Home

Saturday, May 4, 2024

How My Reading Habits Have Changed

 


As a very unpopular child whose father was a professor of literature and humanities, I was a voracious reader. I learned to read by the time I was four years old. At six, I was reading Edgar Allan Poe. My love for the macabre has never ceased. As a teenager, I discovered H. P. Lovecraft and Stephen King. I would much rather be reading than doing homework.

Since I've started writing fiction myself, I'm more likely to read nonfiction, specifically autobiographies and biographies. Unlike my younger days, I prefer to read on a computer. I'm old enough that the computer wasn't even an option in the days of my youth. I believe I got my first computer in 1988. It was an MS-DOS model with actually floppy discs, which gives you an idea of just how old I am. 

I live at least an hour from any city, so I listen to audiobooks while driving. It took a couple of years to listen to all the books in Stephen King's Dark Tower series. The books at the end of the series went a bit off the rails, but I understood why that happened. Stephen King was in a serious accident (he was hit by a van) and was contemplating his own mortality. He inserted himself as a character into the stories. 

My younger self would probably be a bit horrified if she knew just how much her reading habits were going to change when she aged. She could not have imagined being without her beloved stories. 

Cara H
The deranged brain behind C. L. Hart and Lil DeVille




Friday, May 3, 2024

Why I wrote City of Lies by January Bain

 

Happy May to you!

Good morning from the backwoods of Canada. My husband Don and I LOVE where we live. On a comfortable acreage where deer come by most days and even bring their little ones come June to show them off. Such proud mamas!

Just recently I was asked why I wrote the book, City of Lies, and thought I'd share this snippet with all of you.

"I confess I love stories, blessed to have a mom who took the time to read to her children. One chapter a night, adventures that fueled my dreams and imagination until I just had to try crafting one of my own. And I got hooked, hard, discovering how amazing the experience is living it as it happens in real time for the characters that populated my stories. Didn’t matter what kind of story, if the people inside my head wanted out and were headed on an exciting journey, I was all in!

Over the past decade I’ve been writing full time, and I’ve ventured into many different genres, but admit that mysteries, thrillers and crime novels send me an adrenaline rush unlike any other. It embraces universal truths—morality, justice, freedom—and ultimately brings satisfaction in the form of taking responsibility for them when the story draws to its inevitable conclusion. Which brings me to the book that Rough Edges Press is releasing today, City of Lies.

City of Lies tells the story of a young woman looking to connect with her heritage, to discover where she came from. Unfortunately, for Claire Preston, the search for the truth leads her down dark alleyways that no one could have foreseen coming. But what surprised me most about Claire, was how tough she was. How willing, and though I’m not fond of cliches, to go the distance searching not only for what happened in the past, but freely stepping up to do something most of us couldn’t imagine having to do in this lifetime. I cried for Claire, and laughed with her at times, applauding her sheer grit and determination.

I can only hope that you find reading her story as riveting as I did the writing of it. Please, feel free to share any thoughts you have about City of Lies. It is very rewarding to connect with fellow readers and I always respond promptly, thanks to my grandma. She taught me many things, sharing her values and wise advice, from never be late or keep others waiting to always be kind and helpful. I like to think I walk a little in her giant footsteps."


Buy Now! A Gripping Tale of Identity, Crime, and Survival…

I have a new release this month as well!



Coming May 14th:

A gripping tale where good deeds intertwine with hidden crimes and a quest for truth…

Katie Kelly finally has the career and house of her dreams, but it’s a life built on a shaky foundation. Everything she holds dear could be stripped away in a split-second if the truth were to become known and her secrets exposed. Her best friend, Sadie, is also involved in hiding the past. The pair have managed to move on since that day of reckoning that occurred when they were just teenagers, by helping others to escape bad situations.

When a young woman runs to Katie and begs for her help, Katie is compelled to come to her aid and hides her in a safe room, locked away from her abusive boyfriend.

