MP-You are published under three houses.  Did you do that for more exposure?  Or the type of books?  Or basic contract amounts?

ZA-Mostly it was because those stories are from such different genres/ I wouldn’t necessarily have found one place for everything. Plus/ I do like the idea of playing to different types of audiences. My work for Wicked East Press has been geared more towards horror and anthology lovers/  my story with Rebel Ink Press is about an astral/telepathic erotic encounter/ and my stories with No Boundaries Press are contemporary pieces that don’t quite fit into a certain mold. I like having variety in my writing and I think it’s a good thing that different sorts of people can discover me in different ways.

MP-You say you like to work through emotions in books.  Do your characters stay focused on one problem or do they try to tackle multiple problems?
ZA-It depends/ honestly. I think a lot of my stories so far have one or two major themes or problems within each work/ but the emotions involved are at various levels and nuances – at least I hope that’s the case. In The Inheritance the character of Kaylee isn’t just watching her father die; she has to work through her mixed feelings on how he treated her as a child/ plus she really wants to prove herself to him and get one up on him but it’s all tangled together with guilt and love at the same time.  In my story  Monster the protagonist Vivien is dealing with growing older and remembering how Halloween used to be/ which feeds into the general theme of how kids have become more desensitized the more modern and politically correct the world tries to get. Power Chord is more straight forward; Drake acts mainly out of boredom and his daydreams suddenly give him a run for his money and turn into something that he doesn’t expect. There’s hints of other things going on: he’s gone through a process of maturing/ he’s burnt out/ and his interests and turn-ons might be a gateway for someone else to enter into his world/ but it’s much more plot-driven as opposed to a release I have in July that deals with coming of age/ small town repression/ religious views/ romantic awakening…there’s a lot going on in that one in a small amount of time.  I find that a lot of my characters are trying to get comfortable with themselves but to do that they have to accept or go through a certain amount of discomfort/ first.

I do believe that emotions aren’t one level. There are a lot of little things that make up real love: for all the romantic or kind moments there’s irritation and frustration there/ too. Growing older brings confidence as well as fear. A lot of times a character or person’s  views on the world around them actually give a big hint as to how they feel about themselves/ and those are the things I like to play with/ especially if it takes the plot in an unexpected direction or brings to light things that may not always be directly talked about.

MP-How important is music in storytelling?

ZA-I think it’s very important. Stories have their own rhythms/ crescendos/ and decrescendos just like music and really good songs tell their own abbreviated stories. The only difference is that songs work with moments and are usually more specific in a faster amount of time. It doesn’t matter if it’s a song like Pour Some Sugar on Me or something more narrative like Free Falling; there are stories going on in both/ both are telling their own sort of tale.  Everyone relates to some sort of music and I personally love it when songs are mentioned or even alluded to in stories. In The Haunting of Hill House the character of Eleanor is obsessed with this old song that borrows from Shakespeare – a love song – but it’s used to show her growing madness and obsession and it makes the whole story so much creepier. In film a really good soundtrack helps propel the script along and fill in the blanks/ especially during montages. For me/ music and storytelling go hand in hand.

MP-How have you found marketing?


ZA-I’m still getting used to it. I knew I was going to have to be very forward-momentum about it/ and I am/ but it’s definitely something that gets easier the more you do it. I always feel like I’m falling behind or not doing enough but then I realize that I haven’t been at it that long and need to just keep taking things one step at a time. One thing I really love about marketing/ though/ is the chance to talk to other authors/ bloggers/ readers and the like. Getting to meet so many people and get their opinions on things is fabulous. I’m headstrong about my opinions/ but I’m always open to being proven wrong if it’s going to help me grow. I don’t know what I was expecting but I was surprised that there are a lot of people who are willing to help promote me or give me ideas and the like/ and in turn that gives me opportunities to help them or pass their names on to others. Plus/ it’s just great to be able to talk and knock around ideas or see how others interpret what I’m doing; I love that.

MP-What’s your favorite genre?

