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?

Friday, April 4, 2008

Where do we come up with these ideas?

Musings from Ahirah: One of the newest members of Siren Publishing, Bekki Lynn who just so happens to belong to the same great critique group as I do suggested that I talk about our latest WIP (work in progress). What’s to say? I love this story. I actually came up with the idea of it because of my love of kung fu movies. I’ll have to do a total separate blog and give you all the fun facts. Basically I grew up watching them in NYC, where I’m from, with my father every Saturday morning. There’s always been something attracting about marital arts to me. I don’t know if it’s the lifestyle of the Buddhist monks or perhaps the stringent training they have to go through to be the best. Perhaps it’s the different forms used. In Japanese, katas are detailed choreographed patterns of movements practiced either solo or in pair. In Chinese marital arts, forms are known as taolu.

My all time favorite kung fu movie is Five Deadly Venoms. It’s a classic and please run out and rent it QUICK!

Towns and I have been reading a lot of paranormal stories lately. Our favorite by far is by J.R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood Series series. Towns didn’t care for the first book but once she read the second book she was hooked line and sinker. We thought about having our heros be vampires but quickly changed our mind. There are so many different series that feature vampires as their lead characters. We wanted to break the mold and change the game so to speak. Anyway, in Chinese philosophy there is a lot of talk about the elements-metal, water, wood, fire and earth. In Japan, the philosphy includes heaven as the sixth element. Not to give too much away but our heros are "brothers" not by blood but by fate. Their powers, so to speak, manifested early on in life, always when there was a natural disaster. All of the “5 brothers” come from different ethnic backgrounds. One is mixed-Native American and Asian, another is full Asian while another is Arab. Towns and I love to write about multicultural characters, especially ones not typically portrayed in romance novels. Our heroine is African American. Being creative and developing strange and exciting worlds is half the fun when writing a novel. The other half is finishing it!

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Critique Groups: Are they needed?

Musing from Ahirah Recently someone asked about our experiences with critique groups especially being a new writer. In my humble opinion critique groups are necessary. It’s a great way to interact, either in person or via internet, with other writers. Yahoo seems to be the breeding location for such critique groups. I have belonged to a lot of groups. Sometimes the groups were so large I felt overwhelmed. I did “lurk” and learned a lot about the writing craft. There are two critique groups that I feel have been very helpful for me. The first one is Eclectic Writers of Romance. It is a restricted group meaning. It has a limited number of members and new members has to be approved by the entire group. Some members are published with Ellora’s Cave and Siren Publishing. The second group, PRC2 Paranormal Writers Critique Group has more members but that doesn’t stop them from truly getting to know one another and making new members feel welcomed. Most of the members are published with different E-publishers such as Freya’s Bower, Eternal Press and Loose Id, to name a few. These two groups have given me the bias eyes that each and every writer needs (even published ones). As a new writer I think it’s very important to have others read your stories and give their opinions on it. Remember that its just opinions on what is right or wrong with the story. I have met outstanding women who know their grammar. Without them I don’t know what I would do. As you write you tend to think of your writing as your baby. You nurture it and protect it and feel that nothing is wrong with it. Joining a critique group allows you to WAKE UP and realize that your’re a horrible speller (I know I spelled it wrong), need to learn more about POV switches, stop using words such as “was”, “felt”, “that” all the dang time and learn how to write in such a way that you SHOW a story instead of TELL it. Personally I have nothing bad to say about critique groups. Just know that none of the people giving critiques are professional nor are they agents or editors. The advice and suggestions they give you, may still cause you not to be picked up by an agent or editor. Other writers can find plot issues and conflict issues with your story that you didn't even know existed. Perhaps they noticed that your characters say something that totally goes against how they acted in chapter one. Take the suggestions with a grain of salt. As one critiquer tells me: Use what you can and throw out the rest. I think that’s sound advice. Only you know your story and what you want your readers to experience when they are reading. When you join a group be prepared to return the favor and do critiques for others. This is a great way to take a step back from your writing and concentrate on someone else’s. I love doing this because it helps me notice things that I take for granted. Like POV (point of view). I personally don’t have a problem staying in one POV during a scene. But some writers do. I also love doing critiques because I notice things about my own writing. By looking at others works you can learn how to describe something like the weather or a flower by the words others use. You notice the style of their writing and how easy the words flow together. So I ask everyone: What’s your opinion on joining critique groups?

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Towns guide on how to handle rejection for dummies

Musings from Towns What is rejection really? Ahirah and myself just received another rejection letter for a short story that we'd entered to an E publisher. Ahirah didn’t take it very well at first. She did what comes natural to most of us. She became very discouraged. I on the other hand saw the bright side of it all. I've been rejected in many facets of my life. Finding out I didn’t make it into the college of my dreams or that my high school crush didn’t even know I existed. Through it all I’ve always bounced back. Just because someone rejects you doesn’t always mean that there is something wrong with you. Sometimes you are just not right for them at that time. But despite all of that not even published authors are perfect. I can’t tell you how many times I read a novel and found simple spelling errors. We all have to strive to be better whether we're at the top of our game or just beginning. We all must learn to find the good in everything, because every dog has its day and DAMN IT… Ahirah Towns will be published one day!!!

