Promo Monday with Delena Silverfox and the Devil's Bitch

This is one that looks absolutely fantastic. What's even better is that it's from fellow Naughty Nights Press author, Delena Silverfox, a feisty lady with a wicked sense of humour!

Blurb:

Sometimes surrender requires the greatest strength.

Norelia, Imperial heir and zealous second-in-command of the Endless Army, is cornered by a wager against her father, the Emperor.

The stakes? To marry the winner of the next Summer Games in order to ensure the continuation of the Imperial line. Confident she will win, she is devastated when a mysterious contender named Reoth defeats her and claims not only the title of Champion, but claims Norelia as well. A misplaced note reveals Reoth and her father placed wagers on Reoth's ability to "tame" her, proving it was all a game after all.

When her father is killed in a surprise invasion, the Empire stands on the brink of war and Norelia is thrust into the center of it with Reoth, a man she'd sooner kill than trust. As Reoth admits knowledge regarding who is behind this invasion, can Norelia determine where his true allegiance lies before the Empire, and her heart, are destroyed forever?

Excerpt:

“It's a damned pile of steaming horse shit.” She trailed off her cursing, muttering to herself.

Beyond the window, streamers of every color fluttered in the salty breeze from the coast. Throngs of people in every shape and color imaginable choked the streets as yet more new arrivals paraded in from ever-further corners of the Empire. Men strutted, blown up with their own bravado, waved to the cheering crowds, catching garlands and little folded paper luck tokens as they passed. Buskers set up at every street corner, shaking their tambourines and cistrums. They played fuddles, pipes, and drums as they sang and laughed. Tumblers and every manner of street performer added to the festival atmosphere.

It was just another influx of fools, for the gods' sake!

“Oh, Noria.” Her cousin sighed behind her. “Let them have their fun. The Games come but once a year, and it's a holiday for everyone. Only the most necessary work gets done, and you know the City is awake for nigh a week during.”

Norelia gripped the wide windowsill until her knuckles were white. “That's during the festival, you oblivious ass.” She growled in frustration. “And that is ten days away! This is his fault.”

Of course, by “him” she meant her father, who had sent an Imperial decree announcing their wager as a contest. Men who had never set foot in the capitol before were now flooding its gates. Tents had been erected outside the city walls to house them all, and it seemed the great city of Lomyr had very nearly doubled in size.

Worst of all, instead of the usual banners depicting images of the emperor, the sun god, and the harvest goddess –as was usual during the Summer Games– there were drawings and banners and even murals of her likeness everywhere. Everywhere!

“As if I were some godsdamned prize.”

“But you are.” Valia laughed. When Norelia whirled on her, reaching for a sword at her hip that was not there, Valia laughed harder, though not with malice. “You are the prize, Noria. Oh, don't you glare at me in that tone of voice,” she joked. “You know it's true.” When Norelia didn't stop glaring, Valia made a delicate vexed sound and fluttered into a lounging chair across the room. “You're a legend, darling, and the people love you. You bring nation after nation under our banner, and you stand undefeated. You never married, and it's rumored you have never taken a lover–”

“Because I haven't!” She recoiled at the very thought.

“–and now the men of every corner of the Empire have the opportunity to claim the strongest and most legendary woman in history.”

Norelia scowled at the sacrilege. To claim she was more notable than the great and few Empresses of Lomyr was a gross overstatement.

“Let them have their ten days dreaming of glory, Noria. You will defeat the greatest of them. You always do.” She laughed again. “And even if by the grace of the gods you do not, is it really so bad?” She got a disgusting twinkle in her eye. “Marriage has so many perks, after all.”

Norelia grabbed fistfuls of the silk skirts she'd been stuffed into earlier by the servants her father had sent. Soft, bejeweled slippers hugged her feet and made her slip on the polished marble, and her hair was piled on her head in silly coils and tiny braids. It felt strange with her neck bared, no crest from her helmet trailing down her back.

No weapons, her father had ordered, and the Imperial Guards were instructed to check her periodically to make sure she wore no weapon in the palace. She felt naked. “I have only to think of my soldiers and their camp followers rutting in the dirt at night, whores hopping from man to man with sticky thighs and fistfuls of copper coins.” She had to suppress a shudder. “It's disgusting, and messy, and the noises...” She swallowed against the need to gag.

