Tuesday, December 26, 2006

My book “Love Thy Master” was nominated for the Romance Studio’s Cupid & Psyche Awards (CAPA) in the BDSM category. Yay! What a great way to end the year : ) Now it’s time to put on some music and dance my butt off ♪

Tuesday, December 19, 2006

Merry Christmas!


I am working on the finishing touches to "Erotic Shivers Volume I" I am hoping the book will be released by Dec 27th. This book is rather large it's about 350 pages long, so it will take a little more time than I anticipated to finish polishing it up. I got the cover proof for the book yesterday and it looks wonderful :) Thank goodness I got all my Christmas shopping, decorating etc. done so that I can spend most of my time finishing this book up. I am so looking forward to its release.

I just found out my short story "Watch and Wait" will be included in the anthology "Got a Minute" edited by Alison Tyler.

Time for my happy dance

Tuesday, December 12, 2006

This morning I have to go to the doctor. My thyroid levels are a bit off. No big deal really and I am thankful for that. My hand still bears the bruise from when the hospital drew blood a couple days ago. They always have a problem drawing blood, so it hurts like hell. I am glad my doctor’s appointment is in the morning that way I get it done and over with.

I am going to finish my Christmas shopping today. Thankfully I don’t have much left to do. This weekend I am going to decorate my house for the holidays. Strangely it doesn’t feel like Christmas, perhaps it is from the lack of snow. Whatever the case I hope I get into the holiday spirit soon.

I am plotting out several storylines. Since all these storylines are in my head at the moment I might as well get the basic outline of each storyline written down. That way I won’t forget any of them.

Wednesday, December 06, 2006

I have finished the erotic shiver “The Heart’s Ecplise” this was a challenging story to write. Here is a little about the story:
All Rakar knew was war. His whole life he was trained to become a General of the Sidana army. All the battles he has won, all the cruelty he is commanded to inflict, all of this has made Rakar a uncompassionate, cold man. But when Rakar is commanded to attack the small colony planet of Nunos he meets the man who will change his life forever.
Serin despised Rakar for destorying his planet and making him a personal slave. Yet, he finds himself drawn to Rakar. He is ashamed of his developing feelings for his captor. The more he tries to deny these feelings the more these feelings grow stronger.

This erotic shiver along with the erotic shiver “Surrender” will be available in the Erotictales Yahoo store in Jan. 2007


My muses are driving me nuts. I have like three or four storylines that are roaming around in my head at the moment. Which one to start writing? I try to plan a release order for next year’s books, but I can only write whatever story that is more dominant in my mind. “In the Arms of Oblivion” seems to be pushing it’s way to the front of my mind. However I hadn’t plan on working on this story until late next year. I also have the storyline for “Whips, Silk Ropes and Roses” weaving together in my mind too. Arrgh…and not to mention the other two storylines in there too. I think I will spend today figuring out which storyline to write first. I like to keep writing and since I have finished “The Heart’s Ecplise” it’s time to move on to plotting out the next story.

Monday, November 27, 2006


Yay! another great review for my book "Master Nikolai" this time from Just Erotic Romance Reviews. This is so awesome, two great reviews for my book in one week :) Now it's time to do a happy dance.

-Justus




Title: Master Series: Master Nikolai
Author: Justus Roux
Publisher: Erotictales Publications
Publisher URL: http://www.justusroux.
ISBN: 0-97777-4-3
Reviewer: Suni Farrar
Rating: 4 Stars
Heat level: O

Master Nikolai from the Master Series was a complex tale of dark desires, wounded souls, and those with the ability to heal them. The book was truly a treasure. I was sad to see my time with the characters end. Jacob was young and still trying to find his way in the world, which was bound to happen the longer he worked for Rose. The lady knew how to find trouble and she did just that with the new story they were researching. One minute Jacob was sure of his sexuality and the next he found beauty in the eyes of another man. If Rose were near, he would have vigorously until her senses returned. I found Jacob’s self-exploration sweet and refreshing. It felt as if I was finding out about the joys on life with him. Meanwhile, Rose was having troubles of her own. From the moment she entered Master Nikolai’s home, her life changed. My experience with Rose was different from Jacob. She had a stronger personality and that made for more fire in the bedroom. Even though, Master Nikolai was not a classic tale of romance, the connection between all of the characters was realistic. The plot kept me on the edge of my seat and the sex caused me to quiver



Sunday, November 26, 2006

After a rather long four days I went to catch up on reading my emails and had a wonderful surprise. The first review for my book "Master Nikolai" recieved a 5 out 5 blue ribbons from the Romance Junkies! Needless to say I am thrilled by this. Below is a little of the review. The entire review will be posted on Romance Junkies website soon.

