Thursday, April 28, 2011

Fellow Author Attacked for Writing "Racy" Novels

It's been an interesting few days folks. Tuesday night I was helping my daughter with her homework when I hear a teacher in the next county is coming under attack for writing racy novels on the news. Well, of course that caught my attention and I start listening more closely and what do you know. I know the author. She writes for one of the same publishers I do. Low and behold, one of her covers pops up on the screen with Ellora's Cave blazing on the top.

So this is the short version of the story. A small group of women, 5 at the most, has recently discovered that this teacher in their school district writes adult books and they are now worried that this teacher is looking at their kids in a sexual way. Here was my response to the TV. "WHAT THE FUCK!"

These women think adult romance books are disgusting and filthy and they think the teacher should choose between writing or teaching. "SAY WHAT?"

Okay, so they label the teacher a pedophile and think people shouldn't read adult romance novels because they find them disgusting and are afraid their children are going to be influenced by this.

Excuse me. Do you honestly think high school kids don't already think about sex, or see it in movies, HBO, Internet? How many teenage boys have seen porn on the Internet that would make adult romance novels seem boring? 99% of them for heaven's sake.

Now, this author has been writing under a pen name for about 20 years. She has never discussed her writing with her students and if asked about it her response is I don't know what you're talking about. It turns out students have known she's a writer for YEARS and are thrilled they have an English teacher who is so good at her profession that she's been published.

Now as the story unfolds, it turns out this woman who ran to the news station to bully this teacher is known for stirring up shit to get her name in the news and her face in the papers and TV. In fact, a few months prior this very same news station talked to this very same woman in the very same area about bullying. And here she is bullying a teacher. HEY LADY! Where do you think kids learn to bully? From people like you!

So, it takes half a day for the writing community nation wide to hear about this story and they reacted. The news station was bombarded with emails, calls, comments on their web site so furiously that they started shutting down the ability to comment. Every comment left was in support of the author and basically telling these backwoods, bored women to get a hobby and stop attacking good, solid, professional citizens.

A support page went up for the author on facebook and within 24 hours over 6000 people joined demanding an apology be made by the news station for reporting a bias one sided story without getting all the facts. Well, the news station joined the support group and said they would like to talk to people who live in the area and air their story.

This morning it happened. 20 people showed up and told the news station that this teacher/author was one of the best teachers in the district. She's been teaching for 25 years, writing for nearly 20 and never once sought fame in the community for her writing. She wrote under a pen name for a reason. They aired the story. It wasn't a good story, but it at least showed these handful of women did not speak for the community and they wanted her left alone.

Now, through all this the author's sales spiked tremendously. YaY! People who had no idea she wrote are now buying her books to see what the fuss is about. YaY! The author/teacher has refused to talk to the media and has been dignified and quiet through all of this. She comes out looking like the hero and these bored housewives with nothing better to do with their time than look for reasons to call the news station are being shunned by the community. YAY!

Let this be a lesson to people. If you are going to attack a writer, you better have a damn good reason and have your facts lined up or the writing community is going to come after you. The news station learned this and these women learned this in a very harsh manner.

I mean really, think about this people. What a teacher does off the clock is her business as long as it doesn't break any laws and she doesn't push her work to underage children. None of this happened. These women believe if you're a teacher you shouldn't have a life outside the school. Guess what, ain't gonna happen. What's next, pregnant teachers should be removed from the school because they have sex? Teachers aren't allowed to have sex at all? Um, how did these women get their children in the first place? Did they plop out of the sky?

Freedom of speech people. If you don't like the contents of the book, don't read it. It's very simple. Just like we don't like your ideas so we ignore you. See how easy that is?

Anyway, if you would like to support this teacher you can go to
http://www.facebook.com/#!/SupportJudyMays

We can't let narrow minded, busy bodied, publicity seekers, hypocrites (oh yes, if you knew the woman who started all this you'd understand the hypocrisy) try and destroy a person's life for 15 minutes of fame.

We have your back Judy Mays and this injustice simply couldn't be let go.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Dead eyes starring at you!

Okay, so I go to my chiropractor this morning to get my overly tight muscles thoroughly worked out. (They say I carry ever bit of tension and stress in my shoulders and neck which leads to jaw clenching which leads to teeth breaking which leads to regular visits to the dentist which leaves Robin even more stressed since I'm one of those dentist phobes. What a mess.) Anyway, he finds every tender sore spot I have, sticks his finger it until the muscle gives and starts to relax and then when he's done torturing me, puts me in another room with this nifty little table that I'd like to have at home.

