Insecure Writers Support Group October Edition

Hello there! I know it's been too long since I've written anything here. I've been just harried with writing, working and other things right now. Real Life is being a bitch. Anyway, today is the October  edition of the IWSG. This awesome group is 2 years old already and I cannot believe it. I've gotten so much from this group, the support, encouragement and commiseration has been truly amazing. Thank you, Captain Alex and all the members of your team who have been there for all of us. And there is even a really cool website now for the IWSG. Whoo hoo!!

I wanted to talk today about stuttering. No, not the speech impediment, but stuttering in writing, you know when you get going, sputter out, get going a little more, run up against a block, get some more story done...And on and on. This stop start cycle is frustrating to me. I want to drive needles into my eyes and run screaming down the street. I've started writing outlines, but even they don't seem to help this. It's not a full blown writers block, because I do write, but it's like my Muse is teasing me. She sends the words, then she takes them away, sends a little more, yanks them back. I hate this!!

Please tell me I am not crazy and am not the only one who suffers from this. And if you are a fellow sufferer, how do you handle it?

That Fatal Kiss...The Awesome Debut of Mina Lobo

Greetings Imaginarians!! I am pleased to bring you the amazing and sexy cool debut novel of my brilliant friend, Mina Lobo. You know her from the wicked blog Some Dark Romantic. Here she is...Take it away my sister. 

Surprises in the Sack by Mina Lobo 

Persephone wrapped her hands around him. “I seek to worship you.”
 
“Persephone, wait…”
 
But the goddess could not wait. Her entire body tingled, and the urgent need to taste him could not be denied. Persephone’s tongue gave the head of his shaft a long stroke and her own eyes closed from the rush of lust which overwhelmed her. His spiced, musky scent surrounded her and she inhaled deeply as she tongued her way down and back up. Then she took him in her mouth and rode her way down until he reached the very back of her throat. Her growl of pleasure joined his and she felt herself become slick with anticipation.
 
Persephone moved smoothly up and down, repeatedly swallowing him, feeling the fiery ache rise up in her womb. As deeply as she took him in, it wouldn’t be enough. The sudden groan emanating from somewhere above warned her that she wasn’t the only one not getting enough. Hades’ hands locked on her shoulders to ease her off. She cried out in protest as he slipped out from under her, and then gasped as he reached from behind her to pull her up against him.
 
Hades trapped her wrists behind her with one hand while the other tore the skirt of her narrow dress so it could slide into the dripping juncture between her legs. He said in her ear, “Do you know how some subjects worship their kings?”
 
His hard heat looming up behind her, Persephone thrilled in feeling so small, so controlled, reveled at being taken in hand by this dark lord. Her breathing jagged, she took the bait. “How?”
 
“On their hands and knees.”

The above excerpt comes from my fantasy romance*, That Fatal Kiss, set in a mythical Greece. In this segment, Persephone and Hades, Queen and King of the Underworld, have gotten over the rough beginning of their relationship and are enjoying a bit of "alone time." They're still getting to know one another, as individuals and as lovers, so they haven't settled into any relationship patterns or master/servant dynamics, or anything; they're simply exploring.

As regards exploration, I'm a "slow and steady wins the race" kinda gal. It takes me a good while to loosen up with a fella before I can even consider getting intimate, let alone trying out the stuff beyond vanilla. You've gotta feel you can trust your partner before you give out that golden ticket to your—ahem—private freak zone.

Or do you? Is it easier to traverse the slippery slope of kink with someone you barely know (and may never see again) than with your mate of many years? After all, a long-term lover knows things about you; can you bear to let him or her know that? What do you think? Tell us in the comments!

 *Though there are a few sexy scenes in my book, I wouldn't call it erotica. Just sayin'—wouldn't want to disappoint anybody! :-)
  

*     *     *

About the Book
In That Fatal Kiss, life-giving Persephone seeks a mate but the goddess' mother frustrates her plans. Then Hades, King of the Underworld, spirits Persephone away to rule with him below, as his bride. Yet, even as she awaits rescue, Persephone aches to be consumed by the fire in the dark lord's immortal soul.

About the Author
Mina Lobo writes dark and whimsical romances, dodges the slings and arrows of her outrageous college-aged son, and feels compelled to do things in threes. She digs comedic horror, alternative rock, and Belgian chocolates. (See?)