But then the past rises up and threatens to derail her best efforts to help the young girl, exposing her and her best friend to the vulgarities of fate as the girl is discovered to have an unexpected agenda, harboring secrets of her own. Katie is left with few choices. With her entire life crashing down around her ears, she must act to save not only herself, but her dear friend as well. Can Katie stop the past from destroying all hopes for a future?

Discover the chilling consequences of one woman's altruism in the face of hidden crimes. Join Katie Kelly as she navigates the shadows of her past, compelled to make a choice that could change lives forever. Grab your copy now!

And this photo is for Tina! Our sweet furry baby Ling Ling:


Until next month I bid you adieu!

Hugs, January Bain/storyteller


Thursday, May 2, 2024

What is dark romance? #darkromance #mm #michaelmandrake #paranormal

 

Dark – A place or time with little to no light.

Romance – A feeling of excitement and mystery associated with love.

Greetings readers!

Today, we’re discussing a hot subgenre called dark romance.  

Before I talk about my own works, let’s define dark romance? With help of the definitions above, we gather a feeling of love with very little light involved. Not actual light, but in a figurative sense. Perhaps you have a morally gray hero or heroine. Think vampire or even a demon. If paranormal isn’t your thing, perhaps a mobster, a murderer, or a bad cop who wears the badge as a cover for his true evil self.

Hmm... *Jots notes*

In truth there’s no right or wrong answer for this. Dark romance can be as twisted as you want or slightly wrong. Some go to extremes, while others take the easier way out.

Now that we have an idea, this leads to the question; how can romance be dark?

Isn’t romance supposed to bring happiness? See the above definition about feeling excited.

So you get excited or there’s a euphoria associated with falling in love. It doesn’t give a description of the person or what made you have that feeling so, despite it being something wrong or immoral, the protagonists still push for it to work.

Perhaps the characters enjoy killing, and although it’s wrong they find a person who enjoys the same thing or at least understands why they love murdering people. Maybe one of the characters is aroused by what the hero or heroine does to them, etc.

There’s plenty of scenarios to explore, it just depends on how far you and your characters want to go.

If you’d like more information on the term, check out this article. Dark Romance.

As for my writing, my Immortals series is based around paranormal beings who enjoy being beaten within an inch of their immortal lives. The more tests they endured, the stronger they became. Their dark desires didn’t prohibit them from falling in love since each character found his Mr. Right or Wrong. Maybe wrong for anyone else, but perfect for the lead characters.

The story that holds true to this is Calisto’s Quest where my main character was an angel who took pleasure in fighting and or getting roughed up. Without spoiling the plot, he questioned his true calling because he loved someone who was the exact opposite of who he was. And although this being could lead him down a rough path, he still had feelings for him.

During my writing journey, I’ve discovered my love for writing polar opposites with questionable morals. Although the element of the forbidden or taboo might turn off some readers, I write what’s in my heart first. And since a majority of my books follow the opposites attract formula, dark romance is up my alley.  

Knowing how much I love the opposites trope, I’m looking forward to getting back into writing dark romances. Despite being stagnant for about three years, I plan to finish my Love Kills series and hopefully re-release my Nola Series books before the end of the year.

Wish me luck.

If you like dark romances, please chime in. What is your definition of dark romance? Also, recommend some books you’ve enjoyed. They don’t have to be MM.

Thanks so much for listening!

*****

If you're interested in the Immortal's Series, they are best read in order. All books are on Kindle Unlimited!

This is the blurb for Calisto's Quest

Calisto hungers for Valios, but will their families determine whether or not they’ll have an unholy happy ever after?

Calisto is bored with heaven. Despite his dad’s unconditional love, he isn’t satisfied being High’s favorite winged boy. In the back of his mind, Calisto desires a being from his past to be part of his future. But acting on those emotions risks enraging his family and bringing punishment upon himself.

Valios’ black heart is broken. He’s ruined one chance at true love by being an ass. As he moves on, he meets his arch enemy who he’s fancied for centuries. Though Valios cares for the angel, nothing can happen between them or his father will kill him.

