Dear Morgan ~ Why do I need CONFLICT in my story?

Morgan Hawke
~ Mad, Bad, and Dangerously in the Know!
----- Original Message -----
"Dear Morgan, I got this comment from one of my critique partners:

- "This is a nice clean sexy romp. But this needs to be more than just a nice clean romp. Your characters need to be a bit more troubled. You need more Conflict, as in: there needs to be more than just 'when am I going to get laid' conflict."

Which has me thinking, I have a plot...why do I need Troubled Characters and Conflict in my story?
- Concerned Erotica Writer
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Concerned,
- From the sounds of this, your Plot is: "Boy & Girl Get Laid". That's all well and fine for a Penthouse letter, but it's not a STORY. "What Happens to the Characters BECAUSE they Got Laid", is a Story.

When your characters don't have 'troubles' or 'conflict' you don't have any DRAMA -- your characters Don't have a Character Arc.

PLOT ARC - The events that happen while the characters make other plans.
CHARACTER ARC – The emotional roller-coaster that the character suffers because of the Plot.

Character Arc = Personal DRAMA
Personal DRAMA = ANGST

Why ANGST?
-- A Story needs ACTION to be Interesting.
But~! A Story needs DRAMA to be Riveting.

Stories are all about Characters CHANGING; about Adapting and Overcoming circumstancing that should take them down. The Proponent and the Adversary change and develop as the story progresses to allow the Proponent a toe-hold chance - and no more - to win.

Changing takes SUFFERING. Both the Proponent and the Adversary should suffer emotionally and physically to allow for their personal changes. Think about how hard it is for YOU to change your mind about liking or disliking anyone. What would it take to change your mind? That's the level of suffering - of Angst - you need.

The difference between the Proponent and the Adversary is the Adversary’s failure to change. The Adversary fails to face his fears, which allows the Proponent to take him down. The rest of the cast may or may not have personal growth, but the Proponent and the Adversary must. This is where dramatic tension is generated.

Drama! Drama! Drama!
What causes ANGST?

(Breaks out the text-book …)
"Angst is caused by a change of circumstance that produces a feeling of loss. This triggers the reaction of grief. The intensity of the grief depends on the importance of what has been lost. If the loss is perceived as minor, ("Oops, I forgot my keys!") then the moment of grief will be minimal and barely felt. However, unresolved and severe loss (a loved one,) can lead to mental, physical, and sociological problems."

Cool huh?

“That which does not kill me, makes me stronger.” – Nietzsche

NO ANGST = No Character Depth

I’m sure, most of you have noticed by now that far too many movie characters, and many book characters, are One-Dimensional. The characters DO stuff, but they don’t face any real personal issues: a hang-up, a fear, paranoia, a moral code, a love interest, a strong dislike…

Without hang-ups to deal with, and face down, those characters are not PEOPLE. They’re pretty card-board cutouts moving around on a pretty stage. They're EMPTY.

Or worse – they DO have issues, but those issues are never faced in the story. They're just...quirks, there, as a decoration. They're gratuitous.

WARNING! - Incoming RANT!

NOTHING should EVER be Gratuitous!

- If it's important enough to be IN the story, it's important enough to be PART of the story!

The rule of Mystery Fiction states:
“If the gun is shown in Chapter One, it better go off by Chapter Three -- and there had better be a damned good reason for that gun to be there.”

The Rule of Erotic Fiction:
“If the Kiss is shown in Chapter One, the Sex better happen by chapter three -- and there had better be a damned good reason for that Kiss to be there.”

These rules should apply in ANYTHING you put in a story. No matter what it is: a situation, an object, a person... if you have it in the story – you better have a use for it, and that use had better turn the plot.

If your Character has a Hobby, a Pet, a Family, a JOB -- you need to show that character involved with those things, and those things effecting the plot in some way shape or form.

If you have a piano in the character's living room, someone better play it sometime in the story -- and make something HAPPEN because it was played.

If you DON’T, you’ve just made a PLOT HOLE, and I guarantee that someone will not only See it, they’ll call you on it. It could be a fan who writes you a concerned letter, “Whatever happened with…?” or worse, a Reviewer read by thousands.

EVERYTHING noted should have a use in your story -- that includes a character's PERSONAL Issues.

No Personal Issues = No Personal Drama
No Personal Drama = BORING Story

If you are determined to skip the Drama, then you better have a hell of a lot of ACTION to make up for it! (Think: James Bond. Lots of action -- but no character growth what so ever.)

Wanna know More about Character Arcs?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For the nitty-gritty details on Building a Character Arc, Go to:
Building the Character Arc - Angst Glorious Angst!

For a Cheat-Sheet on Plotting with the Character Arc, Go to:
Emotional Conflict & PLOT!


Morgan Hawke
www.darkerotica.net
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Smut-Writer - and Damned Proud of it!
Want answers to YOUR questions about writing & publishing?
Ask: Dear Morgan
(Fair Warning ~ Don't Ask if you don't want to know!)

I love my laptop!

I have a 14-year-old daughter who, like me, loves clothes. Today we went to the mall. She spent two to three hours buying clothes that are a must for every 14-year-old girl who wants to look "cool."
I could have followed her around like a puppy dog while she shopped. (Which she would not have liked since it's not cool to be seen with your mom when you're 14-years-old.) Or, I could have brought my laptop with me to the mall and gotten some writing done. And that's exactly what I did.

I found a coffee shop, bought myself some French onion soup, parked myself at a table and had my lunch while I typed away. It was great! I was able to start and finish an entire chapter. Now all I have to do is fix it up a bit so that I can post it to my writer's group.

You can always create writing time, anywhere, when you have a laptop.



Jolie
Smile Like You Mean It - Tarot: Eight of Swords

Cats & Creativity

I have 9 felines in my house. They can be the most comforting creatures or the most menacing of house pets. Each has a unique personality and they never fail to amaze me with their communication skills.

Kissy is our Vampire Cat since she has an extremely long fang tooth. She's the ruler of the house...well as far as the other cats are concerned since she knows not to mess with me. She's a Siamese, very needy of attention, but she really doesn't like to be held.