This table has a roller in it that works its way up and down your spine and feels like a mini massage.

So I'm lying there and I look around the room and it hits me. I'm being watched by 10 dead dear heads and two bear skins. My chiropractor is a big hunter and apparently ran out of room in his home to store his trophies, I don't know. I start feeling a little creeped out. All these empty, vacant eyes are pointed right at me, watching.

(shiver) Now, I'm not against hunting in the least. I grew up in a rural area, currently live in a rural area and know the people who hunt don't do it simply for the sport, they use the meat they kill.My husbands family is big into hunting and I've sampled plenty of the vitals they cook up. Some I love, some not so much. But they use it and what they don't use they give to people who need it.

Oh, and let's not forget population control.Have you ever seen a starving wild animal? It's heart breaking. I just wish they'd make turkey season longer because I'm tired of having to wait for the dumb birds to stop freaking out in the middle of the road and move on. Sheesh! One turkey panics and they all panic running around in circles like nuts.

So, back to the main point here. I simply got a little goose pimply over all these dead, vacant eyes watching me. I couldn't help the beginning of a story conjuring up in my head. What if these stuffed heads started to move? What if those eyes blinked and became hungry for vengeance? The racks on these things, and I do mean horns, are impressive and could do some serious damage if the animal plunged them into soft flesh.

Imagine being skewered through the gut at the doctor's office, flopping around helplessly as your life blood drains away and each deer head takes a turn ramming it's pointy horn into another part of your body. All the while those dead eyes starring at you, laughing. How does it feel? You mind your own business, graze for your daily nourishment and then find yourself cut to pieces, your body consumed and your head hung on a wall.

And what about the bear's? Their heads aren't as big but have you ever seen the teeth on those suckers? (double shiver) Nasty! The furry, lumbering animal is foraging for food and the next thing he knows he's on the floor of some one's home, his fur being walked on by bare human feet. How degrading.

Like I said, I have nothing against hunting at all and I probably wouldn't have noticed if one or maybe even two deer heads were hanging there. But come on!! 10!
10 sets of lifeless eyes all aimed at you, that's unnerving.

So, those are my thoughts for the day.

Oh, and a warm loving HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my son! The big 13. (sigh) Two teenagers in the house now. I feel old age lurking in the shadows ready to dig it's nasty hateful claws into me and drag me down. I'm not going without a fight. Hear me old age? I'm fighting every step of the way.

Don't forget about my contest going on at www.authorisland.com. Last day is May 1. Enter to win a signed copy of my first release, BLACK SMOKE

Have a good one everybody and happy reading........

Friday, April 15, 2011

Crawl into the mind of Strafe from "Marauder"

Check out this excerpt from Marauder. My latest release.

“Ya know, you aren’t the same man,” Nick said, keeping his back to Strafe. “I get the feeling she isn’t the same woman.”
“I made her want me once, I can do it again.”
“I have no doubt you can.”
Strafe wished he believed that as much as Nick sounded like he believed it. The woman he’d watched defending her clan certainly wasn’t the same women he thought had died five years ago. The Priscilla he knew was meek, mild and timid. This woman, she had grit, tenacity and damn, she really thought she could give her clan the chance to escape by running that dump of a truck into the woods.

Opening the door, he crawled inside the cab, lifted her limp body in his arms and carefully carried her to his tent. A few of the men stopped and watched, knowing better than to say anything. They knew he didn’t show any affection for women. The only time he approached a woman was to sate his need for sex. So he could see their confusion.

Strafe carried her into his tent, settled her down on her bedding and allowed himself a moment to drink her in. He couldn’t believe it. She’d died. He could have sworn she’d died right there in front of him.

His gaze drifted over her shabby clothing. Her shirt hung from her torso, her arms like thin twigs draped in cloth. The jeans she wore bagged around her waist, a piece of rope keeping them from falling down. It twisted his gut that his Priscilla lived like this. She deserved better and he would give her better.

Reaching over her, he grabbed a bowl of water and a rag, moistened the rag and gently cleaned the blood from her head. The cut didn’t seem bad, not deep enough to be stitched anyway. Once he cleaned her face he worked tirelessly at cleaning her hair.

She’d let it grow. Long waves of chestnut-brown hair cascaded down below her shoulders. He liked it. It made her sharp, angular features softer. She’d acquired a few scars that hadn’t been there before. One from the corner of her left eye that ran to her hairline and one that slashed across her right upper lip.

He couldn’t allow himself to think about how she got them. The scenarios he’d conjure in his mind would only drive him to the brink of madness. Forcing himself to push on, he surveyed her clothing and decided he couldn’t stand to see her in these rags any longer. Slipping his finger beneath the collar of her T-shirt, he ripped and was shocked how easily the material shredded down her front.

