So I've been advertising with The Romance Studio.

http://www.theromancestudio.com/

For anyone who is thinking of advertising their ebook I highly recommend it. It is highly reasonable and they are just the nicest people running it.

I started advertising with my first book, Duke's Project, when I found their site simply because they had posted a review of my book. I then noticed the cool ebook ads and saw the link that said advertise with us. I initially chose to do the random cover ads for four weeks.

Anyway, I had such a positive experience with the first ad that I decided also to advertise both The Squire and Duke Pretender in random cover ads. This time for twelve weeks. The Squire is on their adults only part of their site and I have to say I think I have seen it appear more often on that site than Duke's Project appeared on the main site, likely cause they have less covers on the adults only site.

But I noticed right away when Duke Pretender was supposed to appear it did not. They were still showing Duke's Project as a random ad. So I emailed them and they responded very quickly with an apology. One of their assistants had gotten confused with the similar titles and thought I had wanted to extend Duke's Project for 12 more weeks. Now I would have been happy and satisfied if they simply switched it to Duke Pretender at that point and been given what I paid for, but instead, they decided to run Duke Pretender as a static ad for 12 weeks instead of a random ad. Very cool. So now when you get onto their site, there is Duke Pretender on the front page at the bottom left nice and big and beautiful. I could have not asked for a better response.

It's funny how you really can get good things with kindness over rudeness. I had a similar experience recently on my vacation where I left the California wine country missing a bottle from a purchase I made. The clerk simply forgot to put it in the box. I contacted them right away via email and they made arrangements to ship me the bottle at no charge. However a week went by and they hadn't replied to my email to let me know this is what they were doing, so I followed up. They were very apologetic and professional and sent me two free bottles in addition to the one they had already shipped. Classy.

So, anyway, I didn't get any writing work done over the weekend. I meant to. I needed to. I should have. I thought of some things. Ideas, vague sorts of things. But I was lazy and none of it made it to paper. I have so much work I need to do too. Three stories for AQ, a story for EC and another for CP. So what did I choose to do? Nothing. I didn't even read the books I have waiting to be read. I watched televison. Played a handheld video game and wasted another weekend.

No word from Samhain. Sigh. I know it's only been two weeks and it could be up to 16 weeks but for some reason I was hoping I would get a fastish response. Pipe dreams. Of course, it could just as easily be a rejection anyway. I'm not stupid enough to believe that just because I have a few books published I can't still be rejected. I'm constantly improving my skills. Or at least I hope am. But it is just as likely that the response will be a rejection as an acceptance. I say I have a 50/50 chance on that.

Haven't received my edits yet on The Prisoner. I'm kind of glad. Not looking forward to working on those at all. I came up with a blurb but it is most unsatisfactory so I really need to work on that. And getting an excerpt that only fits on one page that says "Read Me".

The excerpt I picked for Perfect Man is pretty short. I liked the tone of it though. I couldn't get too far into though because it gets pretty steamy after that. Here it is:

Craig had gone on about how great the dinner was which made Alex smile. He hadn’t stopped smiling, really, since his fantasy man had arrived. It worried him a little. He could easily see himself falling head over heels in love with Craig—again. Just like high school. Only if it ended just like his crush had ended in high school it would be much more painful.
Alex rose from the dining table and started clearing up the dishes.
“Oh hey, wait, let me do that,” Craig said. He swiped up a stack of dishes and headed into the kitchen. Alex’s gaze followed him. His ass was perfect, just like the rest of him. He’d looked great in the suit last night but in the tight jeans…well…he made Alex’s mouth water.
“You’re a guest in my home, I should be cleaning up,” Alex protested. He went to take the dishes out of Craig’s hands but he neatly sidestepped and put them in the sink.
“Where’s your dishwasher?” Craig asked, glancing around, a puzzled look on his face.
“I’m right here,” Alex said with a laugh. “This place has been here for years. The previous owners never put one in and I thought about it when I first bought the place, but since there’s usually only me it seemed ridiculous.”
Craig threw him a glance like he couldn’t believe anyone would do the dishes by hand. Shrugging, he reached for the bottle of dish soap on the sink.
“Oh, no, you are not washing dishes.” Alex snatched the bottle out of his hand.
“Give me that. You cooked.” Craig pursued him across the kitchen and pinned him against a counter.
Alex held the bottle away out of his reach and opened his mouth to say something when Craig pressed against him. Thoughts of washing dishes flew out of his head. His gaze drifted to Craig’s lips.
Craig took the bottle of soap out of Alex’s hands and put it down. His sapphire-colored eyes grew darker, flared with awareness. He held Alex’s hands above his head, leaning into him.

