Monday, June 23, 2008

WE'RE BACK!

Musings by Ahirah:

Sorry for being away for so long. I've been feeling kinda lazy and haven't done as much writing as I should have. Not to mention the fact that "Towns" is waiting on getting another laptop. Having no computer at your fingertips can slow things down.


Good news! I'm still working on the Elemental Series. I'm on Chapter 5 and the story is coming along nicely. Perhaps I'll post a tidbit from it later and get some opinions on it.


I also have not forgotten about posting interviews from some known and unknown authors. That will happen later this week. Again I'm sorry for not posting. It'll never happen again.


Some topics I plan on talking about later in the week include dreams, weight loss and a great book that I'm reading by Julia Cameron called A Writer's Diet. It is awesome.


Hope everyone is having a great summer.


Here are some goals of mine to complete for the summer-


Get a learning permit by July 4th.


Re-edit two novellas and resubmits them to E-pubs.


Finish Elementals book #1 rough draft.


Lose 20 pounds by the middle of August.


Heck...that's enough for now. It's good to be back. See you tomorrow.


Monday, May 12, 2008

Just So Busy

Musing by Ahirah
I know...I know where have I been hiding. I've just been so busy writing. Well actually not writing but editing a novella. I want to add more to it and jazz it up some as well as make sure its at its best when I resend it out. Wish me well. Hopefully before the week is out I'll post up another interview.



Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Go Aries!

Musings from Ahirah Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket NubianGraphics.com


Today is a writing and critique day and I don't have a lot of time to blog so I thought I'd give a shout out to all the
ARIES!


Even though my birthday has come and gone. The next holiday on the calendar is my
6th Wedding Anniversary.
I still can't believe I've been married for 6 years.
Wow!


Anyway...back to Aries, which is the best sign by the way. I was looking around on the web and came across this. Lets see if I fit the mold.


Adventures are Us!-
ya that's me.



Love fast food-
dang that is so me.



N
ever boring-like I'd admit to that.



Make a great pioneer
-
Don't think so.



Oh! That Temper-
Just ask my husband.



Always want to be first in
Line-of course! Someone has to be first, why not ME.



Leap before looking
-remember I'm adventurous.



Passionate! Passionate! Passionate!-
why in the heck do you think I write erotic romances.



Well 9 out of 10 ain't bad. It's official...


I'm An Aries!



I know I'm crazy but I was in a fun mood today. Stay tuned. Soon you'll get to meet and learn more about the new erotic romance author, Bekki Lynn.

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Queen of Sensual Multicultural Romance

Musings from Ahirah:
Lately I've had the great pleasure of conversing with some well known authors of erotic romance as well as newbie authors, who have published their first book.
This week and a good part of next week I'll be talking to them and getting all the details on why they write what they write. I know you'll enjoy hearing what they have to say.
The first author I interviewed is
Samara King. She an author of Sensual Multicultural Romance. Currently she writes for Cobblestone Press, Changeling press and Loose-id.

This is one author that is on the fast track of sucess.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN WRITING?
I’ve been writing since 8th grade. I grew up on Silhouette Desire and haven’t stopped loving romance novels since!

WHAT MAKES YOU WRITE?
The need to create characters with vices and quirks is one of the best parts of the creative process to me. I love mixing and meshing and watching the chaos that unfolds as a result of my mechanisms. LOL. Really, I don’t think of myself as an “erotic romance author” more of a sensualist and I like to explore that in my writing with my characters.

WHAT GENRE OF ROMANCE DO YOU WRITE? Multicultural, Interracial and African-American romance.

WHO IS YOUR PUBLISHER AND THE NAME OF YOUR BOOK? My latest release is Wild Impulses, available now through Cobblestone Press. I also write for Changeling Press and Loose-Id.

PLEASE TELL US MORE ABOUT YOUR FIRST NOVEL(s)?
Well, actually, Wild Impulses is my first novel. I wrote it in 2 and an half months and it was recently republished by Cobblestone Press. Here is a blurb:
One night of pleasure was all it was suppose to be between Cosmetic heiress, Blu Evans and the mysterious man she’d met in a Paris hotel named “J” She never suspected that she’d slept with the enemy!
Jaden Graeham is a man who knows what he wants and he wants Blu Evans. He loves a challenge and life won’t be complete until he has her back in his bed, but when a troubling piece to his past comes back to take out revenge and unmask a dark secret, will Jaden be able to survive the greatest risk of all: watching the woman he loves walk away?


WHAT ARE YOUR WRITING GOALS? WHAT DO YOU WANT TO ACCOMPLISH? Well, currently I’m working on branching out from the e-book market, which I will never fully leave, it has been a great source of creativity and growth for me and I’m addicted.

HOW MANY REJECTIONS DID YOU GET BEFORE GETTING PUBLISHED? Hundreds. Rejections are daunting, but you quickly learn that they are all part of the writing process.

