Devyn Quinn's Virtual Book Tour continues...Updates and stuff....

First of all, thanks to author Lauren Blades for inviting me to guest blog at her place. I’m honored she’s allowed me to invade her space.

First of all, I have some news to share. For those who have been following the tour, I recently posted some pix of my pets during my stop at Anya Howard's blog. I am sad to say that Teeny passed away last Thursday, July 17th. Though I worked hard to keep Teeny alive, she just couldn't rally the strength to grow and died that evening. It's always sad to bury a little kitten.

On another note, I was wondering what to blog about, and it hit me that I should write about what most concerns me. Yes, you guessed it. Deadlines. That word alone is enough to strike fear into anyone’s heart who must turn in a project by a certain date.

For me, that is a daunting task. Not only do I juggle the demands of pets and a job, I also have to juggle the world of the characters I am creating. Does that make sense? Think about it. Their world depends on what’s going on in my world. If everything in my “real” life is in chaos and disarray, then you can certainly bet (and you would win) that my character’s lives are also one huge mess. If I can’t concentrate and arrange my life, how can I possibly handle a fictional world that is, supposedly, suppose to leap of the page and become real to my reader?

It’s enough to make a writer reach for her favorite bottle of wine. The whole bottle. It also reminds me of a crack off the television Frasier, when Frasier and Niles were attempting to write their first book together: No wonder writers are a bunch of suicidal alcoholics who kill themselves. In other words the boys were frustrated. And how.

As a writer under contract, I have given my publisher the assurance that I will deliver a book or novella within a specified timeframe. Usually that’s fine with me. Even though I am a writer who struggles with Writer’s Block (more about that in another blog post in a future time), I can usually pull myself out of that mental funk and get the job done. I’m on deadline now, and it’s closer than I care to admit. Sure, I initially had plenty of time to deliver the book when I signed the contracts, but this time life got in the way and I simply could not sit down in front of the computer and concentrate enough of my character’s lives to put it all down on paper.

Don’t get me wrong. I tried, really tried. But the world I was living in was too chaotic. Between financial pressures and the development of a second cancer in dad’s lungs, I simply could not pull my stuff together and bag it up properly. And I really couldn’t write. Big time.

The days to deadline ticked off. And ticked off some more. During that time I had to take hat in hand and ask my editor for another extension. Graciously, she extended me more than one. And then something wicked my way came.

Time ran out.

No more extensions could be granted. None. Zero Zilch. Asking for another would mean my book, scheduled for April 09, would have to be booted from the lineup of releases for the month. That didn’t necessarily bother me as much as it would be to disappoint my editor—not to mention the trouble she’d have to go through moving the book. That isn’t something editors like to do unless it’s an extreme emergency. With dad’s illness I could get my agent to plead emergency and throw myself on my editor’s mercy.

I’m not going to do that, though. I’m going to center my mind, glue my ass to this chair in front of my desk and put my fingers into gear. It’s time to write, and it’s time to write like never before. Deadline ticks closer and my days are whittling down to nothing….

But I will finish the book. I will!

Moving to another subject, I have some news to share for those of you who haven’t heard yet. My agent closed another deal and I’ll soon be signing a new contract to participate in a new cop themed anthology with Myla Jackson and Delta Dupree. I’m ticked at the chance to write a romantic suspense story, a total change from my goth-erotic genre. Well, maybe not that far removed, LOL.

I'm going to close with a brief excerpt from Man After Midnight, the book I am working on now. Keep in mind this is unedited, first draft. Kensington's editors haven't cleaned it up to make me look like a better writer. In this excerpt, Dani Wallace's unnamed lover has just shown up on her doorstep with a rather disturbing proposal:

Dani swiveled her attention toward the group standing a slight distance away from the others. She gasped, blinked to make sure what she saw was absolutely real, then blinked again to make sure the entire scene wasn’t some kind of mirage.

The man she’d made love to last night was there, but he’d changed. Drastically.

Gone were the nice tight jeans and casual shirt he looked so damn good in, replaced by a high necked white shirt overlaid with a snug fitting vest of black velvet, a pair of snug breeches and shiny knee high back boots. A full-length laced Victorian style coat lent a formal and commanding air to his already impressive physique. Beautifully cut and fitted, it was an impressive piece of tailoring. Despite the strange style of his costume, he wore it with panache—and looked pretty damn good in it, too. He appeared much taller than she remembered.