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Rejection, Hate It!

Musings from Ahirah: Well received our first rejection email from Red Sage. I sent in the first three chapters along with the last chapter on March 11. The rejection came 6 days later. That sure was quick! Here a short blurb about the story: Virgin Territory (novella)-Futuristic Leaving a local nightclub, Chantille Mills wishes her life was different. Tonight will be a night of firsts for the thirty-three year old virgin as she’s suddenly accosted by two studs, which scuttle her on an intergalactic space ship headed for the Planet Subta as a sex trainer in The Pleasure Temple... A twist of fate forces Chantille to be the unwitting trainer of Prince Jarood G’araccia, a strong willed young prince next in line to rule the throne. Soon two unlikely lovers who are worlds apart discover that life never turns out the way you expect especially when you explore virgin territory… Sounds hot and spicy doesn’t it. I’m going to review it for errors and send back to our critique group. I really like the plot and the characters. I’m thinking of adding more to it, maybe one or two scenes to help flush out the characters and give more description of the planet.

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Do you write to be happy?

Musings from Towns: I'm "Towns" the second half of the dynamic duo that comprises Ahirah Towns. Ahirah and I met three years ago both working in corporate America and hating every minute of it. However one thing we both shared was a love of reading. After a while we both admitted that we'd always wanted to write a book. We decided to take the plunge and try our hand at writing. What kind of book you ask-romance of course! What could it hurt. Haven’t you heard two minds are better than one? So Ahirah Towns was born. I’m the sensual one while Ahirah loves the erotic side of romance. It’s a nice melting of the minds. Regardless, Ahirah Towns is the hidden writer in both of us. As a little girl, reading transported me to another world were ghost and goblins were real and anything was possible. Growing up I learned in history class about civilizations that had risen and fallen only to become immortalized through stories telling. I write now because I want my stories and ideas to be passed down to others so they too can be shifted from the everyday hustle and bustle of the real world and see a different world through my writing. Musings from Ahirah: I was so happy to see “Towns” post on the blog. She’s new to this so give her some time. I was just about to work on our newest WIP, The Warriors of the Elementals: Precious Metal. As I was opening up the first chapter I started thinking about why I write. Do I write to be happy? Or do I write for the glory of becoming a published writer? I think the answer is both. I love writing. I wrote a young adult romance back in high school with a good friend of mine. We typed it up and even had our English teacher proofread it for us. We were supposed to get it copyrighted and then send it out to publisher but alias we never did. Chalk it up to youth and not being confident. Well I’m older now and have more confident in myself. Now don’t get me wrong some days that confident level goes down when I go back and reread what I just wrote. That’s when I stop and think: What in the world am I doing? I need to stick to my day job. I’m married and have a great career so why do I come home from a busy work day and jump on the computer writing about different worlds and the alpha men that rule in them? It’s simple…I love it! I enjoy plotting out exciting new worlds and discovering new characters that scream at me to get their story told. My dream is to be published and have others read something that I’ve written. So in this regard, I write to be happy and in the process free up my soul with all these different plots running through my mind.

Sunday, March 9, 2008

E-publishers vs. NY publishers

Musings from Ahirah: When I read everyone's comments on my last post Hot Topics! I had to stop and smile. It feels good to know I’m not alone in my thinking. I agree with Angela Knight. I agree that RWA’s magazine-RWR-has only printed letters that bash the genre of erotic romance. If RWA as an organization doesn’t feel that erotic romances should fall under their guidelines why do they allow us to join? Why don’t they just admit that they don’t like erotic romances? Do they feel it corrupts the genre of romance as a whole? Perhaps they feel that sex is not a part of romance? Could it be they want our membership dues? Makes me wonder that's for sure! It seems where ever I log on to this topic is hot on the minds of romance writers. Because of certain guidelines a writer of erotic romance who publishes with an E-publisher instead of a NY publisher by RWA standards may actually not be an AUTHOR. Sure that person developed the characters. Outlined the plot. Typed up the words. Revised it. Edited it. Created a synopsis. Submitted it. Waited with their fingers crossed. Got the acceptance email. Smiled as their readers commented on their website and blog. Jumped for joy when they got that very first review of their book. Imagine if you will to their dismay, their writing organization which they pay $75 to join, now tell them that even though they did the same amount of work as an writer who got a contract with a well known NY publishing house, they are NOT A PUBLISHED AUTHOR because their smaller E-publisher doesn’t give out advances. If you’re reading this with me, let’s say it together…THAT’S A BUNCH OF CRAP!!! If E-pub authors are putting in the same time developing a story, marketing and everything else it takes to get published and gain a reader fan base, who has the right to say that person is not an author? There is a difference from being a writer and being a author. Anyone can write. Kids are writers. But once someone takes the time to read what you wrote and decide that the rest of the world needs to read what you wrote you are officially an author. It shouldn’t matter if the only way a reader can get your book is by downloading your book instead of wasting gas going to the bookstore. Yes, I know they can buy it online from places like Amazon.com but don’t forget about the shipping charges. Erotic romance writers need to unite and perhaps think about creating their own separate organization where the only goal will be to make sure all their members, no matter the types of words used in their story or final word count of the story, become published authors in whatever format the author wants-PDF file or paper.