June 28, 2009

Today I posted as Shawn Lane on the Amber Quill Author's Blog. Check it out if you get the chance: Amber Heat & Amber Allure Authors

I'm done with Perfect Man on my end. Now I just wait for a release date and the final line edits. I expect the release date to be in January 2009, but we will see.

I think once I am done with Trust and have it sent off to my editor for consideration, my next Ellora's Cave story might be It's Only Make Believe. Yes, I am thinking I will need a hot man/woman story next.

Last night when I lay awake unable to sleep I started thinking of how I wanted the Duke of Scarborough to be in Lower Pennington where Jack and Angela are. Of course that means Lucy being there. I want to work with my quirky little town again. So now I just have to think of a reason Lucy and Scarborough would be there. I played little scenes in my head of them while they were there, but there has to be a legitimate reason for them. Lucy is easy enough. But Scarborough...he is a different story. Anyway, they come up next for Cerridwen Press. I want to get the full story done and sent to my editor by early 2009. Then maybe there is a chance of Summer 2009 for it to be released (if it is accepted, of course).

I think I can officially stop stalking my email from a response from Samhain. I looked on their site and they said something about 12-14 weeks is their response time so I am guessing I am looking at September/October before I get word one way or another. No sense wondering when the email will come then, eh?

Plans for the weekend include getting the blurb and excerpt done for Perfect Man and sent back to my editor. Tweaking the blurb and excerpt for The Prisoner also. The blurb I developed doesn't quite say "read me" and that is what I want. The excerpt I picked is three pages too long so I have to rethink that or pick something decent in those pages. I also need to work on really getting a lot down on A Knight For All. I know I keep saying that, but really the Independence Day holiday is coming up very fast, relatives visiting at the end of July for two weeks, life doesn't stop because you need to write.

Don't forget I am blogging as Shawn Lane on Amber Quill's Author Blog tomorrow!

Amber Heat & Amber Allure Authors

Duke Pretender is Released

Here it is!

Cerridwen Press ~ Mainstream eBooks

Um...

So Wild Rose Press acknowledged they received my contract yesterday so I guess I can expect edits on The Prisoner shortly. That was something I didn't really count on when I thought of all the stuff I want to get done this summer. Still a sale is a sale.

Speaking of, they are doing a contest over there to win a Sony Reader. The details are here:
http://thewildrosepress.com/publisher/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1588&Itemid=135

One thing they recently decided to do was prevent their authors from changing their covers once the artist worked on it. I understand to a certain extent because writers can be flighty and fuss over small details, but honestly if I had been stuck with a clearly Native American hero on my medieval release, A Man Not Her Own, I would have been livid. Apparently some of their artists didn't appreciate being told there were changes that needed to be done and they threatened to walk out. Again, that is all well and good, but I still recall my own experience and would have been very displeased if that cover had stuck. I may have to say no people unless dressed in armor to avoid that with The Prisoner. Anyway the owners send round an email saying absolutely no changes on covers from now on (other than your name being spelled wrong). Meh.

I have about 1000 words done on At Long Last. I'd like to get a full chapter done this week. This book is due after A Knight For All but if you think about it I have to have three books done by October. That isn't counting Trust for Ellora's Cave and edits on existing contracts.

Speaking of edits, I received them for Perfect Man. Nothing major. But that means I have to write the dreaded blurb and choose an excerpt. Man this is the one thing I really do not like to do.

Updates

Well since yesterday I have been told the release date for Stone of Wrath, my November birthstone book for Ellora's Cave. Stone of Wrath will be released November 14, 2008.

Together with A Man Not Her Own in August from Wild Rose Press, Another Chance in September for Ellora's Cave and A Knight For All in December for Amber Quill, those are my releases for the rest of 2008. Everything else will be coming in 2009.

