Chatting with the Churchlady

And the winner is

Margie Church — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 19:40:00 GMT

Eileen Morrow is the lucky winner of Love Bites from Gracen's great blog, Moonlight Lace & Mayhem. Congratulations, Eileen!

I"m still running the contest on vampires.com to win another copy...go out and leave a comment to win!

Opportunities come up September 8 and 15th at other blogs! Aren't you glad you subscribe? I know I'm glad you're around!

Until the next time...
Margie

Blogging weekend!

Margie Church — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 00:37:00 GMT

This has been a very busy blogging weekend for me. I was thrilled to appear at Vampires.com. I met this great group on Twitter and was really pleased to be invited to blog - 6 feet under. Stop by and read what I have to say about Love Bites and my favorite vampires. You could win a copy of Love Bites, too!

Today, it's Supernatural Sunday so I'm blogging at Moonlight Lace & Mayhem with fellow Noble Romance author, Gracen Miller. Gracen asked me whether I dress up the family pooch and about my best friends. She also managed to drag several MORE pages from Love Bites into the post. So, if you've read the opening chapter, on this site and the one at Noble, visit Moonlight Lace & Mayhem. You'll be treated to even more.

I managed to crank out about 5,000 words on Dangerous Love this weekend. Not one word written today. Real life got in the way! Anyway - I've passed the halfway point and am in the middle of some really serious scenes. They kept me up til very late last night and my characters are tapping their feet anxious for me to finish up.

Many of us are going thru the last week of summer vacation. I don't know whether to be glad about that. I feel like I've spent the summer inside because it was too hot to be out. My garden is a disaster. I wonder if the neighbors would mind if I tilled it in the middle of the night?

I have to run. Stop in at Vampires.com and enter my contest to win Love Bites and please visit me at Moonlight Lace & Mayhem. It's always so much fun to hear from readers.

Take good care.

Until the next time.
The Churchlady

Talking Plot

Margie Church — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 19:19:00 GMT

Words don't always come easy for writers. I can't say I've been suffering from writer's block, because I've been making my daily 1,000-word goal or doing better, but the words don't always flow.

I was talking to another writer last night and she's stressing over a series she's outlining. Lord knows a lot of us write on deadlines, and with books sold at the outline stage but have a firm commitment date to deliver. We stress about it. It's a business.

Getting back to my writing dilemma, I've sold Dangerous Love based on an outline and I've committed to finishing it by mid-September. My personal goal is to finish writing it by the end of August and give myself two weeks for editing revisions. Since this is a vampire book, I'd really love to have a Halloween release. Of course I can't make commitments for Noble Romance Publishing, but if I write the piece tightly enough, that'll make things that much easier for my editor, Bryl, to say yes to the request. But I'm stuck on plot. Lots of days my thoughts had to be pried loose with a verbal crowbar and I read and re-read scenes to see if I was moving forward. I needed a way to free my thoughts from solitary confinement. I don't belong to a writer's group and my critique partners live in other states.

What to do?

I got stuck in traffic. The music sucked and I'd heard every song three times on six stations over the past half hour. I was going nowhere fast. I turned off the tunes and tuned into my characters. I started talking through my plot, revisiting what the reader knew and where the story would go next. Out loud. I heard my voice in dialog, explaining what was going on in the story and I could troubleshoot sticky issues. Pretty soon, I had the next scene worked out in my own voice. I was pretty psyched by the time I got back to the keyboard and started hammering things out. That was a two weeks ago.

Most of you know I work part time and I've also got a freelance writing business and a family. In other words, my time is at a premium. Yet this new plot talking has pushed me to write about 15,000 words in about ten days. Will I make my self-imposed deadline to finish writing by September 1? I don't know, but this morning on my way to work, Wade Kairos and I had an interesting conversation and the next scene is ready to go when I get at the keyboard. And he provided me with a perfect nugget for the next book in the series. If he weren't all beat up and Jui wasn't hanging around, I just might kiss him.

If you're looking for something good to read, check out Wet and Love Bites over at Noble Romance . There are a lot of really terrific books at Noble you may read AFTER you've read mine. LOL Links to my other books on the navigation bar and I always love hearing what you think.

Gotta run.

Until the next time.
Margie

Let's Get Wet!

Margie Church — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 00:53:00 GMT

Yay! It's release day! Okay, that's enough exclamation points for one blog entry. LOL I love release days – the hard work is over on the book and the promotion begins. I hope you like the cover. It sure is getting a lot of attention. Thank you Fiona Jayde! It's got some very eye-catching attributes, that's for sure, and the title has little to do with rain. <giggles> Like some of my other stories, this one was inspired by a one sentence challenge – describe what it's like to make love in water/shower/pool/rain. This isn't a suspense piece. This is strictly M/F erotica. It's a very adult book – so if you're not an adult, please don't buy it.

So what do I like about this 45-page novella? It has some great imagery. I think I have a talent for making you feel like you're right in the scene. Noah and Reagan were once married and now they find themselves exploring a new relationship and a new understanding of their feelings. I won't deny that about 43 pages takes place between the sheets or some similar place <wink> but there's a solid story there. It's a romance. You find out about this couple and care about how they got where they are and what their dreams were. The story may be short, but I hope you'll enjoy it for the story first, the love scenes second. Okay, a tie is acceptable, too. LOL Get it at Noble Romance.

I am still wading through the course lessons on bondage. I find the subject intimidating and fascinating. It's an alternative lifestyle choice not all about kinky sex like many of us might think. It's really about a relationship built on trust – like any other, and in some ways, like no other. Safe, Sane and Consensual are three terms that describe how BDSM relationships function. These relationships may be monogamous or not, but the commitment to monogamy or allowing multiple partners is understood up front. And what is expected of each person in the relationship is also understood up front. There seems to be a significant emphasis on taking things slow and understanding expectations before playing together. I came away from the class knowing I am a long way from being able to write a BDSM book, but I understand the psychology and motivations BETTER. Sascha Illyvich was a good teacher and Cynnara Tregarth, a Soft Domme, also provided great insights. What I learned in this class will certainly help build a bold story in Dangerous Love.

