Posted by Leslie on March 26th, 2010 | 4 Comments
Okay, most of you know that I am not huge fan of the Twilight series. I don’t get the hype and generally have no interest in teen vampires and werewolves. That said, the franchise is FREAKING HUGE! One of the biggest new phrase/cliches to come out of it is: Team Jacob/Team Edward So here is my dilemma. I want to create buttons to promote BEAUTY TEMPTS THE BEAST at the Nationals conference. I’ve thought of ideas like “Got Gothic” but what really stuck with me was “Team Beauty” and “Team Beast.” Clever, huh? Yeah, it’s a rip-off from Twilight. That in of itself wouldn’t be an problem if I actually liked the books or movies. But I don’t. What’s your thought? Am I selling myself out to use it? Can I still call myself a “Twilight H8R” ??
Posted by Leslie on March 15th, 2010 | No Comments
Taking part in Excerpt Monday today. This is my first time and I’m not sure I quite got the concept. Anyway, I have a link to my existing excerpt of BEAUTY. When I do it again, I’ll post a blog with an excerpt from THE IRON HEART instead.
Posted by Leslie on March 11th, 2010 | 2 Comments
There seems to be an ongoing debate about how to calculate word count on manuscripts. I think it depends on the publisher and how they are formatting your book. So far, all of my books have been published by electronic publishers as ebooks before going to print. These publishers use the word count given by the word processing program. Right now that word count is about 32,000+ for The Iron Heart. However, the bigger NYC publishers, who send books to print first (usually as mass market) use the old 250 words per page word count. You could have anywhere from 100 – 350 actually words on that page, but on a printed book it’ll format the same based on the one inch margin, double-spacing, and 25 lines. Using that formula, I have about 37,000+ words for The Iron Heart. Which is right? Does it depend on which publisher I am targeting? May not seem like a lot by 5000 words can make a difference in plotting out the novel. I want my mid-point to happen at around 45,000 words. So am I 13K away from that or 8K away from it? I guess I’ll have to meet in the middle and plan my midpoint in about another 10,000 words. Or stop obsessing about it (*coughLisaSpindlercough*) and just write the story. 
Posted by Leslie on March 10th, 2010 | 6 Comments
@MadisonWoods2 #Page99 Test – Let me see yours: http://wp.me/pj6xM-gZ Here is my page 99 on The Iron Heart: ~~ His voice lowered to a hoarse whisper. “Whatever your agenda, you have won. I cannot stand the torment any longer. Give me what I ask of you and you may have whatever you want of me in return.” Ella’s tongue swept across her lower lip. “A…a fair bargain.” Bennett snatched her against him. His hands plunged into her upswept hair, his mouth crushed on hers. She relaxed his embrace, enfolded her arms around his neck. Her hot, eager mouth opened to him. He thrust his tongue inside her warmth and trembled when she matched his caress. She tasted of sweet wine and keen desire. Devour. Bennett could consume every cell of Ella and still not be satisfied. Once free of its confines, his hunger now roared. Blood surged, blazing and delirious. He explored the warm margins of her mouth then demanded she discover his. She responded without hesitation, gave to him just as he’d asked. Her tongue delved between his lips and sought a most basic truth. A truth he could not give. Bennett swept from her mouth to her neck. He nibbled the silken skin, listened to her throaty whimpers. Large earrings blocked his path, so he gently slipped them off and tucked them in a pocket. “Ella…” the word rolled off his tongue and into her earlobe. She shivered against him and then gave a most desperate sigh.
Posted by Leslie on March 9th, 2010 | No Comments
It’s just what mother’s do! I love this story about a female dog nursing kittens!
Posted by Leslie on March 5th, 2010 | 1 Comment
BEAUTY TEMPTS THE BEAST is up at Amazon for pre-order. It is out officially on May 4, 2010. That’s less than two months away! I’m sure I’ll put together some type of contest as time gets closer.
