How to achieve Writing & Publishing Goals? by Wilson Smith

Several authors & writers dream about self-publishing a book, but only few of them are able to fulfill them, and out of these also, only few get the success. You might also be one amongst those, who wish to self publish the book. But how far do you think that you will be able to achieve it? If you have any doubt or do not know how to achieve your goals, then read the tips mentioned below.

• Pen down your aims and goals

This is one of the most essential tips when it comes to achieving any aim or purpose. If you have your goal and objective written in a diary or notepad, then there are 70-80% chances that you'll achieve it. Also, from one research, it is analyzed that if the goals are not written, then there are only 20-30% chances that they would be accomplished.

So, if you have your writing or self publishing goal in your mind, then you must pen it down. For writers, it is easy to frame the goals in words, and in case you need any help, then you may search for the online tutorials and guides for writing achievable, measurable, exact, important, and time-bound objective.

• Set your focus at the destination

When the goal is in your mind, it tells about great intentions. However, it is still unspecific. To achieve it, you have to decide the destination and exact path to be followed.

For instance, in your mind, you have set that, you need to write a book, and then self publish it. But, when it comes to writing a goal, you have to be precise, on what genre you would write? Will it be a non-fiction, fiction, business, romance, contemporary, or historical? Be clear with everything and proceed wisely.

• Platform building & working in time limit

When it comes to writing a book, you have to be careful about how much time will it take to get finished. You should not do too late, otherwise your concept might get old or irrelevant. Also, you have to start working upon promoting the book side by side. You can use social networking sites like Facebook to do this. However, you must use this potential of this platform wisely.

• Work on the alternatives precisely

What if your work-plan fails or there is some interruption? Are you prepared for it, or will you leave your goals & work in a new way? It is important that you prepare yourself with plan B as well, so that in case of any problem, you can implement to it. And yes, to decide the plan B, you have to consider every aspect.


TheBookPatch is a one-stop solution for Print On Demand and self-publishing requirements of the authors & Self publish book. On demand printing, Print a book & sell it in an easy way using the tools for free writing, editing and designing at the book patch.

Write, Edit, and Proofread Your Own Documents Effectively, by Laurel Waiton

Writing, editing, and proofreading are the three steps of crafting a winning essay.These three aspects of writing and checking the content are absolutely different from each other. It is possible for a good editor to be a writer and a proofreader; however, it is often difficult for a student to act as an editor and proofreader on a professional level.
Writing a thesis paper or college essay requires the skill to properly presentthe subject.  By having subject expertise and following the general guidelines of writing a college essay, a student can easily write an essay, but after that, he/she should how to edit and proofread his/her own document. Now, let us discuss how to find an essay editing service online.

Check the basic details of the essay
A college paper should be written with sincerity and accuracy because it is gradedon the student'sperceived expertise. Therefore, the basic details of an essay must be addressed. Basic details such asaccuracy of information, spelling consistency, grammar, syntax errors, and subject-verb agreementshould be thoroughly checked and rectified. These basic details determine the quality of the essay.In addition to editing; proofreading makes it free from general flaws.

Checking for plagiarism in the document
In order to write a college essay or research paper, you need to take plenty of material from reference books. It is expected that you will use this information in your own words.If these sources are copied in your paper without proper citation, you are guilty of plagiarism. However, plagiarism can be discovered using professional software that checks the originality of the content.

Check the flow of content
It is essential for your paper to read well. For that, there should be a consistency in the flow of content and coordination between chapters, heading, and subheadings. You need to read the entire piece and understand the flow of content so you can bridge the gaps, if any, through a comprehensive evaluation. Sometimes, students are unable to bridge the gaps in the flow of content alone. In these cases, availing suggestionsfrom an expert or hiring an online essay editing service may help you manage the task with ease.
However, if checking and correcting all the gaps in an essay on your own is not an option, it is always bestto enlist the help of an online essay editing service so you can make your document be at its best.



Written by Laurel Waiton on behalf of Polished Paper; this is having topics on online essay editing service, College application editing and many more.

How To Make Money Writing Online and Content Marketing, by C.A. Perez

Article writers using content marketing often overlook content readability when composing their articles. Writing articles online for money must not only consider motivating readers to buy a product. To make money writing online, authors must also provide readable quality content.