ZA-Oh/ man – I love so many different genres; it’s so hard to choose! I do have a weakness for the paranormal so I tend to really like horror and dark fantasy/ as well as urban fantasy and paranormal romance. And I love a good historic romance/ especially if it’s western. 
Drake has gotten used to having things his way – he makes the decisions whether it be recording his music, on the road while touring, or in bed. He may be somewhat older than when he first started, but he can still pack venues and still has fans at his mercy. But while professional success brings about one type of satisfaction, there’s a certain type that he just can’t seem to reach one dull night after a show. He doesn’t party hard anymore – he knows better – but that doesn’t mean he can’t indulge in a dirty fantasy all his own. What would it be like to have ultimate power, to be able to shed the confines of his body and sneak up on the unsuspecting by way of astral travel? What would it be like to seduce a woman when she can’t see him, can only feel him when he wants her to?  And what happens when he’s not the only one who appreciates good music and is turned on by the power of control?

Zillah can be found in the following places:

Blog:
Facebook:
Facebook author page:
Twitter:


 

            It amazes me that people have become accustom to not being rejected.  They see it as some great smack against them as a person if they are.  There are many reasons why we get rejected.  There are the superfacial.  Big butt, wrong color hair, mole the size of Alaska that you refuse to get removed because some idiot told you it was beauty mark when you were twelve…hint…lady…when hair’s growing out of it and it’s not flat to your face it could be cancer.

            Then we have the economical.  The whole not enough demand to control the supply.  A switch in the market.  For us authors e-books have actually made the big six publishing houses pull back from new authors because they are still seeing how it all shakes down.  Then you have indie publishers that are able to actually take more chances on new authors because they have lack of product sitting on shelves that they have to put initial costs out for.  But indie publishers are also going to start with smaller niche markets that your book might not fall into.

            Then there are the people that just don’t get you.  That doesn’t mean that you are a bad person or did some horrible thing.  It could be that some one named Carrie wronged them when they were young so all girls named Carrie get an autoreject email.  Who knows?  But if they don’t “get you” why would you want them editing your book?  Or trying to publish it?  They would be horrible at marketing and could even turn people away.  You want someone who loves your book at least half as much as you.

            Beyond that, rejection is a normal process.  Ever since books began being published by houses you had rejection.  There is a cost involved and time investment that not every house can afford.  I sometimes wonder if my house knew how many emails I could generate in a day when they signed me…luckily they didn’t so that contract makes them have to at least open the emails.

            But rejections happen.  I love that Stephanie Meyer talks about her twelve rejection letters and how she was ready to give up when she got an agent in the thirteenth letter. 

            Really?  Twelve rejections?  Seriously?  Okay lets look at the woman who wrote The Help by Kathryn Stockett, she had seventy-five rejection letters.  Now lets look at Sherryln Kenyon (one of my heroes) she was rejected for over ten years.  She was even rejected from a creative writing program because they were only admitting people that had potential.  As someone who’s had a New York Times best seller every month for the past six or seven years, do you think that selection committee ever regrets that rejection?  Who cares?  If they wouldn’t have rejected her she wouldn’t be where she is now.

            Then you come to me.  Thanks to the ease of email I estimate I’ve received over one hundred and fifty rejections.  Two so far have come months after I signed my contract, because they were behind in reviewing query letters.  And by behind we’re talking over nine months.

            Finally Jack London.  He got rejected in the time of snail mail and sending full manuscripts to publishing houses.  Now considered one of the great voices in American literature, Jack received over four hundred rejections.

            Don’t fear rejection.  Embrace it.  Love it.  Eat a pan of brownies and work to improve.  Look for agents and publishing houses telling you what they want to see in a query and tweak yours to fit them.  Just never compromise your book for them.  And if it’s not for them it’s not because it’s bad, it’s because it’s not for them.  But someone out there may love your book.  Just like your soul mate, it’s about timing.  Don’t settle for who comes first, find the perfect fit for you.

MP-Mr. Thursday Night cover’s social standing and racial lines.  What was your inspiration? 

BC-Mr. Thursday Night is interracial and erotic…but it is a romance. I believe love is not blind, the heart is; it doesn’t see color or size or gender or even social standing…it just feels. And I wanted my story to be more than the boy-meets-girl, boy & girl fall in love, boy and girl have sex story…

They are the most unlikely pair…Catherine has always had the best of everything, while Ty faced the challenges of being raised in the hood.