HOW HARD WAS IT TO MARKET YOUR BOOK ESPECIALLY SINCE NO ONE KNEW ABOUT YOU? It was overwhelming at first, but the more you socialize and network with other authors you gain a whole new insight to what works and what doesn’t.

WHAT IS YOUR OPINION ON CRITIQUE GROUPS? I’m not a fan of critique groups, but they work for other authors. It really depends on the author’s style. For me, I like having more of a one-on-one relationship with my critique partner.

WHAT IS YOUR OPINION ON TAKING ONLINE WORKSHOP CLASSES? Taking workshop classes is an awesome outlet for knowledge for writers. I encourage them.

BESIDES WRITING ROMANCE IS THERE ANOTHER GENRE OF FICTION WRITING YOU WOULD LIKE TO TACKLE ONE DAY? Young-adult and possibly women’s fiction.

WHAT’S YOUR OPINION ON HOW SOME AUTHORS CHOOSE TO PUBLISH WITH DIFFERENT E-PUBS? I think variety is the spice of life and again, it is up to the author and their personal goals for their writing career. Each publishing house has something different to offer and sometimes it takes awhile to find the right one.
HOW DOES YOUR FAMILY FEEL ABOUT YOU WRITING EROTIC ROMANCES? LOL. Well, I won’t tell you what my mother says, but they are supportive of my writing as a whole and know that it is a big part of my life. My son’s encouragement is awesome.

LIST 5 OF YOUR FAVORITE EROTIC ROMANCE WRITERS AND THEIR NOVELS. Anything by Lena Matthews, Kimberly Kaye Terry, Deanna Lee, Jamie Denton and Brenda Jackson, I love so many authors

CAN YOU GIVE THREE REASONS WHY READERS SHOULD BUY YOUR BOOK(S)? Variety, since I write Interracial, Multicultural and African-American (some genres that don’t often have enough of a spotlight). Sassy heroines who stand up for what they want. My heroes are HOT! My thought is if I wouldn’t want them a reader wouldn’t either, so I make it my duty to make them as sizzling as possible.

PLEASE LIST THREE THINGS THAT READERS WOULDN’T TYPICALLY KNOW ABOUT YOU.
  • I’m an Aquarius

  • I have a love affair going with chocolate and popcorn (but not together…lol)
  • I love people watching.


WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE NEWBIE WRITERS?

Develop your own unique voice and let it shine, your work will be enriched for it!


Next we'll hear from the newest member of Siren Publishing, Eclectic Romance Author, Bekki Lynn.


Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Interviewing Authors

Musings from Ahirah: One more day to my birthday. YEAH! I have great news. Later this week, I plan on discussing some interviews I was able to conduct with some great authors. Some have been published for years while others just released their first novel. Just to name a few- Samara King, Kate Douglas, Bekki Lynn, Koko Brown, D.N. Lyons, Tabitha Shay, Elizabeth Amber, Jane Leopold Quinn and many more. Keep checking back to see what these great writers have to say about writing romances.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

B-day coming soon!

Musings from Ahirah: In a couple of days and I will turn 33 years old. On April 17th to be exact. I can't believe it. When I look in the mirror I see someone still in college, senior year that is. I don't know what hubby or friends have in plan for me. I do know, I wish I could take off from work but because of a state given test I must be present the entire day. So that mean no taking off early. Oh well, can't win everything. Not sure if I will celebrate on Thursday or wait till the weekend. Will keep you posted and let you know what great gifts I get. "Towns" wanted to take me to dinner but instead I asked if I could go shopping for clothes. She agreed and gave me a limit of $100. Isn't she awesome! That's why I love her. Now you know why I write with her.

Saturday, April 12, 2008

Obsessions

Musings by Ahirah We all have them right? I was surfing and trying to come up with a blog entry today. I checked out some comments from my readers and responsed back to Unwritten© and checked out her blog. Can we first say, I love the music. Please go and check it out and get your jam on. One of her entries talked about obsessions. I found it so funny and strange to find out someone else out there has the same obsession of buying journals or notebooks for no other reason but to have them. I know call me crazy but its something about the beautiful design of the cover or perhaps the crisp clean paper inside. I typically buy them to use as journals and will try and write in it each day but to no avail. After 4 days I forget and never pick the dang thing up again. Lately, I've been notebooks so I can carry them around with so when the fever strikes me to write I'm not writing things on napkins or heavens forbid my hand. Just like Unwritten, I also have a complex concerning my handwriting. Whenever I write in the dang things, I hate how my style of writing looks. Sometimes I have been known to rip the page out if it doesn’t look good. Say it with me...CRAZY!!! I also have another obsession. PENS! I love writing with different kinds of pens, all shapes and colors. I really like the gel kind. Something about the gliding effort…I don’t know…just call me crazy Ahirah-THE OBSESSED WRITER OF PAPER AND PENS. What’s your obsession?