So today is my turn for the Ravenous Romance Ornery Eleven Blog Tour and my guest is…Elle Amery!
Hi all. It’s great to be here today! I’m Elle Amery, author of the contemporary erotic romance series Saving Sophie, Grace on Fire, and Tally’s Gift, published with Ravenous Romance. First, I need to shout out a huge thanks to Jennifer for hosting the Ravenous Romance author blog tour here at Jennifer’s Random Musings. The question for today is as follows:
“How do you get your ideas for your stories?”
Elle Amery: Many writers have a specific process in how they form their stories, and I’m definitely interested to read the answers given by the other authors on our tour. For myself, I don’t have one set way in which I get the ideas for my stories. I have taken a few things from real life, like in Tally’s Gift, in which the premise was based on a sexed-up male friend who had injured both hands and couldn’t *ehem*. I’ll be clear – I didn’t do what Tally did, but it did give me a great idea for a story!
Sometimes I’ll start a book off because I’ve imagined a great scene, or a romantic ending, and I’ll work the characters and storyline to support that scene. Other times I’ll create a specific character, and as I get more and more into his or her head, I discover their flaws, motivations, dreams, and obstacles. The story forms around that character. And once I even took a word I adored and created a short story around the word!
Sèphera Girón: It varies all the time. Sometimes headlines catch my eye, sometimes there are just ideas that pop out of nowhere that grab my interest.
Isabel Roman: Something someone says, movies, dreams, too much caffeine, too little.
Lisa Lane: Call me superstitious, but I believe in muses; ideas pop into my head at the most random of times. They always begin with the question “What if?”
EM Lynley: Sometimes from a dream. I love when I wake up with an image in my mind and then I try to figure out how those people got to that place, and I can build a whole story around it. Other times, just a word or phrase can be a good prompt, but then it still takes work planning out a story and characters.
C. Margery Kempe: The first few stories I did for RR sprang from specific calls for submission, e.g. Sex & Shoes, Men in Shorts, 12 Days of Xmas, etc. Novels generally come from things I obsess over for one reason or another,
Jamaica Layne: My ideas come from everywhere. And I often don’t know where they come from—they often just appear out of thin air.
Inara LaVey: Everywhere and anywhere. Past experiences, snippets of dreams, random conversations, fantasy fulfillment! One I got an idea for a short story while coming down off a migraine and inhaling traffic fumes on the I-5 Freeway. Go figure!
Savannah Chase: I get inspired by life and things that I read. Ideas hit me from something small as the name of a street to a photo. I have a very big imagination and my mind is always turning with new ideas and plot lines.
Angela Cameron: They’re like lightning strikes for me. They just happen. A dream, a movie, or something my husband says might inspire a character or a scene. The characters sort of run with it from there. I’m just a viewer in their theater, trying to relay what I see.
Neve Black: Conversations, thoughts, an idea. Very random.
And now for an excerpt from TALLY’S GIFT, leading in with this brief set-up:
Tally Bennett has taken precious time away from developing a new bath and body line, Naughty Body, to visit her best friend Sophie’s egotistical brother, Brett Huntsman, who in the hospital with two broken wrists and an ankle. However, neither broken bones nor pain meds can keep sex-starved Brett down—and in more ways than one. With casts on both wrists, Brett can’t deal with his ever-present “problem” himself. What else can a guy do but turn to his sister’s friend for a little “help”?
****
Tally blew out a puff of air. “Oh, for crying out loud. I try doing my best friend a favor, come all the way over here in the middle of the storm from hell to check on her brother, and instead of a polite greeting, I get asked for cheap and slutty sex.”
She stood up. “You seem fine. I’m going home now, calling Sophie, and telling her that her creep of a brother is alive, well, and full of himself as usual. Solve your own problem.”