Glancing at her creamy exposed skin he sucked in a sharp breath and stifled a curse. Pushing the material aside made his insides quiver with both anger and terror. There over her right breast was a puckered, thickly scarred bullet wound that flooded his mind with memories of that night. He quickly pushed them aside, refusing to allow
those memories to take hold. Instead, he allowed his gaze to travel away from the wound and down the rest of her body.

What he saw there didn’t help his sour mood. She looked like a skeleton with flesh stretched tight against it. Dear god. How long had she been starving?

“No more,” he mumbled, untying the rope holding her jeans up. “No more.” With shaking hands, he tugged the thin, dirty denim down her hips and down her thighs, cursing the entire time as each inch of her pencil-thin thighs were exposed.

“Oh baby. What’s happened to you?” After removing her boots he shucked the denim off her body and tossed it aside. Tomorrow he’d burn the filth. He never wanted to see it again.

Pale moonlight filtered through the tent flap and kissed her tender, fragile flesh, giving her an angelic glow that had him reaching out. As thin as she was, she still was the most beautiful woman he’d ever laid eyes on. Her full breasts were topped with cherry-pink tips that made his mouth water. He remembered sucking them, rolling them on his tongue and getting drunk on her taste.

Fisting his hand to keep from touching her, he let his gaze travel down her ribs, over her sunken belly and across her protruding hips. She’d been thin five years ago, but not painfully thin like this. At least then she’d had curves, lush, delicious curves he liked to stroke. She’d be that way again, he promised her and himself. He’d make sure she ate every day.

Comfortable in his resolve to put meat on her bones, he allowed his gaze to brush over the soft brown curls between her legs. His fingers twitched, eager to be sunk deep in her fine hair and stroke her outer lips. He couldn’t though, not now. Reluctantly, he moved away and rummaged through his bag of clothing. Buried at the bottom he kept a tank top that he never wore. After shaking it out, he tugged it down over her head, careful not to touch her bruising cut.

It took some maneuvering, but he managed to get the shirt shuffled down her back and over her hips. The garment hung nearly to her knees. On him, it was tight and
short. Brushing the backs of his fingers across her cheek, he sighed. What hell had she lived through over the past five years? Regretfully, he reached for the rope looped around the tree trunk and bound her wrists.

Walking to his pile of blankets, Strafe stripped off his shirt, tossed it aside and then removed his jeans. He always slept naked, a habit he chose not to shake after his time at the rebel camp. The rebels liked to keep their new recruits vulnerable, unable to hide weapons. He found it comfortable.

Lying down on top of his blankets, he stretched out and stared at the roof of his tent. What would he dream about tonight? Usually he dreamed of Priscilla, the night she died and how agonizingly lonely he’d become. Glancing over at her, he wondered again, what would he dream about?

Would she accept this new man? The rebels had created a cold, merciless monster. A monster who’d crawled out of his cage and lashed out until every last one of his captors was dead. He didn’t do it alone of course, those men out there, they followed, fought until their bloody, bruised and damn-near-dead bodies collapsed. In the end, they’d won their freedom and now they intended to live the best way they knew how. He’d have to make Priscilla understand that.


Want to read more? Pop on over to http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-marauder-536536-144.html Marauder is also availabel at http://www.jasminejade.com/p-9167-marauder.aspx

A carnal quick read I do so hope you enjoy!

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Marauder has pulled into and parked at All Romance eBooks!

Check. It. Out!
My latest release is now available at All Romance eBooks. at a great price, too!
http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-marauder-536536-144.html

Rumble on over and pick up a quick read for a low price.

Blurb for Marauder
Nothing mattered in Evan Duvall’s life as much as his sexy, timid Priscilla. Her touch could destroy and resurrect with one feathery stroke. Pleasure was all they could give each other—and Priscilla gave freely. Her presumed death annihilated Evan and brought to life Strafe, the notorious road pirate.

After years of loneliness, Strafe finds Priscilla alive—and changed. She’s feisty, independent and sensual as hell. She may be wary of the new Strafe but her body responds with a hungry need he finds impossible to ignore. Waiting for her capitulation becomes torture, so he begins a series of inventive, erotic teasing sessions that keep her in a constant state of arousal.

But to properly care for Priscilla, as well as those who’ve come to depend on him, the pirate must strike again.

Monday, April 11, 2011

I'm loving it!

