Authors Are People Too

Hiya World

It's Imogene here! You know me... World class procrastinator and author extraordinaire :)  (Just thought I'd sneak that one in.)

Anyway, I thought you might like a sneak peak into how my release days go... (Just because I can!)

So...

6.30am  Wake up and Mr Imogene Nix brings me a steaming cup of coffee (what a sweetheart) I open my eyes and look myopically around the room.  (It's all true... I do wear glasses!)

Usually a quick check of emails and facebook.  Check the publishers website for the first time out of a gazillion times in the day.

Crawl out of bed and start rounding up baby Imogene Nix's... "Have you fed the chickens? And watered them?" Usually the answer is a chorus of Yes Mum! Herding them to make sure breakfast is eaten, lunches and bags packed. Teeth and Hair brushed. (Nothing changes, even at 16 & 17!!)

8.00am Move the computer and download the mail again.

8.30am - 9.00am Herd those baby Imogene Nix's out to the car and drop them off to school. (Usually super pup Teddy is in tow)

Head upstairs after running around the yard after super pup... then make a coffee and settle in. Turn on skype (a real sanity saver there!) Scan through emails, then onto Facebook to catch up with all the other writers I interact with daily.

9.30am JEWEL EPIC! Because you know I can't get through a day without playing that! (Just ask my good friend Khloe Wren!)

10.00am Settle in to work.  Edits, Writing or whatever while checking the appropriate publisher website every 5 minutes to see if my book is live yet.

1.00pm Lunch... scrabble around in the fridge looking for something edible and interesting. Sadly the edible wins over more often than the interesting!

1.15pm Settle in to work - again.  Edits, Writing or whatever while checking the appropriate publisher website every 5 minutes to see if my book is live yet (still!!)

2.50pm School pickup. Joy of joys.  Those baby Imogene Nix's need to be picked up, maybe dropped off to work, the mail collected from the post office.  So I make sure to have my trusty ereader in the car with me.

3.45pm Home again. Oh My God! Dinner!  Nothing is defrosted. Madly run about the house searching for an idea for dinner, tossing meat into the microwave to defrost and making sure anyone who is home with me is doing homework and asking them to turn off whatever they are watching via youtube or other... (Exhausted yet?) Oh and repetitively requesting the eggs get collected.

6.00pm - 6.30pm Mr Imogene Nix arrives home so the house is in uproar. It's time to start cooking dinner.  So I start running around making sure everyone is showered, the table is cleared off and laid for dinner. Kiss husband and check the computer again very quickly.

7.00pm - 7.30pm Dinner finally makes it to the table. Drinks are drunk and usually by now, the title is online.  A bit of cheering and then washing up.  Release nights are cuddled in front of the television with Mr Imogene Nix.

9.30pm Start reminding the baby Imogene Nix's that it's time for bed preparation. Feeding cats and super pup. Check emails and tweet/Facebook/Blog the release (usually while sitting in bed with the laptop.)

11.30pm Shut down the computer.  Weary. Roll over and hope sleep comes quickly. Morning will be here again before we know it and it all begins again.

I hope that gives you an insight into my release days.  Aren't they hugely exciting?

The life of a multi-published author is sooooo cool! Lol! It's very day to day as you can see!

Having said that, I have such an exciting time, I had a new release last week while I was in Tasmania.  So I'm thinking... Wanna win a copy of Blame The Wine??

Cara is stuck. A job going nowhere and a hankering for the sexy gorgeous boss who doesn’t even know she exists. Fate, in the guise of a temp position arrives… Where will it lead?

Dillon is a geek. No other word could possibly describe him. He may be sexy and super brainy, but he’s totally clueless with women and especially the sexy plus size Cara. But when his PA takes emergency leave before her wedding, the luscious Cara is the best applicant for the position. 

It’s an opportunity he can’t pass up.

To see more click on the Total E Bound image to go direct to the publishers website.

a Rafflecopter giveaway Imogene

Home Again... Home Again... Jiggety Jig!

