Books That Changed My Life

Sometimes you can read a work of fiction and completely change your whole outlook on life. At one moment, your ideologies are there. At the end of the book, they've jumped way over to the opposite side.

Not many novels have done that for me, but when they do, I rave about them. So here we go with the top five books that changed my life.

I learned that writing the regular erotic romance won't do. I have to dig deeper in my heart and explore my fears and desires like Megan Hart did when she wrote this book. 

It's an incredible read.

This is a masterpiece of mega proportions. The day I finished this novel was the day I stopped taking the rat race to riches too seriously.

Although I wasn't happy about the way this story ended, this novel is the reason why I started writing in the New Adult genre. I loved the addictive quality of the hero and heroine as well as the sort of edge of the seat anxiety in their decisions.

This was so beautifully written. Their were several themes on beauty and love. I really began thinking differently on those topics after reading this.

This book discusses the famous poet Basho who believed that the journey to writing a book was way more important than the finished product. I keep that thinking with me always each time I write a book.

So what were books that changed your life?

Book Review: He Watches Me

I envision a giant purple alien watching me masturbate, his humanoid body naked, his cock overly large and extremely hard. 


After reading that line, I was a little taken aback, but I said F it! I'll follow you down the rabbit hole. . .I'll see just how far this author will take me.

"Yes, Blaine," I cry out, the waves surround me growing rough, my body tossed on a sea of sweet turbulence. "Yes."

I thrust hard, slam the heel of my hand against my clit, throw back my head and scream. the darkness bursts with color and light. The stars spin around my head. My p.... clenches down on emptiness. 

I don't know about you, but I needed a smoke after that.

So this was a novella that is drenched in a heroine's sensual moments as a rich guy watches her.

Now the premise seems intriguing  but it really isn't as amazing as it sounds when reading the book.

I feel like there was some great opportunity for amazing exploration within a story, but instead the watered down version was handed to me.

This isn't to say that the novella isn't good. It just wasn't Fangirl-Mania-Keep-me-up-all-night Awesomeness.

This is a good, quick hot read for those who want a good quick hot read. That being said, I'm not sure I'll be checking out the next book in the series.

Call for Submissions: Erotica, Horror, Romance

As a writer, I'm always on the hunt for publishers, websites, and magazines, searching for manuscripts and stories.

As I find submission calls, I'll post them on our blog, so make sure you follow!

Harper Collins Digital First

Launching in October 2013, WITNESS is already home to a host of internationally bestselling authors, and we’re now acquiring material from new writers, as well.

Here are some clues to what we're looking for:

• Police procedurals
• Atmospheric thrillers
• Mystery series
• Psychological suspense
• Historicals 
• Murder, mayhem, and the macabre
  

With WITNESS you get the best of both worlds. You can enjoy the benefits of working with a legendary company, steeped in a long tradition of publishing the very best in mysteries and thrillers, from Dennis Lehane to Agatha Christie. You will also be a digital pioneer, blazing the quickest and most effective trail to market for new and evolving authors.

Here are just a few of the perks you can expect from the WITNESS experience...

• The expertise of the industry’s leading digital-first team.
• The support of our world-class marketing and publicity professionals.
• High-quality editorial guidance and design talent.
• Global distribution wherever English-language e-books are available.
• Foreign-rights agents with worldwide reach.
• An innovative and remunerative royalty structure.

Interested in publishing your suspense fiction for as many readers as possible? WITNESS is on the case!

Submit HERE


Harlequin Digital First

It seems Harlequin has jumped into the digital first market and are asking for several types of genres. Stories can be any word length above 10,000 words.

SUBMIT MANUSCRIPTS HERE

Harlequin Shivers
Harlequin Shivers is looking for moody, atmospheric, lush gothic-inspired stories. We are updating the pulp gothic as a rich romance with dark, sexy, mysterious heroes and anti-heroes and sensible heroines beguiled by male magnetism and allure against all better judgment. We think the perfect Shivers story is 30,000-50,000 words, but we are open to both shorter and longer stories. !

