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Friday, December 19, 2014

More News for 2015

So last month I wrote one of those really annoying vague posts about how I had a lot of stuff going on in my non-blogging life, but then didn't go into any detail. However, I looked, and I did say I'd write about it eventually, so maybe I'll break even with this post.

Upon my return from my family reunion in the fall, I found out I'm pregnant. This was a very much planned-for thing, so we were excited, but then all of a sudden, there's that feeling of being overwhelmed and wanting to RESEARCH ALL THE THINGS and otherwise being distracted, and so on. I made an appointment for my first ultrasound, and all my husband and I wanted out of it was to see a healthy baby growing in there.

And we did. And then we saw the second baby growing right next to him/her. Surprise!

There were a few days of shock, of course, but then more excitement. RESEARCH ALL THE THINGS mode involved even more things to research. Writing absolutely took a backseat, but I can't say I feel any guilt about it.

Now that I've RESEARCHED ALL THE THINGS (well, a lot of them, anyway) and otherwise adjusted to the idea that we are going to have two babies in June (as much as one can adjust right now, anyway), I'm starting to settle down a bit. Obviously, I'm never going to give up writing, but I'm trying to figure out what my best course of action is. Do I try to finish up at least one of my WIPs and get it ready for submission before June, knowing that if I have to revise something, it wouldn't get done for a while? Do I give up any hope of getting something ready for publication until we figure out our new schedule? Is there some sort of middle ground in there?

There aren't any right answers. Luckily, it's not a life or death situation we're dealing with here. For now, the plan is to maybe get a solid first draft done of a WIP, but then hold off on submitting. I might also have some fun with some fanfic (especially since I finished my first playthrough of Dragon Age: Inquisition, more on that in a future post), and see if any good anthology calls come up where I can knock out a one-shot thing. As I said, I'm not giving up writing forever, but there are definitely some big changes coming up on the horizon!

Monday, December 1, 2014

Take Notes, This is How It's Done

Dragon Age: Inquisition arrived at my house almost two weeks ago, and I've been playing it non-stop since then. (The game is MASSIVE, and I know I still have a ways to go. At least I'm getting my money's worth! Writing can wait.) I'll reserve my final judgment for when I finish my first playthrough, but so far, the game is living up to the high expectations and the massive amounts of hype, and I'm having fun.

The reason I wanted to blog about it before finishing, though, is to note that so far I've been really impressed with the character of Cassandra. I was "meh" on her in DA2 (not that she was anything more than a narration device), and I never watched her side movie thing, or whatever it was (though I might check it out once I'm done with the game). She's the first companion you get, and she drives a lot of the plot in the beginning.

What stood out to me from the get-go was that it would have been so, so easy for her character to have been male. In other series or forms of media, she very well may have been. And then it saddened me to realize I was even thinking that. She's strong, she's tough, and she's passionate about her cause, which has nothing to do with landing a man. Her armor actually looks like armor and covers everything that should be covered when you're fighting many violent battles. As the game progresses, she does have her moments when she shows a little bit of a vulnerable or a light-hearted side, and those just make me appreciate her more. Not a single thing she says or does has had "even though she's a woman/because she's a woman" attached to it, which is the way it should be.

Even if I weren't playing a female Inquisitor, thanks to her and the other female characters, the game easily passes the Bechdel test, many times over. Bioware doesn't always get it exactly perfectly right, but their batting average is pretty good, and from what I've heard and read, they do a pretty good job of listening to all their fans, male and female alike. They try, and a lot of times they succeed. No matter what happens later on in the game (fingers crossed that there won't be a colossal flop of an ending like the original end to Mass Effect 3), I'm sure the good will outweigh the bad, and they've already won favor with me for continuing to include female characters such as Cassandra.