So here I am finally home.  The scent of cooking lamb fills the air along with the crowing of our rooster.It feels like I've been away for months.  Not that I have, it was, after all, only one week. But it was definitely long enough to know that no where is like home.

There's always something special about getting home, laying your head on your own pillows, sitting at your own table and being surrounded by your personal stuff.  It's hard to define, but it's what makes it home, I think.

Oh and yes, my little baby did miss me. He whined his hello to me, wagged his tail and hasn't left me alone since we got back.

One week in Tassie, more than half of that was spent in Hobart, where I discovered the most amazing little bakery.  If you happen to be down Salamanca way, check out Daci Daci! I met up with the lovely Sarah Brabazon... and enjoyed cappucino's and little fruit tartlets. I'm so looking forward to reading through her work.

We stayed at the Customs House hotel right on the waterfront so we could watch the boats coming and going.  It was great that there was internet, so I was able to be on intermittently during the week. 

Then we headed for my parents place in Ulverstone. We did a birthday dinner at Pedro's for my parents and let me tell you, their food is to die for! Yummy.  Our oldest girl swears by Coquile St Jacques.  Me? I loved their Pork Belly.  Not terribly low in calories but oh my!  And it's hugely filling too!

In the middle of all this, we also managed to get our oldest girl fitted for her formal gown and order it.  It's lovely...(ignore the writing...) isn't it gorgeous?  We are now looking for shoes, bag and jewellery (and I think a wrap) so she'll be set. 

Right... what else? Ohh not much, I didn't shop a lot though my bag did come home a whopping 10 kilos heavier than when I left.  Bummer that. My arm was NOT impressed :)

Hubs and youngest daughter also brought a flu home with them...

Anyway, school resumes tomorrow.  The world will rotate back into alignment and that should be life back to normal.

For now, have a lovely day/week and I hope to be able to catch up more soon!

Take care!

Imogene

A Close Encounter with... Sage Marlowe

Sage Marlowe’s First Anniversary Blog Tour & Giveaway

After the Happily-Ever-After—Sub-Culture

Hello and welcome to the latest stop of my 1st Anniversary Blog Tour & Giveaway. One year has passed since my successful debut novel, Sub-Mission, was released on May 14, 2012, and a lot has happened during those twelve months. I’m taking the chance to look back and tell you a bit about the background of the books I’ve published, but also about things that happened in my life or that are on my mind. There’s one stop for every book, and of course, there are prizes waiting for you, because as always, good things for me mean good things for you, my dear friends and readers. Please read the “Giveaway” section below for details.

Today, I’d like to talk to you about Happily-Ever-Afters. As all of us romance readers and writers know, romance books require a HEA or at least a HFN, meaning the heroes / heroes & heroines / heroines live happily ever after with their loved ones, or at least happily for now with their future full of rosy promises. So far, so good, because hey, romance is escapism and we want our heroes & heroines to have happy endings in more than just the sexual sense.

But what does actually happen to our heroes & heroines after the HEA or HFN in a romance novel? Are their lives really full of roses once those magical two words “THE END” are written below their story?

The answer is simple: sometimes yes, sometimes no. Sometimes we authors are happy with the way a story has turned out, and we know that we have told everything there is to tell about our characters’ story. And sometimes we realise that there is a lot more to tell.

One of those stories that weren’t over for me at “THE END” is Noah and Pierce’s journey. They found each other in Sub-Mission and while there was never really a question whether they’re a great match or not, they are the perfect example for a couple that gets wrapped up in daily life so much that they lose sight of what’s most important to them—having each other and being together.

Many of us know what it’s like once the novelty of being with someone has worn off. Lovers become partners, especially when kids join the game. Sleepless nights, demanding jobs, hectic days… Add to that some deeper, wicked yearnings that touch on issues you thought you never wanted to tackle and you have a complicated relationship waiting to be destroyed.

But hey, if romance books are escapism and they’re supposed to show us a world where all struggles are over at THE END, why would we want to read about such problems? They’re not much different from our own, after all. Again, the answer is simple: because those are the same problems so many of us are dealing with. Because Noah and Pierce’s story shows how important it is not to lose sight of our partners despite everything life throws at us and, above all, to trust them with our hearts and keep talking.