My cats are my muses in disguise. They lay around my office while I work on the computer. They help type when I'm gone and they delete when they're not impressed with my work. Often I have one of them drapped over the top of the moniter while another fights me for the mouse cord.

To see more photos, drop by my website and visit My Pussy Cats. http://www.BrendaWilliamson.com

When Your Muse Goes AWOL

Muse /myooz/ Greek & Roman Mythology--One of nine sister goddesses thought to inspire creative effort.

Umm...okay. So, I've got this Muse, which is supposed to inspire my creative effort. I.e., this chick is supposed to give me ideas about what to write. That's great. I personally do have a Muse. It's just that she's on an extended hiatus somewhere in Siberia. Alternately a very demanding bitch woman from the Amazon ("You will finish that story, and you will finish it now!"), a he-man wannabe from the latest issue of GQ ("If you work on this story today, you'll get to write lots and lots and LOTS of hot sex scenes! *wink wink*), and a tantrum-throwing two-year-old ("I don't wanna work on my story today, and you can't make me!"), my Muse is usually a demanding little twit. Except that for the last several months, she's been noticeably absent in my house.

So what do you do when your Muse goes AWOL? If you're me, you do one of the following:

1) You answer emails. Lots of them. All of them. You read each and every single email that makes its way into your in-box. Which takes up a whole lot of time.

2) You work on your website. After all, your website is an extension of who you are, and showcases your writing talent. (Granted, you haven't had any new releases in eons, but still.)

3) You play games on the computer. Cool games, not lame ones. You hang out on sites like Pogo and Free Slots and Big Fish. You play Whack a Nerd or Rock, Paper, Scissors. Truly, you're simply working on your hand-eye coordination.

4) You bribe yourself. "If you write 5,000 words today, tonight you can have a piece of that cheesecake in the fridge. Or all of it." Except that after staring at the blank computer screen for four hours, you decide that now being crosseyed and having a numb ass gives you the right to eat the cheesecake RIGHT NOW.

5) You promise yourself that tomorrow you'll get that story finished. And when tomorrow comes, you realize that what you really meant was the day after tomorrow. Or the one after that. Sometime. Really. Before the end of the week. Or month. Or year.

6) You discover that housework really isn't as boring as it sounds. After all, since you have to spend all of your time in your house, it should be clean. Really clean. So sweeping the ceiling for cobwebs and using the vaccuum extension behind the entertainment center is necessary. On a bi-weekly basis.

7) You recognize that your son's third-grade homework could make or break him in the years to come. Thus, he needs lots of help. Hours worth. Daily. Because you know if he fails his spelling test he might not get that scholarship to Harvard--in nine years or so.

8) You make lists. Tons of lists. Books you've read, books you want to read, things to do, Christmas wish lists, grocery shopping lists, places to visit. I can tell you from personal experience, you can make a list of just about anything.

9) You contemplate ending your writing career and getting a job at McDonald's. I mean, really, at least those people have daily human contact, and they get FRENCH FRIES!! Or you could work at the video store. There's always something you haven't watched yet. Or you could even work at the gas station, since they give their employees discounts on gas and cigarrettes. So you'd have to get a sitter for your daughter? So you'd have to actually get dressed every day and leave the house? So you'd lose precious family time, since you could only work at night after the hubby gets home from his day job? Really, it's not all that bad.

10) You can take the bull by the horns, get off your lazy ass, and DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! You can fire your current Muse, hire a new one, or simply tell the Muses of the world to shove it. You can do what I did, and make a calendar for every month of the upcoming year, write down your writing goals on it, and tape it above your computer where you can't help but see it. You can get your friends (on-line works fine) to harass you daily about what you've written, or shame you when you haven't met your goals. You can decide that writing is your lifeblood, that without it you would be nothing. I am a mom and wife first, but I will always be a writer.

So to my Muse, wherever in Siberia she is, enjoy your vacation. Because this writer is back on track, and whether you're here to give me grief or not, I'm still writing.

Write, Submit and Forget about it

It’s the mantra I live by, or so it seems, when it comes to writing for publication. There’s no point fretting over a piece once it’s been submitted. It will either be accepted and then you’ll wait to go through the editing process, or rejected in which case you look over it, see if you can spot things that need work again and find another place to submit it.

Sure it can take a long time, and it’s very easy to become frustrated whilst you sit back and wonder what’s happened to your baby, but what good does that do?

Think about all the writing you can be doing in that time. You might hear back in six weeks or it might be two years depending on where you’ve submitted the story. So don’t sit back waiting for word find a new project to work on and move on. The piece you’ve submitted no longer exists until you hear back one way or the other.

“But that’s not fair, I should find out sooner. So I can decide what to do.”

Guess what, life isn’t fair and editors have more submissions to read through than just your baby.

“I’m impatient, and want to know sooner.”

Learn patience, you’ll need it.

“Well I like instant gratification.”

So go buy a bar of chocolate, rent a movie and enjoy yourself that way because instant doesn’t tend to happen that often in this line of work.

Sounds harsh doesn’t it?

Look at it this way. You’ve submitted work, and hundreds, perhaps thousands of others have. The same editors going through those submissions are also working on books coming up for release and those are their priority. They also often have other jobs at least in the world of e-publication, so they aren’t around to read submissions all the time. They might also have children and even editors get sick from time to time.

You think waiting to hear back from an e-book house takes a long time? Ask around, print can take longer. A lot longer. Years in some cases.

So write, submit and forget about it.

Support Your Local E-Published Erotica Writer

It’s tough enough being a writer at times—your family members ask you, “When are you going to get a REAL job?” but have you ever thought how difficult it is to be an E-PUBLISHED erotica writer?

You can’t exactly pick up our latest title in the book aisle of your local Wal-Mart!

But that doesn’t deter us… In fact, we use our creative minds and come up with new and innovative ways to promote our books all the time.

First off, we have this blog: http://www.extasyauthors.blogspot.com/ Please book mark our site and visit it often. Be sure to tell all your friends to do the same. Thank you.