Every hair on Dani’s head tingled with awareness. Just remembering how he’d touched her caused her nipples to peak under her t-shirt and robe. Heat spread through her body, intensifying as it settled into a hard knot inside her gut. Moisture seeped between her thighs, just hours ago spread wide to receive his magnificent erection. His very presence shot through her like a bolt of pure electricity, reminding her all over again what had attracted her to him in the first place. The intensity behind his very presence made her pulse beat double time. She had no regret that she’d had sex with him. She’d probably do it again if given the chance.

And she hoped she would be given the chance.

By the serious expressions on everyone’s faces, no one else was entertaining thoughts about having sex but her. That fact didn’t make her lust any easier to deal with. Good thing they weren’t alone. Otherwise she’d torn those fancy clothes right off his body and taken him right then and there.

Flustered, she cut her gaze to his companions, flanking him to the left and to the right. Apparently they were his bodyguards. At least that’s what the broadswords strapped across their backs would lead one to think. As for their clothing, well it didn’t seem to belong anywhere in the modern world at all. Dressed in short sleeved tunics, breeches and knee-high leather boots, they definitely had some Goth-medieval vibe going.

Brenden cleared his throat loudly to get everyone’s attention. “And here’s the lady you’ve all been arguing about.”

All eyes turned toward Dani.

She squirmed. “Uh, what’s going on here?”

Counselor Nash stepped forward. All eyes expectantly turned his way, waiting. “Allow me to introduce Prince Casedren Teraketh of Sedah.”

Sedah?

She'd never heard of it.

Butterscotch, now formally named, stepped up and offered a slight bow of his head. “It is an honor to stand among you today.”

Brenden Wallace had little use for people with fancy names or fancy manners. “Formal talking bastard,” he muttered under his breath.

Dani gave Brenden a surreptitious poke. “I know you’re pissed,” she muttered out of one side of her mouth. “Just can it, okay?”

Prince Casedren’s penetrating gaze swept over her from head to foot. Clearly pleased with what he saw, he smiled. “As promised, my lady, I have returned to claim you.”

Under the scrutiny of Casedren’s admiring gaze, Dani gathered her robe tighter around her body. Casedren was formally dressed to the nines, while she was decked out in nothing fancier than a robe and fuzzy pink bunny slippers. With her hair in a tangle and last night’s stage makeup half gone, she probably looked like something the cat puked up. he didn’t seem to mind a bit. Undaunted, he stepped a little closer. The connection between them was so strong that it felt like some magnetic force was pulling them together. The air practically sizzled and popped between them with static energy.

Intensely aware of his presence, she blurted out the first thing that came to mind. “I wasn’t aware you’d be showing up with a marriage proposal.”

A wide grin spread across his face. “I know what I want when I see it, and I intend to make you my wife.”

Heart in her throat, Dani swallowed hard. “I, ah, forgive me if I don’t know what to say.” Her voice sounded foreign to her ears, strangely husky and throbbing with a longing she found difficult to mask.

Casedren laughed, his pale eyes lightning with mischief. “Yes, would be nice,” he said softly.

_____________________

Lastly, today's giveaway is a choice of Trio or Eros Island. To be entered in the drawing, just post a comment in the comments section. Please include an email addy, so the winner may be contacted.

And on we go....

The Latest from Lauren!

The winners of my July drawing were:

Beth Schafer
Tamara Burks
Emilee Frias

Thanks everyone for entering and visiting me! Be sure and enter my August contest - I'm giving away a print copy of Secrets Vol. 23 once it ships to me. You can enter for your chance to win here:

http://laurenblades.com/contest.php

I'll be blogging at the Novel Sisterhood blog tomorrow, 7/16/08. Please come out and blog with me. It's my first group blog appearance and I'm nervous. I'm offering bribes! LOL I'll be giving away a copy of Sofia's Lobo in PDF to two lucky winners and another print copy of Secrets Vol. 23 to be shipped to the winner once I get it - it's brand new!

http://novelsisterhood.blogspot.com/

On 7/21, Devyn Quinn's Virtual Book Tour is stopping at my blog! And she has graciously offered a prize for an attending winner, a print copy of one of her books. Winner's choiceof Sins of the Night, Sins of the Flesh, Trio or Eros Island. All fantastic works!

I hope you will come out and blog with Devyn at my blog to meet a great author and for a chance to win. I'm very excited about this.

http://laurenblades.blogspot.com

Sofia's Lobo is now at Fictionwise!

http://fictionwise.com/ebooks/eBook69836.htm

I was SO excited!

Last, I got a couple of emails from you guys - you actually read my blog and forums. Thank you! I will be back to posting progress and anything else in the next couple of days. I've been on a big deadline. No, not the good writing kind. The kind for the day job. You know...

Have a wonderful night!

Lauren