Love Bites, my erotic vampire book is now available at Amazon Kindle Store (UK, too!) along with Awakening and Avenging Allaire. Love Bites is also sold at All Romance EBooks . Please respect my right as an author to make a living selling books by not sharing downloads or taking them from torrent sites. Torrent sites are illegally allowing downloads for free and hiding under the veil of a library mentality. It's theft, pure and simple. You have no idea how little an author makes on EBook royalties, yet it cost me and my publisher no less to produce the book up to printing. So please, buy your books or go to a real library or book store to get them. Thanks for understanding.

Until the next time.

The churchlady

Fork and Knife Tour

Margie Church — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 19:13:00 GMT

That's my favorite phrase "for going from one thing to the next." This week you'll be able to find me several places – some may be unexpected. Join me on my personal fork and knife tour!

First off, I'm helping celebrate the LASR/Whipped Cream 3^rd anniversary scavenger hunt! They're giving away three – yes 3 - Nook eBook Readers that come with $50 BN.com gift certificates AND are already pre-loaded with dozens of romance and juvenile fiction eBooks. You could win a copy of my new book, Love Bites AND it's all FREE. Get all the details here: http://www.longandshortreviews.com/promo.htm I'm in the Whipped Cream Participants section since Love Bites is an erotic book. Long And Short Reviews (LASR) provides some of the best avenues for authors to get reviewed and meet readers. You'll find Love Bites advertised on this site and if you visit my site (click on the HOME tab) and go to EXCERPTS, you can read an excerpt. Love your vamps to sizzle? Mine do.

Awakening Allaire is up for a Covey Award! This award is given to the most eye-catching book cover. Thanks to Bev Haynes for the romantic cover on my debut novel which was released a year ago today! There're about 30 covers in this segment to view. I'd love to have your vote: http://thenewcoveycoverawards.blogspot.com/ Voting ends August 14. Thank you!

All week I'm taking a class online. About bondage. (Put your eyeballs back in your head. It's not very polite.) LOL You're probably wondering what the Churchlady was smoking, but the honest truth is that many couples enjoy a little kinky bondage in their relationship. Many enjoy a lot more than kink. My personal preferences and opinions aside, I'm an author. There are lots of opportunities in romance to introduce a little bondage or a lot of it. It all depends on the story. My upcoming novella, Wet, has some playful bondage in it but my WIP, Dangerous Love has some much darker scenes. As an author, it was important to understand how the characters interact in these scenes. It's not just the mechanics. Anyone can Google a bunch of bondage "toys" and put a scene together. BUT to make it believable, you have to have an emotional connection. In this case it's going to be a combination of fear and lust. The words seem like gimmies but how fear and lust are defined is what makes the scene unique. I'm not going to say more because this is a pivotal scene in Dangerous Love. I've gotten a course syllabus from Sascha Illyvich, who lives the lifestyle as a Dom. He'll help a group of romance writers to understand the dynamics of these relationships and a lot more. If you're interested in learning more about Sascha, he's got a fabulous website: Erotic romance stories written so hot they must be whispered . If you're an author, I really recommend his blog: a blog defining the business of erotic writing for all authors.

And next weekend is ladies' weekend. I'm looking forward to the break. Although I enjoyed my trip in June to LA, this is one weekend I always look forward to. A group of women from the West, Southwest, and Midwest gather at a cabin on a small, pristine lake to kick back. There's plenty of laughter to erase the trials from the previous year and always a good time. On my way home, I'll detour for lunch with fellow author, Keta Diablo, who's coming through the area for a visit. It's a great coincidence and I can't wait. Keta and I both write for Noble Romance .

Thanks to everyone who came through for the 1RomanceEbook anniversary blog tour. It was amazing to meet everyone and I hope if you're here today, you're also a subscriber. I'd really like to hear from you.

Until the next time.

Margie

Dangerous Love SOLD

Margie Church — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 19:06:00 GMT

I'm thrilled to announce I've sold Dangerous Love, the sequel to Love Bites. If you've enjoyed learning about the main creep, Ladislav Husek, then watch for this book this fall from Noble Romance. I'm still writing it and I figure I have to crank out about 1500 words a day to finish by mid-September or earlier. So, make sure you've read Love Bites by then so you know all the back story! I'd love to know what you think will happen in Dangerous Love. You could have an impact on the story if I like your idea!

My naughty novella, Wet, will be out August 16, also from Noble Romance. It'll only be available as an Ebook. If you enjoy erotic romance - I recommend Wet. Here's the blurb:

Noah and Reagan may be divorced but their passion is far from over. For the sake of their children, they end up living together until the Navy determines Noah's next assignment. When the rain falls one night, they get wet in more ways than one.

(M/F erotic, bondage, anal play)

Thanks to everyone who stopped by this week. I had a blast hearing from all of you. 1RomanceEbook's anniversary celebration continues through July 31 so if you haven't signed up for the free blog tour, go to 1RomanceEbooks to sign up. Click on the anniversary banner and you're good to go. There are awesome goodies, including a Sony E Reader, gift cards, scads of books and more. It's a fun, easy way to meet lots of us authors and learn about some really amazing books.

I hope you're having a great summer. I can't believe August is peeking in the window. How's your summer? I'd love to get ot know you better. Leave a comment or ask a question.

Until the next time,
Margie

1RomanceEbooks Anniversary Blog Tour

Margie Church — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 11:19:00 GMT

Welcome to Romance With SASS—stop #11 on the 1RomanceEbook Anniversary blog tour! I hope you are having fun and are discovering some terrific authors and books! I think I see a shadow following you from Charisma Knight's party (http://charismaknight.blogspot.com/). What a fantastic blog she has for paranormal fans and her books look great!