“No, please don’t leave.” Brett’s voice took on an urgent tone, a sharp contrast to his earlier flirtation. “I’m serious about the sex. I’ve had this damned boner for hours now. Look at me,” he said, waving his hands in front of his face. “The casts go all the way to my fingertips. How on earth am I supposed to ‘solve my own problem’ when I can’t even get a grip?”
“Getting you off wasn’t what I told your sister I’d do for you. Plump your pillows, bring you juice, make sure the nurses were taking good care of you—that’s why I’m here. Put that thing away,” she answered, nodding toward his towering erection.
Brett threw his head back against the pillow and groaned. “Don’t you think I’ve tried? I can get it to go away for a while, but all I have to do is think about sex, and boom, it’s back.”
“Stop thinking about sex, then.”
“Yeah, right. Like that’s possible.” He groaned again, louder this time. “A hard-on is a great thing when you can do something about it, but it’s friggin’ torture when all you can do is stare at it and wish it would go away. Talk about blue balls—I think mine must be some violent shade of purple by now.” He shifted his hips back and forth in the bed, as if attempting to ease some of the discomfort.
Tally felt a smile start to form as she watched the tent pole trace a pattern underneath the sheet. The cocky smile had faded from Brett’s face, and he was starting to look as miserable as any man with not one but three broken bones and a permanent erection. She shook her head. She actually felt a smidgen of sympathy bloom for bratty Brett.
“You’ve really had an erection for hours?” she asked.
Remember to leave a comment; it automatically enters you to win an e-copy of the first book in my Quartzton series, Saving Sophie, a couple of Wyatt Bennett’s recipes (Grace on Fire) as well as perfume oil and bath salt recipes from my character Tally Bennett’s Naughty Body line (Tally’s Gift). We’ll also be giving away three $5.00 gift certificates for Ravenous on three random stops. You won’t know which ones until the tour is over, so visit as many as you can! And if you leave a comment on every stop in the RR Ornery Eleven BBT, you’re eligible to win a $25 gift certificate from Ravenous Romance!
Thanks so much for stopping by and thank you, Jennifer, for hosting us! Please visit Unbound tomorrow, April 20th, for another question of the day and our featured author Lisa Lane!
A big thanks to Elle and all of the other authors!
Don’t those prizes sound great? Go ahead and leave your comment…I’ll announce the winner of Elle’s giveaway here on my blog Tuesday!
And be sure to hit all the stops on the blog tour!
E.T.A. I just learned that Monday’s post can be found here: http://www.danafredsti.com/blog/?p=326
Awarded to me by 
Awarded to me by 
Awarded to me by 
Jennifer's Random Musings 
Great post!
Love it, Love Tally’s Gift. Sounds like a great read Elle. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Carol L.
The excerpt is great. I like it! Tamsyn
Great post. Love the idea of anything free. Have a great day.
Elle, that IS a great excerpt – I love your capper sentence! And Tally’s Gift is one of my favorite covers amongst many gorgeous Ravenous covers!
Thanks, Jennifer,for hosting us today!
And everyone, please leave your email addresses so when it’s time to draw our winner’s name out of the cyber hat, we can notify you!
Thanks, folks! Tally’s Gift was a blast to write – pairing earthy, laid-back Tally with hedonistic, rich boy Brett was quite the challenge, but those two have a deep connection – and some sizzle!
And again – big thanks to Jennifer for hosting the Ornery Eleven today *waving hi*
Elle
Elle, Great setup for a story – and love that excerpt! What a good friend Tally is…I can totally feel for Brett’s predicament; it’s funny because it’s true. BTW, very cute profile pic, too.
Good question today,and good answers from everyone, too! Isabel, I loved yours (“too much caffeine, too little”). Personally, my process is a lot like C.Margery’s (whose book Chastity Flame I am TOTALLY loving, BTW!)- sometimes I just need a little push, or else I’ll have a bundle full of current obsessions that have to come out!
Thanks for hosting us today, Jennifer!
-Dave
Great interview!
