Thursday With An Editor Series

I can't begin to tell you how excited I am about a new series I've come up with for this blog. Beginning in mid-September, I will host an editor every Thursday either for a guest post or an interview.

Now I am not talking your run-of-the-mill line editor, no. I've got some of the best and brightest editors out there. Who, you ask? I have interviews with Harlequin Desire's Stacy Boyd, Ellora's Cave Editor-in-Chief, Kelli Collins and Random House's Sue Grimshaw. I also have guest posts by Carina Press Executive Editor Angela James, Carina Press editor Rhonda Stapleton, Kensington editor Megan Records and independent editor (and former Red Sage Managing Editor) Theresa Stevens.

Is than an amazing lineup or what? The generosity of these ladies is humbling. I can't begin to imagine how busy they are and I am so grateful that they will donate their time and expertise to the series.

Stay tuned. The series begins on September 15th with Megan Records and Angela James will wrap it up on November 3rd. It's going to be great!

If you have any questions you'd like me to pose in advance to any of the interviewees, please leave a note in the comments.

Book Club Nirvana

I can't wait to read the next two selections for my book club. The first is The Help by Kathryn Stockett. Yes - half the readers out there are probably reading this one, but one of our founding members chose this one long before the movie came out. I've just delved into the first few pages and I'm already hooked. This is good news because I absolutely hated the last book, The Law of Love by Laura Esquivel, a book that scoffs at the all-important writer rule of showing rather than telling. Every emotion is told to the reader and there's hardly any dialogue. Honestly, I couldn't finish that one, but my reading group buds are cool about that. Part of why we meet is to discuss the book, part of it is merely intelligent conversation with some interesting women.

After we meet next month to discuss The Help, we'll make a date to go see the movie together. I can't stand seeing a movie first then reading the book. When I ordered this book, I went ahead and bought our next selection as well - Some Girls: My Life in a Harem, which is a true story by Jillian Lauren. This one is calling me, too so I'd better hurry up and read The Help!


What about you? Are there any books you're dying to read? If you are a member of a book club, have there been any selections you hated? If so, did you finish the book?

Guest Author - Bonnie Paulson

Please welcome today's guest author, Bonnie Paulson

Own your Genre

Romance is known for its steam scenes, happy endings and men with muscles that go on forever.

I’ve been teased for reading “smut”. I hid my genre when I started to write it. I claimed I wrote mysteries, thrillers.  I went so far as to say I wrote literary. I even tried writing that way. Then I had an epiphany.

I couldn’t figure out why it was so dang hard to write. Everyone says write what you know. Finally, I acknowledged to myself I know romance. I’ve been reading the awesome genre since I was 8. It’s my fall back. I’ll stray and check out other genres (Harry Potter, for example) but I always return to romance.

What I learned is no genre is “more” prestigious than another. To the reader, whatever genre they like is the royal genre to them.

This is a subjective business and not because of agents and editors. Subjectivity comes from the different tastes of the readers. People like different things at different times – like food.

Whatever you write or read, be proud of it. Say it clear – don’t mumble like I used to. Jeesh, you would’ve thought I was an alcoholic or something.

I’m a romance writer. I like the mushy stuff. I like a solid, well-delivered line that creeps under my skin and kisses my bones.

I’m Bonnie R. Paulson and I read and write romance.

How about you? 

Find Bonnie at http://bonnierpaulson.com


********Bonnie has graciously offered to give a digital copy of Breathe Again to one commenter***********

I am over at Not Your Usual Suspects today dishing on the lessons I learned on my recent family vacation. Also, we have a new member at Naughty Author Chicks! Callie Croix, a talented author and all around sweet lady is now officially naughty.

Guest Author - Dianne Venetta

So glad to be here!  Thank you, Wynter for inviting me to blog this week.  Hopefully you'll still be happy upon your return. J  Never know what kind of trouble these guest bloggers can get into while the home blogger is away…especially with the mood I've been in!

I've been discussing guilty pleasures of late; a topic that is oh-so-appealing but oh-so-troublesome!  When there's guilt involved, you can be sure trouble is right behind.  Whether it's my guilt over that second brownie or third scoop of ice cream, the trouble to my thighs is sure to follow.

Or how about that sprint to the mall? It was more of an "I-had-to-get-out-of-the-house escape than an I-had-to-buy-something-new kinda spree which is never good.  Impulse buys not only ding the wallet but they attract all sorts of unwanted looks from your husband. 