Since you've already got some shivers up your spine, let's talk about channeling your inner creep.

All of my books have a strong suspense element to them driven by powerful, dark characters. I like to think of myself as a nice Catholic girl, but in reality, I turn that off to successfully write characters that you loathe or fear. I read the news, police cases, and sometimes talk to my sister the shrink to get ideas about how twisted humans can be. And then I push it.

I need to understand that character as if we were best buds. Yeah, shake off the creepy feeling that gives you. My current bad ass is a 300 year-old vampire who hates humans who have happy endings. He wants to kill them all. The average vampire thinks Ladislav Husek is something like a bookkeeper for the dead but they could be really wrong. I have thought about him so much I can describe how his long, coal-black hair feels. He ties it back on the crown of his head. When he's angry, I can hear the huff of his breath and see his lips curl back in a snarl. I have a strong sense of how he sounds, moves, and what his body feels like. The pain that drives him makes him incredibly dangerous. Yet, there's another element to him that makes him weak and lose control in a much different way.

When I started "writing" Ladislav, I approached him a bit timidly and that really frustrated my muse. In fact, I started dreaming about this character because I think I was denying who he really is. When I stopped censoring myself (because he is so twisted) the story became a lot of fun to write. I let out my inner creep and the story took off!

As part of this cool blog tour, I'm giving away a set of my first two books available at 1RomanceEbooks – Awakening Allaire and Avenging Allaire. These erotic suspense novels are full of criminals of the human kind. Kidnapping, corporate crime, murder, drugs, adultery, manipulation, and deception all woven around an erotic love story. You'll wonder how Devon and Allaire will survive. Tell me which character traits give you the shivers and whether you enjoy mostly men or mostly women as antagonists. You could win both books. Don't forget to leave your participant code with your comment.

From here, please visit the lovely and talented Kate Richards – another good Catholic girl who's working hard to "get over it!" LOL http://katerichards.wordpress.com She's stop #12.

Thank you for visiting my blog. I hope you'll subscribe and come back soon.

Until the next time.

Margie

1st Review of Love Bites

Margie Church — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 20:49:00 GMT

This was a terrific surprise! I hope you'll take time to stop in at Half Past Midnight to read Love Bites' first review and learn more about Half Past Midnight. Pretty darn terrific if I say so myself! Thanks, K.B.!

Pam is the lucky winner of Love Bites from my Interview with a Vampire blog entry. congratulations, Pam, and thanks for coming by! I hope you enjoy the book and please let me know what you think! I'

ll be guest blogging at Quackers and Tease today and next week over at 1RomanceEbooks . You'll have a chance to win a copy of all my books between these two blogs!

I also wanted to share that Awakening Allaire and Avenging Allaire will be soon available for Kindle at Amazon. They are "in review" right now - which is Amazon code for we're getting things organized. So, if you prefer to shop at Amazon, you can by the Allaire arc there or at 1Romance. Love Bites will be available at Amazon eventually too.

Over the weekend I got about 1500 words written on Dangerous Love. I'm finally getting in the groove for writing this book. My muse always takes awhile to stop fretting about plot points and research. So far, this book is deliciously evil. It has plot twists in it unlike any I've written. I admit it took me awhile to "shake it off" and just write the twists and turns the characters asked for. It definitely has all the suspense, angst and seductive sizzle I just love. I'll keep you posted.

Thanks for coming by and I hope you'll subscribe to my blog and leave a comment! I'd love to get to know you better!

Until the next time.
The Churchlady

Noble Romance SALE!!!

Margie Church — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 20:21:00 GMT

Subscribe to the Noble Romance Newsletter by July 22 and use code RXVJWR for 15% off your entire order. Click here for details and to subscribe to the FREE newsletter!

Buy Love Bites or any of the other fabulous titles at Noble. There's something for everyone and you won't be disappointed!

Interview with a Vampire

Margie Church — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 19:34:00 GMT

The other night I was rudely awakened by the guy in the pic. Ladislav Husek is one of the evil vampires in Love Bites. The Ancient One, as he's known among vamps, wanted to blog.

Now, if Ladislav was a nicer kind of guy, I don't think I'd have hesitated, but he's not. Oozing with machismo, Ladislav can charm whatever he wants off whomever he wants. I didn't want to fall victim to his tactics, so it took me a few days to organize my defenses before I could meet with him.

[LH] Margie, that's not a very nice introduction.

[MC] Hello, Laddy. You're charming as ever.

[LH] I love your pet name for me. It shows you care.

[MC] I think I'm just too lazy to write Ladislav every time.

[LH] I always enjoy these little mental games with you.

[MC] Speaking of mental games, the rule for this interview is you have to stay out of my head. No telepathy or I press delete and you're back in Brno, Czech Republic before the screen goes blank. Am I clear?

[LH] I can see where Jui gets her spunk. I suppose that head-blocking talent of hers was your idea. Judging by the smirk on your face I was right.

[MC] Anyway…moving on. This was your idea, so tell me why you had to wake me up in the middle of the night to chat.

[LH] I wanted to say I got a bum rap in Love Bites.

[MC] Bum rap?

[LH] You made me out to be quite an evil dude.

[MC] You nearly made Wade's head explode and you promised to turn Jui into your toy. And what about the little games you had the Prophets play with Wade? Laddy, you aint nice at all.

[LH] And you're judgmental. The Prophets are my friends. Even vampires need some kind of police action every now and then.

[MC] Those shape shifters seem to have fewer morals than earthworms.

[LH] In our world, morals are useless. And if you were turned into a vampire or a Prophet, you might be pretty pissed off about it. Some of us deal with it better than others.

[MC] And for those who don't, that's where you and the Prophets come in?