“…I have taken a few things from real life, like in Tally’s Gift, in which the premise was based on a sexed-up male friend who had injured both hands and couldn’t *ehem*….”
Oh, won’t cha’ please elaborote? Just a smidgen on how life sometimes imitates art? 🙂
Neve – LOL! My poor friend won’t ever live that down. He didn’t have a persistent erection in the hospital like Brett, but once he got home he realized he was unable to – well – really get a grip. And, like Brett, he was pretty much a horn-dog, and a horn-dog without a girlfriend at the time! And, like Brett, it seemed as if neither pain nor hard-core pain pills would interfere with his drive. We teased him mercilessly, poor guy. 😉
I completely understand variances in inspirations for your stories. But question for the authors,and others: Do you have a set writing schedule? Meaning, do you sit down at a particular time or do you wait for the muse? How structured or disciplined is your writing?
Seconding Neve’s request for additional info.
David – Tally is certainly a great friend – a bit unwilling; after all, Brett can be quite the pill. I love the whole idea of friends-with-benefits transforming into true love (yep, I’m a sappy sentimentalist!). Thanks for the compliment on the photo – I’m planning on getting an official publicity photo in about a month – hate all I have now – so for now, my vanity is dominating my business decisions and I’m choosing to show only my good side (um . . . not sure if the top of my head is actually my good side, but there ya go!).
Minna, Tamsyn, Carol, and Roberta – great to meet you here! Good luck with the contest 🙂 Jennifer’s announcing the winner on Tuesday – I’ll be in the air that day, flying over the US, on my way to Orlando Florida and the Romantic Times convention.
Elle Amery
http://www.elleamery.com
http://www.elleamery.blogspot.com
Oh, Elle, yes you must tell us more!
I didn’t mention it above, but my best inspiration was waking up with a distinct memory of a dream w/two men fencing to settle a dispute. How did they get there? What was the dispute? When I finally got the story figured out and written, it was 95k long! Way too long for most publishers so I’m revising it again, but it’s amazing how one flash of an idea can lead to something layered and complicated as this one turned out.
That’s so much better than banging my head against the desk trying to figure out the next thing someone is going to say in a scene! 😀
Vivien – I’m thoroughly undisciplined. And I am deadline-driven. I tangle with storylines, characters, plots, and motivation in my head at all times, but my actual writing happens only when I’ve cleared my schedule for about a week so I can remain ensconced in my dark cave of a living room (all blinds drawn tightly shut)and pound out a novel.I’m working on two things in my life right now: forcing myself to work out for 1/2 hour each day, and to write for an hour a day. So far I’ve failed several days in a row. Hmph. No wonder my rear is big and my latest MS rather wordless.
Great post everyone! Elle, what a story! I almost suffered a similar fate when I was in my 20s — severe rope burn when a horse pulled his lead line through my hand. My *left* hand; my writing hand. I still had my right hand, but life was – ahem – frustrating until the bandages came off.
Vivian, I think you’ll find all of us writers strive for a certain daily or weekly word count (or number of writing sessions), but no matter how much discipline we aim for, life still has a way of interrupting our efforts!
Thanks, Jennifer, for sponsoring the blog tour today!
Elle,
I think your friend is probably honored that you based a character from his experience. That’s pretty damn comical too. Poor dude.
Vivian,
It seems to depend upon the writer. I know many writers that juggle full-time jobs, raise children and have a multitude of other responsibilities that can eat into that precious, solitary time needed to write. I would wager some writers do have a specific time set time aside just for writing. I do not. If there’s a deadline looming, I’m focused on meeting that goal though. I think every writer probably shares that same denominator.
I think when a writer gets a whiff of inspiration, like a breeze from some distant ocean, it’s important to write that thought down at that moment. Carry a pad and pen wherever you go. You just never know which direction those inspiring winds will be blowing.
Good luck and have fun!
Love everyone’s response to the question of the day. They are all similar yet different and it was great to get an inside look at how each author get their ideas for their stories.