Secondly, we have a Yahoo group called “eXtasy Chatters” where we post excerpts and… well, chat with our readers. Sign up today for it at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/extasychatters

And last, but not least, Millenium Productions put out a wonderful e-newsletter monthly for us filled with author news, blurbs of new releases and even free fiction at times.
Check out this month’s newsletter at:
http://www.millenniumpromotion.com/newsletters/eXtasySept05.html

Of course most of us have our own web sites… Click on any of the names to the side here and sample some of our works. I guarantee that you will be pleasantly surprised.

If the urge to read more comes over your? Well, head on over to the publisher site at www.extasybooks.com and start buying our books, will ya?

Your hardworking e-published erotica authors thank you for your support.

Introducing: Stefani Kelsey ~ Editor in Chief, Extasy Books

The Editor is Your Friend
Or
If You Can't Take an Edit,
- Stay Out of the Publishing House

Stefani V. Kelsey
Editor-in-chief of eXtasy Books

Back in the day...
...in order to see a book in print, you were forced to do it the old-fashioned way: submit to a major publishing house and use the rejection slips to dab your tears. Repeat the process until you either buried your dreams--and your manuscript--in the bottom of a trunk, or by God and by Golly...Hit the Big Time!

Now, the world is your publishing house.
If Doubleday is foolish enough not to recognize your genius, you can hit small press, or POD, or ebook, or even do it yourself, whether by paying someone to do it for you, or truly making it your own. With so many options, finding the right fit is worth taking the time.

A huge factor in the decision-making process is that of the most feared facet of the publishing world: The Editor.

One misapprehension that the editor is out to hack, twist, trash, or otherwise fold, spindle, and mutilate your work. The true job of an editor is to take what you have and make it the best it can be, not to rewrite it in their own image and likeness. Spelling, grammar and sentence structure are standard, as is consistency.

You may get a manuscript back marked with enough red to illustrate the St. Valentine's Massacre, and still find not all that much is changed, as far as the true heart of your work: the story.

An editor doesn't bake the cake, just decorates it.

Unfortunately, not all editors know their role.
Some want to rewrite a story in a way they like, regardless of author's voice. Others fail to understand the author's world building, and end up literally destroying the carefully wrought storyline. Still more take on the role with a minimum of training and experience, and end up putting in more mistakes than they take out.

Usually because of a bad experience such as this, the author goes into the publishing world mistrusting the editor, and the relationship is doomed from the start.

The trick is knowing the difference between a professional edit, and the evil alternative.

Editing can seem traumatic...
You just handed over your baby, and when you get that book back, you feel like you've been attacked. Sentences you labored over have been hash-marked. The quaint turn of phrase you spent a good amount of time getting just so has been designated "too passive", and there is a detailed note attached asking you all sorts of inane questions you thought were made perfectly clear in line 18 of page four.

What would bring an otherwise kind person to perform such brutality?

Oddly enough, they're doing it to help you.
If a publisher signs you, they think you have a good bit of writing that the public may enjoy. So their goal is to put out a book that people will want to spend money on.

Now, no matter how good you and your crit group are, things will be missed.
That's the editor's job.

What seems perfectly clear and right to you after fifty readings may not be so to a reader during their first. A certain turn of phrase may read as offensive, or it may just not fit the image the house wants to project.

And of course, two words to strike fear in any wordsmith's heart:
House Style.

Every publisher has their own style, terminology, and formatting methods. Which, in most cases, is nothing like yours.

But the end result is not intended to send you into a fit of weeping and bosom-rending, but merely to create a marketable product.

If it's not about the money, or you think your misspellings are creative, and should be left in for emphasis, or you truly fear the evil editor, don't go to a publisher.

Insane advice?
No, self-preservation.
You're better off going to a vanity press, or simply doing it yourself, because all it will result in is bad blood between you and the publisher.

If you sign their contract, you are in essence agreeing to do it their way. If you don't like their way, don't sign the contract.

And yes, an ebook publisher is a real publisher.

And a contract is a contract.

Going to an ebook publisher is not a "last resort."
It also does not mean you get the right to do or say whatever you like. An epublisher commands the same respect as any other.

If Doubleday signed you:

• Would you argue with and/or insult the editor?
• Would you ask the publisher after they spent hours editing and putting your book up for sale to dissolve your contract because you want to go to another publisher?
• More important, would they?

Straight up answer is no, on all counts. You wouldn't do it, and they wouldn't take it. So keep that in mind when you make your decision.

© 2005 Stefani V. Kelsey,
Executive Managing Editor, eXtasy Books
Also writing as Eppie Finalist and CAPA Nominee Rian Monaire
Article Featured in Xodtica Magazine March 2005

Posted with Permission

Bordello Boys

Check out Bordello Boys at www.extasybooks.com

The EEE is sneaking in...

Intro post...I'm the EEE, aka the Evil extasy Editor-in-chief, codename Rian Monaire. I will make an attempt to post on a much more interesting subject than myself very soon. In the meantime, Hi!

Do all Authors

Think they are divas? I am in no way trying to be a smart a$$. I am very curious why authors get an editor then start to think their $hit don't stink and they can treat other's like crap.

Nobody in particular, I'm just seriously wondering why this happens. Why people think they are better then others just because they have soooooooooo many books. I'm personally like who gives a crap...

I don't see anyone at Extasy that is better then anyone else.

The Perils of Celine...

Ha, ha... Get it? I'm making a pun on The Perils of Pauline, that classic silent era movie serial where the heroine always found herself tied to a train track or dangling off the side of cliff, etc., by the end of the film.

Okay, sue me. I was a film studies major in a galaxy long,long ago in a galaxy far, far away.

Well, I help set this blog up and I haven't had much free time to post here. Luckily, the other good authors of eXtasy Books have... Do remember to leave a comment if you like what you see.

I wish I looked like that photo of Vivi Anna! I'd give anything to look like that picture... And to have Hugh Jackman right on top of me, too. Sheer bliss! :)

Anyway, it's late and I've forgotten what I was going to blog about... Ah, yes! About the "perils of publishing". There are many. I've encountered just about all of them, too. Yes, I am blonde.

In my "day job", I read manuscripts for a listing service. That means I'm reading the slush piles of a lot of other editors and agents. Yes, I may very well have read your manuscript once. Don't worry. I'm a nice person. I don't tell the editors/agents what sucks and what doesn't. I simply read and give them a short report on the strengths and weaknesses of said manuscript.