[LH] My primary job is to ensure the safety of our vampire nation. Most of us are peaceful creatures and those who aren't are exterminated. The Prophets are handy for that kind of work.

[MC] What's it like being friends with Master Prophet Dirk? Did I just see you bristle?

[LH] We have an alliance. It's necessary.

[MC] Suddenly it's chilly in here. Did I hit a vein?

[LH] Sad vamp humor, Margie. Don't quit your day job.

[MC] Well?

[LH] He does my bidding. I can't help it if he has earthworm morals and I don't give a rat's ass.

[MC] I heard he can become any living shape he wants.

[LH] True.

[MC] Do you have a favorite shape, Ladislav? I get the impression there's more than just a "business arrangement" between you and Dirk.

[LH] If you weren't wearing all that copper jewelry, I'd show you exactly what kind of arrangement Dirk and I have. You'd be wearing only a grin - afterward.

[MC] Play nice, Laddy. I have my finger on the delete key.

[LH] I think you might enjoy a well-seasoned lover.

[MC] If you mean well-seasoned is over 300 years-old—

[LH] Your wit stings but I'd never hurt you.

[MC] Like you didn’t' hurt Tori?

[LH] I admit I turned her. Eternal life has a lot of pleasures and treasures to enjoy. How the hell was I to know she preferred catching the flu, getting wrinkles, and dying?

[MC] So she wasn't very happy about being turned into a vampire. How's your relationship now?

[LH] You're quite irritating. You know damn well that Tori considers me an eternal enemy. I know where she is but she usually keeps a continent or two between us. I think she's a bitch for holding a grudge this long.

[MC] What are you going to do about her?

[LH] She'll come around eventually. Right now my focus is on finding out where that bastard Wade Kairos hid Jui Fabrice.

[MC] My lips are sealed.

[LH] Why am I not surprised? Anyway, Kairos will pay for defying me, for chasing after a human. I'm not through with him or his lover, Jui.

[MC] In the next book – Dangerous Love, we'll learn all about your obsession with Tori and your relationship with Master Prophet Dirk. You two boys are pretty twisted.

[LH] Suit yourself. Maybe I am as evil as you hinted in Love Bites.

[MC] I think there's more to it. Much more.

Leave a comment with your e-mail address and you could win a free Ebook copy of Love Bites, my newest release from Noble Romance Publishing. Read the first chapter on my website and adults can read a steamy excerpt here.

Until the next time.
Margie

Raining Words

Margie Church — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 20:58:00 GMT

Man alive, I'm jacked about all the neat stuff happening with my writing career this week. I'm in the home stretch for Love Bites. It's coming out a week from today. If you want autographed copies of Love Bites, please email me Margie_church@yahoo.com. I don't have pricing yet and I believe availability will be sometime in late July or early August.

In the meantime, I got a lot of work done on the sequel, Dangerous Love. I've got the characters well-defined and I finally came up with a name for the Master Prophet: Dirk. I don't know why I was having so much trouble with his name and I was asking everyone on Facebook to chime in and then, wham, it came to me. Dirk became a shape shifter when he was killed as a pirate in the 1800s. He's a nasty creature with fewer morals than an earthworm. Between him and that crazy vampire, Ladislov Husek, there's going to be a serious contest for the Sick and Twisted crown. In the middle of all their evil shenanigans will be lovers Jui and Wade, who are desperately trying to keep Jui from being turned into a vampire. A new vamp in stiletto heels, Tori, has a thirst for blood and blackmail. Poor Wade has his hands full. Subscribe to my blog to get progress reports on Dangerous Love.

Also yesterday, I got the illustrations for my children's book. Now I don't have a problem yacking about that on this blog but you better believe I won't be talking about my adult books on my new website for children's books. First Spring will debut on my new website and I'll post the link as soon as it's up.

What else!!? I organized a fan fiction challenge. Ten writers have thrown their pens in the ring to write 10k words minimum. It's all for fun and I'm having a blast with this. I love writing fan fiction between more serious work. Frees my mind. Stories are due August 1.

Driving in this morning, I came up with a YA (Young Adult) story. Noble Romance is starting a YA line and maybe this will work well for them.If you're an author, click on the Noble badge to learn more. Did I tell you writing fan fics gets my muse out of the box? LOL

Lastly, I picked up a slug of magazine features this afternoon. I adore feature writing. These are for my favorite New Orleans commercial contractor – McDonnel Construction. What a great company and great group of people they have. My clients always inspire me to reach higher goals.

Looking over this list I add a marketing plan. I'm a writing fool and never happier.

Happy belated Father's Day to all you dads, dads to be, and dad wanna bees. My memory is pretty foggy when it comes to my dad. It is what it is. It ended well between us.

Until the next time.

Margie

Comfy Loafers

Margie Church — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 22:39:00 GMT

Sometimes life presents opportunities. You ever get one of those – where you've sat there drooling or sweating over the chance of a lifetime…you're paralyzed by the idea of taking a step, opening your mind, expressing your opinion, taking a chance? I've had a few of these in the past few weeks. I found myself positively giddy at times and at others, filled with dread – fear like sawdust filled my mouth.

The Internet is a great place to hide. You can create an identity defined by your own words. Pick an avatar of somebody better looking than you. Fill your profiles full of bull pucky. And then one day reality stares you in the face and all those people you've been talking to online are going to get a chance to look you in the eye and figure out whether you've been honest. The experience was unnerving, invigorating, and freeing. I stood toe to toe with a man who makes my heart pound like a wild stallion every time I've seen him. I met someone I think is so beautiful and marvelous. She was so gracious to me-exactly how I'd always thought she'd be. I introduced myself to a writer I really admire and he looked at me over his glasses, through his bushy eyebrows and beatnik hair and said, thank you, and walked away. I embraced the friendship strangers offered. Afterward, I was shaking like a leaf and awestruck but really proud of myself for getting through it with a smile and with grace.