Harlequin Horror
Harlequin Horror is NOT romance, though sex and romance can feature, and your story may or may not have a happy ending for your protagonist(s).

Think authors such as Stephen King, Dean Koontz, James Herbert, Graham Masterton, and films and novels such as 28 Days Later,Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Ring, Cabin in the Woods, and The Walking Dead.

Harlequin Intrigue Noir
We are looking for a darker, sexier, unbound counterpart to the Harlequin Intrigue romance series. Hard-boiled crime and dangerous situations are foreplay for your hot, hot heroes and sophisticated heroines. Here there are no restrictions to their steamy and risky encounters. Revamped, revved up and replete with graphic details—that's the Harlequin Intrigue Noir crime story that we want. More or less than 70,000 words.

Harlequin Space Opera 
Sweeping, melodramatic, adventure in space. High stakes, larger-than-life action, individuals against a massive operation. Intergalactic politics, military conflicts, galaxies hanging in the balance.

Harlequin Reckonings
Harlequin is looking for original stories inspired by the phrase "What If?"

What if the course of history had turned out differently? What if the world as we know it came to an end? What if humanity faced an apocalypse—and lived? We are looking for stories that describe a world teetering on the edge, involving deep and detailed world building, immersive landscapes, and compelling characters. 

Harlequin Erotic Vacation
Can one vacation change your life? Harlequin Erotic Vacation is all about exploring what can happen when you go on holiday and leave your inhibitions behind. Whether the hero or the heroine is travelling to an exotic resort for singles or going on an exciting adventure trek or completing a dream trip to Europe, the possibilities for romance are boundless. 

Word count: 15,000-50,000 words.

Sensuality level: Very high.

Harlequin Big Book Melodrama
Glitz. Glamour. Sex. We're looking for sexy, juicy extended modern romances with no limits to settings—only that you think big in terms of story! These heroes and heroines will do whatever it takes to get what they want. Even if it means sleeping their way to the top or stabbing their best friend in the back.

Preferred word count starting at 100,000 words.

Harlequin Pop!

Harlequin Pop! is looking for smart, playful, insightful long-form commentary on your favorite movies and television shows. What we're not looking for is an episode guide. Like Alan Sepinwall's The Revolution Was Televised, we want more sophisticated analysis of your favorite flicks and must-see TV, with a focus on love and romance. What's Eric and Tami's secret to lasting love in Friday Night Lights? 

Most Harlequin Pop! books will be 20,000–50,000 words, but we're open to both shorter and longer studies (non-fiction only, please).

SUBMIT MANUSCRIPTS HERE

BEST EROTICA ANTHOLOGY

Deadline: 1 October 2013

The anthology will be primarily heterosexual with a female audience in mind, but lesbian and bisexual scenarios are welcome with a preference for realistic stories with contemporary settings, but any time period will be considered. 

• The editor will consider up to two stories per author. 
• Unpublished stories only, no simultaneous submissions. 
• The desired story length is 2,500-4,500 words. 
• Double-space and indent the first line of each paragraph. 
• Do not put extra spaces between paragraphs. Include your full contact information (legal name/pseudonym, mailing address and phone number) and a bio of 50 words or less written in the third person. 
• Please paste your story into the body of your e-mail and attach it as a Microsoft Word .doc file.
•  Send your submission to forplayantho@gmail.com with 
• Submission: Story Title in the subject line. 
• Please direct any questions to the same address. The deadline is October 1, but earlier submissions are very much appreciated.

Payment will be $50 per story and 2 copies of the book upon publication. Contributors retain the rights to their work and Cleis Press has final approval over the stories selected for the book. 

Dr. Feelgood

Dreamspinner Press is seeking romantic short stories with medicine/physical health themes.

Possible examples: A Band-Aid, a kiss, and a lollipop make kids’ boo-boos all better, so Mason decides to try that when his boyfriend bangs his knee on the coffee table. Two doctors in separate departments of the same hospital keep running into each other in unlikely places. A physical therapist struggles against falling in love with his patient. Don’t forget dentists, optometrists, and the dermatologists who do laser tattoo removals. Two researchers collaborating on a medical advance start talking about more personal matters.