So looking forward to Lisa Lane’s stop at Unbound.
Vivian, answering the question re: writing schedule…Ideally, every night for two hours after work (except Friday, which is date night) and on the weekends, I putter until noon when I start looking at my computer…eventually open it and get writing for as long as the muse will stick with me. The last six weeks it’s been a few words here and there…
Elle, your poor friend (she said, laughing hysterically at the same time as sympathizing)… how long did it take before he was…cured?
Great excerpt, Elle. What an intriguing conundrum… I can tell you had fun writing Tally’s Gift. Jennifer, thanks for hosting this stop on the RR tour. Lots of cool commentary. Nice blog!
Catch y’all at the next stop. Cheers.
[…] – Jennifer’s Random Musings – Elle Amery 4/20 – Unbound – Lisa Lane 4/21 – Talk About My Favorite Authors – Angela Cameron 4/22 […]
Vivian,
As I full time author, I don’t have the luxury of “waiting for the muse” anymore. My inspiration is deadlines and paychecks!
I’m usually settled in my desk by nine am, sometimes much earlier if I can’t get back to sleep after my husband goes to work at 6:30, sometimes I don’t start til ten on the nights I work until four or five am.
Around 11:30, I take my morning shower, prepare lunch for my husband who comes home at 12:05 and we eat together. At 12:30 he goes back to work and my son comes home for lunch since high school is across the street and I eat with him. (notice I don’t EAT eat, but graze with both) and share our day then he goes back to school around 1:15 and I get back to work until he comes home again around three on days he doesn’t have rehearsals at school until five. My husband’s hours were cut at xmas so he’s home at 3:30 instead of 4:30.
The rest of the day can take many forms. I may continue to work until five or six. We can exercise together, make dinner together, sometimes my son and I have to go places such as classes, rehearsals (we do theatre shows together) board meetings, what have you. Some days get totally wiped out, like on friday, when I had to help my older boy who lives on his own, look for apartments and run some errands.
Since this is my second marriage, I try to spend a few hours every night with my husband bonding even if it’s just watching tv or going to the gym or hanging with the neighbours. In my first marriage, my husband and I were both workaholics and didn’t really see each other after the kids went to bed.
He’s usually passed out by ten or eleven then I hit the keyboard again.
Usually at night I write original stuff and during the day, I edit my own work and also I freelance edit and do my assignments as well.
I prefer to get to bed by one but sometimes it’s four.
I love working at home and making my own hours because it allows me to be an available mother at all times for my two sons. Sometimes that means I have to work during the night to make up for errands and such, but I love the flexibility.
I work every day of the week including holidays. Sometimes for only a few hours but I have so much stuff on the go constantly, I always have to be here.
So that’s my weird life and writing schedule. My work is all consuming all the time and I love it.
Dang, Sephera, that is one hell of a schedule you have going! It doesn’t sound like you get a lot of sleep, but you pack a lot of activities into a day. It’s wonderful that you have that balance of work and family time.
Great Post and Excerpt Elle!!!!
Your poor friend..lol, to bad he didn’t have Tally there to help him out 😉
Great answers for everybody, It’s interesting how you all create stories in so many different ways.
~Afshan
Afshan522@aol.com
Hi, Afshan, nice to see you back for day two of our tour!
Wowzer, Elle, what a premise! I read (and LOVED!) SAVING SOPHIE and now I’m itching to get to Tally’s story. I think we should dedicate two hours every day to reading. Wouldn’t that be great? A little siesta, mandatory for everyone!
Thanks for the read, ladies! 🙂
Dana,
No, I often don’t get alot of sleep but I’ve never been a huge sleeper. If I can get sixish hours of sleep, I’m pretty good for a while though once in a while, I need to get eight. I can’t sleep much longer, never could. Whereas my new husband can sleep 12 to 14 or more hours if he had his way.