Yay, it's time to do a happy dance :)

MASTER NIKOLAI is the latest addition to Justus Roux's MASTERS series. If you've already been reading this series you'll appreciate the protective nature of both the Masters and their beloved slaves throughout this book. If you haven't read any of the other books then MASTER NIKOLAI gives you a tantalizing taste of each of these dynamic Masters and the submissives who love them. Rose and Jacob enter into their book project from an outsider's perspective but soon discover that while the lifestyle isn't for everyone there are aspects that do appeal to them. I was touched by Rose's story and her confusion while being with Nikolai, but it's Jacob's story that brought me to tears. His time on Master Drake's island is so open and honest that I truly felt my heart break when it came time for him to leave. Justus Roux fans will truly appreciate MASTER NIKOLAI's story.

Title: Master Nikolai
Category: Contemporary
Reviewer: Chrissy DionneReviewer
Author: Justus Roux
Publisher: Erotictales Publishing
Release Date: October 2006
ISBN Number: 09777788
Author Homepage: http://www.justusroux.com
Author email: storyteller36@msn.com
Format: EBOOK/PRINTRating:
5 out of 5 Blue Ribbons

Friday, November 17, 2006

My daugther's birthday is this Sunday, she will be eleven. She is already figuring out how she would like to spend her birthday money. She also wants to go bowling. This is about the only time I go bowling so needless to say I am not very good at it. Though I do enjoy playing the game. Needless to say it will be a busy weekend.


I am also making my Thanksgiving plans. We are trying to decide which relatives to visit this year or if we just want it to be our little family. Personally I would prefer it to be just our little family. Everything is up in the air at the moment.

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

I have updated the Yahoo Erotictales Publications store :) Oh my goodness that was a pain in the butt, but I think it was well worth the time. The new store design looks much more polished than the other one and should be easier to navigate.

http://www.justusrouxebooks.com

Monday, November 13, 2006

"Master Nikolai" is now available in print edition through the yahoo store and ebay. It will be available in all other retailers such as Amazon and Barnes & Nobles etc. within three weeks. I am so glad it's finally available in print :)

Friday, November 10, 2006

My oldest son turned 18 yesterday. It’s strange that my little baby is now legally an adult. I feel so old today. Next year he is going off to college. My youngest son is 16, next year he becomes a senior in high school. He is already making college plans. My little girl, the baby in the family, is celebrating her 11th birthday next Sunday. Two birthdays in one month makes for a busy month, lol.

Today for some reason my husband’s usual lack of enthusiasm for planning the kids’ birthdays is really bugging the heck out of me. I do all the planning and he just shows up. I was talking on the phone with him last night about the upcoming birthday celebrations and that lackluster tone to his voice made me wish I could reach through the phone and punch him hard, especially since it’s a milestone birthday for my son. Arrgh! There now that I have vented a little I feel better now :)

Wednesday, November 08, 2006

I have been waiting for the print proof of “Master Nikolai” and looks like I should be getting it today : ) I just love holding my newest book in my hands. I get such a feeling of pride and accomplishment.

I have been working on two Erotic Shivers “Surrender” and “The Heart’s Eclipse”. These two have been particularly strange to write, because I have been working on both at the same time. It’s like they are both competing to get written at the same time. Normally, I like to focus on one story at a time. There may be new storylines that will pop into my head while I am working on a particular story, but I usually just write the storyline down and continue working on the story I have already started. Luckily both of these new stories are coming along fine. “Surrender” is being posted on my website a part at a time, there will be three parts in all. Part one is posted now.