Visit Mina's Web site, Some Dark Romantic, from September 24 - 29, for your chance to win an e-book copy of That Fatal Kiss!

A Storm On The Horizon

Happy Friday Imaginarians!! I know it has been a long ass time between posts, but I'm still working hard on my latest salacious tale of naughty goodness. Today, though, I want to talk about a storm, no not the ones that have been plaguing Chitown the last few days, but one created by our own Captain Ninja Alex J. Cavanaugh.

CassaStorm, the last of his Cassan trilogy is out. YAY!! Congratulations, Alex. I could not be any happier for you. Sales to the stars, my friend.

And with this release, I finally got Alex to answer one of my burning questions...What was the first album you listened to that made you want to play guitar? His answer:

Rush 2112! Everyone knows Neil Peart is the greatest drummer in the world, but Alex Lifeson is also an amazing guitarist.

Awesome. I am going to have to download that album, I think. 

Anyway, on with the big reveal...

CassaStorm

By Alex J Cavanaugh

From the Amazon Best Selling Series!

A storm gathers across the galaxy…

Commanding the Cassan base on Tgren, Byron thought he’d put the days of battle behind him. As a galaxy-wide war encroaches upon the desert planet, Byron’s ideal life is threatened and he’s caught between the Tgrens and the Cassans.

After enemy ships attack the desert planet, Byron discovers another battle within his own family. The declaration of war between all ten races triggers nightmares in his son, threatening to destroy the boy’s mind.

Meanwhile the ancient alien ship is transmitting a code that might signal the end of all life in the galaxy. And the mysterious probe that almost destroyed Tgren twenty years ago could return. As his world begins to crumble, Byron suspects a connection. The storm is about to break, and Byron is caught in the middle…

“I thought the revelation was going to be one thing and I was completely wrong … CassaStorm pushes the limits…”
- Tyson Mauermann, Speculative Reviews

“Cavanaugh has created wonderfully moving moments of great poignancy… CassaStorm could have been a dark story full of hardship and angst, but instead it's a cleverly balanced story about hope and triumph.” 
- Lynda R. Young, author of Make Believe

“One thing Alex does really well is 'sell' the reader on his world building. …an enjoyable, fast-paced read that not only delivered on the final climax, but also managed to pleasantly surprise me.” - Bob Milne, Beauty in Ruins

Find CassaStorm:

Barnes and Noble - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1116848619?ean=9781939844002

Amazon -

http://www.amazon.com/CassaStorm-Alex-J-Cavanaugh/dp/1939844002/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1378484337&sr=1-1&keywords=cassastorm

Amazon Kindle - http://www.amazon.com/CassaStorm-ebook/dp/B00F2O9QMC/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1378811366&sr=1-1&keywords=cassastorm

Goodreads - http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17670532-cassastorm

Book trailer - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Umm2l0XdHc&feature=youtu.be

The Big Reveal...That Fatal Kiss By Mina Lobo

Hey Imaginarians I'm surfacing in for a minute to tell you about a great new novel coming out and to show off the absolutely stunning cover. Mina Lobo, my gorgeous friend from the brilliant Some Dark Romantic is getting ready to release her debut novel this September. Here's a bit about Mina and her awesome book...

Mina Lobo has long held a passion for Greek mythology. The story of the goddess Persephone's marriage-by-kidnap to Hades, Lord of the Underworld, has particularly fascinated her, and thus came about Mina's debut novel, That Fatal Kiss. Coming September 2013, the revisionist tale features a fiery and noble heroine, a handsome and broody hero, and some heated, earth-shakin' lovin'!



Given Mina's self-professed neurotic nature, it took her and cover artist Steven Novak a few go-arounds before settling on the cover design for That Fatal Kiss. It had to be curiously compelling, slightly spooky, and yet super sexy—and so it is!














The Book:



Feared by mortals for his inexorable power, and loathed by his fellow Greek gods for the same, Hades rules the Underworld alone. A stark eternity looms before him until he discovers Persephone. Struck by the youthful goddess’ beauty, kindness, and spirit, he must have her. But Hades believes Persephone could never love him, and so he conspires with his powerful brother, Zeus, to take her by force.