My porridge, oftentimes Redneck, Midwest upbringing can leave me slack-jawed sometimes. It's not every day I leave a pool party and come face to face with cross-dressing men but I think I managed a pleasant hello and moved on. However, the unsupervised youngsters in the hotel lobby had me wondering, where are your mothers? I guess some old habits die hard.

I volunteered to do two things I've been dying to try but sat back for all the wrong reasons, for far too long. And now my signature is on the dotted line and I'll give these new adventures a whirl. I bet it'll be fine just because there'll be a lot of others there who, like me, think "I could never do that."

I blogged at Michele 'n Jeff's Blogspot this week. Check it out. It's the most in-depth interview I've ever done and it took me hours to formulate the answers to their questions. They also reviewed Awakening Allaire – my debut novel. It was pretty happy with their rating but really happy with the review. It said I accomplished what I wanted to with that book.

My point really is that carpe diem has never meant more to me. My life has been filled with downturns, disappointments, and drama. I've struggled to find my place and now I wonder why. Because I'm thinking I've been here all along and just didn't accept it. Life is challenging when your personality or life circumstances don't make you part of the "regular" crowd. Finally, when my life is more than half over, I'm fine with who I am and I'm through wasting time on people, ideas, and things that try to force this square block in a round hole. I cherish the paths we walked on together but I put my comfy leather loafers away. Will you?

Until the next time.
Margie

Tantalizing - Wet

Margie Church — Fri, 28 May 2010 18:29:00 GMT

Navy Lieutenant Noah Landry and Reagan may be divorced but the passion they feel is far from over. Their young kids present the perfect reason for Noah to temporarily move in after an extended tour in Korea. Things heat up when the rain falls one night and they get wet in more ways than one.

That's the dreaded "blurb." I hate that description almost as much as writing them! The bulk of the story really is about their passionate night, however you’ll learn about their failed relationship and what their intentions are/were. I didn’t junk things up with long, weepy or angry dialog but I built empathy and understanding for the emotional connection the characters share. The story is only 14,000 words long yet I think you get a very good sense of what kind of people Noah and Reagan are. Since their kids brought them together, 3-year-old Gregory brings some comic relief for parents who have been “busted” by their kids the morning after.

Wet is the hottest piece I’ve written so far. Is it porn? No. The difference between a romance and porn is porn is sex for the sake of sex. In a romance, the leading characters have a relationship beyond swapping spit. What they do between the sheets (or other places) is their business and that’s really where erotica thrives. Pushing the kink envelope is the rigor du jour and Wet is tame compared with much of what is available on the market AND the story is between a man and a woman. The hottest genres include M/M and ménage. I need to understand more about what those kinds of relationships are like before I test the waters, so to speak, and write one of my own.

An author makes many personal decisions about the words on the page. Some of us never go beyond hinting what is going on between buttoned-up collars and closed doors. Others explore scenarios some readers have never imagined. I really find those opportunities to express myself as an author very exciting. I don’t know if I’d ever feel confident writing about a hot Dom and his submissive male partner but there are those who can and do. There’s a market for their work and like it or not, I think it’s great.

There’s a built-in stigma with a last name like mine. That’s a good reason to remember what I do is not who I am.

Until the next time.
Margie

Busted on Social Media

Margie Church — Mon, 17 May 2010 22:50:00 GMT

Social media is a double-edged sword, especially Twitter. It's fast, easy, and oh so accessible. On one hand, you're encouraged to be your authentic self on Twitter—let people get to know you and what you're up to. Okay, I get that, but social media has few real boundaries and sometimes people get a little too authentic and it ends up costing them big time.

Recently an author ruptured his spleen in a rant to me that could only be described as vicious and irrational. (I deleted it by the way instead of making his life even more miserable by forwarding the missle to his publisher.) I get that he felt entitled to set me straight or at least his version of straight. It was even nicer that I didn't have to waste any time replying since he said he blocked my e-mail address and I believed him. LOL

Another friend recently Tweeted about his nameless manager at his nameless company and is now suffering from corporate freeze-out. That happened to me once when I was gossiping about my manager via e-mail and accidently SENT IT TO HER. I wrote something like, "She's like a cold I can't shake, or elbows poking me in the ribs in a too-crowded elevator." Hardly offensive. Not very respectful. The e-mail incident sounds funny now, but it wasn't when she dragged me on the carpet and smirked, "Now I know how you really feel." And she made me pay dearly for the misaddressed missive every day after that. An author asked for advice to editing frustrations in a writing forum. No names were given. He didn't use derogatory phrases or anything but the publisher got wind of it, took offense, and his contract.

Sometimes we want to rant. We need to. And geez, isn't an fiery e-mail or a couple of nasty Tweets just what the doctor ordered? How about a cleverly-worded post on our Facebook wall? We've all read about the folly of living large on the Internet but we think we'll never get nabbed for doing it. Social media allows us to move ghostlike in the world, pretending to be or become anyone we want. Conscience is our only guide. I'm not saying we should write whatever we like but it bugs me that I could lose my job or get in a really awkward situation over a remark taken out of context. I guess these recent incidents reminded me not to be too authentic and more importantly, remember if I wouldn't say it, DON'T write it.

Until the next time,

The Churchlady

Sex Sells

Margie Church — Sun, 09 May 2010 21:04:00 GMT

Don't pretend you aren't interested in the subject. Any romance publisher will tell you erotica sells faster than any other genre. Fellow Noble Romance author, Keta Diablo, joins me today to discuss why Sex Sells.

MC: The growing trend to no-holds-barred books that freely explore all kinds of relationships, especially man love and ménage - yep kinky orgy scenes - are popping up in books like crazy and selling even faster. The acceptance for GLBT stories is skyrocketing. I included a ménage in Love Bites but I'm not ready to write man love stories yet and I don't know if I ever will. I think an author has to have an affinity to your subject matter to write it successfully.

