Blinks

The morning went past in a blur of edits - first on my centaur story for the Torquere Taste Test, and then on 'Roses in December'. I'd only intended to make a start on the novel rather than doing the whole thing in one fell swoop, because it's over 70,000 words long and I wasn't sure my eyes could hold out. But... I got sucked into it all over again and an hour and a half later I finally emerged, blinking, into the real world. LOL. And I cried again at the ending. Not that it's sad at all, just lump-in-the-throat. I'm really excited at the prospect of seeing this novel published - it's something that's been very dear to my heart for several years now. Roll on July. :)

New subs

I suddenly realised that I hadn't submitted anything new to publishers for nearly two months. No submissions equals no acceptances which equals no new payments, which will never do. :) So I parceled up four separate stories to send to the Best New Paranormal Romance anthology pencilled in by the editor of Juno Books. All four are from my 'One Degree of Separation' collection published by Torquere Press last year. The relevant stories are: 'Cold Comfort' which is sf, 'Lonely Sky' (vampires) and two ghost stories - 'The Ties That Bind' and 'Garden of Remembrance'. Fingers crossed that even one of them gets selected....

Wow, that was quick!

We've finished reading all the submissions for Forbidden Fruit, already! Usually I have the feeling that the stories are hanging over my head, but having a two-week reading period when I could simply set other things aside and concentrate fully on the magazine was a huge improvement. That's the fastest we've ever managed to read twelve stories between us. :)

Acceptances (and the occasional rejection) will be going out end of the week or early next. But I have to say that with the exception of the two writers who hadn't read the guidelines, the overall quality of submissions was very high. Which is nice. It's always better to have too many to choose from than be scraping around for extra material at the last minute.

Losing the plot

I added just shy of 500 words to the ghost story yesterday but am running into my perennial problem, which is that the main characters have upped sticks and wandered off with the plot. They're taking it in directions I really didn't want to go, and getting further and further away from any possible smut. As I'm now about a third of the way through the maximum allowed word count, I'm starting to hit my head against the wall. Get back on track, dammit! Stop doing this to me!

LOL No, don't worry, I'm not completely insane - I'm told lots of writers talk to their own characters. ;)

Priest holes

No not those sort of holes - get your minds out of the gutter!! These are the old hiding places, mostly dating from the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, that riddle many old houses in England. They were used by priests to hide when Catholicism was banned and many of them are really ingenious. I'd already decided to put a couple of them in 'Got Ghosts?' so it was useful to have a trip out to Baddesley Clinton, a medieval manor house in Warwickshire, yesterday afternoon. The house boasts at least two priest holes, one hidden in a chimney breast, the other in a medieval loo shaft! I'm hoping it's given me some inspiration as the story could do with a kick-start again.

Out of the loop

The reading period for the May issue of Forbidden Fruit kicked off yesterday - we have just two short weeks to read all the submissions and decide which ones we'd like to use, so I may not be much in evidence until we've finished.

Disappointingly, the first two subs I read were both completely unsuitable, so much so that it was obvious the writers had not only never read the submission guidelines, but had quite probably never read the magazine either. *rolls eyes* Why do people continue to do this? Most of the market listings sites, not to mention magazines and publishers themselves, run frequent articles on the benefits of reading guidelines. Ralan has been running a campaign for months, and the Erotic Readers & Writers Assoc usually has an article or two on the subject on its site. And yet still the unsuitable stories come in, sometimes from writers who should know better. It's very silly, to say the least. It's wasting our time as editors having to wade through stories that have absolutely nothing to do with homosexual relationships. And it wastes the writer's time as well, because every week it sits uselessly in our mailbox waiting to be read and rejected is another week when they could be submitting to somewhere suitable and getting it published. And at the very least it makes writers look like amateurs, and nobody wants that.

So come, on, all you fellow writers and submitters. If an editor goes to the trouble of drawing up guidelines, they're there to help you. The least you can do is read them.

Award

My Fruity Award plaque has just arrived all the way from America and looks absolutely super on the mantelpiece! This is the first time I've ever won a concrete prize, as opposed to a neat computer graphic for my webpage. Of course, I got one of those too, so the plaque is a bonus. :)

You have to buy this!

Press release from ERWF member Kay Derwydd:



"A Dark Performance" by Kay Derwydd:

Tristan is a sorcerer moonlighting as the singer in a metal band. Tired of a life of loneliness, he sends out a call into the Ether. He never expected anyone to actually answer him.

Enthralled by the enigmatic singer of the metal band Cythraul, Taryn waits and watches, toying with Tristan during the band’s performance. Afterward, he demands a private show with Tristan, knowing neither of them can resist.

Genre: Erotica
Rating: Adult, GLBT
Length: Short Story, 4,000 Words

BUY IT HERE!

Buzzing along...

...with the new ghost story, which is now over 4,500 words and growing by the day. It's turning out to be an absolute joy to write because I'm keeping it very tongue in cheek. The only slight problem is that the characters have hijacked the story and are busy insisting on more plot than sex. For a story that's supposed to be erotica, That's Not Good.

So far I have a dippy hero, a dotty medium, at least one resident ghost and the possibility of a poltergeist - not to mention the jaw-droppingly handsome love interest. Who doesn't believe in ghosts. :D

It's been ages since I've got on as well with a story as this and I'm just praying the inspiration lasts.