It took Noah and Pierce a long time to understand this. If you want to follow them on the second part of the journey, join them in

Sub-Culture

When life gets on top, delving into a sub-culture may be just what it takes to keep a sinking relationship afloat

Five years after the bumpy start to their relationship, Noah and Pierce have settled well into their lives as a happy couple. The arrival of a new child should have made their matrimonial bliss complete, but the strain of raising a baby and a teenager, combined with a lot of pressure in their jobs, is beginning to take its toll.

In the midst of what already is a potentially explosive situation, Noah’s younger brother Jonah comes to stay with them, forcing Noah to face the issues he still has regarding his homophobic parents and adding to the emotional pressure he is under.

When Noah starts behaving oddly and Pierce just can’t seem to put his jealousy to rest, the cracks in their relationship become too severe to ignore any longer. They struggle to keep their sinking love afloat but as Noah craves the comfort a certain sub-culture can offer, Pierce finds himself wondering just how far he is willing to step out of his own comfort zone to save their love.

Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00B76J7YQ

Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00B76J7YQ

Amazon Ca: http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00B76J7YQ

Total-E-Bound: http://www.total-e-bound.com/product.asp?strParents=&CAT_ID=&P_ID=1950

All Romance Ebooks: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-subculture-1049258-145.html

Giveaway—Here’s what you can win:

#1 - Sage’s Goodie Package:

Contains a signed copy of Sub-Culture, a set of signed book cover photographs and some surprise goodies to spoil you

#2 - Create a character

Here’s your chance to create your very own fictional character that will be featured in one of my next books. The winner gets to pick the name and distinct features like hair / eye colour, height and a few personality quirks of a hero (male characters only, and please keep it doable…). Depending on the specification, I will either include him in a current WIP or use him as inspiration for a brand new story. The winner will also receive a free e-copy of this story once it’s published.

How to enter:

Leave a comment in the comment section asking to be entered in the giveaway. The winner will be picked at random and announced on my blog on May 20th. Multiple entries are allowed and will increase your chances to win. For additional terms and conditions, please go to http://www.sage-marlowe.com/p/contests.html

You can find the full tour schedule here: http://www.sage-marlowe.com/p/blog-tour-may-2013.html

 

About Sage Marlowe

Sage is a multi-published author of gay erotic romance novels and novellas and loves exploring the flavours of gay erotic fiction.

A willing slave to all the fascinating guys who keep queuing up and want their stories told, Sage can almost always be found cooking up the next hot story or daydreaming about new ways of rubbing sexy male bodies together to make the sparks fly.

Contact and buy links

Sage’s website & blog      Facebook     e-mail      Twitter      Goodreads      Amazon

For all books published with Total-E-Bound.     For all books published with Siren-BookStrand.

A Small Bite of... Donna Gallager

When the idea of writing a story with a food theme was bandied about I didn't hesitate to put my hand up.

It's not that I am overly interested in food or cooking - Just ask my family.

The reason behind my interest was I immediately thought of my mother.

Mum loved eating mangos. She lived for the summer months, swimming in the surf and sunbaking until she went a golden brown - a past time that is frowned upon these days, I know!

She also loved summer fruit. In particular the mango but she always complained how messy you became indulging in the juicy treat. On more than one occasion she decided that it would be easier to just sit in a bath while she ate so she didn't need to worry about the juice dripping everywhere.

It was an interesting sight to behold! So I took that idea and the story just about wrote itself. I know if Mum was still with me she would approve, so Mum this one's for you.

Blurb:

Love, marriage and starting a family, is the dream for many couples. But when responsibility and life get in the way, what happens to their relationship? Can a second honeymoon really help Beth and Ben bridge that growing divide between them? And bring back the fire and passion that has slowly, through years of neglect, ebbed away.

 

An excerpt from A Fruitful Intimacy

Beth hadn’t had a chance to check the time, but she knew Ben was late—again.

The twins had been exceptionally hyper since arriving home from school, joining forces to annoy their brother who in return had spent the afternoon moaning at her. All three little devils had all tested her patience to the limit. Beth had wanted the house to be tidier, in some sort of order before Ben got home from work, but as usual what she wanted and what happened where two different things entirely.

