Taste of Kiwi

It’s hard to get back to writing after five weeks when I didn’t do a thing. This week has been a bit like pushing through sand. I thought Lorie O’Clare’s writer tip about keeping a journal of words written each day, promo undertaken and that sort of thing was a great idea. Seeing my progress written down in black and white seems to make me more efficient. On the days where I goof around and don’t get much done, it’s all there for me to see. I don’t like seeing the lack of progress, and it works like a swift kick in the ass.

Normally I try to write 2000 words per day. That’s a good pace for me, but I haven’t done anywhere near that this week. Next week will be better.

What methods do you use to cope with procrastination and wasted time? How do you keep on track with the things you have to do?

Contest – How Many Books?

For all those who entered my contest, I read 30 books while I was on holiday. The two closest people guessed 29. I put the two names in a hat, and Mr. Munro picked one name for me.

And the winner is: Carol L

Congratulations. I’ve emailed you about your book voucher prize.

I read the following books:
1. Cougar by Beverley Rae – paranormal
2. Heart & Soul by Evangeline Anderson – m/m
3. Shifter’s Captive by Bonnie Dee – paranormal
4. Songbird by Maya Banks – contemporary
5. Duty & Devotion by Tere Michaels – m/m
6. An Improper Holiday by KA Mitchell – m/m
7. Scandal by Carolyn Jewel – historical
8. The Elegant Corpse by AM Riley – m/m
9. Driven To The Limit by Alice Gaines – paranormal
10. Out of the Blue by Josh Lanyon – m/m
11. Biker Babe in Black by Debra Kayn – contemporary
12. No Souvenirs by KA Mitchell – m/m
13. Redemption by Remmy Duchene – m/m
14. Hunter by SL Partington – sci-fi
15. Immortality is the Suck by AM Riley – m/m
16. Cat’s Cradle by Bianca D’Arc – paranormal
17. In Hot Pursuit by Kate McMurray – m/m
18. Rogue’s Diamond by Sahara Kelly – historical
19. Wither by Yolanda Sfetsos – sci-fi
20. High Country by Michael Barnette – m/m
21. Nate by Beth Williamson – historical
22. Dead, Undead or Somewhere In Between by JA Saare – paranormal
23. Mountain’s Captive by Michelle Pillow – contemporary
24. Law of Averages by Wylie Kinson – contemporary
25. Lifting the Veil by RG Alexander – paranormal
26. Threat of Darkness by Lauren Dane – paranormal
27. Written in the Ruby by Raven Wilde – paranormal
28. Just the Sexiest Man Alive by Julie James – contemporary
29. Hard & Fast by Erin McCarthy – contemporary
30. Trial By Fire by Jo Davis – contemporary

When I was in Honolulu, I visited Barnes & Noble and spent the $50 of book vouchers I’ve had for a while. I also spent $50 of my own. I think hubby was pleased when I consented to leave the store. My daypack weighed a ton on the journey home. I held my breath when we checked in, but luckily none of the airline staff picked on me and wanted to weigh my cabin baggage. I have some great reading in my future. Once I get back into the writing groove, I’ll use my new purchases as rewards for a good day’s work.

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I’ve had a bit of a rough week and took myself off to the doctor today. Since I’m not feeling too clever, I thought it was the perfect time to revisit some of my favorite posts from the past.

1. Classic Romance Plots – The secret of writing a great romance is to take a classic plot and twist it to make the story unique…

2. Penises in Paranormals – the curious case of interesting bits…

3. Gifts for writers – is there a special person in your life who writes?

4. Collaborative Writing Partnerships – the wonderful Josh Lanyon and Laura Baumbach share their experiences…

5. Marcia James shares her views and ideas about promo for writers…

6. Do you like paranormal romances featuring feline shapeshifters? I discuss some of my favorites…

I leave you with a puzzle of sorts. Male writers are from _______, Female writers are from _______.

What would you put in the blank spaces?

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Ellora’s Cave is having a special sale on all shapeshifter ebooks with 15% off every download until 31 October. If you’ve thought about trying my Middlemarch series now is the time!

All my 2009 releases, including my recent one, House of the Cat, are included in the sale.

Buy your shapeshifter ebooks at Shelley’s Ellora’s Cave page.