Will Calisto and Valios take a chance or ignore their desires to stay in favorable in the eyes of their masters? Although they realize their feelings for each other, rekindling those could widen the divide between the sides, destroy the peace, and place the entire universe in danger.

Love should be blind, but at what cost?

Calisto’s Quest features an angel with a bad temper and the devil’s son that tries to ignore him. If you enjoy demon angel romances where love means high stakes, pick up a copy of Calisto’s Quest today.

All books must be read in order for full enjoyment of the series.

WARNING: This is a dark romance! Rough sex, violence, torture, and MPreg. Relationships that others might find objectionable.

Wednesday, May 1, 2024

Discovery Plot - Writing Tips #BWLAuthor #MFRWAuthor #Discovery #Plot #Writing #children #adults

 

 More on the discovery plot #BWLAuthor #MFRWAuthor #writing #plot #discovery

I'm a plot driven author and I really enjoy exploring plots and how to make them worm. The Discovery Plot intrigued me. Discovery is part of the learning process. So I set out to look at what that meant 

Discovery is part of the learning process. There are reasons to read. One is escape from the way the world turns at the moment. Another it to keep from thinking and planning ways to change, The Discovery Plot does both of these thing but it also aides in learning. Maybe not overtly but with subtle imput about what the writer is thinking. One thing as a writer you should do is to make your characters so real, the reader believes in the character and what they're saying about life.

When writing for children, what the writer wants discovered is done in subtle terms, Think of the fairy tales or even the Dick and Jane books. They're making discovery fun.

Now for adults. Don't go on a crusade and push, push what you want to let them discover. Learn to write with a light hand rather than with a shovel to upend the story and the message.

My Places

   https://twitter.com/JanetL717

 https://www.facebook.com/janet.l.walters.3?v=wall&story_f

bid=113639528680724

 http://bookswelove.net/

 http://wwweclecticwriter.blogspot.com

https://www.pinterest.com/shadyl717/

 

Buy Mark My Places

 

https://bookswelove.net/walters-janet-lane/

Monday, April 29, 2024

UNCOVERING THE LORD by Lexi Post - preorder for only 99¢!

 

Uncovering the Lord 

(Courting a Curious Lady: Book 1) 

is available for preorder at only 99¢!

Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon AU | Amazon CA | Amazon DE

She turned him down once. Will he risk his heart again?

On the eve of her trip to the Dragon Caves in Mallorca, Spain, Lady Elsbeth Rawley of Astor discovers that her classmates at The Belinda School for Curious Ladies will be pulled from school unless one of them marries by the end of the season. Heartsick this could happen, she promises she will marry for their benefit. Unfortunately, she has no prospects which means she will have to cut her trip short and return to England quickly to find a suitor. So while digging among the stalagmites, the last thing she expects to find is Lord Theodore Mabry, the heir to the Earl of Lansdowne, and the man whose proposal she rejected last season.

For the last year and a half, Teddy has buried his heartbreak over Lady Elsbeth in willing women on the Continent. But his happy-go-lucky ways were halted when one of those women gave him a baby girl before dying of illness just weeks later. Now, ready to go home with his daughter, he needs a “dragon tooth” for the wet nurse who refuses to travel aboard a ship unless she has one to wish upon for safe passage. Coming face to face with Lady Elsbeth is not in his plan, and while at first, it appears it will be a fortunate event, he soon discovers she is not who he thought she was as he is forced to take the same ship headed for England.

Now in each other’s daily company, Teddy finds he did not bury his love for Elsbeth deep enough. But he can’t ask for her hand in marriage. He has no wish to be rejected again. So he enjoys their time together as temporary, until hope rears its ugly head. Unfortunately, not all is as it seems and despite his defenses, he must decide if loving Lady Elsbeth is worth the destruction of his heart.

