For #SixSunday, I’d like you to meet Sebastian. He has a very peculiar problem. He’s part-vampire, part-something else–and he doesn’t know what that something else is. He’s also about to meet his match. If together they can’t figure out what’s wrong with him, he’s going to die.
From Passion Aroused (sequel to Hunger Aroused):
Sebastian Kent slammed down the vodka neat, savoring the burn of alcohol sliding down his threat and heating his belly below. He searched through the writhing bodies of people on the dance floor, looking for just the right woman to bed that night. A human, preferably.
His teeth pulsed with a familiar ache, and his favorite appendage thickened at the impatient prospect of a long night of sweaty sex and decadent feeding. For whatever reason his libido had kicked into high gear over the past couple of weeks and in this past week, no matter how many times he alleviated the problem himself, he never felt relieved. So, if his own hand wasn’t going to solve the problem, he might as well let a woman with legs from here to next week solve it for him.
For more six sentence snippets from some really amazing authors, visit the official site.
You have to guess. No fair scrolling down and scanning my post for the answer. I want you to stop, take a moment to reflect, and then think about what would be best for Dee. There are so many good publishers out there, and I’ve had a wonderful experience with mine. I encourage everyone who wants to write to do so! Follow your dream…
Wait. Am I losing you here?
Oh, fine.
So this past April (just bear with me here a minute, would ya? Sheesh. So impatient.) Anyway, as I was saying, this past April at the Romantic Times convention, women I respect kept dropping this particular name. I’d never heard of this person before (sorry–I live in a shell), but people twittered in her path. (Can you believe it? Twittered! I know!!) Anyway, after a day or two I made a decision. At the publisher spotlight, I walked right up to the editor-in-chief, held out my hand and looked her in the eye. “Hi,” I said. “My name is Dee Carney. I want you to be able to put a face to the name.”
Arrogant, aren’t I? *shrug*
Four months later, ladies and gentleman, I received my first contract at her publishing house. Which house, you’re still wondering? (Probably shrieking) Well, Morgan Sierra wrote a kinky little tale about a woman with a naughty bdsm fantasy…and Ellora’s Cave has decided they want to publish it.
Twitterverse already knows, but I had to document here for posterity…I sent my submission for the Mills & Boon Medical Romance Fast Track call this past Sunday. Because I’m knee deep in edits for THREE (yes, I will keep harping on that) stories at once, I only had time to write one chapter and the synopsis for them. And every hour I checked my seekrit pen name’s email for a response.
Today it came.
Just a side bar… (don’t you love how I build tension! ) I’ve never before had print publication aspirations. I’m quite content in the epub world. It’s just that I’ve been telling anyone who will listen for some time that I want to write a medical romance. And then I saw the call. Fate, no?
Anyway…(drum roll, please!) this morning I received a reply. They’d like to see more!! Now, she didn’t quite request a full, but she was very complimentary about my writer’s voice–and who doesn’t love to hear that?–and requested some changes to the current story–done!–but the bottom line is that HARLEQUIN WANTS TO SEE MORE!!
So poor Charlotte and Smith (from my WIP, Neatly Tangled) will have to wait again to get their rocks off. I have medical romance to write.
#sixsunday is from NEATLY TANGLED. A nice surprise awaits Smith when Charlotte drops her pants.
When the sight of her densely packed curls greeted him, Smith looked up at her in shock.
“I got rid of them this morning,” she said unapologetically.
“You’ve been going commando all day?”
She grinned. “All day.”
Smith’s heart jumped.
I haven’t been able to touch this WIP in over a week because I’m working on my seekrit pen name medical romance project. (Y’all know I can’t keep a secret and will more than likely spill the beans shortly) Besides that, I have edits for THREE stories going at the same time. THREE.
So while I’m over here in the fetal position and crying, please feel free to visit more authors participating in Six Sentence Sunday at the official site.
HOOK. ME. WITH. CHAPTER. ONE! I’ve done this post once before, but thought the message bears repeating again.
I read 100K books in about a day. Rarely more than two. That’s not a brag, just a statement of fact. If, however, it takes me two weeks to read the first 19 pages of a book, there’s a problem…especially if chapter one is over thirty pages long. Fortunately in this case, I was reading another author’s WIP, so the problem could be remedied before publication. But with the numbers of books I read and proof, I run into this problem again and again: chapter one sucks.
