Guest Post by Ann Montclair

Today I'm hosting Ann Montclair and her new romance "One Wet Summer".

E-Publishing by Choice

Many writers self-publish to great benefit.  They build audiences, sell books, become better writers, and share none of the income with agents, editors, or publishers.  When I began my journey to become a writer, I did it the old-fashioned way.  I got a degree in writing, wrote a book then began querying agents.  I had a few request manuscripts and then came rejections.  A normal course of action for many beginning authors, right?

I kept writing, and by the time I finished a third novel, I decided to try querying directly to an electronic publisher. I had quick luck.  My third romance novel was snapped up by Soul Mate Publishing and became The Billionaire’s Bauble.  

I kept writing and found a home for my second romance with Musa Publishing.  One Wet Summer was released May 25th. Musa has also contracted my next two books, Good Things Come in Tall Packages (which features two of the characters from One Wet Summer).  Good Things… will be published August 18th, and Lady in Deed, my Tudor historical romance, will be out around Christmas time.

It happened fast, and I have loved every thrilling minute of it.  

I’m glad to be working with a publishing company.  I have more faith in the product and growing confidence in my abilities as a writer.  My books receive general editing, line editing, and final editing.  I work on cover art and marketing with professionals in their fields. My critique partners help as I craft, but once I get a complete draft, the editors step in and lend a hand.  I find their suggestions invaluable in making my stories better. From coaching me how to write taglines and blurbs, to fine tuning my sentences, they stand behind me and beside me as I revise and make ready my novels.

I know I probably won’t get rich writing, and each penny I have to share means less for me.  But in the end, I think the input my publishers provide is well worth every cent. 

If you’ve done it all on your own, I commend you.  For me, I couldn’t be where I am without Soul Mate Publishing and Musa Publishing.  They believe in my sensual, emotional, character driven stories, and I hope they will earn what I owe them for their commitment to my success.

Here’s the blurb for my newest contemporary romance novel:

One Wet Summer…

Questioning her life plans and risking her heart to the hotelier and his motherless daughter weren’t on the vacationing teacher’s to do list—funny how things can change in a heartbeat.

Maura Fields loves her uncomplicated, independent, single life, but things quickly change when a summer vacation opens the door to an unexpected world of passion and desire. Wealthy Savannah hotelier Ben Driscoll had his playboy lifestyle upended when his ex-wife died, entrusting him to care for their daughter—a child he sequesters and vows to protect from future heartache and disappointment. Can the wall Ben has built around his heart withstand the assault from the intriguing, beguiling Maura, or will it crumble, leaving him vulnerable to the undeniable attraction and unbridled need to make her his own?

Available now at Musa Publishing: http://musapublishing.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=12&products_id=285

Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/One-Wet-Summer-ebook/dp/B008600R6S/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1337956948&sr=1-1

Barnes and Noble:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/one-wet-summer-ann-montclair/1111101446?ean=2940014389808

All Romance ebooks:

http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-onewetsummer-796361-149.html

Learn more about Ann Montclair and her books at http://www.annmontclair.com

Check out Ann on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/AnnMontclairFanPage

and Twitter https://twitter.com/#!/AnnMontclair too.

It’s Publisher Appreciation Week!

Today I’m blogging about my two wonderful publishers, Total-e-Bound and Naughty Nights Press.

I’ve been with Total-e-Bound for just over a year. I can still remember the day I got the email accepting “The Hand He Dealt” for publication; showing my husband the message on my phone as we went out for dinner and then sitting with a goofy grin at the table in the restaurant clutching a champagne cocktail.

In the weeks that followed I was invited to join forums and write peer reviews, had a cover made by Posh Gosh which was stunning, and with the help of my brilliant editor Rebecca Hill put together the final copy of my very first novel.

I can’t thank them enough. Rebecca has since left, but my new editor Sue will be working with me on my new piece “I Heard Your Voice”, and I look forward to that immensely.

I first became aware of Naughty Nights Press when Gina Kincade contacted me and invited me to submit to her (OK, that sounded a lot sexier than it was – sorry, I’m not naturally submissive J). Shortly afterwards I submitted “Assume the Position”, which was accepted, and without a moment’s hesitation I was invited to join NNP’s Facebook group, where I was welcomed into the fold.

So I’d like to offer up a big thank you to all at Total-e-Bound and Naughty Nights Press – I couldn’t do without you, and I hope to work with you for a very long time!

Publicity!

As part of the publicity drive for the Joan Hessayon Award, I'm being interviewed by the Romantic Novelists' Association: http://romanticnovelistsassociationblog.blogspot.co.uk/

I'm also in the Members' News section of Writing magazine.

Fingers crossed!

Scarborough, UK to Host Saucy Seaside Smut Convention

 

Convention for erotica readers and writers to be held in the

seaside town of Scarborough on June 22^nd, 2013.

Do you like to be beside the seaside? Or more specifically, do you like to be smutty beside the seaside? If so, then the Smut by the Sea Convention and Erotic Marketplace is for you!