I also do professional tarot readings so that’s in there too once in a while. A month ago I had six tarot parties in one week. Next week, I have one and there were none in between. They always come in clumps!
The thing about writing, as the writers know, is that you can’t FORCE it out sometimes. So it’s good to have several projects on the go for days that you can’t seem to write more than a sentence but maybe you can rewrite, edit, or proof read or do PR for something else.
I did work at a dance studio for 8 years as a musical theatre teacher and office manager, in the evening three nights a week, until four years ago when she shut her doors. She let me write while on the desk and also bring that younger son to work with me so I didn’t have to get a sitter.
I’ve been very blessed.
Seph, I am a sleep junkie…partly because I need at least 7-8 hours to function (plus no one wants to be around me when I’m sleep deprived) and also because I love that hour or so of slow wake-up time to dream. LOVE to dream! But I envy my friends who don’t need a lot of sleep because they seem to get a lot more done than I do.
What a lovely person to have worked for and what a great sounding job too!
Tarot parties? I’d love to hear more about those…
Lexi, please make me read for two hours… I would love it! I’m about 8 books behind on my Ravenous Reading, including Saving Sophie and Tally’s Gift!
I remember when I used to read a book a day for fun, my whole life until I became a full time author.
Well even then I still could read. But now that I edit as well, I read TONS Of books for my job, but seldom have time (or eyeballs) to read for fun. I read where i can, waiting in the car etc.
Tarot parties, well, in the fall I signed with an event company and they send me out for corporate and private functions. People have parties and want entertainment. So I’m the tarot lady, or one of many, depending on how big the party is etc.
I love it because the company does all the work and I just have to show up, usually in some kind of gypsy or fortune telling costume (which appeals to my theatrical Leo rising side). So I save tons of time not having to do ads and drum up business anymore which I’ve not had time to do in years.
Elle, TALLY’S GIFT looks like a great book! I love the excerpt, and I have your book in my TBR queue!
Sephera, your writing schedule is so disciplined! I so envy people who can get by on six hours of sleep; my body protests in terrible ways if I don’t get my 8-10 consistently. I’m also with Dana on the morning hypnagogic dreaming. I’m pretty sure the muses have planted more than one lovely idea in my mind, during those rare yet fantastic a.m. mental wanderings….
Phoebe, you have been such a great support to Ravenous writers. Thanks so much for everything!!!
Vivian, I do my best to stick to a schedule, typically networking and responding to e-mails in the mornings, and writing/editing in the afternoons and evenings … although, when I’m amidst a writing binge, all of life takes the back burner to my writing (this can be good and bad!). I rarely take a day off; I don’t think I’d know what to do with myself, if I did!
Lexi, I wish I could discipline myself to read for pleasure, for two hours every day. It seems that whenever I get the choice between reading or writing, writing almost always wins out. Whenever I go too long without reading, I take a reading-intensive college course, just so I have no choice but to read! I have a long list of RR books I’ve bought; someone needs to break out the whip and make me read them! 😉
Good post.
I love this tour, and I want to thank Ravenous Romance for giving me a major hit to my budget (did I say that) I meant to say thanks for introducing me to all these great new (to me) authors to add to my TBR/TBB lists. Now where is that pesky lottery ticket, I need to score a win there.
Nancy G aka joshgranny
Wow Sephera, I feel like a slug now.
I’m in the group of needing more sleep. Glad to hear others are not quite as “driven” as Sephera, but still manage to make it work. Thanks.
Elle the concept of Tally’s Gift is priceless. I’m smiling right now remembering an old boyfriend.Just grinning ear to ear.
[…] – Zhadi’s Den – Intro Stop 04/19 – Jennifer’s Random Musings – Elle Amery 04/20 – Unbound – Lisa Lane http://hagelrat.blogspot.com 04/21 – Talk About My Favorite Authors – […]
I am slow, just back from another tour (in real space, LOL, just back from Kingston). I hope it’s as gorgeous a day by all of you as it is in upstate New York — hope none of you are caught in that snowstorm.