With the advent of Google's stated goal to improve a user's search experience, many websites and articles lost their coveted positions in Search Engine Ranking Positions (SERPs). It is now, more than ever, that quality website content writing is king. Writing online for money as a means of 'gaming' the search engines through keyword stuffing, article blasts to thousands of article directories, and weak, poorly structured website content writing are gone.

Readability

Readability measures the grade level needed to understand any document. There are several schemes that are used to determine readability. The Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level is one of better known and most used measurements. Your content writing can be much improved if you incorporate this measure into your article writing.

Although it has come under criticism for its simplicity, Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level scale is still widely used and can give you an idea of your article's readability.

You can determine your article's readability with the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level scale which assigns a grade level to the written material. MS Word provides a readability statistics feature found under the spell check tab that determines your article's grade level reading score.

There are free utilities on the web that allow you to copy and paste your document and the utility will return the grade level score. There are others. Online-Utitility.org is one. You can find them with a 'free readability tools' search on the internet.

You can also use the Google 'more search tools' feature found at the bottom of the left navigation bar when doing a Google search and choosing 'reading level'. The organic results will show 'basic', 'intermediate', or 'advanced' reading levels for each of the page results.

Although, the results may not be 100% accurate, they do give you an idea of the grade level that your article or page is written at. It may seem that I am putting much emphasis on readability and quality content. It is important to note when writing for the web that the content be easily understandable by your targeted reader. You make make money writing articles online by targeting your reader.

Ideal Reading Level

If you dumb down your website content writing, the reader may feel insulted and dismiss your words. If your words are too pedantic, readers may accuse you of flaunting your knowledge. You may have quality content, but not readable by your targeted audience.

What is the ideal reading grade level? The answer eludes me. Many claim that the national average reading level is eighth grade and that article writers should write at that level or lower when writing for the web. I have yet to find any evidence to substantiate that claim or that you will make money writing to that grade level.

Studies have been conducted by various governmental agencies under the U.S. Department of Education and by independent private agencies on various aspects of literacy throughout the United States, but I have yet to find any authoritative data that specifically identifies the national reading average to be at the eighth grade level.

Adult Literacy in America

The study most often cited as the source of the eighth grade reading level claim is a 1993 study, Adult Literacy in America: A First Look at the Results of the National Adult Literacy Survey, by Irwin S. Kirsch, sponsored by the National Center for Education Statistics. You can review the results yourself at the National Center for Education Statistics.

However, the study does not specifically state that the national reading level average is at the eighth grade level. In fact, the study's committee "… agreed that expressing the literacy proficiencies of adults in school-based terms or grade-level scores is inappropriate."

The study did survey levels of literacy skills ranging from Level 1 to Level 5, with Level 5 being the most difficult or the highest skill level. The survey did show that about half the population performed at levels 3-5 and half performed within the lower levels 1 and 2.

SERPs and Readability

Nevertheless, if we accept the various reading level scales like, Flesch-Kincaid, article writers can improve their content marketing to more closely match the acceptance of targeted readers. In addition, Google and other search engines may or may not look favorably on the webpage or article and rank it higher than one that Google deems to be written at an inappropriate level as evidenced by the Official Google Blog

For instance, an article written at the twelfth grade level about building a tool shed may not be looked upon as worthy of Google's definition of maximizing the user search experience. An article on the same subject written at the sixth or seventh grade level might well fair much better in the SERPs.

On the other hand, writing an article on the Literacy Statistics of Migrant Workers at the fourth or fifth grade level would not fare well with academic readers and probably not with the search engines.

The point is that article writers should consider readability when writing articles. The effort does not need to be an all consuming effort. Readability can easily be checked with one of the tools I mentioned earlier.

Be aware of the end user. The more you comply with Google's goal of "providing the best user experience possible," the more favorably the search engine will rank your writing for money efforts.

_________________

C.A. Perez

About The Author

Writing articles online for money can be very profitable. Start off on the right foot, learn how to write and structure your article and increase your sales and traffic by following the rules of the road in my new e-book: "Writing For The Web:An Introduction To Article Writing". Find out about it and more at http://WritingFortheWeb.info.

Article Source:http://www.articlecity.com/articles/writing/article_2225.shtml

The Trouble with Real World Grammar Rules

Common wisdom dictates that if a grammatical "mistake" becomes common enough, it is no longer a mistake. The rules of grammar supposedly adapt to real-world usage. Real-world usage aside, the pervasive use of "me and so-and-so" in our culture drives me nuts!