Editor’s Note: Because of the packaged nature of the anthology, all stories need to stand alone. No sequels to or spin-offs of previously published works, please.

Submission Deadline: Oct. 1, 2013

Publication Date: February 2014 

Single-book anthology story length: 3,500 - 12,000 words
Manuscripts shorter or longer will be considered but will have to be extraordinary.

Follow general Submission Guidelines for instructions and formatting.


Send all submissions to anneregan@dreamspinnerpress.com. List the anthology title in the subject line of your e-mail. Ex: FEELGOOD anthology submission

Juicy Pink Box

 Taxicab Trysts Submission Guidelines:

Guidelines at a Glance

· Series Title: Taxicab Trysts
· Series Description: A book series that is directly linked to the Juicy Pink Box erotic film series “Taxi.” Naughty, rough, gritty hook-ups in the back of a taxi, or with the taxi driver. Sex is between women. Action in the story can take place outside of the taxi, but the hookup should be focused on the taxi.

· Demographic Target: Mature females
· Market: Fiction, Nonfiction 
· Genre: Erotica with a harder tone, rough, “fucking”
· Length: 3,000–5,000 words
· Reading time: Year-round, seasonal submissions accepted
· Unsolicited submissions: Yes
· Query first: N/A
· Simultaneous Submissions: Accepted. Please indicate in your email.
· Multiple Submissions: Accepted. Please indicate in your email.
· Previously Published: No.
· Book Excerpts: No.
· Submission Type: Email Only
· Media: eBook


Following the guidelines below, submit materials to:
publishing@juicypinkbox.com

HarperCollins Impulse

HarperCollins are launching a brand new romance imprint, and we are giving you the opportunity to submit your novel, novellas and short stories to us for consideration.

We’re seeking all kinds of adult and new adult romantic fiction for digital publication, but particularly contemporary, historical, new adult and erotic fiction as well as short form content.


How To Submit A Manuscript To submit, e-mail us at romance@harpercollins.co.uk with your completed manuscript and the following information:

Your contact details

Genre

Approx length

A short synopsis

A little about you...

Full submission guidelines can be found HERE: 

Loose Id

What is the best December holiday you wish you'd ever had? Hey! You're an author. Make that happen for some lucky characters at Loose Id.

We'd love to see what you come up with for the ideal holiday--along with hot sex and romance, of course. We're sure there will be complications on the way before they get that happy holiday. 

Loose Id will want at least novella length (20,001 words on up) stories that would be due by Oct. 5.
All stories should follow LI submissions guidelines. 


Send to your editor or, if you don't have an editor, to Submissions@loose-id.com with the subject heading DIY December.

Sarah's TOP FIVE LOVE TRIANGLES

Sarah Daltry came on the Fantasy Floozies to discuss her Top Five Love Triangles! It's an interesting list if I do say so myself.

However, before we study her idea of the best novels with love triangles. Take a look at her vampire romance that just happens to include a pretty hot love triangle.

Book Summary:

Attending a vampire-themed masquerade party seems like a strange way to spend a night, but Nora is sick of frat parties and bars. Meeting Alec was just a bonus. Despite their immediate attraction, however, Alec is wary of involving himself with Nora, and when she pushes it, she discovers that Alec has secrets that could destroy them both. Is she willing to risk everything for a man she hardly knows? How far into darkness will he take her?

When Nora attempts to follow, however, things grow more complicated. Someone is hunting her - someone tied to a secret that goes back to the beginning of man. Soon, Nora finds herself drawn to two men, each with his own agenda. Can she save them both when one is destined to die?

Sarah's TOP FIVE LOVE TRIANGLES OF ALL TIME!!

1. The Infernal Devices series by Cassandra Clare (the ending was perfect!)

2. The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han (who could choose?)

3. The Vampire Diaries by LJ Smith (except on TV, because Ian Somerhalder. End of story).

4. Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens (Oh, my heart breaks every single time)

5. The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway (not really a love triangle, but a love mess - and so sadly beautiful).

