waterford

What better way to keep her ex at a distance than by becoming engaged? Of course, Katya Noskov’s betrothal to a fellow Weston University professor is just a sham, but she’ll do anything to avoid becoming ensnared in the seductive trap set by Devak Batra, her charismatic ex, who just happens to be the US Secretary of Education.
 
Dev arrives on Weston’s campus to give the commencement address at the graduation ceremony and to propose to Katya while he’s at it. The last thing he expects is for her to announce her engagement to someone else. Undaunted, he’s determined to talk her out of her betrothal and back into his bed.

When Katya and Dev come together, sparks fly, clothes come off, and nothing, not even an engagement ring, can stop them from acting on their physical desires. From passionate stolen kisses to trysts in the rain, these two can’t keep their hands off each other, but steamy sex can’t resolve Katya’s reasons for leaving Dev in the first place. He must show he can make room for her in his life, not just his bed, if she can consider a future with the sexiest member of the Cabinet.

Will Katya’s fake engagement lead to a real proposal? Can Dev’s devotion survive distance, lies, and acts of congress?

The third of three erotic novellas set at the reunion and commencement weekend at Weston University, where lust leads to true love.

Available now! 

Amazon | All Romance eBooks | Kobo | Google Play

Excerpt

Katya wrapped her bathrobe around her body, intending to make use of the sumptuous bubble bath her mother had given her for her last birthday, and to lose herself in the latest Elizabeth George novel. The antiquated doorbell shrilled at the front of the house.

It wasn’t terribly late, but she couldn’t imagine who would be stopping by. She peered through the window beside the door. Dev stood there, something bunched in his left hand. He seemed calm, assured. He wasn’t easily rattled, and his equanimity suddenly made Katya want to wipe the impassive look off his face.

She yanked open the door. “Yes?”

“You left your trench coat in my car.”

She grabbed it out of his hands. “Thanks.”

“So, back to the idea of breakfast. Perhaps you and Edward could both join me—”

Katya lunged forward and plastered her lips to his, stopping his flow of words, commanding the entirety of his attention for at least this one moment. She didn’t want to listen to any more of Dev’s plans or hear her fake fiancé’s name come out of his mouth one more time. She didn’t want to think about the lie she’d told or Dev’s reasons for being here. She wanted some peace from the war raging between her brain and her body’s primal need to feel this man’s skin against her own.

She’d make this moment last as long as she could in the hopes of gaining some relief from her interior battle.

He kissed her back, adjusting his posture so, despite his greater height, she didn’t have to stand on tiptoe to meet his lips.

“Yes,” she murmured into his mouth, owning her need for the first time that night and loving the rush of power her sudden freedom from indecision brought her. She filled her fist with his thick black hair, tossed aside the trench coat, and grabbed his tight, delectable ass with her other hand. She ground herself into his body, making her intentions unmistakably clear. She detected his arousal as he groaned and wrapped long arms around her waist, locking her to him.

They had always been like an erupting volcano when they’d come together, hot, heedless of anything in their path. Now they grappled and moaned and tried to out-kiss each other, stealing each other’s breath away. Katya barely registered the fact they were still on her doorstep and their coupling was visible to the world until Dev’s voice, scratchy with need, broke into her consciousness.

“We’re going to”—he kissed her—“get arrested for disturbing the peace.”

About Libby Waterford

Libby Waterford writes steamy contemporary romances. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two sons, where she works off her weekly pilgrimage to In-N-Out by swimming and climbing the city's secret staircases.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | AmazonAuthor | GoodReads | Email: libby@libbywaterford.com

On Amazon:  PassioNate History | Sweet Imperfection | Endless Devotion