Buy links:

Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon AU | Amazon CA | Amazon DE


About Lexi:

Lexi Post is a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of romance inspired by the classics. She spent years in higher education taking and teaching courses about the classical literature she loved. From Edgar Allan Poe's short story “The Masque of the Red Death” to Tolstoy’s War and Peace, she's read, studied, and taught wonderful classics.

But Lexi's first love is romance novels so she married her two first loves, romance and the classics. Whether it’s sizzling cowboys, dashing dukes, hot immortals, or hunks from out of this world, Lexi provides a sensuous experience with a “whole lotta story.”

Lexi is living her own happily ever after with her husband and her two cats in Florida. She makes her own ice cream every weekend, loves bright colors, and you’ll never see her without a hat.

Website

Lexi Post Updates

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

Amazon Author Page

BookBub

D2D

Goodreads

Instagram

Blog

Pinterest

Email




Sunday, April 28, 2024

Read The Sand Prince by Kim Alexander #Fantasy #Adventure #SwordandSorcery

  



The Sand Prince
(The Demon Door Book 1)


Synopsis

Two worlds.
Bound by magic.
Divided by a Door.
On the barren, war-ravaged demon world of Eriis, the fierce queen Hellne fights to keep her people alive and her son Rhuun's heritage a secret. On the green and gentle human world of Mistra, demons have faded into myth. Only a handful of old men and fanatical children still guard The Door between the worlds.
Different and shunned by his demon kin, Rhuun finds refuge in a book that tells of a human world of water and wonder. Forced by his mother's enemies to flee Eriis, he finds himself trapped on the other side of The Door in the very place he has read and dreamed about—Mistra.
Chained to the deadly whims of a child who guards The Door, Rhuun must balance serving and surviving, even at the risk of exposing his true identity. Riskiest of all is his task of kidnapping an infuriating young woman who is about to find out that the demons of Eriis are much, much more than just an old bedtime story.






What are the other books in the series?

The Heron Prince


The Demon Door can be opened...but the price is deadly.

Prince Rhuun has found acceptance among the humans on Mistra, something he could never have in the demon realm of Eriis, not even as heir to its throne. What's more, he has even found love with the prickly, passionate heiress, Lelet va'Everly.

The idyll can't last. The prince has enemies who are after more than his throne. They are out for his blood…which holds the key to unsealing The Door between the two worlds, and the demons want in. When Rhuun is lured into a trap on Eriis, Lelet has no choice but to turn to a motley group of exiles, children, and madmen to help save him.

Lelet soon discovers that, like all things, rescuing the prince comes with a price. The secrets in Rhuun's blood may be worth killing for, but are they worth dying for?



-----
The Glass Girl


Love opens all doors…but betrayal locks them forever.


Newly blessed (or cursed) with wings and fire, Prince Rhuun of the demon realm of Eriis sees hope for his life in the human world of Mistra with his fierce human lover, Lelet va'Everley. She literally went to hell and back to save him, and she's not about to let anything—or anyone—ruin their perfect future.


All too soon, the claims of family, duty, and justice force Rhuun and Lelet to confront new griefs and old mistakes as they attempt to restore balance to the throne of Eriis. But, with every jealous rumor and each vengeful whisper, friends turn, family schemes, and forgotten enemies creep from the shadows.


Treachery in Eriis and betrayal in Mistra jeopardize what Rhuun and Lelet have fought so hard to build, threatening to tear apart the two lovers, their families, and even their worlds.



-----

The River King

SOMETIMES LOVE DOESN’T CHANGE THE WORLD. SOMETIMES IT CHANGES ALL OF THEM.

Rhuun, the half-human and wholly reluctant prince of the demons has finally reunited with his fiery Lelet. It’s too bad they must hide behind a facade of icy indifference to fool those who are determined to keep demons and humans apart...by any means necessary.