About this author:

Sarah Daltry

   TWITTER    FACEBOOK    Goodreads   Author Website

Sarah Daltry writes romance and erotica. She's moved around a lot and has trouble staying in one place. When she isn't writing, she's usually wasting time online or thinking about a new story.

The book (Amazon link):

Erotic Romance Inspiration through Hip Hop.

Advance Reader Copies are available, Request it HERE

I love all types of music, but when people see me on a day to day basis they're thinking. . .

"Hey that's that weird, hippy chick with the flip flops and shirts with crude sayings on the front." 

"Isn't she like the only person in Miami that screams out Thom Yorke lyrics in the drop-off line of her kids' elementary school?"

"Does she even know she's black?"

I do.

Kind of. . .

Look. 

I spent my entire teens and and early twenties, spouting out rap lyrics that talked about how black women are hoes and sluts and blah blah! I love the classic stuff and even some of the few hip hop artists out today. But nowadays, I pretty much only listen to odd alternative craziness!

So one day I'm talking to D.T. Dyllin

Me: Dude, we have to write a book together!

D.T.: Sounds good. What should we do? I vote steam punk!

Me: Hmmm. Let's do some crazy dark, gritty futuristic world with like people flying and shit, and tons of androids all over the place.

D.T.: Uh. . .ooookaaayyy. I just want the female to be strong and alpha. And I want to have awesome clothes.

So as I'm chatting with her, this video comes on my tv called "Bag of Money" by Wale featuring Rick Ross, and a bunch of other guys I don't usually listen to.

Yet. . .the lyrics just hit me!

My bitch bad, looking like a bag of money.

My bitch bad, looking like a bag of money.

I go and get it, and I let her count it for me.

I do her good, and she always ride it for me.

Granted, this is not Yeats. lol! But in my mind I see this wicked female that no man can handle or tame, the type of women that D.T. wants to write on our project.

And so I listen some more.

She got me caught up in the moment

She bad, she bad bad bad.

D.T. and I start talking and talking. . . by that time, I'm constantly replaying this freaking "Bag of Money" video on youtube.

Days pass.

We're emailing suggestions back and forth.

I can't remember who says it, but I think D.T. says, "Let's do a futuristic Bonnie and Clyde!"

And I say, "let's have the hero with an artificial eye."

And I'm still playing the video over and over and over. . . 

Finally, it is my turn to start the book's first chapter. I'm nervous, yet I play the song. . .the first scene comes to me immediately...

I see a strip club, in the future. . .and my hero getting ready to rob it., and the whole time that video played in the background.

CHAPTER ONE

My dick pressed against my pants—hard, long, and ready—

but it wasn't the nude girls dancing around me with luscious

curves and jeweled skin that incited the erection. It was

the hit—the guns my brothers and I wielded in our hands

charged with siphons, the electronic currency stuffed in

the pockets of drooling men who copped a touch of the

dancers when the bouncers weren't looking, and of course,

it was the rush of the quake I’d just snorted.

Heart-pounding music drummed in my ears. The song

had a heavy bass and an omnichord melody. Something

similar to the music I played before my criminal activities

shift ed from a past-time thing to a full-time necessity, prior

to Mom’s death, and well before Dad’s mental demise. Our

parents birthed ten kids. My brothers and I were the oldest.

When Mom and Dad died, we became parents overnight.

Shitty parents.

“Epic, are you okay?” Toy nudged my shoulder. . .

May's Book of the Month Discussion with Megan, Dara, Kenya, & Alicia

Every month Fantasy Floozies get together with authors Megan Martin and D.T.Dyllin to discuss the Book of the Month.

This month is the Contemporary Erotic Romance DIRTY by Megan Hart

Book Summary:

This is what happened…

I met him at the candy store.

He turned and smiled at me and I was surprised enough to smile back. This was not a children’s candy store, mind you–this was the kind of place you went to buy expensive imported chocolate truffles for your boss’s wife because you felt guilty for having sex with him when you were both at a conference in Milwaukee.

