Shifters, shifters everywhere

I love shifter books. The raw, primal feeling these guys and gals have amid the pages really has me glued to the book, flipping the pages so fast it looks like I am a NASCAR race. My favorite shifter book has to be by Deborah Cooke. Her Dragonfire novels are one spellbinding story from start to finish. When I sit down with one of her books, I am blown away by the way she created this world and populated with shape-shifting dragons. Now who doesn’t like a good dragon story? I love them. In my Devon Falls book, Fiery Magic, I got the idea to make one of the characters a dragon and the heroine called him “pretty”. Now tell me, are dragons “Pretty”? To me they are wild, primal and pure fun as in the case of Smokey from Yasmine Galenorn’s Otherworld series. Each author makes the shifter, be it dragon, wolves, tigers or, heck, even ferrets, their own and they each incorporate something that will have the reader clamoring for more.

          In Fiery Magic, we met the Dracon twins; one is a dragon shifter, the other a wolf shifter; one family-many generations- who are shifters of some kind. I made my shifters a bit different, where each person in this large family, is something different. They didn’t get bit by the animal; case in point a werewolf, but were born as a shifter of some kind. It is the magic in their blood that defines what they become. Eventually we will meet a cousin of Rod and Damien Dracon- a woman who, in this large family of shifters, has no shifter powers what so ever. What do you do if you have no powers but what god/goddess gave you? That is the question I will ask her and her hero………eventually. 

          My next Devon Falls book introduces a new character in Michael Barnes, who is a rare white tiger shifter who is all alone with no pride. He roams from place to place and is friends with Damien Dracon, who tries to get him to Devon Falls to no avail in years before. He was an interesting character to write about. Here you have a lonely, quiet man who has no place to call “Home”. He longs for mate, hearth and kits of his own but knows that with no pride; he is limited in his choices…….or so he thinks. We meet the woman who will knock him flat on his back and show him that home is where the heart is in Moonlight & Magic.

          Shifters are a world where readers and authors can explore with pure enjoyment. I love reading them and hope to eventually expand on shifters as an author to include Kitsunes and others that fire the imagination. In the meantime, I am going to sit with my dragons and explore their world because Ms. Cooke and Ms.Galenorn are calling me from the bookcases. So what are your favorite shifters to enjoy?

Raine Delight is the author of Devon Falls series at Aspen Mountain Press and the next two books, Moonlight & Magic and Yuletide Magic, are coming respectively October and December 2010. More information on Raine’s books, check out her website and blog for more information, book news and more.

Welcome to the Aspen Mountain Press blog (stop#2) via the 1RomanceEbooks.com Happy Anniversary contest and the last blog you visited at Cherie De Sues.

When my husband, Jeff, started 1RomanceEbooks a little more than a year ago, he worked hard, trying to make a re-seller site as user friendly as possible for both publishers and readers. 

He would know. 

He helped build the Aspen Mountain Press web site and saw first hand the successes and frustrations that I experienced as a publisher.  He took all the lessons I could give him from Aspen Mountain Press and applied it to 1RomanceEbooks persevering against the road blocks and hurdles set before him. When giving up would have been easier, he stayed the course.  When sales were low in the beginning, he created plans to encourage readers to find 1Romance and buy stories from to fill the need for romance in our lives.

Now on the eve of our 24^th wedding anniversary, the 4^th anniversary of Aspen Mountain Press and the 1^st anniversary of 1RomanceEbooks Jeff’s hard work is paying off.  I’ve never been more proud to be associated with a man of integrity, honesty and honor.  A man who understands good customer service, a man who works tirelessly to provide a good experience for all those who visit the site and one who supports a future and a vision for eBooks.

To celebrate the myriad events occurring this summer Aspen Mountain Press is proud to give one lucky winner a signed print copy of DEAD Done Right, a contemporary vampire romance by Lizzie T. Leaf.   The book includes two great stories available NOW as eBooks at Aspen Mountain Press. 

In Waking Up DEAD Deb Stein wakes up to the scent of pine and the discovery that her life has changed forever.  Now instead of the glare of paparazzi flashbulbs, she’s in the spotlight as Lovey Divine who takes it off for a room full of lusting strangers, her one goal to seek revenge on the man who turned her into one of the undead.

And, as a vampire what could possibly be worse than fainting at the sight of blood?  Yet that is precisely what happens in the novella DEAD Faint when Billie Joyce comes to New York City only to be turned into a vampire .

The Aspen Mountain Press blog also has information regarding the upcoming Aspen Mountain Press anniversary bash in which we will be giving away an eReader, gold aspen leaf jewelry, beautiful picture frames, keepsake boxes and more.  In order to win a prize, you must be a member of our newsletter where you will receive more information about how you can win these fabulous gifts.

To win a copy of DEAD Done Right, be sure to leave a valid comment about this post or any others here, along with your participant number and an answer to the following: name one other Lizzie T. Leaf title now available at Aspen Mountain Press other than the ones mentioned in this post.

The next stop of this blog tour will be #3 with Teresa D’Amario.