By the time Ben walked through the front door the house was mayhem. She had bits of pasta sauce splashed over her face, on her clothes and spaghetti in her hair.

“Hello-o-o! Any one home?”

“Perfect!” she mumbled as she heard Ben shout a welcome to them.

“Stop right there, you lot. I’m not finished with you,” she yelled as the kids scrambled from the table, squashing and spreading food even further as they continued to completely ignore her protests over their bad behaviour at the dinner table. Beth still couldn’t believe they had participated in a food fight, right there in front of her. She raced after her brood, trying to catch them before Ben had to listen to all three clamouring at once, trying to get their version of the preceding chaos heard, hopefully bringing a reprieve from their father.

“Boys…I…said, stop!” she roared at the top of her lungs.

Judging by the shocked look on all four faces turned her way, Beth realized she had shouted very loudly.

“Whoa there everyone, let’s all take a breather.” Beth heard Ben say as she stormed toward them. “Beth, are you okay?”

Great. Now, not only did she look like some crazed reality chef gone wrong, but she was screaming like a shrew. No wonder the man wants nothing to do with me!

“Your sons thought it acceptable behaviour to have a food fight at the table. You arrived just as I was trying to discipline them. If you had been home when you promised, this probably wouldn’t have happened at all.” Beth really hadn’t meant to add that last bit. The words had just flown from her mouth before she could stop them. This was not about her and Ben’s problems, this was about the kids.

“Don’t start Beth. I know, time just got away from me—” Ben’s cell phone came to life in his pocket, the familiar ringtone stealing his attention.

Beth watched him take the intrusive device from his pocket and glance at the screen. Do not answer that call Ben. She noticed the change in his facial features. The way he went from looking weary at the scene playing out in front of him, to being excited, happy about whoever it was calling him.

 “Sorry, I need to get this, it’s important.”

About Donna Gallagher

Sydney-born Donna Gallagher decided at an early age that life needed be tackled head on. Leaving home at 15 she supported herself through her teen years.

In her twenties she married a professional sportsman, her love of sport -- especially rugby league -- probably overriding her good sense.

The seven-year marriage was an adventure. There were the emotional ups and downs of having a husband with a public profile in a sometimes glamorous but always high-pressure field.

There were always interesting characters to meet and observe and even the opportunity to live for a time in the UK.

Eventually Donna returned home a single woman, but she never lost her passion for watching sport, as well as the people in and around it.

Now happily re-married and with three sons Donna loves coffee mornings with her female friends, sorting through problems from the personal to the international. But she's on even footing with the keenest man when it comes to watching and talking rugby league.

Donna considers herself something of a black sheep in a family of high achievers. Her brother has a doctorate in mathematics and her sister is a well-known sports journalist.

An avid reader, especially of romance, Donna finally found she couldn't stop the characters residing in her imagination from spilling onto paper. Naturally rugby league is the backdrop to her spicy 'League Of Love'
(Available from Total-E-Bound) tales of hunky heroes and spunky heroines overcoming adversity to eventually find true love.

Where to interact with Donna:

Website      Twitter      Facebook

Absent Authors

Hi Folks

Well , it seems like winter has finally arrived.  If you are following me on Facebook you'd know I've been very busy.  Firstly, with my oldest daughter in her last year of high school we are trying to focus on her needs... but with the year starting out as it did, with not one but two major flood events, the cruise (which was fun despite hearing about the floods and being unable to get home) and youngest daughter starting her new part time job... life continues to be hectic.

Beyond my writing commitments, I am also a member of the local Rotary Club so that takes up a lot of my spare time... but I have been busy. 

I also have 6 chicks growing nicely.  At just over 3 weeks, they are now in a brooder box, where they are kept warm, fed and watered.

There they are! All fluffy and cute and getting their first feathers.  They will stay in there another 3 - 4 weeks until they are big enough to go out into a pen with lots of shredded paper. 

They've about quadrupled in size since hatching... 

