It's not a rut if you can see over the top

At least, I hope so.

Not if there's a difference between conscious time management and, well, I was going to say 'rutting,' but that's just a whole 'nother thing, isn't it?

But every once in a while--okay, frequently--I get into a routine or something and it's tough to get out of it. Habits. Like coming home from work and getting caught up in doing something (housework, dealing with pets, whatever) and poof! there goes the time I meant to spend writing.

Or blogs...not writing them so much as reading them. Reaching out and networking with readers and other writers and what have you, and next thing you know, you've been on the computer for two hours and nothing's done.

Then there's writing. I think it becomes very easy, once you've got an idea in your head (or perhaps even a genre you like reading) to decide 'this is what I'm going to write.' And there are several--well, two, actually, since it's really either do or don't--opinions on how wide-ranging your writing should be. If you write category romance, do you dare write anything else, or do you hone your craft there? If you've got a thing for r/s, should you bother trying your hand at that paranormal dancing at the edges of your brain? What about ero/rom and YA (I do know people who successfully write both, although not under the same nom de plume, of course.)?

And now, cross-genre writing (and yes, it is a little like cross dressing) is become more and more accepted. So that "decide what you're writing" paranormal r/s I wrote isn't as off the beaten path as when I started it. But (now that it's done), is it really what I want to write? Or is it what I THOUGHT I wanted to write? I LOVE r/s--the sexier and more suspenseful the better. I HATE vampire books. Or did until a friend convinced me that JR Ward was worth reading (oh, yes!). Partly it comes down to just loving well-written stories.

So I'm about to take this idea that's been bugging me for a while and work it into my regular (or not so regular) writing schedule, and we'll see what happens.

What about you? Are you a one-genre writer (or reader), do you dabble in a few, or are you exploring where your storytelling voice really wants to take you?

The Fortuneteller's Lay

The Fortuneteller's Lay is OUT!! Woohoo!

Miranda knows it was fate that brought Devon into her fortunetelling tent, fulfilling her grandmother’s prophecy. But the sexy detective doesn’t believe in fate – he’s just looking for a hiding place while he figures out his next move. Can Miranda convince him that love is really in the cards?

Here's an excerpt: (To be on the safe side: warning--this is not considered PG! Even if you've been to a PG rated movie lately and are laughing at me for being cautious...)

“Luck,” he finally repeated. “Can you tell me if I’m going to...get lucky?” Yes, please.
“What kind of luck do you need?” She’d dropped the accent, and her voice was husky.
“Luck in the business enterprise I’m working on.” He’d never get lucky in love.
“What kind of business?”
“Personal.”
The fortuneteller began to shuffle the cards again. “Then we’ll use The Fortuneteller’s Lay.”
Devon almost jumped out of his seat. “What?”
A smile tilted a corner of her mouth. “The Fortuneteller’s Lay. That’s the name of the card spread.”
I’d like to lay you. Now. Here.
“Excuse me?”
Oh God, had he said that aloud? “I’m in a bit of a rush. Will this take long?”
“I’ve had longer.” Her lips were curved in a sensuous, honestly amused smile that suggested she wasn’t thinking about the reading. The heat in her eyes intensified as he met them with his own gaze. He shifted again, his dick straining to escape its prison.
Oh, yeah? You haven’t seen it. Yet. Although she probably wasn’t referring to the length of his cock. And it was probably his imagination, thinking she had sex on her mind, just because it was on his.
Her gaze heated. No, it wasn’t his imagination. It was strange—and amazingly erotic—to feel her looking at him as though she was imagining him naked. Color rose in her cheeks, and her rose-pink tongue played over lush lips. It had been months, maybe years, maybe never, since he’d played with such openly sensual flirtation.
“Do you do...private readings?”

Order it from the Scarlet Rose line at The Wild Rose Press. Tell people you know. Well, unless they're the kind of people who would want to light a fire under me (that kind of motivation I don't need ....). Tell the OTHER people you know .... okay, I'm off to work!

PS My apologies for the lack of paragraph breaks. I seem to be having an argument in html this morning. Ok (deep breath) ... work.

Time to catch up ....release dates and contracts and more....

This deserves about a million 'mea culpas,' which I think is Catholic for "I'm a moron."

Okay, not really, but I've had way more to do over the past couple months than I've had time for, which means I don't get much of anything done!

Except this:

The Fortuneteller's Lay will be released Friday, June 20th at The Wild Rose Press. You can get to it either by going to http://www.wilderroses.com/ or by going to the main website: http://www.thewildrosepress.com/ and clicking on the Scarlet Rose banner or Wilder catalog. All the options you could want.

I have a contract for my second story, Caught. Which did get 'caught' in the name game (there are three or so other ero/rom stories by that title) so it is now officially titled Bad Enough. I just sent the first round back--a couple of revisions and the self edits. BTW, there's a sneak peek--the first scene--at Bad Enough in the back of The Fortuneteller's Lay. Will let you know when there's more news--a cover, for example.

Guess it's time to update the WIP section.

I spent most of May getting ready to move, moving, and unpacking etc from the move. In the midst of it all, I lost my long-time roommate, Bela. He got sick or something--at any rate, instead of adjusting to the move, after a few days he started declining, and Sunday night of Memorial Day weekend he asked me to let him outside, and that was the last I saw of him. He was 10 1/2+ (would have been 11 in October). That's him from several Yules ago. (Yes, that's Yule, not year ....)

So, how is YOUR year going?