Catherine actually notices Ty in a restaurant and hears him speak and in the length of a heartbeat she is in love…she just doesn’t know it yet.

MP-With the Ozark Mountains as a daily backdrop for you do you have any woodsy works in progress? 

BC-It’s funny you ask that…I actually have three I have been finishing up and while working on what I thought would be the first complete suddenly the characters took off in a different direction and the dang thing turned into a Christmas story. So, I have set it aside for now and am working on getting the others ready to submit.

MP-How have you found marketing for your latest release?  Easy?  Hard?  

BC-I wouldn’t really say it’s easy or hard just time consuming for me…and I don’t like anything that takes up time I could be writing

MP-What’s your favorite type of novel to curl up with during a storm? 

BC-Romance, what type romance would depend on my mood at the time; but I have always loved thunderstorms…there is just something about them that gets me every time. It just doesn’t get any better than a storm raging outside and a romance raging on the pages.

MP-What personality trait do you look for in characters? 

BC-I like heroines who are strong, independent women in their decisions and careers, but still enjoy the soft, sexy side of being a woman.

Hero…Tall, dark and built with the strength and determination to be a protector but still has that romantic side when it comes to women and isn’t afraid to go after what he wants.


Back Cover Preview:

Catherine Sinclair is white... a Lawyer from a well to do family with high society connections. She's spent her life focusing on her career and trying to make her father proud by becoming a partner at his firm.

Tyrese Jackson is black... a thug from the hood and leader of the most powerful gang on the south side.

Both have good reason not to let their families and friends know about their relationship. Catherine knows her association with Ty could damage her chances of making partner. Ty fears for Catherine's safety if his associates or rival gang members discover their relationship.

But they find peace and their true selves in the time they spend together on Thursday nights... steamy passion filled nights that leave each wanting more.

 

Visit my blog Romance Erotica Style

Follow me on Twitter at

Facebook at Bethany Cross

Mr Thursday Night is available at:

ARe 

Omnilit 

Amazon 

So since I've been hanging out on everyone else's blog I thought I'd skip this week and have another Rebel writer come in and share her stuff with you.  Please welcome Britni Hill.


Symbolism

In literature class in school there’s always talk of how this author and that author use symbolism and metaphor.  You dissect stories and find meaning in them and talk about why the author did these things.  But I can honestly say that any symbolism in my book was completely by accident.

I grew up in the country, though I may have never been your typical “country girl”, I did spent a fair share of my time crawling around in places I probably shouldn’t have.  I suppose its kind if fitting that the most symbolic thing in my novel, Tears in the Rubble, is an old barn.  It wasn’t intentional at all.  It just happened to be the setting for the first scene I wrote.  It grew from there.  It became a place a relationship was built, a relationship grew, and the place a relationship began to fall apart.

It’s funny how things stick with you.  And they can become something huge and they mean something even if you’re not meaning for them to.

Excerpt:

                   Shoving his hands in the pockets of his jeans, he tried to take his time.  He was early and he was nervous.  Looking up from the drab gray concrete below his black shoes, Taylor saw Layla pacing in front of the theater.  He chuckled to himself as he paused to watch her for a moment.  She checked her phone, paced, smoothed her long blonde hair, paced some more, and finally smoothed her purple dress.  A smile stretched wide across his face.  Layla reached for her phone again and Taylor saw her glance up in his direction.  She tucked her phone in the pocket of her brown leather blazer and waved.  Taylor took in everything about her in that moment, what she was wearing, how her hair was styled, and especially the grin curling up the corners of her pretty pink mouth.  Taylor especially liked the last part, maybe a little too much.  She looked nervous.  And Taylor liked that too. He couldn’t help it.  Her nervousness sparked something inside him.  Butterflies took flight in Taylor’s stomach as he waved back, a feeling he was unfamiliar with.  When he reached Layla she leaned in to hug him, a move he hadn’t seen coming, causing their hug to turn into an awkward back pat, half embrace.  Taylor could feel the heat rising in his cheeks at the thought of their awkwardness.  Layla laughed and stepped back, erasing some of the awkwardness with her smile alone.
"So, the movie doesn’t start for about forty-five minutes.  I thought maybe we could grab some food.  Unless you aren’t hungry."  Layla looked unsure.
"Sure, that’s fine.  I can always eat," Taylor reassured her, patting his flat stomach.
Taylor and Layla headed across the street to Giovanni’s, a small pizza place that was never very busy.  Taylor held the door open and waited for Layla to enter in front of him, loving the way she brushed by him and the way her perfume lingered after she was gone.  Tonight is dangerous, he told himself.  Layla led the way to a booth tucked in the corner and Taylor followed closely behind, trying not to stare, not to notice the way her hips swayed with each step she took, the fabric of her purple dress brushing her thighs and clinging there slightly.
Once they were settled in the booth and their order was placed with the waitress, they were quiet for a few minutes.  Taylor looked around the small restaurant taking in the gold fixtures and the red and white checkered table cloths.  The silence felt uncomfortable and he started to regret asking Layla to hang out.  They’d been friends once but maybe they were beyond that now.  Maybe it had been too long.  He wasn’t really sure what he expected, but it hadn’t been an awkward silence.