Of course, the ones with all weaknesses and no strengths don't have a good chance of becoming published. It's survival of the fittest in the wacky world of publishing. Word to the wise: Never submit until you're absolutely certain it's your best work. Find a critique partner or group and give and get some feedback... The book you re-write could be your own.

After several thousand people asked me what the secret of publishing is I finally came up with the idea to write a book on the topic. Its written under my "other evil twin" persona of Cindy Appel and called The Slush Pile Survival Guide. It's from Gryphon Books for Writers and is supposed to be out soon.

Keep your fingers crossed. I've been waiting for it to come out for over a year and a half.

Publishing is a very screwy business... And just because you feel you're the next J.K. Rowling or John Grisham or Nora Roberts or Morgan Hawke, it doesn't guarantee you'll be published. Sure, the writing talent part helps, but you've got to have the patience part down pat or else you'll go crazy and self-destruct.

And if you self-destruct? Well, dead people don't write. Not much any way.

So my advice to all you wannabes is to read, read, read and to write, write, write some more and to be patient. Eventually you'll click with some editor.

We did. :)

And if you have a writing or publishing question, join my monthly e-newsletter and send it in. I'll try to help.

Happy writin' trails to one and all...

The food I eat is as important to me as the words I write.

Why will people only use the best gasoline and oil in their vehicle, but then fill their bodies up with "junk food?"

Richard H. Carmona

~

I come home from work at 2:00 in the afternoon. If I wanted to, I could go straight to the computer and stay there until 11:00 p.m. when I go to bed. During my time at the computer, I could leave for a few minutes to throw some frozen dinners into the microwave for me and my family to eat. Then I could return to the computer and eat my frozen dinner while I type away.

I could do this, but I don't.

My writing is important to me, but so is my health.

What I do, instead, is come home from work at 2:00 p.m., go to the health club where I do free weights, machines and cardio, return home and cook a healthy dinner for me and my family, then go to the computer and write from 7:00 p.m. until 11:00 p.m..

I get lots of writing done and I stay healthy. A great combination.

Am I perfect at it? No. I was lazy this summer and took two months off from the health club. Plus, I ate lots of junk. (Laziness and junk food seem to go together.) The result - I put on weight, had reduced energy and felt like shit. (It was not a state of being I wanted permanently.)

So, the first thing I did was go on a summer cleansing fast. The Seneca Indian Cleansing Diet is a good one.

Then, I returned to the health club. That was just a few days ago, and believe me, I'm paying for my two month break - big time. The pain my muscles are giving me has been rough. (Try walking up and down stairs, for example, when your legs are killing you - not fun.)

Finally, I returned to healthy eating. It's hard to get a healthy dinner on the table when you don't have a lot of time. But I do it by choosing healthy dinners that are easy to fix. One of my favorite cookbooks, for many years, has been The 5 in 10 Cookbook, 5 Ingredients in 10 Minutes or Less by Paula Hamilton.

From the book:

The idea for this book was born the harried day that the four members of our family sat down to eat at 9 p.m. (about my 8-year-old's bedtime) for the second pizza in nearly as many days.

~

The most interesting things happened as we became immersed in the 5 in 10 project - we started eating more healthfully, and we began saving money.

~

The 5 in 10 Cookbook wasn't meant to be a diet book. Many of the recipes, however, turned out to contain relatively little fat. Why waste one of the 5 ingredients on fat when herbs and spices contribute so much more pizzazz and flavor?


Another thing that helps is that I plan recipes only three days at a time. My husband buys the groceries for those three days and then when those three days are up, I plan three more. It's easier to do things in small bits rather than large chunks.

Jolie
http://www.joliedupre.com
Smile Like You Mean It - Tarot: Eight of Swords available now at Extasy Books.

Family Support

Over the short time I have been writing for publication I have heard of all too many authors who do not have their families support. I count myself amongst the lucky ones that do.

My husband, Sam is my primary cheerleader. He reads everything I write, comments, supports, designs and maintains my website, helps with anything else he possibly can in order to keep me on track with writing.

My parents, some four thousand miles away, cheer from the UK with each new acceptance, though my Mum won’t read the erotic stories. She’s too embarrassed to, but she’s proud to announce to other people that her daughter is a writer and yes she writes risqué stories.

My Mother in Law brags to everyone she knows about her daughter in law the writer. She’s taken copies of my reviews and more into her work and doesn’t hide the fact that some of them are a touch on the kinky side. Even her husband, a man I thought would frown on what I do, is proud of where my writing is taking me.

Yet with all that support I still find it hard, I still have days where I don’t believe in myself so finding my work accepted by a family like eXtasy has helped no end. I know I can bounce ideas off Stef. I know I can submit work and get honest feed back. I know the work will take some time before it is published but when it comes out the editing has caught any flaws.

I’m a wife, mother, chat site owner, and I balance all of that with my writing. That balancing act would not be possible without the support I get on a daily basis. How others manage to write and succeed without that same support network I have no idea but I am in awe of those who manage it.

Terri Pray

www.terripray.com

Not to be completely outdone by Morgan!

This is me, if I was a painting! I swear to the goddess that it is!!!

Okay, maybe not...but a girl can dream, wish, get some plastic surgery...

On that note, I was wondering what readers think when they are constantly bombarded with women with perky tits, and round firm asses all the time. Maybe my next heroine should be a size 14, with sagging boobs, and a little paunch on her belly. Does it matter, really what the heroine looks like? I mean we all read erotic romance to hear about the men don't we???

Cheers,

Vivi Anna
http://www.vivianna.net

Dear Morgan ~ I'm lost in Copyright Legalese!

Morgan Hawke
~ Mad, Bad, and Dangerously in the Know!
----- Original Message -----
"Dear Morgan,
- Could you explain this to me? It was at the bottom of a 'call for submissions' from Xustler Xantasies.

- 'Rights to manuscripts sent to Xustler Xantasies will be treated as unconditionally assigned for publication and copyright purposes and as subject to our edits and editorial comments. No bestiality, rape, incest, male homosexuality, sex with minors, no simultaneous submissions, no excessive wordiness, please!'