Hypothetically speaking, of course.






Our Favorite Lines


Megan D. Martin

"He didn’t approach me, made no move to touch me, not an awkward social half hug nor a handshake, and I found myself both grateful and disappointed." Is mine. I love how real Hart made her emotions.



Dara Dyllin

I'm a fan of all the American Psycho references... not really a favorite line... but yeah.... lol

Kenya Wright

"...his voice and laugh, the slow deep honey of it that made me want to lean against him and rub myself on him the way cats do, purring." 

Alicia W.B.
Okay got one: On another man the comment would have come off smarmy, earned a roll of the eyes and an automatic addition to the "not with James Dean's prick" file. 

James Dean

Kenya Wright

lmao@ james dean's prick file!!!

Alicia W.B.

And now I'm going to Google James Dean because I don't know what he looks like and he'd better be hot based on that line

Megan D. Martin

omgh you don't? He is beautiful!

       

Dara Dyllin

Really?? You don't know what James Dean looks like??

                

Alicia W.B.

He's a-ight 

What did we think about the HERO and HEROINE? 

Dara Dyllin

The Hero reminds me of my Hubs... super patient with a woman with issues. LMAO

How's that for TMI for you Kenya?! hehe

Alicia W.B.

Even though I figured out the heroine's story pretty early on, I thought it was one of the more shocking heroine backstories I've come across

Megan D. Martin

I liked Dan A LOT. I thought he seemed like a good guy, but I found that Elle drove me crazy about halfway through the book. She drove me crazy. I was only able to forgive her craziness once I realized what was going on with her past.

Alicia W.B.

And yes, Dan was super patient. I liked him a lot. And he had that great quirk about wanting to have sex in public--which made him avoid being too much of a "good boy"

Megan D. Martin

LOL @ Dara. @ Alicia, I found it to be one of the most shocking as well. I think it had a lot to do with the way Hart presented it. The way she described her feelings. It made it all very real.

Kenya Wright

I pretty much agree with you all.

I loved how the Heroine changed throughout the book.

Remember the room she kept painting

and how that room changed with her personality

loved!

Alicia W.B.

Oh yeah, that was great how the room reflected what she was feeling

Kenya Wright

yes. I'm stealing that for my books

Alicia W.B.

I loved that too. Kudos to the author. Well done.

Kenya Wright

objects are going to change with my characters!

Dara Dyllin

Thumbs up on that from me as well. 

Any things we didn't like about the book? 

Dara Dyllin

Honestly, I got bored at about 20% in and had to make myself finish the book. Hear me out before I get boo-ed...

Alicia W.B.

I won't boo you. There were big blocks of telling and summary toward the beginning.

Kenya Wright

Yes. There were major slow points throughout the book especially during that 20%

"I thought of him here. I thought of him there. I thought of him while I took a shit."

Alicia W.B.

Stuff like: "I thought about him a lot over the next couple weeks. I thought about him while..."

Yes!

Agreed...

Dara Dyllin

The writing was good, the concept good... but I wasn't consumed like I prefer.

Megan D. Martin

Yes, I agree with you Dara. It was the end that saved the book for me. The last 25%.

Kenya Wright

(Dara is only consumed when the heroine is beating the crap out of women and sleeping with all of their boyfriends while the bloody women lay on the ground watching.)

Dara Dyllin

Whatever Kenya! LMAO!

               

Megan D. Martin

LOL then she should have loved the hero in Flirting with Chaos ;)

Alicia W.B.

In general, I tend to think that contemp romance has more internal monologue than other genres I read--which frustrates me just about every time I read contemp romance. But I didn't find it to be more so in this book than in others.

But the summarizing weeks passing and that "thought of him" stuff was too much telling.

Megan D. Martin

There were times where I felt the author was keeping us at an arms length from the character. Where we were kind of detached

Dara Dyllin

@ Megan... That seemed like it was done on purpose because the character keeps everyone at arms length. But then it also kept the reader detached and didn't serve the novel well over all.