So here is the schedule:

June 26, 2008 - Duke Pretender, Cerridwen Press
August 01, 2008 - A Man Not Her Own, Wild Rose Press
September 03, 2008 - Another Chance, Ellora's Cave
November 14, 2008 - Stone of Wrath, Ellora's Cave
December 09, 2008 - A Knight For All, Amber Quill Press

Speaking of Duke Pretender, I received my author copies yesterday and it looks great. Yeah Jack! Just two more days until he debuts.

I got another smashing review on Duke's Project. This one comes form Romance Reviews Today and I have been told it will appear on their site next week. When it does, I will provide a link. So for reviews I am 3 for 3 as far as positive responses.

Edited to Add: Speaking of reviews a friend pointed out a review of The Squire done by an Italian lady who apparently posts reviews on her blog of male/male books. Her name is Elisa Rolle. She got a few things wrong in her review, but overall she seemed entertained by The Squire and it was interesting to get a European reader's take on a book.

June 23, 2008

I find myself in a bit of limbo again.

Waiting mode.

Waiting to hear from Samhain about Sinful. I have a feeling it's going to be a while before I hear back on that. Waiting to get the official release date for Stone of Wrath. Waiting for the edits on Perfect Man. Waiting for WRP to acknowledge the contract for The Prisoner. Nothing really earth-shattering to look forward to.

I should have/could have worked on A Knight For All this past weekend and did not. My bad. I am itching to begin At Long Last but didn't do that either. I did a tiny bit of editing on AKnight For All but that was it. I want to make it good, though, so the powers at AQ think I really can write and their choosing The Squire in the Heat Wave contest wasn't a fluke.

Nothing really new to report. My next release, Duke Pretender, comes out Thursday.

Perfect Man Cover And Blog Posting

Look for me to be blogging at Amber Quill's Author blog on June 28, 2008.

I don't think I posted my great cover for my Ellora's Cave release: Perfect Man here on my blog, though it is posted on Shawn's site. So I will post it. Fabulous isn't it?

I have this already but it appears it won't be released until 2009 because I have Another Chance and Stone of Wrath coming out in the fall for Ellora's Cave. Haven't even received my edits for it yet. But I can drool over my cover for the next several months!

Here It Is Baby

The Squire has been released:

Amber Allure - Gay, Lesbian, and GLBT Fiction and Erotica - Where Love Is Blin

June 19, 2008

So just a couple of days until The Squire is released. My first title under the Shawn Lane name and my first release from Amber Allure. Should be cheap too! I think the download will be on sale for $3.00.

http://www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure/AA_upcoming.html


Next Thursday, Duke Pretender is released from Cerridwen Press.

http://www.cerridwenpress.com/coming_soon.asp

That is my last Cerridwen Press release until I can write Julian's story as the third duke book (and get them to want to publish it of course). Again, I hope to fully concentrate on it (well semi-fully) in the fall. It will mean putting aside the boys for a bit.

I go the entire month of July with no releases and then have a release in both August and September. And then my final releases for 2008 will be November for Ellora's Cave (Stone of Wrath) and A Knight For All in December for Amber Allure (provided I get my act together and write it, of course).

Everything else goes into 2009.

Stalking my emails, of course. Stupid, I know. I only sent my full of Sinful to Samhain last weekend. There is simply no way she will have read it and made a decision that soon. In fact, it is far more likely I can expect to wait all the way until the end of the summer before I hear one way or another. So really I am torturing myself for no good reason and should stop checking my emails in the morning before I leave the house!

I have a birthday party to attend on Sunday but am hoping to get work done on A Knight For All this weekend.

Busy Times

Got my contract stuff for The Prisoner. As well as the comments from the reader my editor used. Basically most of her comments were complimentary. She said she was confused at first with the timeline but was able to get it fairly well eventually. She really liked the characters and thought my love scenes were very well done. LOL. That was kind of funny. I think I have mostly improved on that since I wrote The Prisoner. Nice to hear anyway. I guess the reader fills out a form provided by WRP and one of the questions is do you think WRP ought to offer a contract for this story and she said yes and another was would you be interested in reading other stories written by this author and she said yes to that as well. So, anyway, there you have it. I signed the contract, just have to mail it out and then do the rest of the paperwork (cover request, blurb, excerpt, etc). I can get that all done when my editor says they have logged in the contract.