It used to be, "George and I went to the store." Back in the old days of 30 or so years ago, if someone said, "Me and George went to the store," the listener would quietly come to the conclusion that the speaker was a bit slow. Nowadays, turn on the television and the newscaster is saying, "Me and ... blah, blah, blah." Talk radio hosts say it. Even educated people such as lawyers and CPAs have embraced the "me and my client" culture.

You know what's even scarier? I have intentionally included the "me and George" error and other grammatical mishaps in this article and ran it through Microsoft Word's spelling and grammar check. Guess what? It didn't even catch the errors!

Is this sloppy grammar just the product of a narcissistic "Me, me, me culture?" Are we just getting dumb? Or am I way behind the times and getting dumb as a result because I am not using real-world usage?

Frankly, it's been many years since I suffered through a semester of grammar class. I can see or hear what's off with a sentence but do not know what the error is specifically called. So, here's the practical, common sense rule as I understand it from second grade:

Take out the third person and see if the sentence makes sense. If you're saying "Me and George went to the store," keep George out of it and try this: "Me went to the store." Sounds ridiculous, eh? Conversely, split up the proper form and we have, "George went to the store," and "I went to the store." You can do this with a variety of sentences to easily figure out what makes the most grammatical sense.

Common sense aside, those of us who are offended by the constant "me and so-and-so" grammar can at least take comfort in the fact that pronoun variations such as "Me and him went to the store" or "Her and me went to the store" have not yet skyrocketed to the top of the common usage charts.

Now that this irritant is off my chest, me going to the store. Maybe George wants to go, too.

Article Source: http://www.ArticleStreet.com/profile/dlb777-320.html

Ciara Lake - Mother, Lawyer, Writer

Hello Romance Readers, I’m Ciara Lake. Since I was in high school, I dreamed of writing. During the day, I’m a lawyer. I represent children in juvenile and domestic court protecting their interest. I have two children of my own but live with seven children all together. My two boys are very talented with music and writing. We love the arts. Our household has two wonderful dogs too. We have a Great Pyrenees and and Shiba Inu to bring our house happiness. We are a very busy family.


One of my high school teachers was Karen Harper. I admired her writing books and now she has many published. She was my English teacher. Goes to show how adults can really influence children and teenagers. As of October 2011, I have three books available to be purchased, The Triaxen, Xihirah, and The Ketchikan Man.

I’m doing this series with Author Patricia Bates writing as Elise Whyles, Beachwalk Press is publishing the Forsaken series.

The series will feature a fantasy world filled with fantasy realms. There will be dragons, vampires, trolls, merpeople, Greek gods, Norse gods, myths, the enchanted forest, and more. Each book is a sensual experience for our readers. Both Elise and I are very excited to provide this fantasy experience to our readers. My first book in the Forsaken Series is Curse of a Dragon’s Claim book 2 in the Forsaken Series. If you enjoy dragon shifters, you’ll love Clayne MacDagon. I met Elise aka Patricia while working with my first publisher. She is an excellent editor and we have made a good friendship. With our friendship, we started talking about this Forsaken series and it was born. I am very excited about how it is developing.

I am getting ready to submit my next book in the Forsaken series, Forsaken Norse Wind book 4. It’s a story about a handsome troll who was once a Viking. I have a new spin on trolls. You’ll love Axel Venrick. I don’t think there are many books about trolls. Book 2 is to be released May 21, 2012.

I am currently working on book 6 in the Forsaken Waves of Time. This story is about a strong spirited environmentalist lawyer, Tabitha Lock. Ms. Lock is defending a company alleged to be polluting the waterways. A Merman, Jax Aquilla, also an environmental lawyer, for The Poseidon Firm, has an agenda regarding Ms. Lock and an intense dislike for the wasteful, careless, 21st century humans, who pollute our world. Jax is very intolerant at first, yet Tabitha loosens him up a bit. The two destined lovers start at odds, literally on opposite sides, but their love conquers their differences. The intensity turns to passion. Since I am a lawyer, I really am enjoying writing about lawyers.

To write is a true stress relief. It’s as if I can escape on a vacation in front of my computer. After all, in my fictional worlds there’s a big difference from the world I work in, divorce court. There’s always a happy ending in my books. sci fi and paranormal books are the most exciting to write. There are no limits to what I can imagine and write down.

