My Writing Space: Barbie Sex, Maps, Candles

I often wonder what an author's writing process and space looks like. 

For the next couple of weeks, we'll be presenting popular authors writing spaces and holding giveaways!! 

Woop Woop! 

Today, I'll start with my writing space and will be giving away a Lavender Basket.

Okay. Here we go.

Let's be mature about this, people!

Many don't know this, but I use Barbie Dolls to act out my sex scenes.

NO Barbies are ever harmed during this stage of my writing.

Sometimes I'm not sure if the anatomy restricts a particular position so I check with my dolls.

But it isn't only just Barbie Sex that helps me really figure out how to write scenes, I disrespect ART too.

Now when I say disrespect it, I'm being realistic about my drawing capability which is pretty nil. 

Drawing the clothes that characters wear in Chameleon

Maps for Santeria Habitat

Book #3 for Santeria Habitat Series

Painting I did for a current Work in Progress called 
"Of Winds and Leaves"

I also Set the Mood

Pot of Lavender

I burn at least three candles as I write.

I love to keep little inspirational things around me to keep me moving forward.

For the past two months I've been wearing this hat as I write, kind of like a way of stepping through a portal into my book's world. . .Hey, Don't Judge Me!

Writing References are a must while I write. I'm always stopping and flipping a book open for help.

This is my trusty Six book. If one book goes missing, then I search the house for it and won't even write (unless I'm under a deadline).

That's as wierd as it gets for me! For all of you writers out there, what does your writing space look like? Feel free to send some pictures so I can post them on here! 

For all you readers, what does your reading space look like? 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

To Write in Sex or Not?

Should writers put sex in novels? 

Interesting question right? 

All who know me well know that I pretty much will answer yes almost 100% of the time. Obviously, these are adult novels we're talking about. 

Although, I won't lie. . .I wanted Edward to bang out Bella from behind, in the earlier novels.

Hey, don't judge me!!

Anyway a more sane person, Adrianne James is here to discuss whether writers should add sex in a novel or not. First check out her new novel below.

Synopsis: The Mythology department at prestigious Harvard University is tiny—and Mackenzie Duncan has just been selected as one of the lucky few. Her love for myths and legends is strong, but she never thought any of it could be real. 

After being attacked by a large wolf while walking home alone, Mackenzie realizes something is not right. She heals quickly, is suddenly super strong, and is experiencing mood swings that can't possibly be normal. The myths she's studying aren't myths at all. Werewolves are real and she's one of them. Fear of what she is, and who she might hurt sends Mackenzie running from the life she’s worked hard to build–and straight into the arms of a handsome Were named Geoff and into the home of his pack. Living with her new pack takes the edge off her confusion and self-loathing, but the arrival of new pack members changes the dynamic, and tests Geoff and Mackenzie’s growing relationship.

The hardest part of being a werewolf is having no control and no memory of her time as a blood thirsty beast. When a moon cycle passes and she actually remembers bits and pieces of the night, she starts to ask questions, and the more questions she asks, the more she realizes she doesn't like the answers. Can she set aside her own sense of morals to belong to a pack that is like a family or will she leave everything behind yet again in search of a life she can be proud of?

To fade to black or not to fade to black?

That is the question. 
So what is the answer? 
Well, that depends on the story.
To be able to answer that for yourself, you should ask yourself a few questions. 

First, who is the intended audience? 

Are you writing for young teens, mature teens, or adults? 

Next, would the graphic scene add to your story or simply be put in for the sake of having a sex scene? 

If you put it in, how graphic would your character really be? Also, how comfortable are you, the writer, with written graphic scenes? Do you enjoy reading them? What about writing them? Do they make you uncomfortable or embarrassed? If so, don’t feel pressured to add them in.

Writing a love scene should be as natural as actually making love. When your readers come across the scene in your book, you want them to read it and fall into the scene with your characters. 

You want all the emotion that your characters are feeling to spill right out of the page and into your reader. If that isn’t something you are comfortable with, maybe a fade to black is right for you. Maybe you WANT to be able to write the sex scene as if you were the one in the bed (or car, or against a tree, or on a baseball field…), then you should write it over and over until you DO feel it right to the core of your being.

But what if you are comfortable and have already achieved that level of writing? Should you write out EVERY sex scene in your romance novel? 

At what point does it become erotica? 