- Lost in Copyright Legalese”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Lost,
- Copyright agreements and Contracts are always full of weird words and back to front sentence structure that makes the brain hurt and the eyes cross -- and it's DELIBERATE.

"Why do they make it so complicated to read?"
It's to disguise the fact that they've made the best deal for THEM -- not for you. Legalese is designed specifically, to make reader want to just scribble on the dotted line rather than bothering with trying to plow through it. Once you sign your name, what you don't see -- they can get away with.

Always remember, when dealing with a contract of any kind: The more confusing it sounds, the more likely you are about to be SCREWED anally, without the benefit of lube, or even a reach-around.

If you plan to publish your work, you're going to deal with legalese, so brush up on your vocabulary -- and Latin -- you're going to need it. Contracts and Legalese go together like red on ketchup. There's just no getting away from it.

The TRANSLATION:
- All Rights to manuscripts sent to Xustler Xantasies will be treated as unconditionally assigned for publication and copyright purposes...
Translation -You SEND it to us and we OWN it -- FOREVER, whether or not we ever use it is not the point. You gave it to us -- it's OURS.

You can never give it to someone else to publish, you can never put it on your website, you certainly cannot post it to a story group, send it in an email, or show it off in any way, shape, or form, to anyone. You may as well erase it from your computer because it's not yours any more -- it's OURS.

If you are a professional writer, someone we can't screw with without another lawyer breathing down our necks, we'll even admit you sent it and pay you for it -- about a month after it shows up in the magazine. If you're not a professional writer -- forget it. We never got it. One of our in-house writers simply came up with a story Just Like Yours. What a coincidence huh? Too bad for you.

...and as subject to our edits and editorial comments.
Translation - We can change it ANY WAY WE LIKE and not tell you about it. We don't even have to put your name on it -- because it's not yours.

No bestiality, rape, incest, male homosexuality, sex with minors...
Translation - No sex with animals, no hate-sex, no man on man sex, no kids. We're a men's magazine that specializes in straight male fantasies. Our male readers don't like that stuff.

...no simultaneous submissions...
Translation - If you already sent it to someone else, don't send it to us. We can't keep it if someone else has it.

...no excessive wordiness, please!
Translation - Don't bother with being poetic, or putting in a complicated plot. Hell, don't bother with a plot beyond: "I wanted to get laid -- and I did!" We just want the sex and what a great time the characters had. That's what sells for us.

"Is $100.00 for a 5k* story I can never use again -- worth it?"
(*K=1000 words. A 5k story is about 6 pages, typed single-space, in 12 pt. font.)

For many professional writers, selling a 5k story for $100.00 IS worth it. If you can type fast, it can be very fast money. Most men's magazine will take a submission of three to five stories at a time, and accept them ALL. They are always hungry for well-written sex-positive Erotica.

Just keep in mind, Erotica and Erotic Romance are NOT the same thing! Erotic Romance publishers DO want a highly detailed plot in addition to hot sex, and don't forget the ROMANCE!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Morgan Hawke
www.darkerotica.net
www.darkerotica.blogspot.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Smut-Writer - and Damned Proud of it!
Want answers to YOUR questions about writing & publishing?
Ask: Dear Morgan
(Fair Warning ~ Don't Ask if you don't want to know!)

Too embarrassed to ask directly?
Check out my Writing Blog. Lots of (smart-assed) answers there!

I tripped and fell in a plot hole!

Ok, so I am writing away. 2000 words fly out of my fingers in a few hours, and suddenly BAM!
I tripped and fell in a plot hole.
I had made an enormous statement early in my manuscript, then let it drift off. All that build up, to lead to nothing. What's a gal to do?
Easy...ignore the problem, and go back to remove the statement. Or should I have trashed several thousand words, to fix a really cool plot point? Hmmm.... what to do?
I went back, edited four thousand words, and put the plot point back in. Sigh...it was just to good to leave out.
And my happy ending hinged on it.
I will sacrifice any number of hours in pursuit of the happy ending.

If I can't have one in person, my damned characters will live with the males/females/combinations of their choice! Ha! That'll learn 'em!

Vi

I am my own evil twin…

I am my own evil twin…

A few weeks after the Romantic Times convention I noticed a T-shirt display against the back wall of our local Target store while waiting on my daughters to try on some clothes. The red shirt instantly drew me to its side.

“I’m the evil twin” it read.

I thought, “Why, yes… Yes, I am.”

“Evil twin?” you say, scratching your chin and nodding thoughtfully. “Ah, she’s talking about writing erotica under an assumed name.”

Well, yes and no.

Yes, I am writing erotic fiction under a pen name—Celine Chatillon—but mostly that’s because I write contemporary romantic-comedies under the pen name of Cynthianna Appel. Most erotica writers write under a different name than the one they use with their other writings so their readers don’t get confused.

Personally, I’d hate to surprise some unsuspecting reader who’d pick up one of my eXtasy erotica titles thinking she’s going to read one of my “PG-13” to “R” rated romances and discovering something more along the “NC-17” lines instead. This sudden discovery of a more “adult” writer’s voice could lead the unsuspecting reader into enjoying a very good time or it plain just may give her a heart attack.

So, I think the use of different pseudonyms for writing in different genres is a good idea, don’t you?

What I’m getting at in this blog about “being my own evil twin” is this: When I started writing erotica I had no idea that I could ever write erotica and that it could be… well, so damn fun to write.

Sure, I’d read it before and I’d listened very carefully to what a sister MoRWA member and erotica author Melissa MacNeal kept saying about how “hot” the erotica market was currently. But I told myself, “Good for her, but it’s not for me. I’ll never be able to write erotica.”

And then one day, it just sort of… happened.

I was blowing off steam about the injustices of life (long story—I won’t go there) and I hit upon a most interesting character and began penning her story. I named this character “Riki”. Riki didn’t take things lying down—well, not figuratively in any sense, since she certainly wound up on her back quite a few times as I told her tale. Riki was a woman who wanted to extract revenge for a wrong done to her family, and she knew how she was going to do it—blackmail. In the process, she discovers that she likes the sense of control she has while using her sexuality to manipulate others into doing her bidding.

Thus my novella, A Middle Class Existence, was born.