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Thanks to everyone who entered my contest and wished me a happy holiday. Hubby and I had a wonderful time. It was very relaxing and the days passed way too quickly.

Three people guessed the correct total of 18. I decided to put all three names in a hat and draw out one winner for my original prize of a print copy of Tea For Two and award the other two downloads of their choice.

The winner of Tea For Two is Elaine.
Eva S and Rachel M will receive a download of their choice.

Congratulations to all three winners!! (all winners have been contacted via email)

Here is the list of the books I read during my holiday.

1. Grady’s Awakening by Bianca D’Arc
2. Touching Midnight (MIRA) by Fiona Brand
3. Mystery book
4. Mystery book
5. Mystery book
6. Mystery book
7. Mystery book
8. Mystery book
9. Mystery book
10. Kilt Worthy by Catherine Bybee
11. Thai’d Up by Helen Hardt
12. Payback by Rose Middleton
13. Chasing Smoke by KA Mitchell
14. Start Me Up by Victoria Dahl
15. Bengal’s Heart (Breeds) by Lora Leigh
16. Passion Unleashed (The Demonica Series) by Larissa Ione
17. Personal Demons by Stacia Kane
18. Even Demons Get the Blues by Maree Anderson

Note: I can’t give you titles of the mystery books since I’m judging them in a contest.

I had a very happy time reading by the pool, and as you can see by the titles I mixed and matched genres very nicely. Some of the mystery books were historicals so I think I covered them all! My favorite read was Passion Unleashed by Larissa Ione. This is book three in her series and if you like paranormals you should definitely try these books featuring demon brothers who work in a hospital for paranormal creatures.

Thanks for entering my contest!

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I noticed this topic about the number of books that publishers put out each month a few weeks ago at Dear Author and thought it was an interesting one.

Are there too many releases each month?

From a reader’s point of view I think the answer has to be no. Having a choice is a good thing. I mean lots of books to choose from must be a reader’s idea of heaven. The number of books a reader can purchase is limited only by their budget.

For an author an increased number of releases is a bad thing. It means more competition and likely lower royalties, especially if you’re a new or midlist author.

For a bookseller, one who isn’t online, more releases probably brings problems with space, both in warehouses and on bookshelves. This might mean that newer authors miss out on shelf space. It might mean that books are on the shelves for a shorter time before they’re returned to the publisher.

For the publisher it could be good or bad. An online publisher doesn’t have storage or returns to think about so overall their income could increase. A traditional publisher probably needs to schedule carefully so they’re not faced with low orders or a high number of returns.

So what say you? Are you happy with a large number of releases or would you like the releases limited to a certain number per month?

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I haven’t mentioned books and reading for some time. I’ve read some excellent books recently that have really stayed with me, and with every one of them it’s been the characters that have grabbed me by the throat. It’s also interesting to note that three of the four books below are written in first person. I’d highly recommend any of the following:

Smooth Talking Stranger by Lisa Kleypas – I always used to read Ms. Kleypas’ historicals, but after historical burnout I hadn’t picked up one of her books for ages or tried her contemporaries. This is the third contemporary set in Texas and featuring members of the Travis family. I hadn’t realized this was a series of sorts and as usual picked up the books out of order. They are written in first person. I started reading quite late and had problems putting the book down. I liked the two main characters, Ella and Jack and their interaction and the plot moved smoothly. There was some great dialogue too. I liked it so much I went looking for the first two books and ordered them online. This particular story is only available in hardcover as yet and was borrowed from the library. I think I’ll be buying a copy in paperback when it comes out because I liked it that much.

Magic Strikes by Ilona Andrews – This is book three in the Kate Daniels series, an urban fantasy rather than a romance. I think this series gets better and better with each book. I loved the interplay between Kate and Curran. Once again, it was the characters that grabbed me, although I like the interesting plots in this series. This one contains some Indian mythology.

The Education of Madeline by Beth Williamson – This is Beth’s first NY published book, set in the American West. I liked the characters, although I have to say that the plot didn’t ring true with me. This didn’t stop me devouring the book, and I could be wrong because I’m not an expert in American history by any means! I’m not going into detail because that would mean spoilers. Beth has another book coming with some of the characters she introduced in this book. I’ll be snapping the second book up when it comes out.