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Hot Topics!

Musings from Ahirah: Right now in the world of erotic romances there is a hot debate going on between writers. The Romance Writers of American association has published numerous letters in their monthly publication RWR (Romance Writers of America) about writers who write erotic romances. Now mind you these letters are not coming from anyone associated with RWA rather authors who want to voice their concerns or opinions about how they see the world of romance writing changing for so-called worst. As a fellow writer said: “I’m convinced they are conducting a thinly veiled witch hunt against authors who write erotic fiction. "-Koko Brown

Take a look at another author venting her frustration back in October 2007 -Victoria Dahl Where do I stand on the issue.

I totally agree with EVERYTHING the ladies had to say.

Erotic Romance is just that romance that is erotic. What does erotic mean you ask? 1: arousing or satisfying sexual desire

2: of, pertaining to, or treating of sexual love; amatory

3: subject to or marked by strong sexual desire.

What does romance mean? a novel or other prose narrative depicting heroic or marvelous deeds, pageantry, romantic exploits, etc., usually in a historical or imaginary setting.

I wonder if the women writing these scathing letters, about how upset they are about the “trash that is printed”…I wonder if these women have sex. Sex is not wrong especially if done in a committed relationship. Most readers of romance novels are women. The purpose of reading romance novels is for fantasy. No woman I know ever read a romance and then divorced her husband or dropped her boyfriend like a hot potato. Reading any genre of fiction is to escape for a couple of minutes. Hours. Days from the hustle and bustle of everyday living.

What on earth is wrong with that? Romance of any kind is about passion, emotion, feelings. Sex is all that and then some. Novels are based somewhat on real life or the illusion of real life. Do men cuss? Hell yeah! Do women cuss? Damn straight! Do men and women have messy rough sex? I hope like hell they do! Can words turn on a person? Better believe it! For all of us married women out there, what is wrong with reading a hot steamy novel and attacking your husband when he gets home from work? I’ll tell you…NOTHING AT ALL. I think there should be a law that women all over the world read an erotic romance novel once a week. Two things would happen. First, men would buy more Barnes and Noble/Borders gift cards. Second, the world’s population would increase greatly.

Ahirah has spoken!

Writer’s Block

Musings from Ahirah: Yes!!! The dreaded word that every writer hates to admit to. I don’t know about my better half “Towns” but it has snuck up on me. We’ve decided to put down “Criminal Passions” for a minute and work on something else. What you ask? Good question. We hope by this weekend to figure out what new hot and exciting story we’ll work on. We actually have a couple to choose from. 1: erotic paranormal with multi-cultural characters-full length novel 2: erotic paranormal-novelle-written for Del Fantasma series. 3: erotic futuristic-full length novel So many choices.

Friday, February 29, 2008

Current WIP

Current WIP (work in progress) is an erotic futuristic novella. It's called Criminal Passions and takes place in a futuristic Chicago. The heroine is a cop while the hero is a sex bordello owner. During this time, sex has been outlawed in certain regions of the world. The length will only be about 20-25K making it a novella. For some strange reason I've developed writing block concerning my hero. There's great conflict between the hero and heroine just for the simple fact that the heroine is a cop searching for the owner of the bordello, who turns out to be the hero. I've just been having problems with discovering my hero's internal conflict-what makes him tick. Hope I finish!

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

70 Days of Sweat

Well...I've decided to join the 70 Days of Sweat. I'm the Ahirah part of Ahirah Towns. Lately I haven't been writing. Mostly reading a number of books pertaining to plotting and becoming one with your characters. I seems to have a brain freeze when it comes to finishing up my erotic futuristic novella. I don't know what the problem is...Okay maybe I do. I know my heroine backwards and forward. I wish I could say the same about my hero. I know him but I don't really know him. What makes him really tick? I hope by joining the 70 Days of Sweat I can get off my butt and finish this novelle and submit it somewhere. 70 Days of Sweat is a challenge to writers to finish a book in 70 days! Crazy right but so doable. I hope to do at least 1000 words each day. Since my story is only a novella the finished product will only have about 20,000 but no more than 25,000. Wish me luck! http://70daysofsweat.com/wordpress/

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

First Day of Blogging

This marks the first day of blogging. Who are we? We call ourself Ahirah Towns-a play on both our name. Who are we really? We are the writing team of all things romantic with an erotic twist. Expect to see paranormal, suspense, contemporary and futuristic erotic romance from this fun loving duo. Nothing but Alpha Men and Strong Women who love them will splash across our pages. See you soon!