KD: It's just crazy how it's [erotica] taken off in the market. I have readers who are hard core and wouldn't read any other genre, and then there's the mixed readers who read a wide variety, GLBT included, and then we have the curious readers. I can't tell you how many times readers (mostly women) have said, "I'm so curious about man love; I really want to try reading it." I read the other day that women make up a large share of the readers in the genre, and it doesn't surprise me. Many women have an innate sense of curiosity when it comes to how men make love, whether that's with a woman or another man.

I don't see the trends in this area phasing out anytime soon. If anything, the genre has expanded into steampunk, sci-fi, historical, horror, mystery, etc., and isn't limited to the standard contemporary man love.

MC: Some people ask me if I'm writing about my own sexual experiences or fantasies in my books. Many authors do. Even if I do, I'd never admit it. I will say however, that I do spend time searching out sexy lingerie, toys, locations, trends, and of course reading and watching erotica. Not to burst your salacious bubble, but I spend time researching everything I write about.

KD: I could give you my standard cop-out answer, "Authors have very creative imaginations." LOL And that would be only partly true. No matter what genre I write, I have to really be attached to it. For instance, I don't read chick-lit so I wouldn't attempt to write it. Nor could I write comedy in any genre. Number one, I've read gay fiction for a long time and I think that's crucial, as with any genre you write. Number two, I genuinely like reading and writing about male relationships.

Remember the book Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus? The title alone insinuates a deep chasm exists when it comes to how women view life versus men. But with gay fiction or lesbian, we don't have opposite sex relationships, and this is what fascinates me. The differences don't stem from gender, but rather personalities or backgrounds. Most definitely, two men in a relationship (or two women) react entirely different than one man/one woman when it comes to how they communicate, deal with emotion or relate to one another within that union. And that's where the creative imagination part kicks in. I also write heterosexual erotic romance and have to really stop and think about how these dynamics change when I switch to male/male.

I hear a lot of rumble now about lesbian fiction. It's always existed, of course, but hasn't attained the popularity that male/male has. I think we'll see this market expand and also the paranormal is still huge. Writing about vampires will continue, but not as heavily as before. I see books about ghosts, clairvoyants, mythological beasts, and any number of paranormal subjects on the horizon. The list is really endless when you think about. Again, people are curious about the "unknown" or the "what-ifs" in life. They seem to like to read about anything other than the normal and mundane.

MC: I'm glad there's more acceptance for what used to be known as risky subject matter. The opportunities for authors are really amazing and readers will enjoy the results as well. Thanks for sharing your insights and experience, Keta. It's a pleasure to have you as a friend and mentor.

Please leave a comment with your e-mail address to be eligible to win a copy of either The Devil's Heel or Hot and Sticky, Keta Diablo's newest releases. You also have a chance to win one of my books - Awakening Allaire or Avenging Allaire. Please tell me which book interests you!

The Devil’s Heel , Gay Fiction (historical), Noble Romance

Five years ago Drew Hibbard dismissed Rogan Brockport from his life. Now, they meet again at the Governor’s Ball and Rogan will know the reason for the abrupt, unexplained cut. After Rogan saves Drew’s life during a pirate raid, he kidnaps him and the perfect opportunity to extract answers from Drew is finally at hand. Betrayal. Retribution. Undying Love. The Devil’s Heel.

Hot and Sticky, Gay Fiction (contemporary), Amber Quill Press

It’s been extremely difficult for Hugh Landon, an up-and-coming lawyer in Washington, D.C., to control his sexual fantasies about his paralegal, Milan Vassar.

When his career hangs in the balance over a missing file, Hugh must call Milan at the midnight hour and plead for assistance. Hugh’s determination not to mix business with pleasure disintegrates when Milan arrives at the office not only to help him, but to confess he’s held the same secret desires for his boss.

Keta writes for Noble Romance, Phaze Publishing, Amber Quill Press and Ravenous Romance. Visit Keta's Haunt, http://www.ketadiablo.com or Keta's Keep Blog http://ketaskeep.blogspot.com.

Until the next time,

Margie

Sold!

Margie Church — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 01:50:00 GMT

Amazing News

Those of you brave enough to follow me (I can’t thank you enough, BTW) have been reading about my journey with Love Bites. I’m thrilled to say I sold the book to Noble Romance Publishing last week and the release is scheduled for June 28, 2010. When she sent the contract, Senior Editor, Jill Noble, wrote that Love Bites was one of the better stories she’s read recently. I’m thrilled about that kind of support and the fast release. Three novels in less than a year is pretty cool for a novice like myself.

So, I signed the contract last Friday and turned in my information for the cover and the dreaded jacket blurb yesterday. I also had to provide a bio. For as many dang times as I’ve had to do that, you’d think I’d keep track of the one I wrote last? Hell no. LOL

Today I began the pre-edits. Now you might think that since the contract is signed, it’s smooth sailing. You’d only be half right. The books all go through editing. Noble provides its authors with a detailed list of typical errors writers make and a bunch of style things they require to make their work easier. Each author has to address all that and then send the manuscript in for editing. “But I thought you just edited it.” I did, but I promise I will have missed things and there are, believe it or not, others who know more than I. Once their editor takes a fine comb through it, I’ll get it back for corrections and I’ll see it at least one more time before it is published. The real danger is to become complacent or even bored with your book after scrutinizing it so many times. Despite being on a deadline, you have to stay focused and do your best. Another author wrote today that one shouldn’t fall in love too deeply with the first draft because you’ll be making so many revisions before it’s published. I can’t agree more. I know I have a long way to go before I break my bad writing habits, but I hope I’ll get faster and better at avoiding mistakes with each one. That’s a reasonable goal, I think.