Kenya Wright

awww good point @ Dara 

(An angel dies every time Dara makes a good point)

(I'm just saying)

Dara Dyllin

That's why they're dying left and right apparently. ;)

Megan D. Martin

Wait, I didn't die. Are you sure? ;) 

Dara Dyllin

@ Alicia I like internal monologue and I'm not sure what it was about this book that didn't suck me in.

Kenya Wright

I think Dirty is definitely not your typical contemp Erotic romance. It came off more literary.

Alicia W.B.

Wtf does "literary" even mean. Not once while I was reading did I think, "Oh this seems literary."

Kenya Wright

o that book was literary

i have created elements!

Alicia W.B.

oh gods

Kenya Wright

1- can stand the test of time

2- story has a significant theme that tells the person something about being human

i forgot the other ones

Alicia W.B..

Again, I see that in most contemp romance that I read

Kenya Wright

you've been reading the best ones dick head

while I trudge through the bad ones!!

and tell you not to read them

:-(  (my life is hard)

Alicia W.B.

Okay :P

Would you read more by this author? 

Alicia W.B.

I respected a lot about the book, so I think I'll like some her other stuff.

Kenya Wright

I definitely would. I browsed her other books and she writes some pretty dark erotic romances. That's my thing.

Megan D. Martin

I don't know. Maybe. I wouldn't read another book about Dan and Elle.

(there are more in their series right?)

Alicia W.B.

There's a follow-up novella

I think that's it for these characters

Dara Dyllin

@ Megan.. I agree I'm over those characters but I would read other books by Hart. :) 

What would you have changed about this book?

Kenya Wright

I would have taken out most of the dragging points. I'm an action junky. I like things to move along.

Megan D. Martin

Same for me @ Kenya. I would have added more action and excitement to the plot line

  

Alicia W.B.

I'd cut a lot of the summary nonsense. Can we say chapter break and time shift?

Dara Dyllin

I think the book was meant to be a character study. If that's not your thing then you're going to crave more action.

Some people really enjoy character studies with little action...

Kenya Wright

good point @ Dara (and another angel falls from heaven)

Alicia W.B.

So Megan and Kenya just don't "get it" then? Is that what you're saying?

Megan D. Martin

Wahhh can't there be both? @ Dara

Alicia W.B.

I actually disagree.

Kenya Wright

(shocker)

Alicia W.B.

A book can be a character study and still avoid dragging.

 Megan D. Martin

LOLOLOL

Alicia W.B.

Kenya read all of Name of the Wind and Wise Man's Fear despite their being slow, because they were engaging

Kenya Wright

this is true but I found it dragging a whole lot

Dara Dyllin

I think there can be a balance with a book being a character study and with action. I think the problem, like I previously stated, was the distance between Elle and the reader.

Kenya Wright

I only read it to steal his writing style.

Alicia W.B.

SHUT UP WHEN I'M MAKING A POINT!

Kenya Wright

lol! go on time out Alicia!

Alicia W.B.

:'(

Dara Dyllin

Go ahead and make your point Alicia. :)

Kenya Wright

5 minutes in the corner. Keep it up, and no TV tonight.

Alicia W.B.

Oh, I finished already. It wasn't all that significant.

Dara Dyllin

I'm playing good cop. ;)

Megan D. Martin

I am just observing lol

Kenya Wright

(When Dara plays good cop, portions of heaven whither away.)

Alicia W.B.

Thank you, Dara. I'm taking you off my isht list for the rest of the week.

Megan D. Martin

@ Alicia are you pouting? ;)

Dara Dyllin

@ Kenya... that part might be true. :p 

Last question: How many stars do we give the book?

Alicia W.B.

Megan D. Martin

Kenya Wright

Dara Dyllin

I don't like to rate other author's book publicly. I know, I suck. :p

Kenya Wright

:-(

Alicia W.B.

That's cool. (I knew you'd say that.)

Kenya Wright

you suck Dara!