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

My Mind is Everywhere Except this Blog

This is just a quick check-in so I can stop feeling guilty about the "last post" date whenever I sign in to Blogger. Writing has totally taken a backseat to other life goings-on...actually, not even a backseat. Writing isn't even in the same vehicle. Everything's fine, there's just a lot of STUFF going on in the House of Landen right now (some of which I'll actually write about at a later date).

I keep saying I'm going to set aside some time to write, and then it doesn't happen, and truth be told, I'm not feeling terribly guilty about that. I obviously don't have plans to give up writing forever, it's just not a priority right now. I'm hoping some of the aforementioned STUFF will settle down soon-ish and I can actually write something useful, but until then, I'm just going to try and relax.

See you in a couple weeks or so!

Saturday, October 25, 2014

3 Reasons to Write a 1-Night Stand - Guest Post by Tara Quan


Halloween is just around the corner, and I'm thrilled to be hosting fellow Decadent Author Tara Quan today as she promotes her brand new book, Flirting With Fire! This time around, witches and warlocks turn to Madame Eve's services for an unforgettable night. Tara's here to talk about why the 1NS books are so much fun to read and write, plus share some information about her latest release!


Since I’m visiting a fellow Madame Eve acolyte, it seemed right to wax rhapsodic about this awesome line by Decadent publishing. Fans of the multi-author series already know why these 1-Night Stands are a blast, so I thought I’d come at it from an author’s perspective.


Here’s why I had so much fun these past few months:

1. There’s a 20k word limit, so every sentence had to count. Before attempting to write one of these, my works tended to be in the 30-50k range, and boy was it a challenge to adhere to that particular guideline. I had to go over each sentence and trim it as much as possible. Though difficult at first, the exercise soon turned into a game.


2. My pesky characters demanded a scorching happily-ever-after in 24-hours. As one would imagine, this isn’t a piece of cake. While the story doesn’t have to end in marriage, there must be a sufficient foundation for a committed relationship. From a writer’s perspective, this means the chemistry needs to fly off the pages.

3. I get to devote a significant proportion of page-time to sex. What can I say–I like writing naughty stuff. Since my hero and heroine enter the arrangement with the expectation of some hanky-panky, there wasn’t much I could do to hold them back.

On that note, I’ll thank Thea for having me over today and take this opportunity to wish her an early 1NS book birthday of her own. To celebrate my new release, I’m giving away a $15 gift card. To enter, leave a comment here, and drop your details in the Rafflecopter widget (at the bottom of this post, assuming the code works, or at my website: TaraQuan.com/FlirtingwithFire)

Blurb:
Apprentice witch Catalina Gato is prohibited from assuming her human form in front of her new employer without his express permission. Since he doesn’t know he’s a warlock, he can’t give it, leaving her in a familiar’s limbo. To make matters worse, she’s barred from leaving his house, and her attempts to enlighten him of his true nature results in burnt notes, charred walls, and exploding laptops. 


On All Hallows’ Eve, she gets one night of freedom. Deciding some no-strings-attached sex might take the edge off the intense attraction she feels for her clueless boss, she signs up for Madame Eve’s service. When she meets her masked mystery date at the Castillo Capital, she realizes she might have gotten much more than she bargained for. 

After being gifted a one-night stand from his annoying best friend, attorney Leo Difuoco reluctantly ventures to the Castillo Capital to celebrate Halloween. When he meets his oddly familiar green-eyed date in a Cat Woman costume, flames literally ignite, sparks magically fly, and life as he knows it changes forever. 
Genre: Paranormal Romantic Comedy, Interracial/Multicultural


Buy Links:

About the Author:
Globetrotter, lover of languages, and romance author, Tara Quan has an addiction for crafting tales with a pinch of spice and a smidgen of kink. Inspired by her travels, Tara enjoys tossing her kick-ass heroines and alpha males into exotic contemporary locales, paranormal worlds, and post-apocalyptic futures. Armed with magical powers or conventional weapons, her characters are guaranteed a suspenseful and sensual ride, as well as their own happily ever after. Learn more at www.taraquan.com




a Rafflecopter giveaway