Followed by the questions.  "What do you need with that?  Don't you have enough skirts? How many pairs of jeans can you wear at one time? Don't we have enough dishtowels?"

"It's an herb keeper and it will save money by keeping our herbs fresher, longer.  Now that you made me return to work part-time, I need more skirts.  One—obviously—but jeans shrink (really, it's the dryer—not me). And no, you can never have enough dishtowels."

Didn't even try to explain to him how cute these particular towels were or how styles change when it comes to jean fashion.  He simply wouldn't understand.  Speaking of things he wouldn't understand, one of my secret guilty pleasures is reading yummy books (the likes of which I wouldn't let my husband see the movie version!).

Yes, I'm talking bodice rippers, sexy contemporary flings, erotic romance...  You name it, I'm reading it. Funny, isn't it? How we humans are still engaging in the same types of behavior all these centuries later; tearing into clothes, tearing off clothes, passing time enmeshed in passionate lovemaking…

But allow my husband such spicy reading material? Well, isn't that what he has me for? :)

Oh—is that what he's for, too? But he's never ripped my bodice before and for good reason—those things are expensive! My last trip to the mall proved as much, though he has yet to see that little gem.  Though he did slip those fishnets off with without incident…

I'm sorry.  Am I revealing too much?  Dang if that isn't the problem with indulging in guilty pleasures—eventually one can get caught!

Perhaps I should stick with the exorbitantly priced glass of wine. You know, the Chardonnay that tastes like butter with a hint of oak and apricot? Or how about the Cabernet that rolls over the tongue with a rush of blackberry and tannin, followed by a smoky finish?

Hmmm...  I'm craving one just thinking about it. Can't usually afford the good stuff but  I do like to splurge on occasion. And by the way, splurging is good for the soul, kinda like purging, only better. By releasing pent-up desire, you don't allow it to fester. Festering of any kind is icky and highly undesirable. Get it out of your system. And stay healthy!

Now how's that for clever rationale?  Works for me!  Now I think it's time to get back to the old work-in-progress and start putting some of these "clever" ideas to work on my next novel.  How about you?  Any guilty pleasures you want to share?

There's a free copy of my debut novel in it for you!  Simply leave a comment on today's post and you'll be entered to win a free copy—print or ebook—of my recent release, JENNIFER'S GARDEN.

In a race against time, cardiologist Jennifer Hamilton is caught between her mother's dying wish and taking the risk of a lifetime with Jackson Montgomery. He's the man hired to complete the landscaping for her new home; the venue for her upcoming wedding. Jackson's everything she never wanted in a man, but as the job progresses, his lure pulls strong. It's an attraction she cannot deny.

And one that puts her career on the line.

Jennifer has some decisions to make, choices that pull her in opposite directions. Her best friend Samantha Rawlings is pulling her toward new horizons yet her traditional mindset resists. And then there's Jackson.

Personally, I'd follow him anywhere!  In fact, I could use a personal landscaper.  When not whacking away at the keyboard crafting my next novel you'll find me in my very own organic garden, chasing grasshoppers and plucking hornworms all while crafting wild analogies between kids and plants and men.  Definitely men.

A girl's gotta have fun, right?

You bet.  With guilt or not. J

Happy Release Day to Me!

Yup, another one. But this one is the first book in my very first series. My Long and Hard Series is about Long Shot Security, a company that specializes in protecting the rich and famous.

Book One is Sizzle at Sea. Here's a little about it:

All heiress Kara Mikos wants is a vacation cruise and a hot shipboard fling. When her father phones to say there is a plot to kidnap her, she brushes it off as another of his many attempts to control her life.

Private security expert Harper Long doesn’t mean to fall for his client’s sexy daughter but what better way to keep her close enough to protect? Granting his libido free rein comes with a price, though—a treasure he’s not willing to lose.

You'll find an excerpt HERE, but beware, it's smokin' hot! I will give a copy of the book to one commenter here and over at Katie Reus's blog, where I am hanging out today. 


***UPDATE: We have a winner! I drew Taryn's name for a download of Sizzle at Sea! Congrats, Taryn***

Two Hawt New Covers

I can do a little happy dance today. Getting a new cover is a lot like Christmas! Check out the revised cover for the revised Employee Relations (Which I made myself) and the gorgeous one for my upcoming release, Sizzle at Sea, first in my Long and Hard series from Ellora's Cave.