It was different than anything I’d ever written before. It was entirely in first person and I had never written more than a short story in first person before. And Riki’s own words were street tough and blunt and very to the point when it came to her sexuality. Yowza! “Where did that come from?” I wondered.

Not knowing who and where to send this “women’s fiction with erotic elements” I started asking around the ‘Net… And I submitted an excerpt from it as a short story to a new ezine of erotic fiction called Xodtica. To my pleasant surprise, it was accepted and published in the first issue under the title “A Taste for Vengeance”.

Riki’s complete story found its way at last to eXtasy Books and the rest is history you could say… I can now say that I’m a writer of erotic fiction as well as contemporary romance. And although A Middle Class Existence is not a romance, I have since discovered that I could write erotic romance as well. My Christmas erotic romance, Yes Virginia… Here Comes Santa Claus, will be a December release from eXtasy.

Better yet, the more I study and read erotica, the more freedom I feel to experiment within the genre. Being free to describe human sexuality without resorting to euphemisms and “closed doors” is wonderfully liberating for me as a writer. Combining my love of science fiction, English humor, romance and Pirates of the Caribbean, I’ve put together a new SF/Comedy/Romantica series for eXtasy Books entitled:
Brandi Whyne…
And Her Incredibly Erotic Adventures with
Robin Manhood and His Totally Sexed-Out Space Pirates

Now, if that title doesn’t sound too “evil” and “different” from my plain-Jane romantic-comedy persona, I don’t know what else to say!

I haven’t given up writing contemporary romance all together. My “romantic-comedy of heavenly proportions”, Preachin’ to the Choir, was recently signed on by eXtasy as well. And yes, it’s coming out under my Cynthianna Appel pen name.

Why is that? I don’t want to confuse erotica readers who are looking for a good, fun “NC-17” read.

So, stay tuned and find out what my “evil twin” Celine will get up to next… Lord knows if she lets her imagination totally go wild, there’s no stopping the woman.

Vivi Anna in Sin City

Just watched Sin City. LOVED IT! My favorite character....Marv. OMG, what a great character. And Mickey Rourke played him to a tee. Which is nice to see, because I missed Mickey. He used to be one of my favorite actors...so sexy and tough, although flawed. Mmmmmmmmm...

Anyway, I digress....

The Marv character has influenced me to create my own crazy mixed up anti-hero with a psychotic personality. Although I don't know how to set him into a romance novel....any suggestions???? LOL

And then lies the question, how much violence is too much violence, especially if I'm writing a romance? Can't I have good guys running around killing bad guys, blood and guts spewing everything, and still write about a great hot romance? I don't know...

But I'm going to try!!!!!!!

http://www.vivianna.net

For The Girls

When I was in my early twenties, there wasn’t much I was certain of. But there were at least two things that were crystal clear – 1. I was a bisexual and 2. I loved lesbian erotica, thanks to On Our Backs, Susie Bright, etc.

So now that I’m 43 years young, I’m proud to say that lesbian erotica has become my specialty. It wasn’t always. When I started writing erotica I thought some of it had to be heterosexual because that’s what most erotica authors write. But the thing is, reading and writing lesbian erotica gives me a joy that words can’t really describe. Someone like me has no business writing heterosexual erotica. My heart just isn’t in it.

If you love something, you’re much better at it than if you don’t. And what’s nice is that even though I have visions of entertaining lesbians with my stories, the fact is, many straights love lesbian erotica too.

Can I support myself with it? Who knows? And for me, who cares? I didn’t go into writing to support myself. (Most writers aren’t making what John Grisham makes, and my financial needs are far too high for what they do make.) So the fact that I can take my earnings and spend the money on a nice dinner, a charity, a pair of designer shoes, and not have to use it to pay my bills, is something I don’t apologize for. I’ve structured my life a certain way, a way that makes me happy.

I started my journey into the world of erotica by submitting my work to non-paying web sites. I still believe that they are an excellent way to get ones name out there. Once I got more confidence, I started submitting my work to anthologies. And now, I’ve found e-book publishing with Extasy.

For me, the free website thing is pretty much over, unless the site is really, really good. But I will continue to submit my work to anthologies. An anthology that features one of my lesbian stories is the recently published Best Bondage Erotica 2. There you will find my “Girls in the Hood.” And, of course, I will remain and grow with Extasy Books.

“Smile Like You Mean It – Tarot Eight of Swords” is available now at Extasy Books.



Smile Like You Mean It - Tarot Eight of Swords

Many, many more are coming. I have another short story coming soon, “Itching for It,” a Teaser called “Rebecca,” part of Extasy’s Sins and Virtues series, “Pet,” a lesbian dominance and submission Teaser, will be submitted to Extasy in December, and three novels scheduled for submission next year, one of which will be a lesbian vampire novel.

Submitting stories to print anthologies and doing the e-book thing is a good combination for me.

(A note on Extasy’s cover artist, Martine Jardin. This woman is incredibly talented. For example, my cover for “Smile Like You Mean It – Tarot Eight of Swords” is beautiful. I love the urban feel of the work. They're both wearing jeans, and Hope has on a really cool t-shirt. I’m extremely proud of this cover, as I am of all of the covers Martine has done for me. You will find that most Extasy authors feel the same way I do about Martine’s work.)

If you love lesbian erotica, give me a read, visit my site, send me an email. I’d love to hear from you.

http://www.joliedupre.com

There is one woman who writes some of the best lesbian erotica I have ever read, and that’s Rachel Kramer Bussel. (I have never read a story by her that I didn’t like.)

I confess that I’m not as good as her, but I’m good enough!


Jolie

Little bits about me.

Hiya!

I currently have no commercial work available for viewing, but am endeavoring not to let that slow me down. (on advice from the other Extasy authors)

I have several submissions pending with Extasy books (short stories) and three contracts for the same. I predominately write sci-fi and occassionally dabble in fantasy. I love happy endings, but rarely give complete closure to my stories, preferring to let the reader continue on in their own imagination after the story had ended.

Inspiration for my stories comes in plots of movies, situations on the news, and from the musty little cells of my own brain. As it hits you, use the inspiration, make notes...don't let it fade out.