Thank you, for the opportunity to blog to share a little about me as well as about my projects. Many thanks to all the readers who enjoy my adventures in love. Feel free to email me

Curse of a Dragon's Claim

by Ciara Lake

Available from Beachwalk Press

Blurb:

The realm of Dragons is a world of magic, danger and mystery. Embroiled in a brutal war with the Vampires, they’ve often travelled to our realm. Caught between two powerful immortal beings, humans and those once Forsaken by the immortal realm, have paid the ultimate in price.On the cusp of an ancient evils rising, a beautiful Forsaken, Arianna Mergliano will discover she’s something more than she ever imagined.

Clayne MacDagon, a powerful dragon warrior embittered by his twin’s death is sent on a mission to find the dracvipen. Seeing Arianna, he knows she is his fated mate. Embracing this truth, he takes her as his own. Together, they must face the shadows and evil that have long plagued the immortal realms and find a way to survive the coming war with their love as their only weapon.

Ciara Lake

Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Bookstrand

From Idea to Completion: The Birth of a Novel

On a recent discussion on facebook, I was asked to talk a little bit about my writing process. I thought this was an interesting topic, because the path from idea to finished book is unique for each author. Sometimes it’s unique for each story. I thought I’d share with you today the process of how I came up with the idea for my latest release, Velvet Steel, and how I developed that idea into the story that released on January 17th.

Every writer has different things that inspire their muse. My muse likes to have drinks with my husband. :p After a couple of glasses of wine we end up having these odd conversations. After a few more drinks we end up making outrageous dares of one another. The idea for Velvet Steel came from a dare I made my husband to come up with the most outrageous title for a story in publishing history. He thought for about five seconds before he said “Velvet Steel.”

I said the idea had potential, but what would the story be about? He said that it would be about a steel company owned by the Velvet family.

It was in that moment that Velvet Steel was born.

I wrote the idea down in the “idea” folder on the computer, and for the next month I rolled the concept around in my subconscious.

Then Loose Id had a submissions call for “Battle of the Sexes” themed stories. These were stories where the hero and heroine were at odds throughout the story. Whether it was competing companies, opposing teams, or opposite sides of an issue, they wanted stories where the main characters were locked in a battle.

I had my conflict. What if the owners of Velvet Steel were at odds with a competing company?

After some more thought, I had the characters in my head. I headed over to babynames.com and found names for my characters. I knew I wanted it to be a ménage, and the more I thought about it, the more it seemed like the two male leads needed to have a relationship of their own. I thought about the story some more, and then plotted it out.

From here on in, my writing process is always the same for every book. After plotting, I know about how long it is going to be and then fit it into my writing schedule. When it comes time to draft (which can be anywhere from two weeks to one year later), I go over the plot and do what is known as a “fast draft.” Here I write as much as I can, as fast as I can. The idea is to just get the story out on paper. It’s messy, very messy. There are plot holes and character inconsistencies. Half the time my characters are just talking heads, no personality, no spark. Depending on the length, this could take me anywhere from one day (~5k) to a month (~50k).

Then, if I’m not under deadline, I let it sit for at least a week. This is important, because I don’t want to be too close to the story when I start the edits.

I make a first pass of the story. This is where the real work begins. I add description and setting. I give the characters personality and smooth my transitions. I fix dialogue and mannerisms. I layer in foreshadowing and symbolism, then fix inconsistencies. Depending on length, this can take anywhere from three days to one month.

Then I make a final pass. Here the reading is smoother and I fix spelling, grammar, and any small stuff I missed the first time around. Then I format according to the publishing house’s style and voila! It’s finished.

From start to finish, it takes me ~4 weeks to write a 20-30k novella, and 6-8 weeks for a category length novel. Single title stories take me about 10 weeks to complete. If I’m not under deadline, I’ll work on three stories at a time: one in edits, one in drafting, and one in the plotting stage. If there’s a deadline then I’ll work on one story exclusively.

So there you have it. This is how I write. I should add that this is how I write NOW. Writing habits can change over time. My process in 2012 isn’t the same process I had in 2011, or 2010. As my career evolved my process changed to meet the changing demands. I’m constantly tweaking the process to make it fit changes in lifestyle or my career plan. I’m sure if you ask me a year from now what my process is, it will be slightly different from the plan I’ve outlined today.

What do you think? Does it make sense or do you think I’m nuts? :p If you’re a writer, do you have a similar method? Where do you get your ideas?