“The Heart’s Eclipse” will go into my yahoo store as an Erotic Shiver. This story came out of my love for Yaoi, which are love stories between two men written by women for women. Though you have to be careful when choosing a Yaoi, quite a number of them involve an adult male with a teenage boy, those I don’t like. But when it’s two adult males in the story it is really hot. “The Heart’s Eclipse” is about the growing love between Serin and Rakar. Rakar is a Sidana warrior, this race of people spread fear throughout the galaxy. They invade colonies taking slaves, food, valuables and whatever they can’t use they kill or destroy. Serin is from the colony Nunos which gets attack by the Sidana warriors. Rakar is instantly attracted to the beautiful Serin and takes him as a slave. Serin at first despises Rakar, but soon the two slowly start to fall in love. Their love is forbidden and could cost both of them their lives. The challenge of this story will be showing the slow build from hate to love between the two men. If they fall in love too fast it won’t be believable. If it takes forever for the two to fall in love it just won’t work. I have to make sure to strike the right balance

Sunday, October 29, 2006

I have had two wonderful reviews this week from The Romance Studio http://theromancestudio.com
One was for "Love Thy Master" and the other was for "A Song for My Warrior" both were 5 out of 5. It is always wonderful to receive a good review of my books, but to get two with such high praises in the same week is amazing. Plus on top of this I have received several emails from readers telling me how much they enjoy my books, which is always fantastic to hear.

To tell you the truth I really needed a week like this. It has rejuvenated my spirit.
I have been buried under of pile of promo stuff and it has seemed it’s has been one problem after another getting my new book released. There is going to be a delay in getting the print book out, which is just the newest problem. On top of all of this my oldest son gets diagnosed with Mononucleosis. At least I know why he has been so tired and not himself lately. I hope it clears up fast and with no complications. When I was a teenager I got Mononucleosis and it took almost a year for me to recovery from it. I really hope my son recovers much quicker than that.

So, yeah a week like this is just what I needed to catch my breath :)

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Those last three post were my attempted to read excerpts from my soon to be released novel "Master Nikola" I don't think it's too bad for my first attempt at this. I kept moving the microphone away from me as I read and I thought I read a little too fast at times.

The more I do this I am sure the better I will be at it :)
It's me describing this scene

This is from the second part of “Master Nikolai” This scene is from the erotic shiver ‘His Eyes Wide Opened” which is included in the book “Master Nikolai”

This scene is Jacob meeting Leon for the first time.

This is from the first part of “Master Nikolai” This scene is from the erotic shiver “Curiosity Seduced the Woman” which is included in the book “Master Nikolai”

This scene is Rose fantasizing about Nikolai

Monday, October 16, 2006

Today I get to write. I want to start work on the Erotic Shiver “Surrender” I have been so busy lining up promo stuff last week, getting ready for the release of “Master Nikolai” The release date is set for Oct 23 of course that is provided everything goes smoothly. If not then the book will be released a few days later. I still have a ton of promo work to do. But I really need to write.

You may have noticed the avatars on my website. I thought this was a fun idea. I got these on the sitepal website. I have one that welcomes you to my website, one on the erotic shiver page, one on the buy book page and one on the about me page. The one on the about me page is my actual voice, though I think I will redo that one. I was talking a little to fast I think.

I am also trying to get a pod cast ready. I am not the most technological adept person out there so it always takes a little while to figure out how things work.

Now I better get to work. I want to spend the morning writing and then work on the promo stuff more.

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

I have started to compile a mailing list. If you wish to be added to my mailing list send an email to storyteller36@msn.com with your email and mailing address. I will send announcements when new books are released and are available for sale. Plus I am putting a print catalog together for upcoming trade shows etc. You can opt out at anytime if you no longer wish to receive emails or mailings.

I also have a My Space page http://www.myspace.com/justusroux I started this so that I could learn more about you. I would love a chance to get to know more about my readers.