All of my friends know that I write, and encourage my writing. Both my brother and sister know, and encourage my writing. (apparently, as a teenager, I had some stories published, but my sister's name was on it. GRRR...Her high school english grades had alot to do with my old poetry journals.)

I am in my mid-thirties. A late bloomer as a writer, and only now beginning to find my voice in both the world of writing, and expressing myself through painting. It helps me relieve tension.
I live a boring life with a boring job. This is the color in my existence. Well, this and the oil paint stuck to my hands.

Vi

Author (Re) Introduction

My name is Jade Blackmore and I have one published book with eXtasy A Devil In The City Of Angels and am completing three more, including The Spires of Wariz-The Hermit for the tarot series. Excerpt here: Spires of Wariz excerpt

I live in L.A. and my background in the music and entertainment business gives me lots of ideas for stories. I tend to write from the heart and let my characters take over til I finally reign ‘em in. I had a poetry teacher in college who cautioned against using too much logic when doing initial drafts of a poems. “Analyze and paralyze sound amazingly similar,” he warned.

I’ve lived all over the U.S.-- Chicago, New York, Phoenix, but I spent the most memorable year of my life in New Orleans. (Tragically, that city is now almost totally destroyed as we’ve all seen this week.)

Jade


My website is

Jadeblackmore.com

Brenda Williamson is a Virgin ?

...No, I'm not a virgin as you might have initially thought. I'm quieter than most when it comes to s-e-x. so it's my writing style that's a virgin. My work is still in the evolving stage as I accustom myself to writing with a little less inhibition. I can talk dirty, discuss the nasty, and I have been known to do the naughty. However, no matter how much I infuse my stories with explicit scenes, I'll always save room for the sweetness of a youth I can't get back. I like my heroines to be virginal, but, not always completely inexperienced. There's just nothing like discovering the delights of intimacy.

...I accidentally fell into the niche of writing erotic romance because breaking into the print houses just wasn't working for my sweet and sensual side. In six months I've secured four contracts for my new work and everyday I work at re-vamping the old school manuscripts, into the spicy-hot stuff that's hitting it big time.

...eXtasy Books was my first intimacy so read a book by one of their marvelous writers and let them break you in with the best in erotic romance.


Brenda


Visit me on the web: http://www.brendawilliamson.com
You're invited to a Party:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BrendaWilliamsonRomanceParty/

new author here

hey, guys,

Just wanted to come on here and introduce myself, just in case you're saying "Who the hell is this guy?" LOL

I'm kind of new at this blogging thing, although with my journalism background, I should feel "write" at home. (get it?)

Anyway, my name is Jon and I became a published writer for the first time last September, with the publication in e-book format of my novel "Colorblind", about an interracial relationship between a black woman and a white man. If all goes well, I will have two more stories released, hopefully both in e-book format and as part of the Tarot project, Diamonds are Forever and A Football Player's Wife.

I am the lucky holder of a BA in Organizational Communication, with a Journalism minor. However in the realm of creative writing I am primarily self-taught, but I have a lot of experience in trying to find my way.

Currently I am working my fingers to the bone on a new project, about a police officer who saves the life of prominent local politician, and earns the "gratitude", shall we say, of his beautiful wife. I might be posting some soon, as I am very excited about this book, because it is, in my biased opinion, some of my best work yet.

so anyway look me up if you have questions!

love,
Jon

"Colorblind" is On Sale NOW at www.extasybooks.com!
Coming Soon: Diamonds Are Forever.

Food for Thought

What’s a nice girl like you doing writing this?


I’ve been asked more than a few times, why is someone like me writing smut?

Someone like me?

Ah, don’t let the sweet English accent fool you, or the braid and long suffering mother appearance. I write erotica because I enjoy the challenge of writing it. Just as I write in other genres because I enjoy that as well.

Most of the time you can’t tell by looking at someone if they write or read erotica. It’s not as though we wander around with signs on us… well okay sometimes we might, but for the most part we could be the grandma living next door, the woman manning the checkout, the high school history teacher or the quiet librarian. And let’s not forget the men who also write erotica. They aren’t the shifty eyed, slip it into a brown paper bag and dart home type. At least none of the male erotica writers I have met are.

‘Ah so I guess you write the boy meets girl romance stuff then?’

Sometimes I do. Sometimes I write the down and gritty, others I write lesbian erotica, I’ve written dark romance, light and fluffy, sweet, and maybe a few things I haven’t quite classified yet.

‘Okay, then you must really sleep around then to get your ideas’

I must do what? Excuse me I’m happily married and whilst swinging might be the thing for some it’s not mine. So no, I don’t. I’ve got nothing against people who choose that for their lifestyle, it just isn’t part of how I live.

‘But where do you get your ideas from then if you don’t do that?’

It’s this wonderful thing called an imagination. I write the occasional murder pieces, serial killer snippets, it doesn’t mean I’ve gone out and committed murder either.

Just a little food for thought.

Terri Pray

www.terripray.com

Morgan Hawke ~ Mad, Bad, and Dangerously in the Know!

Dear Morgan...


----- Original Message -----
"Dear Morgan,
How do you deal with someone saying that erotic writers have no self-respect?”
- A Fellow Erotic Author"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Okay kids... *rolling up sleeves* It goes like this... I get in their face and say:
"Yeah, I write SMUT!
- And I'm crying all the way to the BANK - you B*TCH!"
(Repeat as many times as necessary.)

Now, why do people say this crap to us purveyors of fine quality Adult Fiction? There’s a couple’a reasons…

1) It’s all about THEM.
Ordinary people rarely think outside their own heads. They measure everyone else against their own perceptions: “Well I hated that movie, so no one else will like it either. Don’t drink that! That brand of soda sucks, you won’t like it.”

It’s called Tunnel Vision or Narrow-mindedness. If they can’t do it, or they don’t like it – you shouldn’t be able to do it, or like it either.

"Well if that was me I would never...!"

Yeah well, you AREN'T Them - which is why you Do, and you Have, and you are getting CASH for it – when they are not.

Unlike the average human, the writer is a unique creature - we can get out of our own heads long enough to view a perspective Other than Our Own. In fact, in order to write successfully, we are forced to view MANY different perspectives - frequently opposing and usually simultaniously. Consider how many characters are in the average novel - with ONE author to think for them all.