Valia giggled and clapped her hands. “That's the best part, dear! Oh, the noises!” She somehow managed to invest the word with a quality that made it seem delicious. It was the way Norelia would talk about a good steak dinner after claiming a battlefield.

She shook her head. “Nothing's better than a hot bath and a good, fresh steak after sticking the opposing army's general's head on a pike.”

Valia just winked at her. “Well, it's not steak, but it's still a fine cut of meat.”

Norelia grimaced. “You're disgusting.” She squeezed her eyes shut and grit her teeth. Gods. She had to win!

Released 31st July through Naughty Nights Press! Also available at all the usual places, All Romance eBooks, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, Apple, Kobo. But please keep in mind due to limited access to internet, this has had to be pre-scheduled, before the release, so the only link I had available was direct to Naughty Nights Press. It's the best place to buy from! 

Author Chat Friday with Delena Silverfox

Blurb Writing Made Simple If you’re like most writers, the words “write a synopsis” make you feel a bit pouty and rebellious. Kind of like writing a synopsis, but maybe not as bad. If you’re like most writers, writing a blurb makes you get a little whiny.

 Admit it. It kinda makes you want to throw a tantrum like a sissy la-la, doesn’t it? It’s okay, there’s no shame here. It’s just you and me.

Between you and me, I love writing blurbs. Love them! It’s the very first thing I write, actually, followed by writing my synopsis, which you can check out here: How To Write a Synopsis Made Easy.

 So what is it about writing blurbs that I find so easy? Simplicity.

 First I’m going to tell you about a writing technique that I will praise until the cows come home. Most people who have known me for any length of time have probably heard me talk about Randy Ingermanson’s Snowflake Method. I get absolutely no compensation for sharing his tips or products; I just love what he has to share.

 If you can afford it, I very highly recommend getting his program Snowflake Pro. Everything about the Snowflake Method you need in one easy-to-use little program, with some seriously kickass extras that are actually useful.

 You can use the Snowflake Method whether you’re just getting started on your WIP or you’re halfway through. It works just as well for pantsers as it does plotters.

 The idea is you take your entire story and condense it into one line, ideally 15 words or less. Lesser is better. If you can’t take the main idea of your own book and boil it down to a simple sentence, might I suggest asking yourself if you know what, exactly, it is you’re writing about, and why.

 Brutal? Maybe. But we all know that you can’t be a nancy ponce and call yourself a writer, so buck up and hear me out.

 After you take that first line, expand it into a five-sentence paragraph.

 This is where we delve into the dissection of a story and the basic three-act structure. You have the beginning, and Plot Disaster #1 happens at the end of Act I. In a character-driven novel, the character’s choices and actions bring about Disaster #2 in the middle of Act 2 (this is usually considered the high point, as well). More character choices and action, plus some plot influence, brings about Disaster #3 at the end of Act 2. Everything comes to a head, forcing Act 3, which has the resolution and denouement.

 How does that look in your paragraph form?
Your beginning: Sentence 1
Plot Disaster #1: Sentence 2
Characters making things worse, result in Disaster #2: Sentence 3 (usually it seems all is lost at this point, and your reader should be asking themselves, “Wow, how are they ever going to get out of this one?)
Character choice/action + some plot influence brings Disaster #3: Sentence 4
Resolution, falling action, ending: Sentence 5

 Now you have a fantastic blueprint for the rest of your story. And don’t look now, but with a little tweaking, you have yourself a blurb.

 Here’s an example from my latest MS, Devil’s Bitch, which will be released later this year:

Norelia, Imperial heir and zealous second-in-command of the Endless Army, is cornered by a wager against her father, the Emperor. The stakes? To marry the winner of the next Summer Games in order to ensure the continuation of the Imperial line. Confident she will win the Games and the wager, she is devastated when a mysterious contender named Reoth defeats her and claims not only the title of Champion, but claims Norelia as well. A misplaced note reveals Reoth and her father placed wagers on Reoth's ability to "tame" her, proving it was all a game after all. When her father is killed in a surprise invasion, the Empire stands on the brink of war and Norelia is thrust into the center of it with Reoth, a man she'd sooner kill than trust. As Reoth admits knowledge regarding who is behind this invasion, Norelia must determine where his true allegiance lies before the Empire, and her heart, are destroyed forever.

