Never judge a book by its cover

Four writers got together for dinner- two mystery writers, one romantic suspense writer, and one who writes erotic romance. (Sound like the beginning of a joke, doesn't it?)

"Now look at her." Pointing to me. "It's always the sweet looking ones who write erotic."

This is not the first time that I have heard this. What exactly does this mean? Can you really look at someone and say, "You look like you write biographies!" "You write suspense."

By no means did this person mean to insult me and I wasn't insulted. I just smiled and drank another sip of my wine. But it got me thinking, do we judge books "by their cover". So I started examining the books that are in my e-library, especially the covers. And I have to say that yes, we initially pick books by their covers. If I don't know the author, what I look at first is the cover. If it grabs my attention, then I check out the blurb and then the excerpt. As a reader, it is our first introduction to the book. It really has to grab us right away or we pass it by. No fair, it might be the best book but...

I wonder how many books out there I have passed up because I didn't like the cover. Now let's face it, the cover is not usually created by the author. So it is no reflection of the quality of writing. It must be so difficult picking out the exact cover for you book. Do they give your options? Are you allowed input? What if you absolutely hate it?

I don't have a contract yet but the comment the other night really got me thinking about this.  What are your thoughts?

Peace Out,
MRD

What turns you on

It's a loaded question, I know. The answers could be as numerous as the stars in the sky. The reason is that what turns me on could totally turn other people off and the same goes opposite. What I love about this is that there is no wrong answer. It is totally subjective. This is another reason why the romance industry is great. You can find a genre that fits what turns you on.

If you love YA romance, the market is endless. Who doesn't like young love when everything is brand new and you are experiencing things for the first time? You don't forget your first love for this exact reason. Everything is multiplied the first time. I don't care how old you are, you remember your first kiss, where you were, what you were doing,  how you felt.

Mainstream romance has been around since the beginning of time. These books are for the people that want their love to be sweet to hot. I saw this as my second step progression into the romance genre. It all started with the Harlequin Romances.

Then mainstream started to splinter off into different sub-genres. You have your cowboy romances, which have a special place in my heart. I have never been off of the east coast but I know that there are cowboys out there that are as hot as Tim Riggins. It's a dream of an east coast girl and that is one bubble that does not ever want to be burst.

Then you have the paranormal genre. These books cater to people who love vampires, werewolves, and a limitless list of others. This is another favorite of mine. My all time character favorite is Vane in Night Play by Sherrilyn Kenyon. I have read this book so many time, the cover has fallen off. The pages are warped from reading it time and time again in the bathtub. I can't even bring myself to replace it with a new copy because in this copy I fell in love with him. It is special.

Then comes the genre that I have chosen to write in, erotica. My first erotica story was The Empress' New Clothes by Jaid Black. You have sci-fi, you have romance, you have really hot sex. After that I was hooked! It opened a whole new world for me. I knew immediately that I would like to write in this genre. It was "my home".

So I trudge along writing in a genre that I love! Hoping someday that someone will love what I write as much as I love what I read.

Peace out,

MRD

Sometimes I feel like a fraud

I want to be a writer. I try to write every day but some days I feel like a fraud.

One of the ways that I feel like a writing fraud is that writers should write every day. Sometimes DAYS will go by before I touch my current WIP. I feel incredibly guilty about this. There are days when I'm at work that I dream about writing when I get home but when I do get there, I am too tired to write.

The second way, I feel like a fraud is that a writer should want to write above all else. There are times when I would rather watch the shows on my dvr.

I am in writing groups, belong to various loops, and have a blog. It is overwhelming. People are getting published all around you and here you are still waiting to here from publishers on your first manuscript. I don't know if it's even good. I think it's good but I wrote it. It's like every parent thinks their baby is beautiful and I can tell you that I hope the one I saw over the weekend grows into his looks. (Hubby thinks I'm being unfair here considering that he was only one month old. Mother's Day weekend is also never a good weekend for me.)

But there are times when the ideas are flowing and I can sit down and write 5k. I live for those days but they are few and far between. So I am going to try and write every day. Even if it's one hundred words. I do think that if I keep at it, I will eventually get published.

Fingers crossed!

MRD

Saturday will be quite the day again!

Hi all,
I just wanted to thank people who left me words of encouragement about yesterday's funeral. Everything went fine, thank goodness. The husband was able to go up on the altar and say a few words. There was some shifting around in the middle of the church but being a teacher and my mother's daughter, I stared them down until anyone with the least sense of making eye contact with me looked away. Don't mess with my man. That's my job! Afterwards we skipped the cemetery and receptions (There were two. One for the mother's family and one for the father's family.). The hubby accompanied me to the college, so that I could turn in my evaluations and av key. Don't want to be accused of stealing out-of-date av equipment.

While we were there something totally out of one of our books happened. We got on the elevator and once the doors closed, my husband grabbed me by the back of the neck and hauled me in for the most passionate kiss that I have experienced in a long time. Before his lips met mine, he smiled and said, "Don't worry. There are no cameras. I checked." What a man! We followed that by a very romantic dinner.

Of course the day would have been perfect except for typical "Marie" fashion, I forgot the keys to our house. I switched bags to a little clutch and left the keys in the other bag. I am usually the holder of the keys, so the husband didn't think about them. Thank goodness a neighbor had the spare key and was home. My mom also has a key but was off at First Communion practice with "C".

Unfortunately the real mood breaker was when my husband was walking around in his underwear, still wearing the black dress socks from the day! I don't think that there is anything less attractive than those black socks. Really! I think Tim Riggins could walk around with them and be slightly less attractive. Hmm.....maybe!