Monday, October 09, 2006

This weekend I had an impulse to change my writing (office) room. My little office isn’t that big and this room has been the same way since we moved here. And let me tell you this room was really ugly and didn’t really suit my taste at all. So, I went out to Lowes and bought some midnight blue (one of my favorite colors) paint. The ceiling in this room is an ugly drop ceiling, the kind that is found in schools, not the decorative kind. This was a bit of a problem. I really know little about putting up a new ceiling and my husband is the king of procrastination. By time he got around to putting a new ceiling up for me it would probably be this time next year. And he refuses to let me hire someone to help me out with it. So, I was stuck with this ugly drop ceiling. Then an idea came to me. I hurried down to the fabric store and bought some nice black cloth, this color would match the black bookshelf I have in my office. My son helped me put the cloth up on the ceiling to cover that nasty drop ceiling; at least this would be a temporary fix until my husband put the new ceiling up. And to my surprise it looks really good. I feel like I am in an exotic tent :) The midnight blue on the walls really shows off my framed book covers. The only thing I need now is a nice new desk. I know what Christmas present I will be asking my husband for, lol.

Wednesday, October 04, 2006

I keep having these recurring dreams of either someone is chasing me or that I have to escape from somewhere. These dreams have increased in intensity throughout this last year. Normally, my dreams are rather bizarre anyways, but I have harvested a few really good storylines and characters from these dreams. I keep a notebook next to my bed so I can write these dreams down.


The chasing and escape dreams apparently mean I am either afraid of something or that I need a change in my life. Of course each book about dream interpretation always states something different. I am a firm believer that our dreams are our subconscious mind trying to tell us something. There are some people who believe that our dreams are simply the time our minds are free to go down any mental road.

I am lucky that I do at least remember some of my dreams. Now if only those darn chasing and escape dreams would only stop. I swear I get more exercise in my dreams than I do when I am awake, lol

Thursday, September 28, 2006

I just sent “Master Nikolai” off to the proof reader. I finally got that done feeling. The done feeling is when I have edited and re-edited then read the whole book through; when I reach the words ‘the end’ I have that feeling of completion. That is the done feeling. I never send a book to my proof reader until I get that done feeling. Of course, when my proof reader sends the book back she might find a hole in the plot that I didn’t see. That is why it’s always important to have a fresh pair eyes look over your work. When I get the book back from the proof reader and I have fixed any errors in it I send it off to my distributor. That is when I have a glass of wine (until I am done with my meds it has to be nonalcoholic wine) with my husband to celebrate the completion of my book.

Thursday, September 21, 2006

The Erotic Shiver "His Eyes Wide Open" is available in my yahoo store www.justusrouxebooks.com This story will enhance my soon to be released book "Master Nikolai" I did intend to keep this erotic shiver and the erotic shiver "Curiosity Seduced the Woman" separate from the book "Master Nikolai" but I felt this story would be told better if all three pieces of these story were put together in one book. So these two erotic shivers will be included in the book "Master Nikolai” They will also be included in "Erotic Shivers Volume I" which will be released at the end of December. "Master Nikolai" is due to be released at the end of October.

Monday, September 18, 2006

I am finally getting over my stupid cold, thank goodness. I have so much to do and was having trouble concentrating with this cold.

I will probably spend the week writing and catching up on reading submissions for my website. I am looking forward to my author day tomorrow on Ebook love yahoo group.
I plan to giveaway three or four ebooks and a T-shirt, coffe mug and pillow with "A Song for my Warrior" cover on them. Plus I will be giving readers a sneek peak of "Master Nikolai" I will spend a good part of the day today planning for my author's day.
I am having an Author's day on Ebook Love this Tuesday Sept 19th from 10 a.m.- 3 p.m. Here is a link if you would like to stop by and say hello. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/eBookLove/

Plus I am one of the feature authors on The Romance Studio's blue section. Here is a link if you would like to check it out. www.theromancestudio.com

Thursday, September 14, 2006

I have had a really good storyline for a new book kicking around in my head for awhile now. I am dying to write it too. The only problem is that the story involves vampires. When this story came to me, hell that was four years ago, the book market wasn’t overflowing with vampire stories. Now, however it seems every other book is about a vampire. So, I don’t really know what to do. Is there enough room for yet one more vampire story? I don’t want my book to get lost in the sea of other books. My book will have a different angle to the whole vampire thing, will this make it stand out?