I love the responses to Vivian’s question. Like at least a few people here I am doing at least two jobs: I write erotica, mainstream and genre fiction and academic work, too, as well as being an English professor. I hope to make the jump to full time writing, but I’m not making enough yet. Unfortunately teaching burns out the best of us — education isn’t really valued in this country.
Great to see you all here! This blog tour is wonderful. Thanks so much Dana/Inara for organizing our crazy loopy bunch!
CM–I didn’t know you were a college professor! (Though I guessed roots in feminist theory from your pen name). I, too, teach at the college level, and know what you mean about burn out. I’m not there yet, but I feel it coming, oh, do I feel it.
Vivian–(If you don’t mind me chiming in…)I don’t have any set schedule. I have the day job teaching writing to college students, and I have a toddler who keeps me on my toes. Instead of a set schedule, I’m big on goals–a certain words count per day that I squeeze in whenever I can. This often means writing for 45 minutes before my kiddo wakes in the morning, another 30 at lunchtime, and/or a couple hours after he goes to bed.
Lisa–I have to limit my pleasure reading. I’ll read to the exclusion of all other things if I let myself…not such a good way to keep a job or meet a deadline! 😉 I dream of weekends with stacks of books and no guilt for indulging! 🙂
Elle, what a wonderful idea for a story. I love the excerpt. You really know how to leave us hanging!
Dana, I just wanted to say hello to another sleep junkie. My perfect sleep amount is 10 hours. I’m very happy with that, but nothing more. Right now, I average about seven, but I’m tired during the day. Maybe it’s because I have VERY vivid dreams all night. One of the new stories I’m going to write for Ravenous (another vampire story) is partially a dream I had.
Do any of you write from dreams? Or is it just me?
Vivian,
My life is chaotic at the moment. So, the answer to the writing schedule question is “sort of”.
I get up and get my daughter to school by eight. Then come home and go straight to answering emails, which take an hour or two. I try to write then from about ten to one. But I generally don’t get to because of laundry or hubby’s lunch coming into play.
I do write a little before I pick my daughter up from school again, unless I have to write something for school (I’m finishing my BA in English & Lit). And always try to write longhand in the school’s parking lot. Sometimes I squeeze in time after dinners, homework, etc because my best writing seems to come between the hours of about eight p.m. and two a.m.
Almost everything I write is dream inspired or dream related. Anyone who has read any of my books will notice that my characters have dreams, often recurring nightmare type dreams, because to me, dreams are part of who we are and how we act and react to stress/life around us.
My dreams are vivid and I often wake up exhausted from “running” from tornados or sharks or unnamed somethings all night long…
Jung would have a field day with me.
But I’m so lucky I can work through my “stuff” by writing.
Lexi — LOL! The secret lives of college profs, eh? What would our students think? Hee hee. Well, after I submit my tenure materials next fall, I’ll be relieved. But if I don’t get a sabbatical soon, I will officially burn out. Four years on a 4/4 load and finishing my third at a 3/3 (3/2 next year, whoohoo). It’s wonderful, but it does drain the brain, especially the never really being “off” — every one has this picture of us with summers off and only working in the classroom. HA!
Lisa — I think I read for pleasure mostly non-fiction. The only time I really read fiction is when I’m teaching it or while I’m traveling. When I’m writing I can only read fiction that’s very different from what I’m writing.
Seph, same here. Dreams are a large part of Jonas (Blood & Sex, Vol. 2). Well, I think they’re actually in most of my books. I never realized that before.
I dream about tornadoes too, and I’m frighteningly accurate. Most every time I’ve dreamed of tornadoes in my life, we’ve had them within 48 hours. I don’t know why, but I chalk it up to being sensitive to pressures or something. My daughter freaks out whenever I mention that I’ve dreamed about them now. LOL.