In the meantime, here’s a little bit about my new release, Velvet Steel…

Suzanne Rock

Love Immortalized, Destinies Fulfilled

Velvet Steel

by Suzanne Rock

ISBN: 978-1-61118-737-3

Available from Loose Id

BLURB:

Shane and Noah set out to seduce Kitty Velvet into selling them her family’s struggling steel company on their terms. They plan a weekend of deception and sexual adventure to convince her to give up the business she had spent her life keeping afloat. As they begin their passionate getaway, things don’t go as planned. Instead of putting their rival out of business, they gain deeper feelings for the feisty blond – and for each other. With their world upside down, Shane and Noah must now decide if business ambitions are worth losing a chance at something bigger than money, and more precious than owning a steel empire.

Kitty has worked hard to keep Velvet Steel afloat, but changing technologies and the growth of their rivals have made the company’s continued viability almost impossible. As she embarks on an erotic weekend to distress and regroup, she develops feelings for two strangers who turn out to be the very men who had made her life a living hell for the past year. Is saving her family business worth losing her only chance at love?

EXCERPT:

“Well, Ms. Kitty, would you like to dance?” Shane asked.

“Don’t be silly, Shane, of course the lady would like to dance.” Noah stood, blocking her view of the dance floor. “She wouldn’t be here otherwise, would she?”

Kitty agreed. “You want me to dance with both of you?”

“Would you prefer only one of us?” Shane’s eyes twinkled with mischief.

“I --” She shifted her gaze between the men. While Shane was broad and rugged, Noah was long and lean. Black hair, cut on the short side, curled around his ears and gave him a scholarly appearance. There was nothing scholarly about his body, however. Hard and chiseled, Noah looked like one of those international soccer players she liked to watch during the World Cup.

“I’ve heard dancing with two men can be more…stimulating.” Noah’s voice trickled over her like a caress. “Isn’t that right, Shane?”

Kitty noticed how Noah’s voice hardened on his friend’s name and stifled a wince. How could she be such an idiot? She had probably offended them. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to --”

Shane glanced at his friend and frowned. “No, we are the ones who are sorry.” He removed his fingers from her thigh and smiled. “A beautiful lass like you probably has a man waiting for her.”

“No, no man.”

“Good.” Shane’s features softened as he brushed her cheek with his knuckle. “Then you have no excuse not to dance” -- he flicked his gaze to Noah -- “with both of us.” He returned his attention to her. “Come on.” He stood and held out his hand.

This was so sudden. Kitty had a ritual. First she’d have her martini and evaluate the crowd; then she’d pick out someone who seemed nonthreatening. Then she’d approach him and offer to buy him a drink.

“Come on.” Shane winked and tugged her to her feet. “I promise you won’t regret it.”

Kitty stared at Shane’s back as the men led her away from the table. This whole thing seemed surreal. Taboo was infamous for its sexually charged atmosphere. Stepping on the dance floor was like taking part in an orgy without actually having sex. No, sex was saved for the reserved areas and VIP rooms upstairs. The dance floor was for displaying a person’s sexual prowess and for capturing a lover for the evening.

Soon she would be joining the erotic fray -- with two dance partners. The thought of the three of them pressed close together caused her skin to tingle with anticipation. It would be different. Exciting. Just what she needed to forget about her father and Velvet Steel.

Shane dropped her hand and started to move. Kitty stood, stunned at the large man’s gracefulness. Shane seemed like he had been born on the dance floor.

Noah stepped up from behind and touched her shoulder. “Go on, don’t be shy.”

Kitty closed her eyes and concentrated on the techno beat, letting it infuse her body. Gradually the weight of the world fell away, and she became light-headed. She tilted her head back and lifted her arms in silent salutation to the strobe lights above.

First she swayed her hips. When she found the rhythm, she swished her arms in time to the music. It was divine. She let the music lift her spirit up into the rafters and blank her mind to all but the steady thrum of the beat.

Shane snaked his arm around her waist and pulled her close. She could tell it was Shane because his broad chest surrounded her in heat and sexual energy. Noah’s thinner frame could never pull off such a feat. She felt good in Shane’s arms. Safe. Her position as the CEO’s daughter had forced her to have a tough-as-nails attitude, but now, with these men close to her, Kitty felt herself letting go, becoming more malleable, submissive. She wanted to lean into all that hard muscle and cocoon herself away from the world, if only for a little while. Kitty molded her body against his and let herself become lost in the music.