Lemme tell you something. Chapter one is typically the excerpt chapter Kindle, etc. pull from. It’s the one that should be on your web site, enticing readers to keep reading. It’s the one chapter that MUST ROCK.
A lot of people tell you that your first sentence must draw readers in. Meh. I don’t personally buy that. I’m savvy enough to give you a few chapters to hook me. But if you go on and on about nothing, dump more information in that first chapter than in the remainder of the book, blind me with secondary, tertiary and even quaternary characters, I’m going to put the book down before going much further.
#sixsunday is from my upcoming @CarinaPress title, HUNGER AROUSED. I’m smack dab in the middle of edits right now and hope to have some cover art and a release day to share with you soon. Until then, here’s a bit of vampire executioner, Corin, encountering newly turned Jasmine for the first time.
Her breath caressed his skin when he moved even closer. It stoked more of those maddening urges, his teeth elongating and pulsing in response. He could almost taste the sweet blood just beneath the surface of her skin. Imagined feeling the very moment his teeth penetrated her flesh. He shouldn’t—couldn’t—be having these types of thoughts. That part of him, the part that yearned to taste another vampire’s blood, ended centuries ago. Yet, here he stood, battling himself. He didn’t know why, and barely understood how, but this woman was sin and tempting and longing within his arms.
Yes, it’s eight sentences.
Visit more authors offering six sentences of goodness at the official site.
#sixsunday is making morning breath sexy. No, really. Sexay, I tell you! Take a look. This is from NEATLY TANGLED.
“Nothing wrong with mutual morning breath.”
She laughed. “Perfect if we plan on setting fire to the place.”
Smith’s gaze dropped to her lips. He said softly, “Burn, baby, burn.”
Her heartbeat slowed, a lazy, insistent beat loud enough to drown out any other sounds. In the space of a blink, the room closed in around them, pulling their already cozy bodies even closer together. She watched the heat flare in Smith’s eyes, saw conflicting desire blossom.
Then, without warning, his mouth met hers.
Yes, fine. It’s nine sentences. I’m in a rush. I’m knee deep in edits for HUNGER AROUSED, and on notice to receive edits for HEART OF STONE any second now. Poor Smith and Charlotte are on hold for the time being. And y’all, I’m so excited to tell you about my sequel to HA, called PASSION AROUSED. Here’s a teeny, tiny hint about it: thou art crunchy and taste good with ketchup.
For more awesome snippets from Six Sentence Sunday authors, please visit the official site.
I’m adopting a third pen name. It’s going to be a seekrit for now too.
You see, there’s this call for submissions at Mills & Boon for medical romances. I’ve been telling @elizagayle for some time that I want to write one. Here’s my chance to not only write one, but to also get a fast-track response on a partial submission. Booya!
So, despite working on edits for both HUNGER AROUSED and HEART OF STONE–(thank goodness we just finished edits for GRANITE DEVOTION)–writing NEATLY TANGLED, and plotting PASSION AROUSED (sequel to HA), I have to come up with a synopsis and I’m shooting for a 3 chapter partial for the call. Whew!
#sixsunday is from my contemporary IR BBW erom, NEATLY TANGLED. I just love it when a man knows exactly what he wants in a woman…and a woman with curves is what our hero, Smith, has his eyes on.
He knew he should behave like a gentleman and keep his focus right there, no drifting over to the rest of her. While his brain might know it, his libido had other ideas.
No man who breathed would have missed the gentle slopes of her breasts just peaking out of the cups of a black bra. The lace bordering their edges all but screamed look at me! Smith almost whimpered as his gaze involuntarily went lower, following the soft curves of her lovely brown skin. Charlotte’s rounded belly had the most inviting look, as if meant for him to lay his head and drift to sleep there. Right after an amazing night of loving…
Can I tell you how much I adore this man? *happy sigh*
For more six sentence snippets, visit the official site where a lot of great authors have added their awesome contributions.
) I’ve never before had print publication aspirations. I’m quite content in the epub world. It’s just that I’ve been telling anyone who will listen for some time that I want to write a medical romance. And then I saw the call. Fate, no?