You’ll notice I tweaked the first three sentences to be more engaging as a back cover blurb. However, I assure you my plot-points paragraph has five sentences following the exact process I’ve described for you. 

So go and give it a try! Once you get the hang of it, I hope you find it as useful as I have. And come back and leave a comment with your own five-sentence plot-points paragraph. Share your blurbs with me. I’d love to hear how this works out for you! Ciao!
 

***

Writing is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration. That inspiration can carry you through the 90%, but only by understanding the tools at your disposal. Delena knows a thing or two about writing tools and how to make the most of your writing. Want her to prove it? Visit her blog The Printed Fox and check out her series For Writers, By Writers. Delena Silverfox is a historical erotic romance author with Naughty Nights Press.

More Common Questions Asked of Authors, with Phoenix Johnson

Another month is under way and we're back to me for Author Chat Friday. Last time I covered three of the most common questions asked of authors; "Will your book be in print?", "What happens in the next one?" and "Being an author must be so awesome, you get to stay at home all day!".
This week, I have another three doozies authors are asked or may overhear readers saying. What I'm aiming for with these posts is to let readers know that the obvious questions are questions we are tired of hearing, and there are some that are down-right rude and disrespectful. So please, next time you get the chance to talk to an author, be they friend, family, or your favourite author of all time, just stop and think before you speak. You'll be doing everyone involved a huge favour!

"I love *insert favourite character here* from your book. I'm thinking about writing my own novel, do you think I could use *aforementioned favourite character*?" 

Derek: please don't "borrow" him!

Yes. Sure. Because we love having the characters we worked so hard for to be "borrowed" and, in a lot of cases, not credited back to us. (Sarcasm, by the way) NO! Fan art can be great, I will admit, but when it starts to make money and become famous, then there could be a problem. Copyright. The author who originally wrote that character/storyline has legal ownership of that character/storyline, and if it can be proven that the now-famous-fan-art has indeed used said character/storyline without accrediting it to the original author, the fan-art author can find themselves on the wrong end of a law suit. Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but when we're talking about intellectual property, then it's called theft. So please, if you're interested in writing your own story, put the same amount of hard work and thought in to creating something original, just like your favourite authors have done. Sure, the fan-art thing worked for some authors, but many others would face law suits. So play it safe, and create your own. You'll find more satisfaction from creating your own worlds, characters and stories anyway, believe me!

"What is the wildest/weirdest thing you've done in the name of research?"

I get that, with erotica especially, it's a natural reaction for a reader to be curious. Has the author tried those positions? Is this what the author enjoys sexually? Now, while the want to have those questions answered is natural, please, PLEASE do not ask us. What we write and what we do in private are often completely different. What we write is supposed to be fairly wild to get your attention; what we do in private... well, that's private. Think of it like this: would you ask your siblings what they're craziest sex-capade is? More than likely not. So please, when it comes to our sexual lives, think of us as a sibling; too much information! 
As for non-erotic... well, that comes down to the author, if they want to share or not. I know myself, after seeing the first Saw movie wondered what the heck made the writers think of those storylines. And I did wonder if they'd tried any of that for real... Then I thought I really don't want to know... So for the non-erotic authors, you could probably ask, but I wouldn't promise an answer. It's an irksome question!
Now, this leads on to the next question...

"Have you done everything your characters do in the story?"

Well for some stories, it's physically impossible. I mean, there are some characters that fly, for crying out loud, or, like in Wolf Smitten, there are werewolves or other paranormal creatures. Just not possible, though it can be fun to pretend. However a lot of authors live vicariously through their characters. What they write is what they'd love to do but don't have the courage or time to. Thinking that authors do everything that their characters do, out of research or just because authors write what they know, is a little naive. Some authors are able to actually live their books; most of us have to settle for less. Doesn't mean we're not happy, we just don't all have the crazy, dreamy lives that we give our characters. 

So hopefully I've helped enlighten you some more on what authors hate being asked or hate overhearing. We're people too, just like you. If that question might annoy you, then it will probably annoy an author, so think before you ask. I would also like to thank Delena Silverfox, Angela Castle and Imogen Nix for helping me with the questions this week!
Thank you!