The new WIP is moving along nicely and I'm excited. I'm into chapter thirteen already. I'm totally giddy about that. My characters are cooperating nicely which makes it all so easy. I do believe this book is going to be the first of a series. So many ideas are developing for the secondary characters.

I'm hoping at least another few weeks and the story will be wrapped up.

Don't forget to enter my contest going on at Author Island. www.authorisland.com under contests. A signed copy of my first ever release Black Smoke.

Okay, getting ready to watch the season finale of Being Human. After six hours of writing today I think I deserve a few hours of entertainment.

So, remember therapy is expensive, poppin' bubble wrap is cheap! You choose.

Until next time..Happy reading...

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Great Deals available!

Hey everyone. Looking for some reads at a great price?
Check out All Romance eBooks. They have great prices on some of my available books.

Go to www.allromanceebooks.com and type my name in the search box.

Not all my books are there, but all my releases from Ellora's Cave are available.

Don't forget about my contest going on at Author Island www.authorisland.com (listed under contests) it ends May 1st.

While I sat a my younglings soccer practice tonight I started reading a new book.

Jory Strong's Ride to Ecstasy
I'm only two chapters in, but loving where it's heading. She's developed two interesting worlds. A water world and desert world. I can't wait to find out what transpires between the three of them. Ooops, that's right. !!THREE!!

So, I'm on chapter 12 of my wip. It's flowing along nicely. Not sure where I'm going to submit it yet, but I have time to think about that.

Have you read Marauder yet? Wanna read an excerpt?
http://www.jasminejade.com/p-9167-marauder.aspx

I got two ratings on it from readers. Both recommended reads.

Okay, I'm going back to read Ride to Ecstasy.
It's sick the way people keep having sex without me...(grin)

Till later my fellow readers........

Monday, April 4, 2011

Were's, Vamps, Witches, Dragons..What a wonderful world!!

Yesterday I treated myself to an afternoon of reading. My book of choice?
Angela Knight's Master of Smoke from the Mageverse Novels.

If you haven't read any of Angela Knight's Mageverse Novels, you don't know what you're missing. What she's done with ancient legend concerning King Arthur and Knights of the Round table is fantabulous!!!

In Master of Smoke she's taken a woman attacked and changed by a werewolf and paired her with a "man" who is made up of a werecat, a god, and an ancient being. Wow, talk about a man who has it all and good looks and chiseled body to go with it.

Watching Eva and Smoke defeat evil and discover each other is wonderful. Eva is, well, remarkable. Think about it. Could you easily fall for a man who is made up of three different personalities? I mean, that's what it is when you come down to it. Three beings inhabiting one body. And Smoke has to hope she accepts them all.

On top of dealing with a man she wants beyond understanding, Eva has to juggle a multitude of lies she's forced to tell her family about him and herself. I loved the way Angela Knight brought Eva's family into the story. Acceptance and trust is a foundation every relationship should have whether it be from a lover, a husband, wife or mother and father. You feel like you're standing right there with Eva as she struggles to keep her family safe by revealing a horrible secret that could either turn them away or bring them closer.

Master of Smoke is an awesome book for those who love scifi and romance mixed together. I've read all the Mageverse novels and eagerly wait for the next installment. With each story the Mageverse becomes more real filled with beings who can look beyond the physical and see inside where true happiness exists.

Angela Knight's ability to create worlds that exist along side ours is phenomenal. I've read all her works and every time I'm swept away into a universe that wraps me up and holds me a happy hostage until the very last page.

As you can see I'm not a professional reviewer. This is just my humble opinion of an awesome book in an incredible series filled with unbelievable imagination and a fix for my need to be taken away from the strains of everyday life. I bow to your greatness Angela Knight. Keep 'em coming.

Friday, April 1, 2011

Another Contest!!

In conjunction with Author Island, I'm having another contest.
This time you get the chance to win a signed copy of my very first release
Black Smoke.
Go to http://www.authorisland.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogsection&id=6&Itemid=510 or www.authorisland.com and click on contests and scroll through until you find the contest for Marauder. Read the directions and the next thing you know you're entered.
Very easy!

Contest ends May 1, 2011.

On a personal note, today was great. My oldest son turned 16, he passed his drivers permit test and the family went out for dinner. We ate, laughed and had a very pleasant meal as a family. Since the birthday cake is tomorrow, we had birthday pie. YUM.

I only got to work a little on the WIP today, but what little I did feels good. Hopefully I get to write some tomorrow.
This chapter I'm writing is a big first step for my characters. It needs to throw them into a whirlwind of confusion about themselves and each other. I hope I nail it.

So, until next time my fellow readers...

Happy reading.