I think my tornado dreams come from a) the wizard of oz cos that scene scared the crap out of me as a little kid, far worse than any witches or flying monkeys b) I was in one as a little kid in Missouri c) I have a phobia about tornados/high winds, likely as a result of b.
I thought for years (decades) that I lived in a tornado free zone. The past few years there HAVE been sightings and touchdowns around here. Well, last year at school, my son learned that we live in “tornado alley” in CANADA!!!! WHO KNEW? that’s global warming and change for you!
Nancy: And thank you for becoming a Ravenous Romance reader! Do you know about our yahoo group for fans? It’s located at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ravenousromance/
Enjoy!
Angie, my series THE DARKNESS AND THE NIGHT is based on a series of lucid dreams my twin sister and I shared in our teenage years. We often would have the dreams on the same night, as well. Yes, identical twins do sometimes experience funky coincidences….
fantastic post and the book is so good….we truly have so many amazing authors at RR….
Lisa, I have finished Coffee and Night, book one of your The Darkness and the Night series and I’m now reading Cosmic Orgasm, book two of your The Darkness and the Night series. I liked reading the first book and I’m enjoying reading the second book.
Wow, lots of replies here, and look at me, late. I had to work. that’s my reasoning and I’m sticking to it.
I have a writing schedule that’s pretty much a couple hours a night after work and dinner, most of the weekends when I’m not racing around with family and stuff to do, and many many late nights. 🙂
It’s great to be part of such a group, and Elle, your books sound terrific! I’ll have to add them to my computer pile. 🙂
Hey, all! Stopping by while showing my friend what a BBT looks like! Drinking champagne and gonna watch either a really bad movie or a really good one. The jury is out.
So excited to see all the activity here!
Oh…and I have flying dreams, water dreams (lots of big waves and such) and kitty anxiety dreams.
What a great post Elle. It was interesting to read about where authors come up with ideas to write their stories about. I loved the excerpt for Tally’s Gift. Tally’s Gift sounds like it is going to be a good book to read.
Lisa, that is so fascinating about the dreams between you and your sis. There’s a whole book in that.
Phoebe, thanks so much!
Angie, yes, there is definitely a book in that whole strange experience. It would be neat if I could get Erin, my twin sister, back into writing, so we could collaborate again. I have another sister who writes novels and short stories, but unfortunately Erin hasn’t written anything other than music for years, now.
Becky – Tally’s Gift was a load of fun to write, and a fun read, too. I love the transformation Brett undergoes by the end of the novel.
It appears that one of my earlier posts, saying “hi” to the visitors I don’t know, didn’t make it through. So a big wave hello to Minna, Carol, Tamsyn, Roberta, David, Neve, Afsham, Vivian, and Nancy – so glad to meet you here! Did I forget anyone???
We were talking about juggling working, life, and writing, and I wanted to chime in. Writers who make the big bucks are rare; many writers make a respectable living at writing, but many, especially those who are just starting out, still require a day job to keep those bills paid. And even after you’ve written a great book and get it published, the work doesn’t end there! Promoting your own work, interacting with readers, maintaining web sites and blogs, all take up precious time. Discipline is good (ehem – speaking to my undisciplined self here!) – carving out that time to write is a necessity. Your week can vanish in the blink of an eye! But most authors will agree – it’s absolutely amazing to be getting paid to write these stories!
Wow, what a great teaser and poor guy. Not that he doesn’t deserve it. So does she leave him to suffer or ease his discomfort? And how embarrassing would it be if the doctor came in during her helping. My own imagination is going full throttle.
Great excerpt. Tally’s Gift sounds wonderful.
Linda – I won’t give away the plot, but here’s another excerpt that may give you a hint of where Tally’s going with her response to Brett’s suggestion:
Brett nudged her with his foot. “C’mon, Tally, put a poor guy out of his misery. It’s not like you wouldn’t have any fun doing it, right?”