Author Chat Friday with Delena Silverfox: Writers Who Don't Research

I'll admit, I do make up some facts; but there is a necessity for accuracy. This post is all about when facts that need to be accurate aren't researched... 

5 Reasons Why Pulling Details Out of Your Butt Does Not Make You a Writer! | Research for Fiction Writers

How many times have you heard something like this: “Well, it's not like I'm writing non-fiction. It's all fiction/fantasy/alternate-Earth/etc., anyway. I just make up what I need!”

Welcome to my Pet Peeve: Writers Who Don't Research.

Mark Twain said, “It's no wonder truth is stranger than fiction. Fiction has to make sense!” (You might find references that Leo Rosten said that, but I first heard that Twain said it, so I'm stepping out of that debate!)

Reason the First: A story that doesn't make consistent, logical sense is lame. Even if your fictional world is on a different planet in a galaxy far, far away, in an alternate dimension, where everything is powered by pixie dust and hugs and puppies, your world still operates based on a set of rules. Develop those rules Make them as consistent as the laws of physics here on plain ol' Planet Earth.

Nothing ruins a good read faster than constantly having the characters pull some weird, new –and surprisingly convenient– solution out of their butt that nobody's ever heard of and which the author has never bothered to mention until now. Deus ex machina was a tool utilized by the ancient Greeks in their plays to show that the gods smiled upon the virtuous. People thought nothing of a character being whisked away to safety in the face of a sure demise. I think we can leave that plot device where it belongs: in ancient history.

Reason #2: Intelligent people read books, and intelligent people have BS meters. If you need to make something up, make sure you are first applying Rule the First, and then make sure it doesn't stretch believability so badly that you snag the fabric of your plot. There are certain things that will challenge a reader's suspension of belief simply because it's so “out there” it has no basis in reality.

“But wait! It's fiction! It's not real!” Well, hold your horses. You have created a reality for them. At the same time, they exist in this reality, and there are some things that just do not seem possible. Create at least some basis of your book in reality. For example, one of the pinnacles of science fiction in existence –Dune– is pretty whacked when you think about it. But it's based entirely on concepts we readily accept: artificial intelligence gone wrong, mind-altering substances, telepathy, telekenesis, giant mutant monsters a la 1950's monster movies.

Reason #3: Someone is going to know more than you.

It's inevitable. You might think you know a lot about costuming because you watch The Tudors and Pride and Prejudice all the time. You might think you know enough about genetic splicing because hey, it sounded good in Jurassic Park. And you might even know something about firarms or trial law because, hey, you've owned a gun since you were eight and you took pre-law at Harvard. And hey anyway, it doesn't matter if you're not exact, it's your own world and they just did things differently!

Yeah, but, you know what? Even fiction has similarities to the real world somewhere, or similarities to other fiction. People keep track of this stuff. They'll know when you did your research and then added your own flaire, and when it got pulled out of...well, you know. And then they'll let everyone know about how full of it you are, which leads to...

Reason #4: People are more likely to post negative reviews than positive ones. And not just negative, but scathing if you give them a reason to.

Psychologically and physiologically, we are actually built to remember more negative experiences than positive ones. Negative experiences require more processing in the brain, so we think about it more. Back in our hunter/gatherer days, survival required stronger and more immediate reactions to possible negative outcomes. We obsess over the subpar events in our lives purely because they are out of the ordinary, and we then have to go over all of the reasons why it's out of the ordinary. If you have bad logic or obviously fake detail in your book, a reader has an awful lot of time to be sitting around thinking, “This sure is a crappy book!”

Teresa Amabile, director of research over at Harvard Business School, found that the power of a setback to increase frustration is over three times as strong as the power of something to decrease frustration. So respect your readers, and don't give them reason to be frustrated with you because you couldn't be bothered to research. Your ratings and reviews will thank you for it.

Reason #5: Writing is a science every bit as much as it's an art form. And science has rules. Lots of rules. Learn them. Live them. Love them. Find which rules you can manipulate, and which rules actually help you get through obeying other rules.

You never know what you're going to learn if you research related topics. Even if you don't use them, they're still useful! Researching peasant fashion in pre-Revolutionary War France might give you an idea of the kinds of skirts women wore back then, but related topics might show you how they lived, how they thought, what they believed, and how it all mixed up with other things to start a revolution.