Congratulations to the man I love and the wonderful company he is building.   May there be many, many more anniversary celebrations.

Aspen Mountain Press is kicking off its anniversary with several days of chats, blogs, contests and more at a variety of places. Check out our list of dates and events planned and mark the calendars in order to win some cool prizes as well.

July 23^rd: kicks off our Anniversary parties with a sneak peek into the first three books to be released in our new imprint line at Aspen Mountain Press. Where-AMP Community Loop (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AMP_Community) and you can even win more prizes this day as well.

July 24^th is where we celebrate our Del Fantasma line and its authors. Love Cody, the vampire bartender matchmaker? Then this day is the one for you at our AMP Facebook Fan Page (Fan Page is http://www.facebook.com/photo_search.php?oid=124393464270181&view=all#!/pages/Aspen-Mountain-Press-Fan-Page/132855360081991?ref=mf) 

July 25^th is where we celebrate with our Horror, thriller and mystery writers from Aspen Mountain Press at The Romance Studio - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/theromancestudio/ from 10 am-6 pm ET.

And from 9-10 pm EST, join AMP authors for a live chat at Romance Junkies :  http://www.romancejunkies.com/chat.html !

July 26^th: meet our M/M Authors and their fabulous books are at Raine Delight’s Reader Loop (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Author_Raine_Delight) from noon-8 PM ET.

July 27^th: we celebrate our Cougar Club line with its authors and read some yummy Cougar Club excerpts from the books of this line are at TRS_Blue Yahoo loop from 12 pm-8 pm ET (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/trsblue)

July 28^th: we are celebrating all our shifters, Space pirates and other paranormal/Science Fiction stories. Meet the authors and read some yummy excerpts this day at Romance Excerpts Only Yahoo Loop 8 am-8 pm ET (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/romanceexcerptsonly)

July 29^th: if you like hot erotica then this day is for you. Here we celebrate our Erotica stories and their authors are at Lizzie’s Tea Room from 8 AM-noon ET (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LizziesTeaRoom/)

And from noon until 9 pm, you can catch more erotica authors at FARChatters! (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FallenAngelReviewChatters/ )

So it’s erotica all day long, all over the web with AMP authors!

July 30^th: love vampires or a good fantasy story? Then this day is for you where we celebrate all our vampires and fantasy stories and their authors are at LR Café from 8 am-5 pm ET (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/loveromancescafe)

July 31^st: meet our new Aspen Mountain Press authors. These authors are brand new to the stable here at AMP and we would love for you to get to know them and check out their upcoming books at AMP & are at the AMP Community Loop all day.

August 1^st: this is our HUGE party on our community yahoo loop. Come on over and party with all the AMP authors this day at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AMP_Community/ 

Prizes galore are to be given away and if you haven’t joined our newsletter, friended us on Facebook, twitter, My Space then please do so. Extra chances to win just by doing those items above as well as joining in on the chats, blogs and other fun stuff planned next week. So keep an eye out on our blog and community loop as we celebrate Aspen Mountain Press’s anniversary.

Ready to get started?  Okay–here’s how it works.

From July 23-August 1, Aspen Mountain Press is conducting its big fourth anniversary bash and if you want the presents, here’s what you have to do.

1. Post a comment to this blog post.

2. Post a comment to the twin blog post at the Aurora Regency blog.

3. Sign up for the AMP newsletter at https://app.e2ma.net/app/view:Join/signupId:1400893/acctId:1400720

4. Participate in the AMP Anniversary bash partyon Sunday August 1 at the AMP Community Loop from 7 to 11 pm EST at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AMP_Community/?yguid=323193151.  We’ll have a thread specifically for entries there where you’ll have to shout out.

And that’s all you have to do to win a Nook e-reader from Aspen Mountain Press.  Other prizes like downloads and gift baskets will be given away at specific chat events.

Tomorrow, at LR&M E-cafe, the Aurora authors are chatting from 10 am to 5 pm.  Your first chance to win is at the Aurora launch party–we’ll be giving away a “Good Night With a Historical Romance” basket with downloads, a hot chocolate set and a FIRST EDITION Georgette Heyer!  Gift basket is worth $100! So show up at the Love Romances and More E-Cafe for your chance to win.

Next week, you can chat with AMP authors including Cynnarra Trenarth, Maura Anderson, Lena Austin, Lizzie T. Leaf, Celina Summers, Marguerite Butler, Kimberly Nee, Arabella Sheraton, Colleen Stormer, Dominique Eastwick, V. Mark Covington, Raine Delight, Kara Griffin, Viki Lyn, Cynthia Vespia, Jade Buchanan, Barbara Custer, Sloane Taylor and Chris Morrow.  We’re giving away downloads from most and many other prizes as well. You can find them at chats–TRS Blue on July 27  from 12 to 8, Romance Excerpts Only all day on July 28 and Love Romances and More on July 30 from 8 to 5.

So the first step is to post a comment to the blog posts. Then sign up for the newsletter. Then the Aurora Regency/ Aurora Regency Historicals authors tomorrow at the Love Romances and More E-cafe! And good luck!

A Note on Revising

“Kill you darlings.”