There is more at stake than bringing the miracle of rain back to Eriis. It's not just sand and lost royals poised to come through the newly-opened Door. Something ancient is hungry, and fat, complacent Mistra won't stand a chance. Even worse, whispers and shadows speak of blood magic that could destroy not just The Door, but all Doors—forever—barring the way home for lovers and enemies alike.

Will the love Rhuun and Lelet have moved worlds to share be the very thing they must sacrifice to save their worlds?



-----

Who am I?

Kim Alexander grew up in the wilds of Long Island, NY, and slowly drifted south until she reached Key West. After spending ten rum-soaked years as a DJ in the Keys, she moved to Washington DC, where she lives with two cats, an angry fish, and her extremely patient husband who tells her she needs to write at least ten more books if she intends to retire in Thailand, so thank you for your patronage. 



Stalk Me



Saturday, April 27, 2024

The Power of the HEA

Every now and again, a new round of shots is fired over social media, or in the genre press, around whether or not romance novels need happy endings - and whether bestsellers like Nicholas Sparks’ The Horse Whisperer is - or isn’t - a romance. 

    I’ve even read long, detailed posts arguing similarly in favour of Romeo & Juliet, and Titanic (spoiler: these aren't romances either). What about Me Before You, The Notebook, and One Day? I’ll settle this for anyone who wants to know right now: None of these are romances. They’re all beautifully written stories with romantic elements, but they’re not romances. 

Why Not?

They can’t be romances, because there’s no happy ending for the main protagonists - and this is the defining feature of our genre.

Why are stories where one or both lead romantic characters don’t make it not actually romances?

Well, partly because death isn’t particularly romantic – and dying for love isn’t either, despite what the poets claim.

    I do think it’s more than that though. Romances are character journeys of the heart. The connection between the central lovers is a kind of third character in and of itself. Each protagonist grows towards this connected future and their relationship – that is to say, the love they share with each other – evolves accordingly.

    This can’t happen if one of them dies, or doesn’t stay, or goes back to an old flame in the end – that is to say, the romance can’t succeed without the happily ever after. If a story ends without a successful romance, it’s not a romance, in romance genre terms.

But does romance fiction have to conform with ‘a’ generic convention?

Generic fiction conventions represent the unspoken contracts between the genre author and our readers. 

    If you pick out a science fiction novel, you can expect a story set off-world, and/or around advanced technology (like time travel) or alien species not found in your day-to-day reality. Fantasy novels create an expectation for weird, wild and wonderful creatures, incredible powers and potions and spells. Perhaps a little darkness, and epic battles between the powers of light and dark.

    These tales have been popular since ancient worlds - and people – first existed. In fact, they’re so pervasive and so popular that many historical cultures live on in the fictional worlds created by more modern writers decades later. These are the expectations of readers who enjoy those genres - and so it is with romance novels.

    Readers open their romance novels ready to meet and greet at least a couple of soon-to-be lovers. They read towards their happy ending with open hearts and (hopefully) enjoyable page turning. They trust their favourite authors to lead them to a happily ever after or happily-for-now conclusion, and as a romance author I take my commitment to my readers seriously. 

    I write historical romance novels, so I tend to leave my couple together for as long as they last.  I know, as an avid historical researcher, that people rarely lived past 50 years in the 1800s, but that’s no reason to break my readers’ hearts over it! If you read historical romances too, you likely already know this was the reality - but it’s not likely to be the reason you reached for The King’s Mistress, or my latest for 2024, Stand & Deliver.

Romance readers want the journey I promise from my cover; to be swept away to a place where love wins out, where heroes and heroines conquer their baser selves - rise above their petty, their egos, and their fears - to embrace a stronger version of who they are. My readers want the best version of my best characters to deserve the love they’re longing for – and they want them to reach it. They don’t just want my protagonists to succeed. They want their love to succeed too.

Love Wins

That’s what’s inspiring about reading romance novels – the successful pursuit and attainment of a love that lasts. I personally do believe love can empower anyone to anything - and I won’t let my reader’s heart end up on the floor. I promise a real romance.