Have a wonderful weekend. I am off to the market to make stuffed mushrooms for the first of the Communion parties today.

Peace Out,
MRD

The sun is shining

The sun is shining through the windows. It's pale golden glow making my living room "feel" warm. The walls in here are painted Moroccan red (my mother likes to "affectionately" calls it bordello red!), and with the shiny hard-wood floors in her, it just seems like it is what warm would actually look like. This is the time of morning that I actually love. If it were a normal day in the land, I would already be at work. So normally I miss this time of morning at my house. This is when I am the most productive. I feel alive at this time.

Unfortunately, I can't sit and write today. I have to get the hubby up for this funeral, even though the wake was a disaster. My poor hubby when he put himself out to the family the other day became a target. Him, being the oldest friend, must be responsible for all of the "problems" that this guy had. If anyone knew my husband, they would laugh. He's has not always been a saint but to blame him for this is ridiculous! But who are they going to blame? Baby "J", VoVo who raised him, the parents who neglected him? No, let's blame the oldest friend. Pray that I can make it through the morning without slapping anyone. Insult me fine, I can take it. Insult anyone I love, and I become like a mother bear protecting her young. It is not pretty!! Although, I will be dress to the "nines" today and looking FABULOUS! If I do say so myself.

I am hoping later after this disaster is over to take advantage of this sun and do some writing in the yard. I feel creative today!

Wishing all of the mother's out there a happy Mother's Day on Sunday!

Peace Out,
MRD

Bucket List

On Monday, one of my husband's oldest friends was found dead, long years of drug addiction finally caught up with him. His obituary appeared in today's paper and it was a total of six sentences. All but two of them included the arrangements for services. Besides being sad for my husband, because this has turned into a circus, I find that his life could be summed up in six sentences chilling. What is even more sad is that the six sentences really captured his life. They couldn't have written anything else.

So I started thinking about bucket lists. Someone at work said something about being able to complete a triathlon was on her list. More power to you Jenn! I can tell you that right away, I thought that that would not be on my list. Then I started thinking about what should be on my bucket list.

My Bucket List

1. Work less- I know this sounds a little lame but I am somewhat of a workaholic. I am going to have to cut back  on work. I am getting too stressed out and stress kills.

2. Take at least one vacation a year- I haven't been on a vacation in seven years. The last time was the Christmas after my MIL passed away. I took my husband to Disney World. I figured for the first Christmas without her, I would take him away from everything and visit the happiest place on earth. Who could be miserable in Disney, right? WRONG!!!!


3. Stop just donating to the gym. It's time to shit or get off the pot as my mother would say. My fat ass is destined to be smaller.


4. Be surrounded by the covers of my published books. It is time to commit myself to my writing. This also refers back to working less.


5. Make my house into something that I would be proud of. I am not going to put off any home improvements anymore!


6. My most important one is to have children. Either by myself or by other means, I will be a mother someday. The battle is not done. I am not willing to concede defeat yet. It is not a place that I will ever concede defeat. By hook or by crook...


Have a long day of work ahead of me and the drama will surely escalate until everything is over but I will breathe and get through everything. 


Peace out,
MRD

Couldn't think of anything

I couldn't think of anything to write about this morning. I'm in a bit of a rush. I have an appointment before work, have to go the atm, have to get gas... you get the picture. So I decided to post an excerpt. Might be a good idea or not but going to do it anyway. I hope you enjoy it at least a little. I would be open to critiques if you hate it also. Might be a learning experience.

The throbbing pain in his head became piercing, causing Dragon’s body to bow under the pressure.  He threw his head back and groaned in agony.  The pain drove him to his knees, his breathing coming in short gasps trying to control the pain.  The pain that he suffered at the hands of the torture masons paled in comparison to what he was going through presently.  Then, as quickly as it had overtaken him, it was gone.  Dragon, still on his hands and knees, tried to take deep controlling breaths to calm his body.  His teeth clenched, his body hummed and felt like he was being drained by some unknown force.  Sweat poured off of his brow and dripped onto the deck, time itself seem to slow down.  He saw every drop perfectly formed slowly, slowly falling and splattering on the floor.  As soon as he could talk, he would order his men to scan for hostile forces.

Mace tried to help him to his feet, only to be waved away.  Dragon carefully dragged himself to his feet unsteadily.  He went to push his hair out of his face when he stopped dead in his tracks and stared unwaveringly at his hand.

“Dragon…your hand,” Mace whispered in awe.

Dragon was staring at his hand not being able to comprehend what he was seeing.  It took his brain a minute to realize what he was looking at and longer for him to comprehend what was going on. Sacred, scarlet scrollwork in an intricate and unique pattern was appearing on his left palm and reaching up his arm to his elbow.

“This is not possible,” Dragon whispered hoarsely.

“Congratulations! The Goddess has blessed you with a Mate. If it happened to you, there is hope for the rest of us.”  Mace couldn’t believe it. He, along with Dragon and many others, had believed that they would never be lucky enough to be blessed with Mates.

Members of the crew one by one came forward to congratulate Dragon. He went through the motions as if he were in a dream. He was still staring down at his hand, disbelieving the intricate pattern that was now fully developed on his skin.

The Goddess was truly female in Dragon’s eyes. While the females in the initial joining ritual experienced mind blowing orgasms, the males went through excruciating pain to remind them of the pain that their soul would feel if they never found their Mates.

“Good Goddess,” Dragon exclaimed still staring at his hand. “I hope you know what you are doing.”

Peace Out,
MRD