And I think Winter has finally arrived... 

Today it is so cool and wet.  I think many of us are over that whole wet thing right now.  This is the view from the back steps.  The lovely lush green look has left the grasses in the cattle yards behind us and become a drab olive.  But we have to be patient as we suffer through this next season. At least it isn't as bad as sweltering through summer.  (Which is not my favourite season.) 

Even Teddy has got into the act with his tshirts.  The nights are cooling down and on cold days he snuggles into his shirts. As you can see though, he's not exactly overly concerned, is he? Oh and I'll only be intermittently online over the next week... I'm heading for ... Tasmania!  Checking on my parents and attending a conference with the darling hubs... So if I get a few minutes, I'll try and upload some pics of that too.

Apart from that... Writing... Yes, I'm still working away, though at the moment I'm working at the dining table while we have the chicks in the brooder... 

I've finally finished the rough draft of Dark Souls!  After 18 months I am soooo pleased to say "The End."  It's horrendously dark... and in need of a very heavy edit.  But I won't be getting to that in the next few weeks.  

I've also submitted the sequel to Blame The Wine and fingers crossed my lovely Total-E-Bound editor Sue loves it.  It's not anywhere near as light but it promises a bumpy road to love.

And I'm working on a piece, currently titled A Bar In Paris... Oh this one is really different... 

I also have a couple of Blog Tours lined up and ....

I'm going to be on radio again!  Tomorrow night I am joining Elaine Raco Chase on Triangle Radio's Authors Corner. More details soon, and I even promise to upload the link to the pod cast. If you happen to be around at 10.00 pm Eastern, make sure you log in and listen. This is my first ever US radio interview and I'm stoked!  There's also an added treat for listeners!

With a range of books releasing between now and August I'm beavering away at the computer. So keep an eye out... follow my facebook or twitter pages for excerpts and updates (and other little things!).  Just click on the links at the top.

So that’s all  my news...

I’ll be back again soon!

Imogene

A Short Bite With... Tamsin Baker

Today, I'm overjoyed to have another of my Hotter Than Hades buddies joining me for a Short Bite.  This is a series of interviews with members of the Edible Delights Anthology authors!

Hello Imogene,

Thank you so much for hosting me today.

I have been asked the question of how I came up with the story line for 'Hidden Talents,' and that's easy.
But how I came about joining the anthology, now that's a bit more complicated.

Last October I was floating around the RWA facebook page and found myself asking questions about BDSM. Susan Childs crooked her finger and said, 'come this way,' and invited me into the Erotic Writers group.

I was home!

I had, unfortunately missed the setting up of this anthology and didn't understand what people were talking about when it was discussed.

When I finally got the courage up to ask if I could submit, they told me that most the spots were full but I could try for the third edition.Well, I had asked if I could join, but was stuck for ideas. So, while on
facebook, I asked a friend of mine for a food related plot idea. Kate literally wrote-

'How about a story where a chef meets a food critic and doesn't know it's her, because she writes under a pen name, then they have a one night stand and she has to review his restaurant.It goes horribly and it all blows up when he finds out that she's the one who wrote the review.'

Image (Chef Using Digital Tablet) courtesy of Naypong / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Thus, I had my story line.

I began writing it and two days later, the organizer posts that she needs a fourth story for submission in the first book, by the following week.

Now, I write fast when I want to, and they didn't know that at the time, so I put my hand up and said I could probably finish a first draft if they were willing to critique for me.

Well, in ten days I had written, critiqued, rewritten and submitted 14,200 words.Not bad and as it was my first attempt at an erotic piece, I was pretty rapt!

I hope you guys enjoy 'Hidden Talents,' and the other three stories contained within the Edible Delights Anthology.

Here's a short excerpt to introduce you to Mark and Amanda.

Excerpt:

“Hi, I’m Mark Dovell.”

He held out his hand and I hesitated for just a moment before reaching out with my own. His hands were big, strong. Much like I assumed the rest of him would be. My inner cavewoman jumped over his shoulder in an effort to speed the process up. She’s not a patient woman.

“I’m Amanda Cleminson. This is my friend Natalie.”