Maybe this book doesn't have any of that, but who knows? Maybe your next one will. Or maybe it's just one discontented character, and now all that time you thought you wasted reading about some really cool 18^th century French dissent helps you write a fabulously detailed antihero with depth you never would've gotten if you'd just pulled him out...

You get the picture.

Research. Do it. You just might learn something.

Promo Monday with Delena Silverfox's [Of] Hallowed Fiends and Darkest Fortune

Firstly, I must apologise for this being so late. It was a particularly hot day here on the Gold Coast, and I was also quite distracted with study. But here we are, just before I go curl up in to bed in front of a blasting fan, I welcome Delena Silverfox with her release Of Hallowed Fiends and Darkest Fortune!

Blurb: 

She was the spoiled only child of a wealthy country lord, with a reputation as "used goods." 

After rumors of her running wild at night with a commoner in taverns, Anya is drugged and forced to wed the Duke of Eodel, the wealthiest and most powerful Lord in the kingdom. When he strips her naked and whips her through the streets of Eodel for the marriage procession, she is humiliated. After weeks in his dungeons, her defiance is exhausted and she despairs at her fate. Once she is delivered to her nuptial suites and locked inside, Anya comes face to face with the darker side of her new husband.

He is a cynic and a sadist.

More than his reputation was on the line when the Duke of Eodel wed the lowly Earl of Allimor's strumpet daughter: untold wealth was his for the taking. All it would cost him would be to wed a wild, spoiled brat in the habit of throwing tantrums when she didn't get her way. In his cruel instruction he finds the pleasure he always derived from a woman's pain as she slowly broke beneath his ministrations, but with Anya he finds something troubling. As she goes deeper into her own surrender, her beauty and passion move him...

Excerpt:

She glared at him with skepticism. He merely raised a fine, arched brow at her to make her do as he asked. With that same feathered touch he'd used to handle the parchment, he placed sweetness on her tongue. Anya tried to close her mouth but his finger was still there. She felt awkward standing there with her mouth open. Her cheeks began to burn. Yet he held still and she could not close her mouth.

         The flavor of the sweetness melted on her tongue. Her mouth began to water and she conclusively swallowed, closing her lips around his finger. He left it there a moment, and then inched his finger further into her mouth. As slowly as he had pushed into her mouth, he drew out his finger. The intimacy didn't stop there when he traced his moistened finger along her lips and down her chin.

         The sensation was new and strange. Stranger still, she found that small gesture had left her breathing in small pants. Down there, that place between her legs, throbbed for long seconds.

         'It's called chocolate', he said, shattering the heavy silence. He offered her another. 'Hurry', he whispered, 'before it melts.' He brought the chocolate closer and she opened her mouth lest he smear it on her lips. The thought made her throb hard, once between her legs. This time when her lips closed around his finger, he lingered in her mouth. Only very slowly did he draw out his finger, then pushed it back between her lips once more. The sudden gesture made her swallow in reflex, causing suction, and she heard him choke on a gasp. 'Marriage does not have to be so droll,' he told her, cupping her face. She trembled. He smiled. 'And the dram of distilled occa weed in your chocolate will assure you come to the altar placid as a lamb in spring.'

Bio:

I'm 33, and I live in Indiana with my toddler, fiance, and a quirky orphan kitten I adopted who is still quite nameless at the moment. I moved here recently after twelve years in Portland, OR. It's where I learned about freedom, sexual expression, and the kink community. All my life I'd secretly wondered if I was just a freak, but it turns out I was just a long lost kinkster looking for my people!

I started writing some of my fantasies and other erotic stories online, and after a lot of encouragement and positive feedback, finally got the guts to shop my stories. Naughty Nights Press picked me up, and I've been having so much fun there! I was raised with a bit of literary snobbery --if it wasn't Poe, Shakespeare, or something else printed before 1900 I wasn't allowed to read it-- so romance was scandalous trash that would've made my mom faint, and then run for the rosary and a priest after she woke back up. 

Currently, I'm working on the full-length sequel to Of Hallowed Fiends, as well as a new trilogy.

Where to find Delena and her Hallowed Fiends:

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