Here's an incredibly brief snippet from the last section I wrote today:

"Make yourself at home," said Adam, waving the toast.

Half an hour later he was regretting what he'd said, since the production crew had taken him far too literally for his peace of mind. There were now five different lorries in the drive - the last of which was blocking the Rectory door - and Greystones was swarming with human ants, most of them banging and all of them wanting cups of tea. Adam spent his time filling kettles and running around with extra sugar and milk, and trying not to trip over the alarming mass of cables that snaked into the house through every available window and door. It was only when the clock struck ten and everyone disappeared at once that he discovered they'd brought their own canteen and he needn't have bothered after all.

More ghosts

Kirkham Press, a brand new e-publisher based here in Britain, are looking for paranormal stories for an autumn anthology so I've started a new ghost story which I'm hoping will be ready in time. It's based on all those rather camp paranormal tv shows where film crews spend a night or weekend in a haunted location and film the results. Usually there are one or two genuinely scary moments but a great deal of the supposedly 'haunted' film footage could easily have been faked and I still can't decide whether the programmes are all a massive hoax. Anyhooo, I decided to write about what happens when the film crew turn up at a genuinely haunted house and find enough ghosts to scare them out of their wits! I've written about 2000 words so far (out of a target 10-18,000) and am having lots and lots of fun. :)

New release of my own

Lost Property by Fiona Glass: a stand-alone short story about an amnesiac elf adrift in the world of men.

Irik wakes up in hospital with no idea who he is. He knows his name from the label tied to his toe, and he knows that the sun will come through the windows each day, and he knows he's very different from the rest of the people in the ward. He can't remember anything of his previous life and the healers are too busy to help him much - all except for one young apprentice, Joshua, who befriends Irik and spends time with him in the hospital garden, teaching him about life. Irik begins to fall in love with his new friend, and it seems entirely natural to express that love with a kiss. But when he does just that, it has unexpected consequences for them both and helps Irik back on the road to health - and his family.

Price only $2! Hurry along to order your copy today.

So many good books...

...so little time to read. LOL. Here's another new release which sounds like a stonking good read.

Press release from ERWF member Emily Veinglory:

New release: Star Crossed by Emily Veinglory

Star Crossed by Emily Veinglory: $1.95 -- A 'single shot' (stand alone short story) from Torquere Press

Simon is a hardened soldier rising through the ranks of the Thene army. When fate leads him to cross paths with the gifted psychic Slyn during a routine diplomatic assignment a deep bond forms between them, leaving them vulnerable to intrigue and danger.

For years their differences in social standing and culture keep them apart, making them both feel the pressure as the bond tries to bring them together again. Finally Slyn can stand it no longer and seeks Simon out with disastrous consequences. Can the two of them find a way to be together? Or are they destined to be Star Crossed?

Blowing my own trumpet!

I'm rather pleased (read: jumping up and down with excitement and waving my arms in the air LOL) because 'One Degree of Separation' has taken 3rd place in the m/m category of the Fruity Awards this year! I knew it was into the finalists because I had to be disqualified from judging as a result, but I honestly diddn't think it stood a chance of getting any further because it's a collection of stories, not a novel. But... the judges disagreed with me and voted it into third place. I'm a very happy bunny!

Go here to see a full list of the award winners.

Oooh! New Torquere book!

There's a brand new Torquere book out today, by a brand new Torquere author. Here's some more details:

Press release by ERWF member James Buchanan:
The Darkness by James Buchanan

On the drive home from visiting his ailing father, the Chaplain, Justin wrecks his car, only just avoiding serious injury. Seeking refuge at a forestry service pull-out along the winding Angeles Crest Highway, Justin stumbles upon a pack of hellish creatures that leave him spiraling into an eerie realm of supernatural beings, strange visions and fallen angels.

His saving grace during his nightmare encounter after his accident is a man named Brand, who later convinces Justin to accompany him to the Wheel, a club owned by Brand’s brother. His sexual encounters there with Brand’s brothers lead him down a dark path, where he questions his ability to choose his own way in life, making him wonder if his fate was drawn long ago. Explore the depths of the Darkness in this hard-edged, atmospheric tale today!

Scribbling about ghosts again

Got cracking on 'Ebb Tide' and added over 1100 words which is pretty good progress for me these days. *rolls eyes* It felt wonderful to be scribbling again without constant interruptions, or sudden thoughts of 'oh Lord I should be doing so and so' popping into my head, and with a clear run came clearer thinking. I added the whole of the next sex scene, suitably interrupted by the baddie with a knife, and am now ready to start the bit where the hero first realises his love interest is a ghost.

Mind you, I've spotted one or two potential holes in the plot and may have to go back soon and write around or plug those. That's the trouble with a plot involving time slippage - you write about things in the present, and then forget to have the suitable action happen in the past. For instance, in the present Tim finds his own initials carved on a wooden chest in the cave - but so far nothing's happened in the past to get those initials onto that chest. *rolls eyes again* Ah well, at least I spotted 'em in time to do something about them. It would be so much more embarrassing to submit to a publisher and have my editor pick up on the holes!