As noted last night, I have a release date for Another Chance. This will be my first Ellora's Cave release. I'm pretty excited about it, but they have scheduled it in September which leads me to believe Perfect Man and Wanting Sam will both be pushed to 2009 releases. Stone of Wrath, my birthstone book, has to be released in November so they won't be able to schedule anything between Another Chance and Stone of Wrath. So I am guessing I can expect Perfect Man to maybe have a January release date and Wanting Sam in March perhaps? I guess it remains to be seen. I still want to get Trust done and out to Helen this summer but I have oodles of work to do on it first and little time!

I've completed a chapter on The Other Side for Amber Allure. I've pretty much plotted this one out in my mind and know where I am going with it so that is good. It doesn't have to be done until October, but I have a feeling I will have it done well before that. Still working on A Knight For All but it is slow going. I don't generally read menage stories so not sure what possessed me to write one. A challenge for myself I guess. I still have until August, though I'd rather have it done and off to Trace sooner than that. Haven't started At Long Last yet but have ideas for that as well, so it should be okay when I get around to starting it. I don't have to have it completed until September so I may sneak in quite a bit of work on Trust in the meantime.

When I will get to become fully engrossed in the third duke book is any one's guess. Probably fall. Once I get the three Amber Allure books in and Trust off to my EC editor. Then I will force myself to put aside the boys for a while to work on the duke book. So...October-November, maybe?

Somewhere I have to find time to read Twilight, the third book in the Bay City Paranormal series by Ally Blue.

Release Date for Another Chance

Another Chance has a release date of September 03, 2008 from Ellora's Cave

Latest

I received the edits for my birthstone book, Stone of Wrath. Really not much and I already did them and returned them to my editor. Did the blurb, excerpt and dedication too. I know this book won't be out until November but everything is done on my part for now. I doubt I will see the birthstone cover before it hits the coming soon pages probably in October. Some of the generic covers they don't send to the authors. Don't know if I will have any final line edits though.

The Squire comes out next weekend. Should be offered at a fairly low price. I think it will be $3.00 for the download. This will be my first release as Shawn Lane and also my first release with Amber Quill's Allure line.

Sent off the full of Sinful to Samhain and got an acknowledgement from the editor she received it. Now I wait and wait and wait.

Haven't heard back from my editor at WRP since I told her I would like to contract The Prisoner. I know she was promoted and is likely quite busy so I am not worried.

Started working on A Knight For All and The Other Side both.

Fitzroys

Here is my cover for A Man Not Her Own coming August 01, 2008 from Wild Rose Press


So with the sale of The Prisoner to Wild Rose Press, that likely puts the Fitzroys to rest. Originally I intended to write the story of all the Fitzroy brothers and their nephew but unless some reader absolutely begs me to do so (yeah right) I probably won't. I have so many other things to work on now that I just don't know that I have the time to re-focus on that family.

I have my quickly expanding erotic writing career which I am currently focusing on not only because I have commitments but also because I want to work on it. Then I have a full of Sinful shortly out to Samhain which I hope will possibly turn into a contract. And I have two books that follow Sinful I really want to write, not to mention I want to write my third duke book for Cerridwen.

Unless the Fitzroys explode in earth shattering popularity (or at least Wild Rose Press shattering popularity) I can't see myself having the time to write Telford's story (the next brother) for a couple of years at least and that is if I don't become popular with my other books and need to expand on those.

I guess I will see what the future holds, but I do love my two Fitzroy Men, Nicholas and Brian.

June 12, 2008 News

I heard back from my editor at Wild Rose Press and she has offered a contract for The Prisoner. She and the reader had concerns about some confusion of the way I did the timelines but apparently the reader she used had enough good things to say that she ended up offering the contract. I suspect we will be addressing the timeline in edits. Anyway, that is the last of my four original completed manuscripts that now has been offered a contract. How freakin' cool is that? All of my first four completed books will be published. Very cool.

Anyway, I love the fact that my other Fitzroy medieval hero will get published. He's quite a bit different from my alpha Nick. More a mixture of Beta and Alpha. Starts more Beta but leans toward Alpha, if that makes sense. Anyway a well-rounded hero, I think. Then my villain, Loutrant is one of the coolest evil guys I have ever written.