I owe thanks to my friend and fellow author, Keta Diablo, for pushing me to edit the manuscript thoroughly and for giving it a shout as I subbed it. She’s such a wealth of advice and encouragement. She’s very busy and still makes time to help others. Love Bites still has to stand on its own two feet, but when authors such as Keta say it’s worth a close look, it means a lot to the writer. My pals Leslie Krussell and Dino were my beta readers - Kathy Hamel chimed in toward the middle and provided some great insights. It helps that Kathy is a vampire fan. Leslie and Dino just tell me like it is! James and Jodie helped out with medical information and reviews, and Joe gave me the skinny on bomb wiring. (I promise, Joe, there’ll be a vampire in stilettos in the sequel. Her name is Victoria. LOL) My hometown paper, The Ely Echo , is doing a follow-up story on me. I had a fantastic article in the Echo just before my wildly successful signing in Ely on Thanksgiving night. I’m tickled they are making space for me once again.

I went to Salome last weekend. If you’ve been to that opera, let me know what you thought of it. My mom, sister, and I have decided if the opera is being sung in German, we’re passing. The two we’ve hated have both been sung in German. Pretty bold performance, too, I’d have to add. I also saw Bon Jovi last Thursday night. GREAT seats, terrific concert, and a really fun night. Did a boatload of shopping for my upcoming trip to LA in June. I can hardly wait to meet all my pals there.

As soon as I catch my breath, I’ll introduce you to Keta Diablo. She’s graciously agreed to blog with me and give away one of her books. You could win one of mine too. I’ve read a couple of Keta’s and if you love a steamy romance, you need to read one of Keta’s . So, next entry is double the pleasure. Subscribe so you don’t miss out.

Thanks for all your well-wishes and enthusiasm for my career. It’s wonderful to hear from people all around the world.

Until the next time,

Margie

Moving Forward!

Margie Church — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 23:59:00 GMT

In my last post, I alluded to finding my books a new home. I’ve gotten the rights back to Awakening Allaire and Avenging Allaire and I’m pleased to announce I’m marketing them through 1RomanceEbooks. I was honored to be invited to join the ranks there with some very prestigious authors. Having said this, I don’t want to infer anything derogatory about Class Act Books. I maintain a warm friendship with Publisher Bev Haynes, and some of the authors still there. It was just time for me to move on. So make some time and visit me over at 1RomanceEbooks. From sweet to sizzling, you’ll find something you like.

I’m participating! They have oodles of fabulous prizes to give away from The Long and Short of It Whipped Cream (erotica) side as well as Long and Short Reviews Romance. It’s pretty simple to participate - just find the Easter eggs hidden on the Web sites of the sponsors and authors. Click here to see the great prizes and get the scoop. You can win an autographed print copy of Awakening Allaire in this contest. It was a 2009 LASR Best Book nominee and I’d love to send it to you. Have fun! If you can’t wait to get your hands on either book, click on Awakening Allaire’s ad and it’ll also take you right to 1RomanceEbooks.

I’m on the couch hanging out today at The Menagerie. Stop in and learn what the weirdest food I’ve eaten has been... and what my reaction was. You’ll also learn a bunch of other things about me, like how my family and friends view my work, where I got started, and what I want to know about the future. Bring a beer, bring a cup of coffee, bring a friend, and visit with me. It’s no fun to blog alone! They also have some GREAT eye candy…18+ years old only!

After a lot of indecision, I went back to Love Bites and edited it some more. I’d subbed it last month and in between, I re-read the story. Some things just bugged me. I think most authors will say every time they look at one of their stories they find something to fiddle with. Yep, I’m a fiddler too. So yesterday I subbed it someplace else (I don’t like to disclose where I’ve submitted) and I’m crossing my fingers. I’m really trying hard to break into a bigger publishing company and I hope I’m successful. I don’t have a lot of hope that Awakening Allaire and Avenging Allaire will be re-released - maybe - but I’m not hanging my hat on it. I’m looking forward to my next step up!

I had some exciting news recently - I’m going to LA to a For Love Charity Event. The actors mentioned in the dedication for my first two books will be there - Alison Sweeney and James Scott. Silly as it may seem to you, I can’t wait to have them autograph my books and put a copy in their hands. Wouldn’t it be cool if they actually had time to read them and let me know what they thought? Many, many of my Forbidden Love girlfriends will be there and I’m rooming with my beta reader, Leslie. I can hardly wait!

I’m sorry I haven’t been around a whole lot. I got that nasty winter flu everyone was hacking and wheezing about and really got behind. On top of that, I picked up a bunch of freelance work. I write and edit for a direct marketing firm part time and keep my magazine freelance business going, too. Writing books has to get squeezed in during my spare time (what is that?). Anyway, with moving my first two novels to 1RomanceEbooks, and everything else, time has been scarce. Some authors blog every day. I just don’t have that much to say that I think you want to know about. I’m always open to subjects and questions…jot me a note. I’d love to hear from you.

Until the next time.

Margie

Devious Plotting

Margie Church — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 01:48:00 GMT

With the help of my two beta readers, Leslie and Dino, I’m outlining a sequel to my erotic paranormal, Love Bites. I’m deep in the throes of trying to figure out how a sweet human woman can defend herself against the likes of vampire Ladislav Husek. The Ancient One has a real axe to grind with Jui and Wade and this evil, psycho vamp going to grind it hard in Love Bites’ sequel. You’ll also meet a former vampire lover of Wade’s named Victoria. Tori is going to cause some serious heartburn for Jui and I'm going to work hard on Jui’s character and motivation to make sure Tori knows she’s not dealing with a shrinking violet by any stretch of the imagination. I also think the relationship between Jui’s father and Wade will be interesting to develop. I’m eager to start writing it while I wait to hear on a contract for Love Bites. You might think it's nuts to start the sequel without having the first book sold, but I think Love Bites is a great story. And by the time Love Bites could come out, I'll have the sequel done.