Across the table, Layla cleared her throat and shrugged off her brown jacket revealing her golden shoulders barely covered by the thin purple straps of her dress.

Follow Britni's blogOr Like her on Facebook

Okay to kick of the release of Chrysalis I'm holding a little contest.  I have a $10 gift card as well as two count 'em two exclusivily designed Chrysalis pendents from Lillian Jade.  There are 4 ways to enter and the winner will be chosen at random by Raffelcopter.  

1st way-Simple on Michel Prince Books Facebook page is a link to the Chrysalis book trailer. Simply "Share" that link and you will receive one entry-This can be done once a day so you have upto 7 enteries.

2nd way-On Facebook where this contest is discribed post a comment stating where you downloaded Chrysalis from.  Amazon, BN, Bookstrand or ARe.  

3rd way-comment on this blog post.  You can tell me where you downloaded from, who your favorite character has been so far, what the weather is like where you live.  Sky's the limit but only one blog comment will be entered per person.

4th-Like Lillian Jade on Facebook.

5th-Like Sierra on Facebook

6th-Like Rebel Ink Press on Facebook

So there are tons of ways to enter and tons of ways to win.  Lets get Chrysalis off to an awesome start.  Share with your friends so you can all have a shot.

Purchased to be trained as a courtesan, Branwyn arrives in a strange new land. A castle called Black Dorn. Her instructor, Duna Trea, is horrified by Branwyn's lack of knowledge of the relations between a man and his woman. Branwyn begins her daily lesson in the art of bedding a man.Back from battle, Prince Malack rests near a brook to freshen before returning to the court of his father. His life is lonely. The noble woman chosen to be his bride rejected him and bedded his hated rival. Malack turned his anger and loneliness onto the focus of battle and increasing the power and wealth of Black Dorn.Branwyn, lost and afraid, nears the handsome stranger standing by the brook and requests his help. Malack raises his eyes and his gaze settles onto the face of the woman who will be his queen.  


MP-Since you’ve twisted Little Red and brought her into the age of consent, what’s your favorite fairytale and why? 

DD-Cinderella – the romantic concept of the poor little girl finding her Prince Charming so appeals to the romantic in me and goes with the story line of Black Dorn.   

MP-What’s your favorite part of being an erotica writer? 

DD-I get to write what other people giggle at.  When I tell people I'm an erotic romance writer – they get all flustered and don't know what to say.  But their body language is screaming what they are thinking. Most people try and be cool with it, but I can tell it's an uncomfortable moment.  

MP-What universal themes run through your books? 

DD-I've noticed that water is a recurring theme – Derek and Arianne make love in the Caribbean, Sexy Red Hood meets her woodsman and wolf on a cruise ship, Branwyn and Malack make loves by a stream – probably something very Freudian there.I guess the type of universal theme you mean is – love conquers all. I've written 2 contemporaries, one historical and am working on a fantasy and that's seems to be the main theme running through all of them. 

MP-When you write historical, how much research do you find yourself doing? 