Persephone too seeks a mate but her possessive mother, the goddess Demeter, frustrates her husband hunting. Then Hades abducts Persephone, tearing her away from the Upperworld she loves to reign with him in the dank depths below. Though outraged, Persephone cannot deny the desire ignited within her by the dark lord’s touch. And even as she hopes that Demeter will unearth her, Persephone aches to surrender to the heat in Hades’ immortal soul.



The Teaser:


“Enough,” Hades said, closing the distance between them. “I have taken you with your father’s consent, as custom allows. You are in my kingdom, under my rule, and if you have any care for your continued well-being, you will get into my bed. Now.” And with the removal of the pins that held together the black cloth about his waist, he stood naked before her.



The anger warming Persephone clashed with another fire that roared to life within her. She choked on a breath and turned her face from him. “Be warned; I will resist you with the full force of my being, through violent means, if necessary.”



His large, unyielding hands encircled the soft flesh of her upper arms as he said, “If you must. Though your surrender to me would prove more satisfying to us both.” 

The Author:






Mina Lobo has a lot of Scorpio action going on in her natal chart, which makes for a rather sybaritic and lust-driven Sagittarian. She aims for a wildly successful future as a writer of dark and whimsical romance while dodging the slings and arrows of her outrageous teenaged son, who's buggered off to college (hence the "Lite" in her Twitter handle, below). She enjoys comedic horror and alt rock, goth, & new wave music, as well as quality Belgian chocolates.



Mina invites you to keep abreast of updates regarding That Fatal Kiss, as well as the development of any new neuroses, by stalking her at her usual haunts:



Her blog: Some Dark Romantic

On Facebook:  mina.lobo.1

On the Twitter: @GothMomLite

And GothMomLite Will Tumblr For Ya as well

Insecure Writers Support Group

Hey Imaginarians, I know I've been sadly absent of late, but today is the IWSG and I just had to return for a bit because I love this group. Thank you, Captain Ninja Alex!

In light of my deadline ahead, I want to talk about emotion in writing. Not the emotion of the story, but your own emotional health. I've been going through a lot of late and my cynicism, bad attitude has been showing in all my writing. Which is not good when I am trying to craft hot scene between my characters or even when I am trying to leave a simple comment for someone.  My good friends have remarked on it, so I am trying to get in a good headspace. If you are under duress, stress , craziness, etc it will show in your writing. So take care of yourself before you sit back in front of that computer no matter what kind of deadline you are under.

Be well, my friends. And good luck with all your creative projects ahead.

Back to lurking about, writing and edits. See you soon!

Ta Ta For Now

It's that time Imaginarians.  I have to stop posting for now as I have deadlines to meet and other obligations. I know, I'm sad, too. I miss you guys when I'm gone. But, I know you all want the sequel to Nathan's Angel as well as Maxie Briscoe: Werewolf so I've got to get writing.

Before I go, please check out the cover reveal for the amazing  Siv Ottem's book The Secret of the Ash Tree illustrated by the brilliant Michael Di Gesu.

Now, lest you think I'm completely disappearing, I'll still be lurking about and commenting, I can't quit you all cold turkey. And I'll still send up a post for special occasions like the Insecure Writers Support Group, blogfests and author spotlights like Writers 4 Writers, etc. I don't know how long I will be, but I'll try to hurry back, my friends. So, to quote my favorite resident of the Hundred Acre Woods, Tigger, "TTFN Ta Ta For Now."

Good News Friday

It's Friday and Pay Day...Whoo Hoo!! Anyway, today I wanted to share some Big News. My wonderful friends Siv over at Been There, Done That and Michael Di Gesu at In Time are going to be revealing the cover for Siv's book, Secrets of the Ash Tree this coming Monday. Michael did the illustration for the cover and it's going to be gorgeous. Stop by and visit them.

I also will be having an upcoming visit from the brilliant Jeremy Hawkins from Being Retro. He'll be sharing his newest art books with us. I can't wait!

It's also Blog Blitz time. So if you get a chance, please head over to Courtney Barr at The Southern Princess. She's got brilliant wit and we want to encourage her to keep blogging.

So, this is the weekend and I am planning on doing a bunch of writing and hopefully watching some horror films, The Conjuring in particular. It looks terrific. Speaking of horror, I have a new rule to help you survive. "Don't call 911. You'll always be put on hold."

So what is going on this weekend? Any news to share? Talk to me.