I dragged my gaze reluctantly away from him to indicate to my friend, but I managed. Well done me!

“How did you two lovely ladies come to be invited to this stuffy event?” He indicated their ritzy surroundings and Natalie burst into a round of nervous giggles. Natalie found large, beautiful men intimidating, one of the many reasons she remained single.

“Oh, Amanda works for The Sun, she invited me along.”

I smiled at Mark before turning to glare at my loudmouthed best friend. She knew how I felt about people knowing what I did. She grimaced in apology. I looked back at the hot male in front of us, hoping he wouldn’t push for more information.

“Oh? What do you do at The Sun, Amanda?”

So much for that. I stepped closer to Natalie, pressing into her in a silent plea for her to keep her mouth shut. This wasn’t the moment for her to forget her promise to me. She never meant to cause any harm, but she could be very ditzy sometimes.

“Oh just the layout, computer stuff mostly.”

Mark looked puzzled, his eyebrows furrowing over his amazing light green eyes. He stepped back to look down at my red pointed heels before his eyes slowly made their way up to my short, fitted black dress. Thank heavens I had worn something so flattering.

I flushed, unable to stop the unconscious reaction at the arousal in his eyes.

“Funny, you don’t look like a computer geek.”

Natalie opened her mouth before I could stop her.

“She has a master’s in journalism.”

When I elbowed my loudmouthed best friend this time, she broke into a round of giggles. Natalie knew I didn’t want anyone knowing what I did for a living. But put a beautiful man in front of her and she turns into a typical blonde bimbo.

I shifted my focus back to Mark, the green-eyed god, as he continued to slide his gaze over me. He must be well into his thirties, yet his eyes only held the slightest amount of wrinkles in the corners. Some people age so well.

“Really?” he asked again, one eyebrow rising in question.

I smiled a sexy smile. Time to divert the conversation.

“You’re the head chef and part owner of Le ‘Quin?”

Mark laughed, which made him look even sexier. He threw his head back as he released a proper belly laugh. My mouth dropped open a little as he graced me with the most gorgeous smile I’d ever seen.

“I hoped you wouldn’t know.”

His flirty words rolled off his tongue with practiced ease. I didn’t believe him for one minute. Time to call his bluff, and perhaps attract his attention? I could flirt up a storm when I wanted to, just often didn’t bother. Tonight, I was bothering.

“Yes you did. You play on the fact you’re so talented and successful, I’m sure. But I can pretend if you like.” I batted my eyelashes as obviously as possible, aiming the tone of my voice into the sickly sweet range. “Oh Mark, did you say what you do for a living?”

Again, he burst out laughing, which caused a quiver up my inner thighs. Too much time had passed since I had good sex, actually too long since I had sex full stop. Everything about him screamed ‘I will fuck you good.’ I was listening.

“I’m a chef actually.” He smiled, playing along with the game.

I bit my lip as cutely as possible and watched as his gaze dropped to my mouth. I had a nice mouth, why not throw everything I had at him?

“Oh how horrible, such unsocial hours.”

His eyes lit up again. God they were gorgeous. Who has his sort of colouring?

“They are, I agree. But being a chef has advantages. I could cook you anything your heart desired.”

He licked his lips, which caused my lower belly to pull tight again. Time to do something about this flirting, I’m done playing. There would be no beating around the proverbial bush tonight.

“I’m quite hungry now. The food here is shocking.” I indicated the tables lined with every delicacy you could think of. All top quality. I should know, as I had sampled almost everything before he’d come over.

“Perhaps you could take me home? Cook something for me now?”

I held my breath to see if my very ballsy move worked, having never said such a thing to a man before.

Bio:

I am an Aussie girl who LOVES to read.
I spent the first fifteen years of reading romance looking for the "good" bits.
Then I found erotic romance and pure erotica reading.
Wow did my head space change.
I could now read what I wanted and found I could write a little too.
I'm only beginning this journey but I look froward to putting out los of books in the future and reading even more!
Enjoy and thank you.

Where to catch up with Tamsin Baker:

Website   Amazon     Blog