In Ellora's Cave News, I got my cover for my Quickie, Another Chance written by Shawn Lane and have now posted it on my website, www.authorshawnlane.com. Nice naked male chest.

Continuing where I was a year ago

I was on the verge of giving up writing altogether. Heck to be honest, maybe I already had. I hadn't written anything new in years. Yes, years. I was heavily considering not renewing my RWA membership when it was due in August. What was the point? I was discouraged and depressed about it. After all I had signed with an agent (who since left agenting and I am not sure she was the best fit anyway) and still didn't sell.

Once in a while I would think vaguely "I really should write something". I had left unfinished partials of somewhere around ten manuscripts. I'd even make notations in my calendar that I would "write" over the weekend. Never did though. I got together with two online writer friends to have a "brainstorming" session over instant messaging. It started out promising but eventually one of those friends who was from Canada disappeared again. She had a habit of that. I think she decided to focus on more educational writing. Anyway, when she disappeared, the other two of us dropped the whole matter. I was growing more convinced by the day that giving up was my only option. I just didn't seem to care anymore.

I had renewed my chapter membership in the Hearts Through History online group, but only because as a board member at the time it was free. My loved ones were urging me to keep at it, not give up yet. Someone wanted to start an online critique group within the chapter and to be honest the board was not thrilled. Such things had been thought of before and fizzled due to lack of interest. But one member wouldn't take no for an answer and started it anyway. I decided to join the group myself. I think it was a way of forcing myself to write. So, I picked one of my stories out of the partials that I'd written just a prologue for and decided to work on that, Sinful. Another thing I did to force myself was to submit some old works to new publishers (new to me).

There were two really cool things about that group that I eventually left last Autumn. The first that it caused me to actually finish a first draft of something for the first time in years. The second was that I met my now good friend, Nicole (who has sold as Georgiana Earl).

Anyway, I would have never imagined when I gave up a year ago the direction my career has now taken. I have a new enthusiasm for writing, though admittedly it seems mostly contained within the erotic writing at the point. I am trying to get back into working on the more traditional romances I've written in the past. I'm just having so much fun working on the stories I am now. I also need to work on some longer length erotics (like my romantic suspense, Trust, hopes to be).

In real news:

Everything is set on our end (me and editor) for Another Chance so now I think we just wait for the release date people to declare a release date. There was a small glitch in the request for the cover for the book, but I think it is minor and easily solved.

I've officially posted my cover for Perfect Man (actually it has been up for a few days) and I simply love it. I can't stop looking at it so I put it as the background for my home computer. I am a geek, I know, but I really think it is superb. As Nicole said the cover alone would have me buying it. Really fantastic job from Ellora's Cave cover people.

I'll be sending the full of Sinful off to Samhain in the next few days. Just very minor tweaks to handle before it gets sent, but really it's just about ready. I'm worried that they won't dig the multiple points of view, but we'll see. I really think the story needs both villains' points of view. I suppose I could cut out Morton's but I love his character now that I'd really rather leave it in and it's only in there a time or two. But I am worried they will think it detracts from Mathias and Elizabeth especially since some folks seem to gravitate more toward Graham in the story than Mathias. We'll see.

I am supposed to be chatting tonight as Shawn on a Two Lips chat but a certain somebody wants to go to dinner because it is our usual "date" night. The chat is supposed to be all day though but not sure how many people will be around at 7:00pm pacific time.

A Year Later

As we go into summer I am still amazed where I find myself today for my writing career. Around this time I started querying the publishers I am now published with. Never imagining it would open such opportunities for me.

I will always be grateful to my editor at Cerridwen Press/Ellora's Cave for seeing something in my two duke books she felt warranted not only further consideration but contracts. I know once we went through edits there were some kinks in the road, but I got through them and have already received my first royalty check for Duke's Project. Duke Pretender comes out later this month. And because Helen, my editor, was willing to take a chance with me I have several other books contracted there.

I am also grateful to my editor, Pam, at Wild Rose Press. She saw something in A Man Not Her Own and she suggested some changes before she would consider it. I made those changes and she offered a contract. That book is coming out on August 1, 2008. I know Wild Rose Press is still growing and not likely to make the sales offered by CP/EC but I am glad the story of Nicholas and Marion will get published. Nicholas is my true alpha hero.