The brainchild of Victoria Blisse and Kevin Mitnik, with help from their glamorous assistant, Lucy Felthouse, Smut by the Sea promises to be a smut-filled extravaganza in the beautiful seaside setting of Victorian Scarborough. The town's library will be hosting the event.

Forget fish and chips, candy floss and ice cream – visit the dedicated Erotic Marketplace, including exhibitors Xcite Books and House of Erotica, with many more yet to be confirmed. Buy toys and books and all manner of saucy things. And don't forget to get those books signed by the authors in attendance!

You'll be wriggling in your seat when you attend a range of sexy readings from erotic authors including Victoria Blisse, Lucy Felthouse, K D Grace and Lexie Bay.

Or perhaps you'd like to attend informative panels on getting published, marketing your work and other smut related activities? It's all covered, so you can check out whatever tickles your fancy!

It's certainly going to be a fun-filled day – but it doesn't stop there! In the evening will be the official launch of the Smut by the Sea anthology (calls for submissions available at http://smutbythesea.co.uk/call-for-submissions/, closing date 1^st June 2012 – edited by Victoria Blisse and Lucy Felthouse), with readings from the authors, and some seriously saucy swag bags with gifts from sponsors Sh! Women's Erotic Emporium, Total-E-Bound and Lovehoney, to name but a few.

Just as you're settling down from hearing all those fabulously naughty stories, your heart rate will be rising once more as the result of an intermission with burlesque dancers!

Finally, there will be a Q&A panel with a range of authors, book signings and some good old fashioned networking and socialising.

It's still early days so there will be lots more authors, sponsors, exhibitors and attendees coming on board as the conference draws closer, but hopefully this has given you an idea of what to expect from Smut by the Sea.

So, what are you waiting for? Mark your diaries for Smut by the Sea, 22^nd June 2013. Early Bird tickets have been released, and there are less than 200 available at this bargain price, so make sure to grab yours quick, before it's too late! http://smutbythesea.eventbrite.co.uk/ 

Keep your eyes on the following links for further information on sponsors, attending authors, exhibitors and more:

Website: http://smutbythesea.co.uk

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/smutbythesea

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/smutbythesea

Also, just for a bit of fun, you can share your seaside themed photos on the Pinterest page: http://pinterest.com/mitnik/smut-by-the-sea/

The event is still taking on more exhibitors, sponsors, speakers and readers, so if you'd like to get involved, please http://smutbythesea.co.uk/contact-us/

*****

About Smut by the Sea

The brainchild of Victoria Blisse and Kevin Mitnik, the Smut by the Sea Erotic Readers & Authors Convention & Erotic Marketplace takes place in Scarborough in June 2013. It will be a smut filled extravaganza with readings, burlesque, panels, Q&As, workshops, erotica and more. See http://smutbythesea.co.uk for more details.

About Blisse UK

Blisse UK is the team of Victoria Blisse and Kevin Mitnik. Specialising in bespoke creations, working together they strive to bring originality and excellence into all that they do. Victoria is an award-winning author & Kevin is a twice Webbie winning web designer. They have over 15 years experience of creating successful websites with a portfolio of recent works available on http://blisseuk.com. Smut by the Sea is a new venture as they combine their love of the seaside with a love of erotica.

New contract!

Today I am bouncing off the walls for two reasons:

• I just received my contract from Total-e-Bound for my paranormal romance "I Heard Your Voice"
• Naughty Nights Press have accepted my short "Assume the Position" for their anthology Campus Sexploits 3!

More will follow, but for now I'm just celebrating... today is a VERY good day!

Update - new series!

It's early days, but it looks like the first story in a series of paranormal romances will be accepted by Total-e-Bound, either as a standalone or as part of an anthology.

Last October, as a research exercise (and as readers of my blog may remember) I went on a paranormal investigation with a friend. It was organised by a paranormal events team whose name I won't reveal, nor will I say where it was except that it was a former stately home, now museum, in Yorkshire. We did a quick walk-through and then were split into teams to carry out various exercises in different rooms, hoping to receive a ghostly response.

My team had a medium present who had apparently been on "Most Haunted", although I'll just say that I'd never heard of him. He led us in several rounds of calling out ("If there's anyone there, could you move something, make a noise, knock on something?") with very little effect, apart from the odd bang on a pipe which could have been anything. So far, so unimpressive. It didn't help that the heating had been turned up to full for some reason, so I was absolutely melting in my heavy sweater and couldn't take it off without being left in just a bra.

We then did some table-tipping, which I admit I have always been very sceptical of. A group of four girls (who were obviously friends) rested their fingertips on the table and sat for a long time, trying to coax a ghost into moving it for them. What happened next is open to conjecture. The table shuffled across the carpet in a disjointed diagonal movement.

I don't claim to know for sure exactly how that happened. I can only say that, if it was faked, all four of them must have been in on it to get that particular movement. If one alone had pushed, the table would have fallen over. I will also add that, after a while, two of the girls swapped with me and another guest, and the table refused to move with us on it.

From there we moved into a bedroom, where we tried some more calling out and then some work with a glass, none of which elicited any responses. We compared notes with the other group as we passed them on our way to the final location and found that they hadn't got anything either. Traipsing downstairs into the kitchen, my hopes for paranormal activity were not exactly high.