Hard Fall by James Buchanan – this is a gay romance. It’s written in first person and is about a Mormon cop who is in the closet. He falls for an ex-con and while investigating a murder, his secret comes out, creating havoc in both is personal and business lives. Joe, the main character is interesting, and I liked the glimpse of the Mormon faith. This is an excellent read.

What books have you read recently? Do you have any recommendations?

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We always had a lot of books around us when we were kids. My brother, sister and I knew our nursery rhymes and read a lot. I remember boxes of books in the back of the wardrobe that belonged to my parents – mainly mysteries and westerns. My mother was a teacher who taught new entrants (five-year-olds) and she used to have heaps of books that she’d use in her teaching. She’d show us her new purchases and of course, I’d read them. She died in an accident when I was 21 and I kept a few of my favorites. I was looking at my bookcase today and pulled out one about a rabbit finding an egg. It made me smile.

Here are Thirteen of My Favorites (that are still in my bookcase)

1. Because a Little bug went Ka-Choo by Rosetta Stone and Michael Frith

2. Bears in the Night by Stan and Jan Berenstain

3. Travels of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting – this version adapted by Al Perkins. As a kid I had the actual Hugh Lofting series, which is probably what started my fascination with talking animals.

4. Hubert’s Hair-Raising Adventure by Bill Peet

5. The Bunyip of Berkeley’s Creek by Jenny Wagner

6. The Berenstain Bears and the Missing Dinosaur Bone by Stan and Jan Berenstain

7. Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss – I just love the rhyming.

8. The Berenstain Bears and the Spooky Old Tree – I loved these bear books and still do!

9. Jim and the Beanstalk by Raymond Briggs

10. The Golden Egg Book by Margaret Wise Brown

11. The Sneetches by Dr. Seuss – still one of my favorites. I like the message.

12. Shelley and the pony of the year by Ellen Bosworth. How could I resist this story? I see that it’s out of stock and a used copy is on sale for $45.

13. Proud Riders by Josephine Pullein-Thompson. Like lots of other little girls I liked pony stories.

I noticed when I did the Amazon links that many of these books are still popular and highly rated. A good book never goes out of date.

What stories do you remember from your childhood? Do your children or grandchildren have some of these?

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Today I have a selection of interesting tidbits for you from the world wide web.

The first is at Romancing the Blog and it’s about books and censorship. This post shocked me. I dislike censorship of any sort and feel that adults should have freedom of choice. I can borrow erotic romances at my local library. They’re labeled with large stickers that state the book contains explicit content. It’s my choice to check out a book with spicy content. I presume this also alerts the librarian if a minor tries to check one out. That’s all the oldies need on their library books – a sticker stating the book contains salty language or explicit content. They can then choose to read a particular book or leave it on the shelf.

Emily at EREC has a post about Everything Old. It’s about the universal problems faced by authors. They’re ageless problems!

I’m blogging over at The Samhellion about Sleeping with the Fishes and routine. I forgot to mention it yesterday. Oops!

Sign up to receive a free copy of Night Hawk, a short story by Lora Leigh.

Download a free copy of Roxanne St. Claire’s Bullet Catcher novella.

And of course, if you haven’t checked out my free reads, go there straight away!

Do you have any interesting posts to share?

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3. New Authors

Hosted by Literary Escapism (Jan 1st – Dec 31st)

The idea behind this is simple. Find a new-to-you author and read one of their novels. There are lots of new authors in my to-read pile so this shouldn’t be difficult. I’ll add the authors to my blog page as I read them. I’m going to be ambitious with this challenge and sign up for 50 new authors.

1. Love Undercover by Hailey North
2. When She Was Bad by Cindy Kirk
3. The Borrowed Bride by Elizabeth Lane
4. Taming the Texan by Charlene Sands
5. High Stakes by Lisa Jackson
6. The Spirit of the Wolf by Karen Kay

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2. 1st in a Series.

I always enjoy reading series so this challenge fits well. Hosted by J. Kaye’s Book Blog (Jan 1st – Dec 31st). The idea is to read the 1st novel in 12 different series. I hope to start new series in this challenge and to catch up on series I’ve missed. I’m not organized enough to list all the books I hope to read but the first one I’d like to start on is:

1. Devils on Horseback: Nate by Beth Williamson.

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