My opinion is that if the sex scene will add to the story, write it. If it’s a married couple who goes to bed every night together and makes love, do we really need to read it every time?

If you are writing erotica, then by all means, write it out! But please, please, please keep it interesting! No one wants to read the same instruction manual written out over and over again. 

Change the positions or the order of the foreplay, something to keep us on our toes.

No matter what you decide, it is your story. 

Do what you feel is best for your story and don’t let anyone change something you love.

Her Website

Growing up, Adrianne couldn't get her hands on enough books to satisfy her need for the make believe. If she finished a novel and didn't have a new one ready and waiting for her, she began to create her own tales of magic and wonder. Now, as an adult, books still make up majority of her free time, and now her tales get written down to be shared with the world.

During the day, Adrianne uses her camera to capture life's stories for clients of all ages and at night, after her two children are tucked in bed; she devotes herself to her written work. Adrianne is living the life she always wanted, surrounded by art and beauty, the written word and a loving family.

As a young adult and new adult author, Adrianne James has plans to bring stories of growing characters, a little romance, and perhaps a little magic and mythology down the line for her readers to enjoy.

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.

Best & Worst Places to Write a Sex Scene

Don't forget, there is a great Giveaway below for the book Queen of Hearts!

 BOOK SUMMARY: 

Maya Cobb is a classic Gemini. She’s adaptable, affectionate, versatile, cunning, and she holds a deep-seated fear of commitment. Which means she’s the perfect match for Aquarius Erica.

Erica Jones, also true to her astrological sign, is friendly, honest, loyal, fiercely independent,  and detached. She hasn’t found a satisfying relationship in ages, and is ready to give up on love, even though she runs a dating service.

After a one night stand, fate keeps throwing them together in the weeks leading up to Valentine’s Day. Maya offers to help Erica plan the Queen of Hearts Matchmaking event, though she doesn’t know much about dating women. 

Erica quickly realizes that while Maya bolted after their first night, she might be the only hope Erica has to save her business.

Astrology says they’re compatible, but neither woman can be sure. 

Hi there Fantasy Floosies and hello to your loyal readers!

I’m back again to talk about one of my favorite subjects… SEX. J

Let’s talk today about the best and worst places to write a sex scene. Let’s go with the best first and then the worst.

Three favorite places to write a sex scene.

On a train! 

    Writing sex in a public place like a train really works well for me. It helps me focus on the writing and block out the rest of the world. I put on my music, and let it roll. The opening scene of my first erotic romance, An Affair Across Times Square was written while I was travelling around the south/center of France. J It was great.

   At Barnes & Noble!  

     Okay, so it’s a total writer cliché to be sipping a drink at a coffee shop/bookstore and typing genius on your laptop. But it works for me as well. The bulk of my third book, Queen of Hearts was written in the coffee shop of my local B&N, as was Spicy with a Side of Cranberry Sauce.

    I like to spend all day there writing. So it’s not always sex scenes, but a lot of the time it is. I usually only write the really naughty ones with my back to the wall so I know that no one is looking over my shoulder and reading it! Drafts are not meant to be read in public after all.

   In my basement office – late at night!

    There’s nothing like writing the sex scene in the middle of the night, with the electric fireplace roaring, and low light, while the stars twinkle outside. It’s romantic and sexy. 

    Sometimes, if I’m stuck on a scene or whatever or need inspiration, I’ll do some research at this hour of the night as well. ;-p Research usually consists of me googling “best places to have sex” or a certain position. Sometimes it includes texting friends in the middle of the night to ask their faves.

And now for the worst places to write a sex scene:

While in a room with your family members. Nothing is less sexy than trying to write a sex scene while your parents, grandparents, siblings, children, or other relatives are in the room. I mean, ew, right? So if I’m editing a book, I can do it while watching some TV with them or in the same room as family members. Other than that? No way! Just can’t do it.

    During nap time. 

     The kids’ nap time, not mine. I don’t get naps. L I work with kids, and we get 2.5 hours of nap time every day. A lot of days I’ll use this time to work on guest blogs like this one, but when I’m on a deadline, like I was for Queen of Hearts, I’ll work on it during nap. 

    But writing a sex scene here is complicated! I have to worry about constant coitus interruptus! A kid wakes up, or another staff member needs something… or any other number of things. It doesn’t bode well for a cohesive scene. That’s why I’ll start a scene and there’s no condom and then by the end, Amy and Mason are rolling it off and throwing it out. No good.