I'll bypass the "human pendulum" routine we went through, involving us standing in a circle and one of us being pushed around by a spirit, since frankly I found it unconvincing. There was, however, a moment on the ouija board which was worth mentioning, even though it involved the aforementioned group of table-tipping girls and therefore could have been faked.

"Can you move the planchette to the first letter of your name?" It moved to NO.

"Are you attached to this house?" NO.

"Are you connected to one of us?" NO.

"Would you like us to leave?" YES.

There you are. I can now say I've been told to piss off by a ghost. I suppose if people came into my house and started asking me questions I might get a bit annoyed too.

So that was the investigation, and from there came the story, following a team of paranormal investigators with a heroine who, in the beginning, is stuck in a relationship with the team medium but secretly longing for one of her teammates.

As I said, it's early days. I should know more next week - will keep you all updated!

Guest Post - The Strong Female

Please enjoy this guest post by Sheryl Steines, author of the urban fantasy novel, The Day of First Sun. Then read on to learn how you can win huge prizes as part of this blog tour, including $450 in Amazon gift cards, a Kindle Fire, and 5 autographed copies of the book.

The Strong Female

I am always amazed to hear that, in the year 2012, women are still talking about strong female characters. It’s funny that we’re always surprised when one comes along. Even in Hollywood, actresses still can’t find roles to sink their teeth into. As a reader, I look for characters that I can relate to in some way; a character who is more than a damsel in distress but less than an unfeeling, mean, witch. I’m putting it gently, but I’m looking for someone, who when facing a problem, doesn’t necessarily need a man to bail her out--a woman who can take care of herself in spite of her vulnerabilities. Because in reality, women are multi-layered and complex. We don’t fall to one end of an extreme or the other.

When I was younger, I started reading Danielle Steele, but I couldn't read her for long. Her female characters were far too needy and always put themselves in a position of requiring a savior. Even as a child, I couldn't help but wonder why these characters always needed a man to improve their lives. Why couldn’t they simply take care of themselves? It seemed as though female characters fell into two camps, and only two. They were either villains, witches, someone to be hated and despised, or they were weak, pathetic, your classic damsels in distress. Why is fiction lacking real women, women who can simply be human and celebrate all that they are?

As I got older, I found myself drawn to shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I saw in Buffy a strong character. Yes, she could kick ass, kill the vampires and fight the demons. She also had a brain, could plan, and could save the world each week. But she wasn't uni-dimensional. She also has a side that liked clothes, shoes and boys, a side that was feminine, a little vulnerable; a side that, okay, sometimes needed to be saved. She was a complex female character, real and human, a character with whom I could definitely relate.

The strong female character isn’t a caricature or stereotype. She’s not a total wimp like Snow White, and she’s not a total monster like the evil queen. She falls somewhere in the middle. She’s reactive, emotional, human, sexual, confident and sometimes unsure of herself.

When I originally wrote my character Annie Pearce in The Day of First Sun, I wrote her as a no-nonsense person, strong and smart, the girl who could survive on her own. But she didn’t feel genuine. As the story unfolded and changed, I rewrote her, gave her friends and family with whom she could interact. I gave her feelings, gave her stress. I let the other characters take charge once in awhile and offer some support. I melded two halves into one woman--a strong woman, who can take care of herself and ask for help when necessary. We’re not perfect, so why should our characters be? Instead, why can’t we make them simply authentic?

Charlize Theron made a really compelling comment regarding her character in the movie Young Adult. She said, "Women are usually either really good prostitutes or really good mothers. Maybe women are finally getting the chance to play more honest characters," Theron said. "We usually don't get to play bad hookers or bad mothers -- or anything in between."

Maybe it’s time to be a little more real and a little more honest.

As part of this special promotional extravaganza sponsored by Novel Publicity, the price of the Day of First Sun eBook edition is just 99 cents this week. What’s more, by purchasing this fantastic book at an incredibly low price, you can enter to win many awesome prizes. The prizes include $450 in Amazon gift cards, a Kindle Fire, and 5 autographed copies of the book.

All the info you need to win one of these amazing prizes is RIGHT HERE. Remember, winning is as easy as clicking a button or leaving a blog comment--easy to enter; easy to win!

To win the prizes:

1. Purchase your copy of The Day of First Sun for just 99 cents
2. Fill-out the simple form on Novel Publicity
3. Visit today’s featured social media event

Help my blog win:

The tour blogger who receives the most votes in the traffic-breaker poll will win a $100 gift card. When you visit Novel Publicity’s site to fill-out the contest entry form, don’t forget to VOTE FOR ME.

About the book: A vampire, a rogue wizard and an army of soulless zombies are par for the course for Annie Pearce and Bobby “Cham” Chamsky of the Wizard’s Guard. But when the non-magical princess, Amelie of Amborix, is murdered by magical means, a deeper plot unfolds. Get it on Amazon.

About the author: Behind the wheel of her ’66 Mustang Convertible, Sheryl is a constant surprise, using her sense of humor and relatable style make her books something everyone can enjoy. Visit Sheryl on her website, Twitter, Facebook, or GoodReads.