Gods and Vampires Title: Gods and Vampires
Author: Sabrina Luna
Artist:
ISBN: 978-1-60168-092-1
Genre: Paranormal M/M Dark Erotic
Publisher: Aspen Mountain Press
Publication Date: 3/17/2008
Sexual Content: Erotic M/M with elements of BDSM

Explore the darkness with two male/male erotica tales by Sabrina Luna…
A vampire and a gypsy…
Two lovers and one night of hot, dangerous passion.
A mortal and a god…
At the stroke of midnight, who will pay the price of pain for pleasure?

Click here to read an excerpt.

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From time to time things happen that irk us in regards to our jobs/careers/professions.  We’ve all been there, probably more times than any of us would like to count.

Sometimes we really need to blow off steam, vent our frustrations, and just get our irritation off our chests.  There are right ways and wrong ways to go about getting this release.

1.  Talk to someone who can do something about it.  It could be your editor, or if you don’t feel comfortable with that, you could choose me.   It is always best to go to the source of your problem first, then the next level up if you can’t come to an agreement.

2. Don’t talk about your issues in a public forum.  Doing so violates the other person’s right to privacy.  You could be accused of libel:  a written or oral defamatory statement or representation that conveys an unjustly unfavorable impression b (1): a statement or representation published without just cause and tending to expose another to public contempt (2): defamation of a person by written or representational means (3): the publication of blasphemous, treasonable, seditious, or obscene writings or pictures (4): the act, tort, or crime of publishing such a libel.

3. Don’t burn your bridges.

Decisions get made and to be blunt, the health of the company is the primary concern.  The health of Aspen Mountain Press affects all the authors and editors.  You may not like certain editorial decisions.  Unless you have a really strong, compelling argument why a decision is “wrong”, I am going to back the editors.  But you also know that I’ve really striven to be accommodating to the authors here.  This is unlike nearly every other book and e-Book company I’ve known.  Horror stories abound where authors have: received fifty pages of editorial “direction”;  been asked to rewrite the first hundred pages of a novel four and five times; given input in regards to covers and blurbs and then totally ignored.  This list can go on ad nauseam.

I’ve worked in schools and in corporate America.  I didn’t agree with all the the policies and procedures that those entities insisted I follow.  I had two choices…stay or leave.  In no case did I publicly state why I left one employer in favor of another or why I felt company XYZ was wrong.  I did what my heart insisted I do, but in doing so I took the high road which I recommend everyone here do in every aspect of their lives.  I never knew if there would arise a situation where I would need to contact that company or school again, or perhaps one of the individuals employed there.  In a couple cases, I actually went back to work for the company I left.  If I’d left complaining loudly and publicly about management, the way problems were handled, and other issues, I’d never be able to have a positive  relationship in the future.

I keep an eye on the loops, I’m on over 100, (it’s why I get so much email) and I make note of the things I read…especially of the negative things I read.  I already know there are authors I will never contract because of their lack of professionalism on the loops.  I know the same is true of other publishers.  I know agents and editors hang out in some of these groups and I know they watch the blogs.  I’ve been told by two influential NYC houses that they do a web search on potential authors and read what they’ve posted.

I attend publishers’ conferences, authors’ conferences, workshops, etc…and if you think the competition doesn’t talk with one another, you are sadly mistaken.

So, do yourself and your career a huge favor.  Think and speak positively.  And if something is really bothering you, follow some sage, ancient advice…If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.  In our contemporary times cultivating the positive relationships,  is simply called “networking”

So, is your network strong or weak? 

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Del Fantasma: Latin Lover Title: Del Fantasma: Latin Lover
Author: Tina Bendoni
Artist: Nikita Gordyn
ISBN: 978-1-60168-095-2
Genre: Paranormal Erotic Romance
Publisher: Aspen Mountain Press
Publication Date: 3/14/2008
Sexual Content: Erotic

Grace Ridge is a waitress at Del Fantasma, and has recently moved to the late shift. She is trying to pay off debts her ex-boyfriend left her with when he skipped town. Debts both legal and illegal. When a mysterious vampire butts into her life, she is anxious to keep him out, but circumstances beyond her control drag him further in than she wanted. Once he is there, though, does she really want him to leave?

Click here to read an excerpt.

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Masks of Emotion Title: Learning Curve
Author: Christy Gissendaner
Artist: Jinger Heaston
ISBN: 978-1-60168-091-4
Genre: Contemporary Romantic Comedy
Publisher: Aspen Mountain Press
Publication Date: 3/7/2008
Sexual Content: Sensual

Sadie’s one desire is to finish her first sizzling romance manuscript. Only problem is this budding author is still a virgin. To turn on the heat between her characters, she turns to her lifelong friend, Jason Bradshaw, an expert when it comes to matters of the bedroom. But as she finds herself falling for Jason, Sadie learns there is more to romance than just lust.

Click here to read an excerpt.