DD-I did a decent amount.  In one scene, at a banquet, they taste chocolate for the first time and I had to make sure that was historically possible.  I also checked speech patterns – I was terrible at contractions. So I checked to see if people in the 1400s used them – they did – so I put them in. I had to check if they had bathtubs. So many little things.  

MP-Pick your three favorite characters; who would you marry, dump or date?

DD-In Black Dorn – I'm marry Gon-dra Malack. (Gon-dra means Prince.) He's passionate and caring and has a big sword. *wink wink*I'd date Duncan – he's loyal and true.I'd dump Timous – he's a bitter angry little man. 

Black Dorn - an erotic historical romance by Daryl Devore.Heat Rating - 5 hot peppersAvailable at - http://www.newdawningbookfair.com/ 
Amazon -  
Smashwords – currently not available 
All Romance Ebooks – currently not available 
Blog - http://myeroticnotions.blogspot.com/
Facebook - 
Twitter - @daryldevore
Google+ - Daryl DevoreI'm also on Triberr, Pinterest,Stumbleon and Linkedin. (That's it I think. For the moment.)

            Ever feel like there aren’t enough minutes in the day?  Or maybe there are, but you’re just too tired to use them effectively.  Time can be a torture or a blessing.  Albert Einstein said, “when you are courting a nice girl an hour seems like a second. When you sit on a red-hot cinder a second seems like an hour.  That’s relativity.”    

            What is it about time that seems to slip away from us?  Sunday evenings fly by while the Monday morning meetings seem to drag on forever as the second hand ticks loudly in the corner.  As I prepare for my release the days seem to drag like I’m a five year-old waiting for Christmas.  I keep thinking I should be doing more, but my blogs are in place for around the release day.  All the connections just need to be loaded on my website following the update from my publisher.  I even have the day off from work, although I’m not sure why.

            In Boy Scouts I used to be the camping coordinator.  And when I first got that task (I’d say job, but when you only get paid in little boy’s smiles…it’s a task not a job) I worked really hard and stressed myself out beyond reason afraid I’d be the one to ruin the camping trip.   Guess what, I never did.  The reason I never did was because camping, much like I hope the upcoming release of my book are like the movie Shakespeare in Love.  As they see the guards at the gates to shut them down, the actors failing left and right and the sets collapsing it is asked how will this work.  To which a simple reply of “I don’t know it’s a mystery.” 

            If we look at our over preparedness or lack of preparation both lead to the same thing.  It simply works.  So as I stress about what I should or should not be doing for the release of Chrysalis and then turning my focus to The Frozen releasing in July and prepping the rest of the book I look at Chrysalis and Oscar and Ellie’s annoyance with the fact that immortals are in no rush…even when planning on killing someone.  The torture is half the fun.

            In Chrysalis Oscar and Ellie know they’re going to get attacked.  They know it could come at anytime.  They know as they fall more and more in love with each other the demon that wants to attack them plots more devious plans.  


As the room filled up, I noticed Oscar and his father really did stand out in this group.  Most people in the room were white.  But Oscar was accepted and so was I.  No comments.  If anything, I think some people were surprised I was so plain. 

Michael was the master of ceremonies.  I heard how many people’s lives Oscar had touched.  The mayor of St. Paul was there as well as the leader of the Hmong Community Action Committee.  Oscar even got a plaque from the governor.  The ceremony was very moving. 

An hour later we were eating and while we had cake, I slipped Oscar my present under the table.  He opened it in front of everyone.  The ring had the same stone as his class ring and was engraved inside.  To the eagle who taught me to fly.  I was glad his finger was so large the whole saying fit.  He put it on immediately and kissed me in front of the whole room.  There was thunderous applause and hooting.  There was a little bit of football here.  My face flushed and Oscar laughed at me. 

"You know, I’ve got cake here.  Don’t forget what happened last time," I said, thinking back to the icing war from my birthday. 

"Remind me to bring some home," he whispered in my ear.  Across the room I Michael was smiling at us. 

The night wound down.  It was another day with Oscar being told how wonderful he was, and him being gracious.  I didn’t think I could’ve been that humble.

On the way home, Oscar and I sat in the backseat of his dad’s older SUV.  I was learning to cherish these perfect days, because Kelly said the more of these I had the sooner I would be attacked.