Shane’s grip tightened. “You smell like cherries.” He slipped his knee between her legs.

“My shampoo.” What made her say that? It didn’t matter. She pressed her breasts harder against his chest. She could feel the rise and fall of his chest. It felt so intimate. Their hips began to move as one. Heat poured through her body as she rubbed her thighs against the rough fabric of his jeans. She imagined herself, legs spread, his hard cock thrusting deep inside her body. Would he be gentle like the man she’d found the last time she was in the club? She hoped not. All week Kitty had had to make tough decisions for work. Tonight she wanted to be controlled and dominated. She didn’t want to have to think.

Shane leaned forward and traced the rim of her earlobe with his tongue. “You taste good enough to eat.”

Another hard body pressed against her back. “Let me try, Shane.” Noah kissed the base of her neck. Kitty moaned as liquid heat shot through her center and settled between her thighs. How did these men know just what she wanted? Kitty's skin tingled as every inch came into contact with hard, male muscle. She felt as if she were drowning in testosterone, and God help her, she loved it.

“You’re right. She is sweet.” Noah repeated the kiss, this time letting his tongue linger on her skin. “She purrs just like a kitten too.”

Kitty’s lower abdomen clenched, and her thighs became damp with need. She closed her eyes and bit back a groan as Noah’s lips once again brushed her skin.

“How interesting.” Shane inched his hand down until it rested on her hip. “I wonder if you can make her purr louder so I can hear it better over the music.”

“It would be my pleasure.” Noah wrapped his hand around her middle and slid his fingers under her top.

Kitty opened her eyes in surprise. His touch felt warm, much warmer than she'd expected in the air-conditioned club. She held her breath as Noah eased his hand under her bra.

"Oh, Shane, you need to feel this," he said.

Shane arched his brow and leaned back to study her face. "Too much for you, lass?"

Kitty slowly shook her head. It wasn't too much to have these two men surrounding her. In fact, it felt just right.

Shane smiled. "Good, because Noah and I are just beginning."

_______________________________________________

Suzanne Rock Bio:

After over a decade in the scientific world, Suzanne needed a creative outlet. She tried scrap booking, cooking, crocheting, painting, and piano, none of which held her interest for very long. Then one of her friends suggested writing. Thrilled with the idea of creating her own worlds, she opened up her lap top and never looked back.

When Suzanne’s not writing, she can be found playing with her two daughters, testing her husband’s latest kitchen creations, or curled up with her favorite romance novel in her central Massachusetts home.

 
Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Linked In
Online Writing Classes ~ Books on Writing (with Em Petrova) ~ Free Reads
Kyron Pack Series (werewolf) ~ Unholy Series (demons)
Immortal Ream Series (a little bit of everything paranormal)

Can You Promote Your Book Too Much?

Apparently you can. At least when it comes to some readers. I happened upon a post thread on an obscure forum where a disscussion took place about spam. We all know what that is -- unwanted, annoying email. As I scanned the page, one word captured my attention- WRITER.

I found myself reading more of the thread and discovered there are readers that don't appreciate constant updates from writers, and they go as far as to say the spam from some writer's has totally turned them off from wanting to read those writer's books.

Key points they were against:

     1. Getting numerous emails from an author just because they are in the author's address book.

         So authors, if you are guilty of sending emails to every person you've ever had contact with, you may be losing readers.

      2. Signed up to Newsletters without permission.

          Authors, make sure you don't add anyone's email address to your newsletter list that hasn't asked. Double opt-in is the best way to go with through email services. Otherwise, if you're doing the adding, be sure to send them an email, reminding them why they are being signed up, ie contest entry, book giveaway, etc.

      3. Repeated posts on the same topic.

          In other words, don't keep posting the same excerpts and the same news on the same group more than once a week, or every week for months. Readers find that boring, annoying and time comsuming.

Is Length Important

Is length important?

I tend to write short books. I like to read all different lengths, just as I like to read all different genres. But while I write a wide range of genres, so far I have only written novellas and short books.

“Ghostly indulgence” is one of my shortest books.

It’s only a little over 3000 words long, but it’s very hot. For me, this is the kind of length I can read in bed of an evening, before going to sleep—or doing other things! Also, this short means it’s fine to read on a phone if I’m stuck waiting in line or during a commute.

I also keep several shorts like this on my laptop for those boring times when I need to look like I’m working, or be available to answer the phone, but I know if I start a longer book I’ll be called away long before I can finish it.

