Poor neglected blog!

Yeah, I know, I neglect this poor blog entirely too much. To my defense, though, I've been crazy writing three different books, one being book 3 in the Hunters series. Not to mention my kids are home for summer vacation and my house turns into a circus this time of year!


So, the reason I'm here today - The Darkest War, the second book in Tenna's story, will be released....September 10, 2014!!! Rebel Ink Press will be releasing this one as well.
WOOOOHOOOOOO! I haven't received the cover yet, but I promise to do a reveal when it's in my grubby little hands!


In other news, I'm currently working on a paranormal romance, which may or may not turn into a short series, as well as a Supernatural Thriller. I haven't decided if that will be a stand alone or not. I don't tend to start writing with a series in mind. Sometimes there's just too much story to tell in just one book.


So, anyway, not a whole lot of super cool news on this front. I'll post any news I have on The Darkest War when I know anything.


See y'all on the flip side!

A book, some pink rollers, and a dryer bonnet

For those of you who don't know, I'm a bit of a junkie when it comes to anything and everything from the 1940s and 1950s. On a shopping trip with my mom yesterday I found and purchased a hair bonnet dryer from the fifties. As I write this, my hair is rolled up in pink sponge rollers and wrapped with the bonnet.

She Who Hunts came out on March 3, 2014. I have since writing the second book to the series (probably going to be a trilogy) and am in the process of editing and revising. In the meantime, I'm also working on a paranormal romance. Ever since starting on this romance I've had so many questions about what is normal, what is okay, and what is acceptable in romance. For instance, is it okay for the heroine to say f*ck?

                                                                                         

Like any normal modern woman I posted many of these questions on Facebook. (Don't judge!) I received such a slew of various answers. One person hates the use of the F bomb, while another said she expects it in most of her paranormal books. When I asked about using all caps to symbolize a man bellowing a statement I was met with yet even more varying answers. One said it was lazy writing, while another said there are no such things as rules and "Strunk was an idiot."

This got me thinking - at this point in time, especially when it comes to things like urban fantasy and paranormal romance where we make up our own worlds and make up rules to go with them, are there rules to the writing anymore? I'm not asking if we still have to use proper punctuation or sentence structure, more is there such a thing as writing etiquette, and what should and shouldn't be used when story telling.

I've scoured sites and blogs looking for the answer, but I find myself reaching the same conclusion as when I searched for the meaning of life.

Why is it your favorite genre?

I write urban fantasy, and have dabbled in paranormal romance. I've also tried my hand with a little erotica. Obviously, these are my favorite genres to read. But, as I lay in bed thinking about a book I'm reading, I got thinking...why? What brought me to these genres? Why not regency romance, or maybe literary fiction? Or maybe even nonfiction books?

The first book I can remember falling in love with (and only wanting to rewrite the ending instead of the whole book) was Charlotte's Web. But, CL, that's not supernatural, or paranormal. Oh, you think it's not? Hellooooo, a talking pig and a writing spider. Have you ever seen that in real life? I know I haven't. (If I had, I may not be so freaking arachnophobic!) The only part of Charlotte's Web I rewrote in my head was the ending; I didn't want Charlotte to die.

As I search my memory of books that stand out in my head, I always go back to Stephen King. I first discovered the master of horror in fifth grade. Yes, you read that right; I read Stephen King in fifth grade. Did it scare me? Yep. Did I love it? Yep. Something clicked inside my head when I read Pet Semetary (I always tried to read books before I saw the movies); I needed more monsters, more horror, more action. Give me a horror flick or action movie over a chick flick any day!

But again, I ask why? Why is it I find things that don't exist (or do they?) to be so intriguing. I think I've come up with the answer - because the rules don't apply! In supernatural, paranormal, horror, etc, the characters don't have to play by the same rules as the rest of us. They can fly, read people's minds, kill the bad guys, rematerialize anywhere they please, and some live forever. Who wouldn't want to lose themselves in that kind of universe, if only for an hour at a time?!

But here's another thought; I don't read Science Fiction. Of course, there are rules in these books which don't apply to the rest of us, yet I find it distracting to try to imagine these technological worlds on top of trying to follow the storyline. I'm sure some SciFi fans feel the same way about the paranormal worlds, so maybe I'm not too weird.

Now it's your turn - Why do you read your favorite genre? Why do you write the genre you do? Was there some major turn of life which brought you over to the "dark" side, or have you always been fascinated with make-believe?