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Masks of Emotion Title: The Defense
Author: Stacey Lynn Schlegl
Artist: Celia Kyle
ISBN: 978-1-60168-031-0
Genre: Contemporary
Publisher: Aspen Mountain Press
Publication Date: 3/7/2008
Sexual Content: Sensual

BBW, Samantha avoids dating and men. Besides, who would want her when she used to be a gorgeous size 6 and is now an ugly 18? Isn’t that what her mother keeps reminding her of? But her size doesn’t seem to deter Bruce, a handsome Korean student in the graduate program with her, but he needs to break through the defense she’s built and it’s formidable. Publishers note: This is a RE-RELEASE

Click here to read an excerpt.

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Hey there guys!

Sorry I’ve been out of circulation for a while, but I’m up to my ears in writing projects and recovering from a small medical procedure.  Nothing to worry about: I’m fine.  Just busy and disinclined to get off the couch.

As proof of how out of it I am, I discovered something today completely by accident.  The Reckoning of Asphodel was named the Winter 2008 staff pick in Fantasy from Love Romances & More!  How silly am I?  I should have been shouting out about this a couple of weeks ago.  You can check it — and the other Staff Picks– out here.  

Secondly, I selected a winner on my blog contest on February 14th.  Although I mentioned it on my blog, I quite stupidly forgot to tell you guys about it here.  So….CAITLIN HOY congratulations!  You won a copy of The Reckoning of Asphodel as well as first dibs on a free copy of Gift of Redemption when it is released in June!  Email me at kaantira@hotmail.com so I can mail you your copy and I really hope you enjoy it.

 Have a great day, and I hope you are all experiencing better weather than the standard Ohio roller coaster of late winter.  Seventy degrees yesterday, three inches of snow last night, and ice today…no wonder everyone’s sick.  Take care!

Celina

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Masks of Emotion Title: Masks of Emotion
Author: Claire Thompson
Artist: Jinger Heaston
ISBN: 978-1-60168-090-7
Genre: M/M Erotica
Publisher: Aspen Mountain Press
Publication Date: 2/29/2008
Sexual Content: M/M Erotica

Alex Williams never got over the almost-fling he’d had one summer in Sri Lanka with the sexy Brit Julian Goddard. The story opens six years later, and both men have been through a lot in between, with Alex putting the dream of Julian firmly behind him. Julian has come to embrace who and what he is, but he’s never been able to find the love he almost had with Alex. A chance meeting, hidden behind masks at a costume party, reignites a passion never consummated. Against a backdrop of scorching erotic m/m love, this story delves into the layers of denial and self-deception we develop to protect ourselves from pain, and strips them away, one by one.

Click here to read an excerpt.

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We have the greatest job in the world, writing and reading stories and helping make them better.  How cool is that?

But, there are days when the words are difficult to put to the page.  I posit that perhaps we spend too much time working on writing and not enough time refilling our creative well.  To that end I propose you consider the following:

1. Know when your peak writing time is and write then.  You won’t be fighting yourself.

2. Set a timer, for five minutes less than the time you are allotting to write.  Timers help us create natural arcs in our story structure be it a paragraph, a page, or a chapter.  When time expires, you need to wrap up your work, even if you will be getting back to it later in the day.  Five minutes or five hour long timings…using this technique will help you find conflict, action, and resolution within the building blocks of your story.

3. Make a date with yourself to do something away from your desk, away from your workplace.  You might go to a garage sale, a second-hand shop, a museum, the park.  Renew yourself by changing your environment.

4. Hone your craft.  Attend classes, lectures, critique groups, read craft books, find the things that can help you be a better writer.

5. Remember writing is also a job.  Jobs have beginnings and ends every day. Jobs have responsibilities that need to be met.  You have to show up.  Writers need to show up at the page, put in their time  and then  need to end the day.  But like a job, you have to make writing a priority, just like you do when you go to work.  If you’re serious about writing, “calling in” is not an option for the days you don’t “feel like it.”

That’s it.  Pretty simple.  Don’t burn out, recharge and make use of the time you have.

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Join some of the Del Fantasma authors in the Realms of Love chatroom:

Monday, February 25th, 9pm EST

As a special treat, we’ll even have the series editor, Nikita Gordyn, to talk about the series overall!

Come hear about the terrific books in this series, some coming books and a chance to win a copy of a few of them.

Right now we have:

Maura Anderson
Aline de Chevigny
Celia Kyle
JM Snyder

You can find the by going to the Realms of Love homepage and clicking on Chat in the left hand sidebar!

We can’t wait to tell you all about Cody, the Del Fantasma bar, and the stories behind each drink!

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The Ravenson Project Title: Project Prometheus 2: Hope of Heaven
Author: Esther Mitchell
Artist: Nikita Gordyn
ISBN: 978-1-60168-089-1
Genre: Action/Adventure, Paranormal
Publisher: Aspen Mountain Press
Publication Date: 2/22/2008
Sexual Content: Light/Sensual

Peter Talladay has returned to his native country to recover from wounds received in the Middle East. Only his recovery has ground to a halt and a friend of Project Prometheus has sent a doctor to help him.

Doctor Hope MacKenzie arrives in Ireland at the insistence of her friend. But what she finds haunting Peter Talladay is more than what meets the eye.

Click here to read an excerpt.

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