She raised her head to look at him. All she’d wanted to do tonight was fulfill a promise to Sophie—check in on her brother, make sure he was fine, and say goodnight. Being offered casual sex with an invalid had definitely not been on her agenda. Sex with spoiled, hedonistic Brett had never even been something she had thought about, and certainly wasn’t anything she had ever wanted. The man was a pill.
A pill, but he did have a point. It had been an entire year since she’d done the dirty deed. And she did so love sex.
“Tally…” Brett drew her name out slowly, softly. He motioned with his chin toward his jutting cock. “Do us both a favor. Climb aboard.”
She dropped her gaze back down to Brett’s lap. Damn, she thought, but didn’t that look good?
Hi gals,
Another great stop on the blog tour! I’m just catching up on all the comments. Kind of hard when you have a preschooler watching “Alvin & The Chipmunks” and asking “Why why why?” every few seconds. I love the excerpts for “Tally’s Gift” and can hardly wait to read it.
Elle, I’m also deadline-driving. I wish I was more disciplined. I’d save myself a lot of stress!
Where do I get the ideas for my erotica? From my fantasies, of course…
Cynthia
Elle, another excellent excerpt. I love the humor you mix with the sexiness!
Angie, glad to know there’s another sleep junkie in the crowd…
We are watching Wish Master. My brain is melting. But at least I have sporadic access to a computer…
There are probably as many forms of inspiration as there are writers. What all of you have mentioned appears to run the gamut. The “why” isn’t as important as the fact that you all have talent and that you all keep writing. I’d say you’re all doing great so far.
that sounds like some book what a crazy promblem he has. i got to renber to read that book.
Fun post today. Wouldn’t it be awesome to have a simple conversation or be in line at Wal-Mart and have a fabulous idea for a story pop into your mind. I’m pretty envious! Keep up the good work though, it seems to be working!!
Good creative prompts for getting ideas–thanks!
Heidi, Cowgirl Dreams
http://heidiwriter.wordpress.com
Rachie and Heidi – nice to meet you here! Glad you stopped by.
I’ve had a blast here today, as I’m sure my fellow Ravenous Romance authors have, too. Big shout out to Jennifer for hosting us! We’ll be back, I’m sure :).
It’s getting late and my animals are demanding to be fed and have their bedding changed (I have quite the menagerie)so I shall sign off now before a riot erupts in front of me.
Good luck to all of you, too, with the contest! I look forward to Tuesday, when I find out who won. Until then, ciao for now!
Elle Amery
http://www.elleamery.com
http://www.elleamery.blogspot.com
Wow, there are so many entries there is no way I can try and keep up with any of the topics now. Awesome to see so many visitors here. It was definitely a fun topic to discuss!
This was an excellent stop – thank you, Jennifer, Elle,and everyone else who stopped by!!
Great second excerpt, Elle!
Hi, Elle! Great to meet you. Don’t put me in this contest since I have SAVING SOPHIE to read! Neat that it will be a series too! I loved hearing about TALLY’S GIFT. I think I’m gonna enjoy Brett in this story! Seems he endures the pain no matter what! 🙂
” And once I even took a word I adored and created a short story around the word! ”
I LOVE that!
And I will be sure to check out Tally’s Gift soon 🙂
Sheina – the word was “osculate” – if you don’t know what the word means, go look it up and you’ll see why a story came to me!
Elle
Tally’s Gift sounds fantastic and I enjoyed reading about how everyone gets their ideas.
God Bless, Rhonda :0)
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Great post!
[…] April 18—Zhadi’s Den—Intro Stop Sunday, April 19—Jennifer’s Random Musings—Elle Amery Monday, April 20—Unbound—Lisa Lane Tuesday, April 21—Talk About My Favorite […]
[…] April 18—Zhadi’s Den—Intro StopSunday, April 19—Jennifer’s Random Musings—Elle AmeryMonday, April 20—Unbound—Lisa LaneTuesday, April 21—Talk About My Favorite […]
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