I heard that once before. No it wasn’t an elaborate murder plot, the author was referring to editing your manuscript. Every first draft is just that a first draft no matter how much you may enjoy a particular scene or bit of dialogue. Upon editing you may find that you’ll have to cut it out or at least pair it down. Hence - kill your darlings. Even if you work with a fine editor I believe in presenting your best work. Rather than get sloppy or lazy and think the editor will handle all the corrections I want to know how the story flows for myself. So for instance take my novel DEMON HUNTER. That particular story took me two years to complete, not because it was hard to wrangle the story but because upon editing I realized that certain things worked better so it would read smoother. An example is that when I started I had originally intended it to be in third person POV. Upon further study I realized that it would read much better if my lead character Costa told his story in first person. I had to go back and rework about half the story but it made a world of difference. Editing and revisions can be a messy challenge but it can also be a fun process that reveals your best work. Like a sculpture who doesn’t add more clay but strips away what is unnecessary for his art…that is the benefit of editing for yourself.
(to find out more for yourself read DEMON HUNTER: THE CHOSEN ONE at www.CynthiaVespia.com)

Yesterday, I learned about the evils of clutter when I purchased an outdoor trashcan and attempted to load it into my Honda Fit. It looked so easy. Folding down the back seats would give plenty of room for my purchase…except so much stuff had congregated in the back seats and floor. Bending the trashcan wasn’t an option; I had to move all my stuff into the front seat. A Christopher Columbus expedition followed where I discovered books, throw rugs, pillows, magazines, tools, bags of old clothes, and more. All up, it took ½ hour to clear enough space for the trashcan.

Then I got to thinking about the clutter in my stories and the way I try to jam my characters so that they’ll fit into the clutter, and then wonder why the story doesn’t make sense. In any novel, you have your central plot, with the subplots revolving around it. Let’s say a vampire flees his land and attempts to live among humans until his enemy catches up with him. Then you add subplots – perhaps the vampire falls in love with his neighbor, then he gets a night job, perhaps his enemy tries to steal his girlfriend. The clutter starts if you throw in werewolves, aliens, and a plethora of “walk-on” characters without duly preparing the reader for them. And whatever goes down, your character has to act true to his role. You can’t have someone with a phobia of heights climb the side of a building unless you’ve motivated and prepared him to do this way in advance. If your character prays in a monastery on one page, and then on the next, he commits a mass murder, you’ll lose your reader unless you’ve set up the story in a way that your reader might expect this.

At the last writer’s conference, a workshop leader gave me wise advice. Don’t just write a resume for your character. Take your character out to dinner. Watch TV with him at home. Bring him to work and family functions. Observe in your mind how he might interact with family members, what foods he might like, etc. Then let him tell you the story. This will help you avoid extraneous scenes that clutter your story, and the reader will keep turning the pages.

With the lessons at the conference and shopping trip in mind, I’m cleaning out the clutter from my present work in progress, and scolding myself in the process. That is my biggest challenge – the mess! It will take longer than ½ hour to clear it, but clear it I will.

What do you find most challenging about rewrites? Does clutter creep into your tales? How do you address it?

–Barbara Custer

Well, it’s time to start getting ready for our fantastic fourth anniversary–especially for all of you, our readers.  The great thing about our birthday is that you get all the presents. In order to be eligible for our big prizes, the gift baskets or the Nook e-reader, you’ll need to keep track of the contest here on our blog, on our Facebook fan page or group page and our newsletter.  You can join the newsletter at  https://app.e2ma.net/app/view:Join/signupId:1400893/acctId:1400720

 The celebration kicks off on July 23, with the sneak peek into AMP’s new imprint, Aurora Regency.  Aside from the three books we’re releasing that day, we’ll be hosting a chat event that evening at the AMP Community Yahoo loop–http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AMP_Community/  with our authors and editors.  You’ll have a chance to meet the authors, read some excerpts and win some prizes.

July 24th we’ll be focusing on our Del Fantasma line. On the 25th, we’ll be spending time with our horror, mystery and thriller writers.  On the 26th, we’ll spend the entire day with our m/m books.  The 27th will be devoted to the Cougar Club line and authors, while on the 28th we’ll take a look at our paranormal and sci fi stories.  The 29th will be centered around our erotica genres.  The 30th will be devoted to Vamps, shapeshifters and fantasy while the 31st will showcase our new authors, the up and coming writers of Aspen Mountain Press.

Stay tuned to the blog–we’ll be announcing different locations and sites for each day’s events.  Take the opportunity now to join the AMP Community loop or friend us on Facebook, so you’ll know where to be every day to meet your favorite AMP authors and have a chance to win some of our fabulous prize packages!

Finally, on the first of August, we’ll have our final big birthday bash.  That evening on the AMP Community loop, you can chat with AMP authors, win lots of wonderful prizes, find out what’s in the future for Aspen Mountain Press and just have a lot of fun.  We’ll be announcing our grand prize winners that evening as well.

We really hope you all enjoy the special events we’re planning as you help us celebrate four years of Aspen Mountain Press!