“Burning For You” is much longer at over 10,000 words. I like this length for lazy weekend afternoons, curled up on the couch, reading, with either a hot chocolate (winter) or a long cold drink (summer) by my side. And this length is still cheap enough to buy to treat myself to several at a time so I can choose what I want to read. Paranormal? Historical? Contemporary? I like to keep a variety of novellas on my laptop so I can choose what I feel in the mood for each time.

I have also published several longer books around 22,000 words. This is the length I like to take on vacation for lazy beach or pool-side reading. Or just to sit under a tree with on a perfect day. The longer the book the more characters and subplots the author can introduce, so that adds to the reading experience.

So what is better: short or longer? Hmm. I’ll take one of each please. But then, I also write ménage.

Ghostly Indulgence: a hot little Halloween read for you

BLURB

Nurzhan and Spyridion are ghosts. The only night they can become corporeal is All Hallow’s Eve, when they should be busy haunting. Hopefully, there will be some time for fun, as well. They’re determined to get to know each other much better on this one special night. But how can they live a whole year without touching each other again?

EXCERPT

The closer it got to Halloween the harder Spyridion tried to think of a way to get up close and personal, in private, with the truly yummy Nurzhan. The problem was, all ghosts were so busy at Halloween. They were supposed to devote themselves to scaring people all night long, yet this was the only time they could become fully corporeal and fuck properly as humans. It hardly seemed fair that on the one night a year they were guaranteed multiple outstanding orgasms, they were fully occupied jumping out of closets and saying “Boo” to unbelieving humans. Although he didn’t want to totally abdicate his duties on that night, surely he could spend an hour or so in bed with the one ghost he desired above all things, Nurzhan. How to set it up was the problem.

Spyridion was in one of his favorite places, sitting on the steeple of St Thomas the Apostle by the Sea Church, looking out over the ocean, when he saw Nurzhan floating toward him. Damn, that man was fuckable. Shoulder-length black hair, silky-soft and swirling around his head. Eyes so deep a brown a man could drown in those sexy, dark pools. And built. Oh yeah, big all over, especially where it counted the most.

Spyridion knew Nurzhan was interested in him. They’d even exchanged a few touches and a kiss, but he wanted a whole lot more than that. And he wanted it the one night of the year when they were both able to become corporeal.

Nurzhan wafted down onto the steeple and settled himself beside Spyridion.

“Hi there. All ready for the big night?” Spyridion asked.

“Yeah, well, um, I’ve been thinking about that.”

“You have? Me too.” Spyridion felt excitement tingle through him. If he’d had a pulse it would have been racing right now.

“I don’t think it’s fair the way we ghosts aren’t recognized for all the hard work we do each All Saint’s Eve. It’s time we stood up for ourselves and made people realize we have rights, too.”

Well, damn. That wasn’t what I was hoping he’d say!

Available from Torquere Books

Berengaria Brown

http://berengariasblog.blogspot.com/

http://berengariabrown.webs.com/

Pets in Romance Stories

Do you like your hero or heroine to have a pet or two? Does it make them more real to you if they cuddle a kitty after yelling at their true love? Or cry into their horse’s mane? Or maybe she owns a really clever pet bird that frightens away a would-be bad guy? Do you like the thought of your hunky hero going for a run with his dog?

I can think of one mystery author who always includes a cat or two in her books and the cats’ characters are every bit as vivid as that of the humans. And sometimes far more interesting to me, as a reader too.

I know of another author who adores animals and it shows in every line she writes about her shapeshifter wolves.

Then there are books I’ve read with a pet introduced in chapter one and never mentioned again in the book. I’m always left wondering, “What happened to the pet when the lovers hooked up? Is the pet going to get an HEA or not?”

There are a group of well-known authors who have written entire series of books where the hero or heroine is basically just a foil for the animal character that solves the mystery/ saves the world. That is another entire genre of book.

According to the God of all Knowledge, WikiAnswers, 63% of American households have a pet, the vast majority of them either a dog and/or a cat. Hamsters, fish, mice, guinea pigs, birds, snakes, bunnies, iguanas and ferrets are all in the top ten pets depending on who you believe.

So this is where I came in. If so many people own pets do they want to read about them in their books? Because they have a pet do they feel better if the hero/heroine has a pet?

Or do they see pets as something a kid needs to grow up with, rather like a bike and a football? Or just another household chore to perform? Do the laundry, cook the supper, walk the dog?