I know as a reader I love reading books about vampires if the story is done right. Christine Feehan is one of my favorite authors and I love how she portrays vampires in her book. On the other hand, I have read way too many books where the vampire characters are basically the same as each other.

Of course if my muses want me to write this story I will have to : )

Saturday, September 09, 2006

Oh my goodness my body is so sore. I started my intense workout program this week. I am happy as hell I got through this week : ) My goal is to get my body into the best shape its ever has been by my 40th birthday (July 19th)

Being a writer it seems like I am always sitting. And here lately I haven’t been exercising enough. I love going on very active trips. But, if I don’t discipline myself and keep up with my exercise program I am going to lose my stamina. I sure the hell don’t what that.
I love having curves, so I don’t plan on exercising so hard that I lose them.

This week has flown by it seems. I can’t believe it’s already Saturday. I have been writing so much this week my fingers are getting sore. But when a story is flowing I seem to lose track of time.

Saturday, September 02, 2006

Happy Labor Day to U.S. Readers

I hope everyone has a great Labor Day weekend. It's the last hurrah of the summer.

This summer has been a little strange. First off it seemed to go by really fast. And secondly it has been a summer of deep thought for me. You know thinking about things like what direction I want to go with my life, how far I would like my career to go. Of course I would be ecstatic if sometime in the future I became a best selling author, but realistically few authors achieve such a career high as that. Not to say I won't keep working towards that goal. Right now as long as I have readers who enjoy my books I am very happy.

I don’t know what brought on this evaluation of my life, but it was much needed. I discovered there needs to be changes in my life. Now, I have a much clearer vision on what my future goals will be and how to make the changes that will improve my life considerably.


I am going to do something fun this Labor Day weekend. I want to enjoy this last part of summer.

Friday, September 01, 2006

Last night I had a little trouble sleeping, a bit too much coffee during the day. So, with this extra time I started to map out my goals for next year. I came up with quite an ambitious plan. The only problem is what books I was going to come out with. I have so many really good storylines floating around in my head. I do know for sure the next book in the Barbarians of Malka series will be one of the first books released next year. And of course the yearly anthology which will be titled Erotic Tales Volume II. Erotic Shiver Volume II will also be released next year as well, as for what other books I am just not sure yet. I guess I will leave it up to my muses which ones will be released.

I will be attending Dragon Con next year. This was a hard decision. I wanted to at least get one book/trade show in next year. It was between The Romantic Times Convention and Dragon Con, the deciding factor was my oldest son is graduating from high school next year and The Romantic Times book show is held too close to the time he graduates. I wish I could attend both, but there is no way I can.

I have so much I would like to get done next year. If I only get half of what I want to get done it will be a great year.

Tuesday, August 29, 2006

I have been working on my book “Master Nikolai” and have come up to the hardest part-the middle. Writing the beginning and the end are very easy for me, it’s the middle if I’m not careful the story can wander away from the main plot. When I am done with a book then go through and edit it is always the middle of the book I have to rework a bit. The middle is where I have to stop and think how this storyline is going to get to the ending that I have envisioned. There is nothing wrong with a storyline taking little detours. When I am writing a book and the characters start interacting with one another the book might take a different direction than I planned in the first place. Where I am at now in “Master Nikolai” the storyline is pretty much set. I just have to keep myself from taking too many detours. This will slow down the story and I sure don’t want that.
I have been thinking of ways to spruce up my Yahoo Group, but am coming up with no really different ideas. There are so many good yahoo groups that deal with erotic romance or other genres of writing there really is no need to do anything they are

I have heard two different opinions about writer's yahoo groups, one- that readers only want a monthly newsletter and that is all. The other- that readers want some interaction and like for different events to be going on in a writer's group. I tried to get a nice balance between the two.

I will ponder this for awhile. I really want a yahoo group that everyone will enjoy.

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

It was brought to my attention that the blog for Master Nikolai has been taken down. If you have purchased my book "Love Thy Master" there was a link to Nikolai's blog. This blog covered Jade's training, which is already included in "Love Thy Master" so none of the story will be missing due to Nikolai's blog been removed.