    While on a bus at night. 

    The brightness of the screen makes it too easy for nosy little old ladies to read the book from over my shoulder.

So there it is folks – the best and worst places to be while writing a sex scene. Care to share your thoughts? Perhaps you could give me your list of best and worst places to HAVE sex instead of write it? C’mon, your top three best and worst.

I’ll give away a free copy of my latest release, Queen of Hearts to one lucky commenter who leaves their email address along with their comment.

Queen of Hearts is on sale now wherever ebooks are sold.

Rachell Nichole

GOODREADS

I am a Contemporary Erotic Romance author, currently publishing with Loose Id. I love words. I love reading and writing and languages.

I'm also an avid traveler. I've been writing for more than a dozen years and I've written everything from haiku to novels. I live with my black cat, Godiva, AKA little evil.

Guest Post: Classy Sex Scenes for YA & New Adult Books, by D.T. Dyllin

Check out this Guest Post by Hot New Adult author D.T. Dyllin, but first get a quick look at her book that's just been released this week!!

**D.T.'s Kindle Fire and eBook giveaway is still open!**

Hidden Gates
by D.T. Dyllin

For P.J. Stone, being a “Seer” who has never seen anything is less than fun. And P.J. isn’t known for her patience.

To make matters worse, she must choose a suitable mate to continue the Seer bloodline. Duty always comes before her heart…at least that’s what her parents taught her. When she finds herself wanting someone who is considered off-limits, P.J. is forced to question everything she believes.

As if navigating her love life isn’t complicated enough, P.J. finally receives a vision—of a threat to her world that only she can perceive. But no one will believe a fledgling Seer’s warnings. With nowhere else to turn, she may decide to trust a stranger with her life, her world, and maybe even her heart.

D.T. Dyllin

What’s up you sex crazed lovelies?!

Don’t try to deny it.

If you’re wondering how exactly to go about writing a ‘classy’ sex scene for a YA or New Adult novel, but can’t quite figure it out…then yep…your mind has been living in the gutter.

But no worries, you’re not alone. My mind lives there 99% of the time, and that’s why I also write adult books. It’s kind of nice to not have to censor myself.

Alright, so I’m going to jump right into this now…here are some tips on how to do the New Adult or YA sex scene with a touch of class… aka …  How not to incur the wrath of publishers and angry tween moms.

1)     Even if you’re not a mom, pretend that you are. We all know teenagers know about sex. But what would you be comfortable letting your own child read? If you wouldn’t let your own kid read the scene you wrote, then it’s time to edit it. ‘Nuff said.

2)     Don’t be overly descriptive of the physical parts. Yes, you need to describe things a tad, clearly, but describe the emotional part more. Plus we all know that can be hotter sometimes anyways.

3)     Watch your word choice. Don’t use words like c**, d***, c***, etc. in YA, or most New Adult for that matter. Here’s an example from Hidden Gates:

“A new type of warmth I’d never experienced before bloomed in my center. Soon it grew into a fire of need, spreading through my system, pushing outward into spasms of ecstasy.”

It’s pretty clear what’s happening in the latter scene, and I didn’t even use the word cum once. I know…craaaazy.

4)     Make it more about the connection, the love, and the romance than just the sex. Make the sex an extension of the characters feelings for each other and even if you slip up a bit and go more “adult” you still won’t go wrong.

5)     Last but not least. Try to teach responsible birth control usage and protection against STDs. I know, I know…it kind of sucks. But you have to think that we as adults realize that pregnancy and STDs are a very real risk, and some of the books we read are purely fantasy.

There are tons of things that I think are super hot in books that I’d never do in real life. For instance… just meeting a man and hooking up with him and not using protection. In real life I’d be like… "You better be wrapping that up, buddy boy.”

But sometimes teens and tweens still take cues from fictional characters if they seem cool. In Hidden Gates, I threw in a line about birth control between Bryn and P.J. I really didn’t want to, I won’t lie, but again, it’s our responsibility as writers to consider these things.

Alright, those are my hopefully helpful tips on how to write a ‘classy’ sex scene in YA or New Adult novels. Thanks to Two Fantasy Floozies for the invite to guest post! It was fun! Later all you sex crazed lovelies! J

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