Many animals offer their human endless love, trust and companionship. They don’t fuss about unwashed blankets or unironed clothing. They adore being petted and at least pretend to listen when you talk to them. But does this uncomplaining attitude then make the hero or heroine look bad when they are upset at how their lover is treating them?

So what do you think? Should book characters be pet-owners? Or is this likely to make them be less appealing to their lover? After all, it is hardly romantic for the heroine to say, “I can’t go out without you tonight. I have to clean out the bird cage.”

I think, for authors, it comes down to the old saying “write what you know”. If you adore animals it will show in how you write them and the reader will love to read about Spot and Fluffy. If you consider the horse as just something that needs to be brushed from bite to kick, it’s better to avoid putting that in your novel. And readers respond to this. They love to read about genuine animal characters and their relationship with the hero and heroine. But the heroine’s pet that only appears in chapter one as a quick-fix solution to move the plot along—the reader sees right through that and feels cheated.

Raw Claiming

by

Berengaria Brown

BLURB

Ayla thought it’d be just like Y2K all over again. But this time the world really did change. Now, she’s living in a community with far more men than women and has to choose some to live with. Ethan and Gideon helped rescue her, and she’s drawn to them. The sex is great, but she has to learn to live in a community that must become self-sufficient.

Also, what’s going on outside? Has the world changed forever? Will the men be torn from her and sent outside again? Should she go, too? And into what?

EXCERPT

It was plain to see Ethan and Gideon planned to claim her and fuck her. Well, she was okay with that. She’d seen a hell of a lot more men than women here, and their messages on the radio had said “marry one or more men,” so it’s not like being expected to fuck was a big surprise. Indeed, it was logical. Survivalism and army stuff were more man things than woman things, really.

Besides, it’d been so long since she’d had a steady partner. Not since she left the city. Once she’d moved in with her parents, her social life had pretty much shriveled up and died. Apart from a brief affair with a local farmer, sex had been just her and her fingers for way too long.

Ethan was tall and muscular with a really sexy voice. Her pussy creamed at the thought of being tucked up inside his arms. Gideon was a bit more of an enigma. He’d talked to her on the way back to this place—wherever the hell it was. They hadn’t traveled on any main roads, that was for sure!—but he hadn’t really revealed much about himself. Still, he was easy on the eyes and seemed gentle and considerate. In the lottery of survival, she figured she hadn’t done too badly to end up with this pair of men.

The real question was, how would the sharing thing work? Would they fuck her one at a time? Like, one night on, one night off? Or would they both be in the room and take turns immediately one after the other? Would she suck one while the other fucked her? Or—and this was a totally panty-drenching thought—would they take her together, one in her cunt and one in her ass? She’d never personally experienced such a thing, or even talked in real life to a woman who had, but she was well aware that it happened.

Ayla stood silently in the doorway of Ethan and Gideon’s—what? Room? Apartment?—and waited to be told what would happen next. The other men were unloading the two trucks, but Ethan and Gideon each had one of her suitcases and had brought her directly here.

They dumped the cases against the wall and pulled her into the room.

“You know you’ll be claimed by one or more of the men here?” began Gideon.

She nodded.

“You don’t have to accept the first man who asks you. But you will be expected to accept someone.” She nodded at Ethan this time.

Ethan cleared his throat. “Um, well, we were hoping you’d accept us.

We like you, and think you’re sexy and, um—”

“And since I have to sleep with someone, and since you rescued me, it may as well be you?”

“Yeah, pretty much. It’s not exactly a very romantic proposal, I’m afraid,” said Gideon.

“Yeah, well, it’s not exactly a romantic world anymore.” She mimicked his words and intonation.

“You’ll take us?” Ethan’s face was split by a huge grin.

Ayla nodded.

“You won’t regret it. We’ll look after you, I promise,” said Gideon.

“Yes, we will. I promise, too,” said Ethan seriously. “Now, can we fuck? You’re truly delicious, and my dick’s been harder than a spike ever since you first spoke to me on the radio.”

Ayla grinned, too. This really wasn’t how she’d expected her life to go a few months ago, but the whole world had changed and she was willing to change with it. Besides, what red-blooded woman could resist two sexy hunks who planned to fuck her?

“I’m ready, but how will this work?”

Available at Bookstrand

Berengaria Brown

http://berengariasblog.blogspot.com/

http://berengariabrown.webs.com/