I’ve also got a couple of smoking hot short stories I’m going to polish up and submit. I tell you, the opportunities outstrip the time I have these days. I came down with some kind of a plague last week and I’m still not feeling great. It’s shocking how quickly you fall behind but I’m digging in and forging some new paths. You’ll be able to buy my books at 1RomanceEbooks.com and on Amazon very, very soon. I’ll tell you more about it as soon as the books are up. These are awesome opportunities for me and while I’m a little nervous, I’m also very excited about moving forward in my career.

Several of you wrote recently to say how much you enjoyed Awakening and/or Avenging Allaire. If I haven’t said it recently or enough, thank you. Those notes just make my days. I always marvel at authors who hatch a new idea for a novel and immediately can say it’s the first in three or four of a series. I don’t operate that way. I’m a one-book-at-a-time kind of author. I hope they’re worth the wait.

I’ll be back soon with information about new places to buy my books.

Until the next time.

Margie

Can You KISS?

Margie Church — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 01:40:00 GMT

Most of us know what this acronym means. I’ve never been a fan of the Stupid part. Recently I read an article on author style written by Stephen Wilbers. He teaches business writing and writes a column for the Star Tribune in Minneapolis twice a month. Mr. Wilbers’ article inspired me to rewrite the meaning of the KISS acronym to:
Keep It Simply Succinct.

What is author style? It’s the way you describe, inform, and tell your story. Style isn’t an excuse to write exactly the way you speak or take the reader on an endless journey of run-on sentences and detoured thoughts. Unless you’re Garrison Keillor. It’s the way you correctly deploy the rules of proper grammar and writing technique and the way you break them (within reason) to write your story.

Mr. Wilbers used one word that struck home with me and actually made me feel vindicated for many of the editing remarks I’ve made over the years. He used the word “utilitarian.” While editing Love Bites, I was reminded over and over, to make the most of every word I chose and to cut any that aren’t contributing to the whole. However, William Strunk and E.B. White remind writers not to take shortcuts at the expense of clarity. There’s a balance to reach between eliminating unnecessary information and making the reader scratch his head, wasting time instead of saving it. Each word must pull its own weight. Does that mean you shouldn’t spend time creating a rich story that engages the senses? Absolutely not. It means you shouldn’t fill up the story with tidbits that prevent the story from moving forward smoothly or leave readers wondering why they needed to know that. For example, it isn’t necessary to describe every element of a romantic meal unless you’re writing an article on cooking or meal planning. A taste, scent (or odor), texture, or visual description of portions of the meal dramatizes the scene and draws in the reader but skip the play-by-play that may send them looking for a snack of their own instead of reading your work.

I spent the weekend rereading my newest manuscript, Love Bites. I definitely have my own style. My work "feels" airy to me. Compelling in the right places and swift for the eye. In a couple of spots, I think I edited back too far and thought the paragraph read choppy. Dang. Those are fixes waiting to happen.

One of the things I like best about Twitter and texting is they force me to get to the point. I use shortcut text but I must be succinct for Twitter and I’m too lazy to text long messages. I also write direct marketing materials all day long. People are busy. Get to the point FAST. Give them every bit of information they need and skip all the junk they don’t. Save the TMI for the sequel, or a follow-up article or just suck it up and delete it. Keep It Simply Succinct.

Until the next time,

The Churchlady

Scrubbing Words

Margie Church — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 01:45:00 GMT

I’m spent the last few weeks working like a dog on Love Bites. It always makes me feel stupid when I realize I’ve gotten blind to my own work. You know, that’s one of the keys to being a successful author. You can’t be blind. You have to write a great story - that’s the threshold of pain. After that, you’ve got to scrub out all the extra words and strange phrases, the dangling participles, the overuse of “that,” the obscure use of “it,” remove all but essential adverbs, dump as much passive voice as possible, get rid of pronoun pox, all omniscient voice, and eliminate head jumping that reads like fleas on a dog.

If a submissions editor has to pause to wonder what you meant, you haven’t done a good job. If you didn’t take the time to rewrite a sentence riddled with pronouns and adverbs, they’re not going to take the time to keep reading. Submissions editors have far too many manuscripts to read to waste a lot of time wondering if the author can fix their own writing blunders—even if the story is promising. Your book is an investment, a bet on sales. If it’s going to take rework and handholding to bring a manuscript to market they aren’t going to bother. Friend and fellow author, Keta Diablo, reminded me of that a few weeks ago.

After spending weeks and weeks on my novel, honestly, the last thing I wanted to do was get intimately familiar with every single word. Honestly, that’s exactly what an author must do. Maybe when I have 20 of these under my belt, it won’t be so difficult. Maybe I’ll write them better right out of the chute. Certainly that’s a goal to strive for but until then, I’m examining every word.

I hear from unpublished authors all the time who cannot figure out why this awesome story they wrote isn’t getting a contract. Sometimes it’s where you send the book—your novel must fit with their genres and sometimes it’s what’s hot in the market at the moment. Is it fair? No, but it’s reality. Or perhaps you really need to take a serious editing pen to your work. I was pretty sure my novel was coming in around 69,000 words. When I finished editing, I was around 64,700. That’s a lot of its, that’s, adverbs, dangling participles, passive voice and unnecessary information. Sometimes when I’ve got my finger hovering over the delete key I start to sweat. “I really like that paragraph or phrase,” I think. But unless I can find a way to make it work with the story, not against it, the words have to go.

I spent several hours writing the summary and at least an hour trying to write the dreaded, 300-word jacket blurb. Then I pressed send.

My next project is a children’s book. The working title is Counting Raindrops and features a little boy named Joey, who is frightened of thunderstorms.

I’m doing a zippitydoodah for my brother in-law, Mike, who should return after a very long year in Iraq. Blessings to my nephew, Justin, who is serving in Afghanistan and to all our soldiers near and far, past and present who risked their lives for our freedom.

Thanks for stopping by.

Until the next time.
Margie