I am pretty sure it was removed due to inactivity for so long. When I do a character blog in the future I will remember to post on it every now and then to keep the blog running. I am sorry that Nikolai's blog is gone. Unfortunately I didn't save what was written on it. But as I stated earlier all the stories about Jade's training is already in "Love Thy Master"

It's going to be one of those weeks I can tell already, lol. I swear being writer is like riding on a roller coaster, up and down constantly.

Monday, August 21, 2006

I am a bit disappointed. I read that article in the Free Press and saw that she didn’t use any of what I said. All I can say is oh well, it was a good experience and I am happy that other authors did mention me to the reporter for her article. Sometimes promo stuff gets very frustrating to say the least.
I did receive a pretty good review for “A Song for My Warrior” from Just Erotic romance on Sunday, but I didn’t read it until this morning. The reviewer had a couple of negative things to say. Overall it was a nice review. Not every review is going to be a completely glowing review. Thankfully most of the reviews I received for this book have been outstanding and the emails I have gotten from readers telling me how they have enjoyed this book is wonderful :) So I am very happy with how the book has been received so far.

Friday, August 18, 2006

I finally think I got this blog working the way it should. A few of your comments weren't being posted, though most of them still haven't showed up I did reply to all of them by email. If you have emailed me and haven't received a response please email me again, my junk mail filter for my emails has been off this month. I love hearing from readers and respond to every email sent.

It looks like I got the links working too, yay! I am new to this blogging thing, but I think I got the hang of it now, lol
I have been working on two stories at once this week. I have almost finished the Erotic Shiver "His Eyes Wide Open" this story is about Jacob, Rose's young assistant. He went to Master Drake's island to do some research for his and Rose's book about Masters. This story is bigger than I first originally thought it would be. I also have been working on “Master Nikolai” this is the book Rose is in. I have been really wrapped up in this whole story. I have type so much this week my poor fingers are sore. But I love it when my stories flow this good. Master Nikolai is a bit more complex, he is more a ritual Master (He prefers to have things done a certain way, his submissives love doing these things for him) and he doesn’t accept guests the way Drake and Dante does. His punishments are more of denial than pain, he doesn’t want to or like to bring pain to his women. Nikolai is a very private person.

Wednesday, August 16, 2006

I have been debating whether or not to change my website. I decided against it. I like my website the way it is. I know it's not as flashy as other authors’ website, but it is easy to load especially for the visitors who only have a dial up connection. I live out in the middle of nowhere or at least darn close to it, lol and just recently they started offering DSL. So I know the frustration of waiting for a website to load up when you have dial up. The Erotictales Publications yahoo store is rather simple too, again for easy load up. I like to keep things simple. Maybe in the future I might revamp my website I never close my mind to anything.

Monday, August 14, 2006

I just had my first phone interview :) It was actually rather easy. I had visions of me saying something stupid, but I did okay. Me and a couple other authors and editors were asked to give our opinions on the erotic romance and erotica genre. Questions like why I got into this genre etc. I am not quite sure how much of what I said will be in this article for this Sunday's Detroit Free Press. But it was a good experience. Doing something for the first time is always the hardest. Next year I plan on doing some promo events like , radio interviews, a couple of book conferences, and a couple of book signings. I am a rather shy person so these promo things will be hard at first. But I think the more I do these things the easier and funnier they will be.

Wednesday, August 09, 2006

What’s in a name? :)

I just received a very nice email from a reader, which I just love to get these kinds of emails. It really brightens up my day : ) The only thing was it was address Mr. Roux. This never bothers me, I know my pen name is masculine sounding. Well for that matter my real name is kind of too, lol. I was asked once why I picked the name Justus Roux? To be honest I just love the way it sounded and the way it looked in print. I was going to use the last name Roux, it took me forever to come up with the first name. It must have taken me a good month to come up with a pen name that I really liked. My young adult author pen name was easy. I let my children pick it out. They combined the initials of my name and my son picked the last name, he saw it on the web and thought it sounded cool, so they came up with T.S. Torok.

