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DOES YOUR LOVE-LIFE FIT THE GOLDILOCKS EFFECT?

Sex, too hot? Too cold? Just right?  Anyone that works with me, I am afraid has to put up with my slightly odd sense of humor and my wandering mind.  I tend to free-associate with things so please bear with me while I get to the point, I was listening to the radio the other day and heard “Dear Darlin’” by Olly Murs.  The lyrics start: Dear Darlin’, please excuse my writing. I can’t stop my hands from shaking And that always reminds me of a very old joke…  so sorry…  There is a lady, handwriting a letter to a...

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A HOOK SELLS THE BOOK! OCT 11

My good friend Laurie Sanders and I chat often about books and publishing, she was the founder of BVS and my editor for many years.  I wanted to share one of her blogs on how to hook a reader into your story.  I considered writing my own version of this blog, but I couldn’t really add anything, so why reinvent the wheel.    I would recommend looking at her website.  I would also recommend signing up for one of her workshops and sign up for her newsletter.  Please enjoy Laurie’s post as it was written. What Fishermen Can Teach Us...

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IN LITERATURE, A FOCUS ON DIFFERENT LIFESTYLES.

Just read a couple of scripts, who’s writers tried to write about alternative lifestyles and got it so wrong.  With the 50 shades phenomenon, lots of writers have had a go at writing D/s and BDSM themed stories.  There is an old adage “write what you know”  and so many of the scripts I have read really do not understand the lifestyle at all.  You don’t have to practice a lifestyle to have to know it.  For example, you don’t have to drive a car to write about how it feels like to be in a car, but if you...

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GUILTY PLEASURES?

It is a Monday morning.  Has anyone any guilty pleasures they would like to confess?  This thought came to me the other day when I had a message from one of our readers.  She said that she had a busy home life, and she made private time for herself by locking herself in her un-suit bathroom, decorated the room with candles and would read our books in the bath.  She made this time a couple of times in the week.  The family was told that this was “her time” and that she was not to be disturbed. This made me think...

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HAS A BOOK EVER CHANGED YOU LIFE?

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I have to say that there have been a couple of books that have been life-changing.  The first was as a kid, the Biggles books, by W. E. Johns.  These books were my first introduction to me reading for my own pleasure, which has been a life’s passion.  The second was Story of O an erotic novel published in 1954 by French author Anne Desclos under the pen name Pauline Réage.  This opened up the subject of erotic literature to me.  My artwork also took a turn towards the erotic after reading this book.  The next book that changed my life was...

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ANOTHER BUMPER DAY FOR BVS! A NEW BOOK OUT!

Finishing the Game by M.K. SMITH is out today! This a great suspense romance, it had me gripped all the way through.  Here is an outline of the story. Beth got away. And he didn’t get to finish the game. Ex-cop, turned advisor Jake Complin is hired to profile and help with the capture of a serial killer. It doesn’t take long to realize his obsession is finding the only victim who got away. But she went missing about a month after her attack. Unlike the police, he searches and finds Beth Winters hiding deep in the Adirondack Mountains. Beth is...

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JUST A QUICKIE TODAY!

Just a quickie, Ha, ha….   Where have I heard that before. A very simple message here today.  Our latest book “Safe” is out in paperback.  The same book is also currently running first in a book cover competition if you can please take time to vote. More news about our next book to be released tomorrow.  It is a great story, from a new author more on that tomorrow. I had a response in a Facebook message from a lady who responded to the date night movie post.  It was a very entertaining message on how she and her hubby reenacted to...

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A MOVIE TO SET THE MOOD

At the start of a romantic evening, how would you set the mood?  There would be a difference between a first date that a long-term relationship, for example, I am not sure I would trust a date who brought along 50 shades of great to the first date, especially if he had a pocket full of cable ties and a length of rope.  Though on reflection that might be exactly what you do want? What would be in your top 5? on a date night, romantic movie list? Titanic, Pretty Woman,  Notting Hill, The Notebook, Sleepless in Seattle? What about...

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IS THERE AN ULTIMATE LOVE STORY?

In a genre where we know that it ends happily ever after what drives us to read the next romance novel? I have been reading through scripts and wondering if there really is an ultimate love story?  Or is it the quest for the ultimate love story the thing that drives us on to read the next? When I start reading a script I often hope for a big romance scene, something epic.  It doesn’t always happen but I live in hopes. So what is it you look for? For me, a good example would be from Temptation’s Edge by Eden Bradley is an...

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JUST WHAT IS SO SEXY ABOUT STOCKINGS?

In olden days, a glimpse of stocking was looked on as something shocking.  But now, God knows, Anything goes. From a ladies perspective, I have been told that stockings with garter belts are uncomfortable and a bit of a chore, hold-ups are not much better.  Yet knowing the disadvantages female Authors still write about them.  Historically tights were seen as racier, as it was a part of a performers apparel.  The mini skirt in the ’60s prompted the advent of tights for practical reasons, though I mourn the departure of stockings from the everyday clothing.  I wrote something the other...

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