Of course, that brings me to the gratitude I feel toward my friend and critique partner. During our time with a critique group we both talked about writing erotic romances. The work she had reviewed by the group tended toward that anyway. I didn't really think I could do it to be honest. I'd struggled with love making scenes in my past works. I don't remember what specifically convinced me to try other than I know it came from her. I first started an interracial romance because that is what I had been reading myself, but then as the erotic romance world expanded and they began to include more and more gay romances I became intrigued by the notion of writing them. I had always been turned on by the idea myself (as any of my close-nit circle can attest) and was surprised that there were others out there who also felt as I did, including my critique partner. She started it. The idea that I could do it. Pointing me toward a contest given by a publisher called Amber Quill where they looked for writers to add to their roster once a year. She was going to write a gay Regency romance. I thought at first of writing a medieval one, but asked if they were interested in that time period as they had none on their website. I was told yes, they would be, they just never had any submitted. In spite of that, I wrote a gay Regency romance. Then when I realized I had time before the deadline to write something else, I wrote my gay medieval romance, The Squire. The rest is history as they say. Or my history anyway, LOL. The Squire won in the contest and comes out in two weeks.

Thanks to my critique partner I haven't stopped since. The Regency gay romance just went through edits at Ellora's Cave where it is contracted. I have two other gay romances contracted there and an interracial erotic romance, too. I'm working on another one for them that I hope to have completed by late summer so I can submit it to my editor in the fall. And of course, I am now committed to writing three new erotic romances for Amber Quill. Completely unexpected.

But I am not the only one who has found success. Two of my close writing friends found agents during this period and both have been sold to major publishers. One is my former critique partner, Kris Kennedy, who is still a close friend even though our writing has moved into different directions. The other is that same encouraging critique partner mentioned above who has sold to Berkeley Sensation as Georgiana Earl. They are each incredibly deserving and I hope it is the beginning of richly rewarding careers. Both books will come out in 2009 and I will be first in line for them.

June 9, 2008

What's New For Me:

So I got my edits from my editor for Another Chance over the weekend. Not too much really. A few word changes, restructuring of sentences and changing the name of one of the characters because the name was too famous as a real person from the time. Anyway, I've already completed them. I'll go through and review once more to make sure I caught everything and then send it back to her tonight. Of course then I will have to choose my blurb and excerpt. Eventually I will get a release date. Then the final line edits. Shouldn't be too bad. So I hope within a month or so to know when my first Ellora's Cave title will be released. I am pretty excited.

Reality is beginning to set in and I have to get to work on my PAX collection titles. The first one up is A Knight For All. I started it already but now I need to get fully into it.

This is a big month for me as I have a release from Amber Allure for The Squire.

What I Am Reading Now:

I've become a fan-girl of Ally Blue's Bay City Paranormal series from Samhain. I've read the first two in the series and am just starting the third. I've purchased the fourth to read when I am finished with that. She has a fifth one coming in November to look forward to also. They are fascinating books with really interesting characters. My only objection is that it is all from one character's point of view although thankfully not in first person as I don't really like much in first person. Anyway, I highly recommend the series. They contain, of course, a gay romance between the main character and another character from the book and I really like both characters very much.

Back to Work

Okay so I have returned from an extended vacation. Now the summer ahead of me promises to be very busy.

I got my cover for Perfect Man and it is great. I am very happy with it. I plan to post it on Shawn Lane's website later this week. Very hot.

While I was away I received an email from the Samhain editor who had been reviewing Sinful. She really liked it but felt she had too much to do already with books scheduled through early next year. She advised she was passing it on to another editor there who seemed to be interested. So, I am still waiting to hear from that editor.

In the meantime, I have to get my cover request form into EC for Wanting Sam. I expect I will be getting edits on some of my EC stuff soon. Am waiting for those but my editor at EC had some family health issues so not sure if that will delay things.

The Squire and Duke Pretender both release this month so that is something to look forward to. Got my first royalty check from EC for Duke's Project.

Now I must turn my attention to the three novellas I must write for Amber Allure this summer: A Knight For All, At Long Last, and The Other Side. Definitely will be busy.