Tuesday, August 08, 2006

What’s up with Amazon.com

What’s up with Amazon.com


I recently just found out that Amazon isn’t carrying PDF or Microsoft e-books anymore or at least it appears that way. Instead they are directing customers to Mobipocket, which of course they own. Thankfully all my books are on Mobipocket and of course are in print. But what about the small publishers who only produce ebooks, this has to have a huge impact on them. I don’t like the fact that readers will lose the option to have ebooks in PDF or Microsoft reader, when they buy from Amazon. I sold quite a lot of ebooks through Amazon and have to wonder how this will affect my business’ bottom line. Since ebooks of all my books are found in a number of other avenues I am hoping this won’t affect my business too much. As a reader I often bought ebooks through Amazon, I personally prefer Microsoft reader.

Another thing that concerns me a little is the rising price of gas. I feel the impact of this in my household. With so many people barely making ends meet they will have less and less money to spend on fun stuff like books. I have tried to keep my ebooks at a very reasonable price. Most outlets carrying them for between $4-$5, I plan to keep the price of my ebooks at this price. However I don’t have control over if retailers increase the price, most however follow the suggested retail price.

My young adult imprint On Dragon Wings will still hopefully (Fingers crossed) launch by March 2007. I have sent the first book “Soul Spectrum” to be tested by the targeted audience (children ages 12-17) and so far the book is being well received, even in it’s pre-proofed form. I certainly hope by time this imprint launches that the economy will get back on track.

Monday, August 07, 2006

When Muses Misbehave

Last week it was terribly hard to focus on writing. First it was hotter than hell most of the week and even though I do have air-conditioning it still got toasty in my house. I told my husband next summer we are getting central air.

My muses have been overactive the last few weeks too. I’ve been having a creative storm as I like to put it. I have so many new storylines bouncing around in my head, it is almost impossible to focus on the story I am writing now. The only thing I can really do is write down all these new story ideas and hope it settles my muses down a bit.

Today is the first day I have gotten some serious writing done. I have been working on “Precious Cargo” and should have it done tomorrow. I am really pleased how this story has turned out. I would like to continue work on “Master Nikolai” by the end of the week. However Jacob’s story is demanding to be written. Jacob is Rose’s assistant, both are working on a book about Masters. The first part of their story is in the erotic shiver “Curiosity Seduced the Woman” Rose is the leading female character in “Master Nikolai” While Rose is at Nikolai’s home in Romania, Jacob managed to get on Master Drake’s island. I wanted to write an erotic shiver about Jacob’s experience on Master Drake’s island. The original plan was to write this story after I finished “Master Nikolai”, but apparently my muses don’t like this plan. Jacob’s story and Rose’s story cover the same timeline. I thought this would be very interesting. Both of them will find out that there is so much more to the Master/Slave lifestyle than they thought. Both also find out something about themselves along the way. I haven’t come up with a title for Jacob’s story yet, but it will come to me.

Wednesday, August 02, 2006

Leading Men

I had someone ask me once why I often have big muscular men as my leading male characters and if they are not extremely beefy that they were lean and feminine looking. It’s just my personal preference. When the characters are forming in my head they tend to take on traits that I find very attractive. Especially for the erotic romance stories.

It seems silly that a woman who stands only five foot two would find such large powerful men very attractive. After all a man who stood six foot two, would tower over me. That’s one of the things I find so sexy about big, strong, beautiful men. I love how strong men are. I mean here is someone who could quite literally break a woman in two if he wanted to, but yet he is so gentle.

On the other end of the spectrum men who are so beautiful almost feminine looking have there own appeal. These men always seem to have long silky hair in my stories. Another trait I find terribly sexy. When I pair the big men with these feminine men, damn it can get pretty darn hot.

I have always liked a man who was more on the dominant side, so most of my male leading characters are certainly alpha males.

All this talk about men is getting my muses stirring, so I better get to writing.

Sunday, July 30, 2006

A little about "Precious Cargo"

The story “Precious Cargo” which part one is up on my website now, partial came from another book I started about a year ago titled “With these Chains” What inspired “With these Chains” was an article I read about slave trading. I was so repulsed to learn that this really goes on, but more so by how many lives are damaged by this every year. “With these Chains” has been by the far the hardest book I ever had written up this point, so much in fact it is hard to finish. The pain and suffering I have to put the main character through was uncomfortable to write, but it needed to be in there to show the horror of his situation. I never put violent or sexual scenes in a book if they don’t further the plot. I will finish this book hopefully sometime next year. The powerful message of kindness and love to overcome such overwhelming obstacles is quite beautiful. “With these Chains” is a contemporary novel and “Precious Cargo” is fantasy. “Precious Cargo” is about Remau’s dream of finding a little kindness. He was born on the slave planet Neve. This planet’s only purpose is to produce obedient slaves. Most are use for manual labor, but the ones with exceptional beauty are trained to be pleasure slaves. “Precious Cargo” is far less violent than “With these Chains” There is no need for it in the story. Remau has trained to be a slave and therefore is expected to endure what his owners want to do to him. Gaven for “With the Chains” was trick into become a slave, and his trainer is a sadistic piece of human debris.

Friday, July 28, 2006

Want to share something

Normally I shy away from telling anything really personal, but I feel like I should share this. A couple of months ago I was diagnosed with depression. Everyone who knew me was shocked by this. I have to admit I was too. I knew something wasn’t right. I did seem to lose my normal zest for everything. But I assumed my thyroid levels were off again, no big deal. I am the kind of person who works around things. Then the sleep trouble started and I was averaging only a couple hours a sleep a night. If anyone has ever had a sleep problem you know how this disrupts your life. My writing suffered the most I just couldn’t seem to focus. I went to the doctor for my sleeping problem, he asked a ton of questions and took blood test etc. When he came back with the diagnoses of chemical depression I had to ask him just what in the heck was that? The chemicals in my brain were off due to the constant stress I was under and unexpressed anger. I trust my doctor so I begin taking meds for this depression. At first nothing really happened, but slowly I started to sleep good again, the brain fog started to lift and I started to feel like myself again. I didn’t realize just how bad my depression was until the meds started to work. Thankfully I only have to take the meds for about 6-9 months. I really hate taking meds. But I have learned something from all of this. I am not wonder woman and I should really listen to my body and not to push aside negative feelings. I need to reduce the amount of stress in my life and learn to tell people hey you’re pissing me off. I tend to let my anger build until I explode. I have to learn to vent my anger. Reducing stress will be hard I have so much coming at me at once. It’s not so much my career it’s more my personal life. I have two teenage boys and a ten year old daughter. If you have children you know how stressful being a mother is. My husband is a big source of my stress and so to is keeping my household running smoothly. Slowly I am learning to approach things differently, express myself more clearly. And I have to tell you it feels fucking good.

I started writing “A Song for My Warrior” before I was diagnosed. I struggled with this book at first so I just set it aside. I loved the character Alistair and wanted to make sure I did him justice. When I plotted the book out right after “A Warrior’s Will” was released I was really excited about the story. I wanted to wait until I had that excitement back before I wrote another word. Then a month or so later after I began my meds, I sat down to write a short story that was batting around in my mind, all of a sudden the storyline for “A Song for My Warrior” started to weave itself. I started writing that day and ended up writing for four hours. That same excitement for my book filled me and I knew it was time to focus on this book. You have no idea just how wonderful it felt to sit down at my computer and write everyday like I use to do. I knew then I was well on the road to recovery.

Tuesday, July 25, 2006

Hello Everyone

I have a started this blog to talk about what's going on in my writer's mind. What influences, drives or inspires me to write. How one picture, a song, a moment, etc, will spark an entire story.
My blog will be a little strange to say the least. Its one part dream journal, one part wailing wall, and one part to whatever is on my mind at the moment.
I have to admit it's more for me than anything else. But I do invite you to read and post if you wish. My blog is adult oriented, so no one under 18 years of age will be allowed to post.
I am not sure how much or how often I will be posting, but I will be checking my blog everyday. I have always been hesitant to start a blog, my life is pretty ordinary. Blogging quite honestly makes me a little nervous. I don't want to appear as though I am full of myself that is far from the case. It’s just my little corner of cyberspace : )