As a writer, USE that unique talent to step out of your feelings of rejection and get into Their head. As a writer, you have the ability to look at the character traits they are displaying and intrepret pretty darn closely what’s really going on in their twisted little reality tunnels.

2) Petty jealousy.
Ever spend time with someone who just bought a new car? Without fail, someone just had to come along and tell them what was Wrong with it. This person would list fault after fault until the new owner was deflated enough to salve the bruised ego of the person who Didn’t have a new car.

The technical term is: SPOILSPORT.

3) “That's not real writing.
Anyone can write a smut story…”
Oh yeah? Let’s see them TRY it! The results ought to be hysterical – and really, really bad.

Writing Fiction is freaking hard work. It takes anywhere from weeks, to months, to years of hunching over a keyboard word-crunching – plus research, plus plot-crafting, and character development, and dialogue, and sentence-structure, and manuscript formatting, and fighting with the computer…etc.

"They can write - they have a college degree to prove it."

They do? Oh, that's too bad - for them.

College degrees won’t help anyone write good Fiction of any kind, never mind smut. (Unless of course, their degree is in something useful, like history, or mythology.) Fiction writing is a CRAFT that takes unique skills that you just can’t get in the classroom.

Formal Education teaches you to stuff as many words into a paragraph as possible. Preferably using the biggest words possible, (with extra points for obscurity.)

Fiction Writing is the total reverse – you want the most amount of information using the least amount of words. Think ‘Advertising Copy’ and you have a clue. And that’s just the Grammar.

IMAGINATION is the real sticking point.

Even if you have perfect grammar skills, you STILL have to have an imagination beyond: “Hey I had one hell of a night with this kinky so-and-so I picked up!” Boooooooooring! Go send it to Penthouse, ‘cause it won’t sell here in the Erotic Romance market. It takes more than an overnight sex romp to sell a book to Erotic Romance readers.

Writing good Erotic Fiction takes skills the average Literary author would cringe at. Let’s see one of THEM write a sex scene that holds the reader’s attention long enough to Really Satisfy! -- Without repeating the word penis or vagina 5-million times. (Personally, I’ve never used either word once.) AND give it a Happy Ending.

So yeah – let’s just see them Try to copy your accomplishment. You’ll laugh for weeks!

4) Ordinary Embarrassmant.
Most people are raised to belive that Sex is bad, so anyone who actually Likes sex is a deviant. Yeah, well us deviant's are Popular with the opposite sex too!

So what do we, as Perveyers of Fine Smut, DO about this kind of “No self-respect” crap?

We DON’T take comments like that personally. Those comments aren’t meant for US – They are meant for the Speaker that opened their mouth, and drooled that filth out of it. Those words are a reflection of THEIR personal hang-ups – not yours. YOU are making money, making friends with fellow writers, and generally having a good time making your readers squeal with delight, among other bodily functions.

So, they have a problem with you writing smut? So what? No matter the reason, it’s Not Your Problem – it’s THEIR’S. When someone opens their big fat slobbering gob – just smile and consider the source, because it really IS all about them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Morgan Hawke
www.darkerotica.net
www.darkerotica.blogspot.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Smut-Writer - and Damned Proud of it!
Want answers to YOUR questions about writing & publishing?
Ask: Dear Morgan
(Fair Warning ~ Don't Ask if you don't want to know!)

Too embarrassed to ask directly?
Check out my Writing Blog. Lots of (smart-assed) answers there!

Hello Everyone! :)

Hello Everyone (waving madly)
I have one book published with eXtasy Books and several coming. Here’s a list of my eXtasy works.

My Lady’s Protector: Knight of Pentacles is part of the eXtasy Writers Tarot Series and is available at eXtasy Books now.

Immortality’s Caress is a six-part historical series about lusty vampires…
Book 1: Allegra’s Seduction, set in Renaissance Venice (in edit queue)
Book 2: Eloise’s Awakening, set in Baroque France (in edit queue)
Book 3: Sophia’s Release, set in New Orleans 1770 (work in Progress)
Book 4: 'Jamal' The Gifted One, set in Cairo 1800s (coming)
Book 5: 'Lucien' The Dark One, set in Victorian England (coming)
Book 6: 'Michael' The Sacred One, set in 1920s New York (coming)


The Seven Deadly Sins & Virtues Series. Coming in February 2006.

‘Crimson Destiny’ is the virtue abstinence. It is a paranormal erotica, set in contemporary France.

Here’s a short blurb, since the work’s not mentioned on my website yet.

Cursed for slaughtering Khalid’s immortal bride, Drago cannot allow himself to fall for Sara, as that will ensure her death…

Drago has walked in darkness over eight hundred years, without a female by his side. Love has no place in his world, only death and abstinence. When a heartbroken Sara steps into his forbidden realm… reads his journals and becomes obsessed with him, she lures him with her intensity, awakening his long denied desires and emotions…

Readers, I’d love to hear from you, so drop me a line or two. Hey, and feel free to me ask questions regarding my works. Don’t forget to visit my website to view all my books, and checkout my FREE reads while you’re there.

Thanks for visiting our blog! Come back soon. :)

Cheers,
Monica M. Martin

Hello everyone! If you are a reader of my fiction, or a fellow author, then a hearty welcome to you. I am the author of the Eternal Souls Series. I write in the niche of Male/male romantica. My romantica is sexy and erotic but there is a real good love story going on, along with a whole lot of problems...Be it two vampires as in Eternal Souls 1: Vampire Lust (available now at Extasy books), or the continuation of two gorgeous men who journey through diferent times and find each other again...in E.S. 2- Beloved Foe...or E.S. 3: Wanton Renegade (coming soon), or my upcoming Halloween story...."Brennus' Witch"...these gorgeous men/immortals have fun, have sex...and get into lots of trouble! "Brennus Witch" for example has an ancient Druid vampire in a complicated situation with a modern day Wicca Priest. Or how about a disfigued photographer and a very spoiled self centered model in My upcoming "Eye of the Beholder?" Did you like Beauty and the Beast? I loved it....well you'll find the enchantment again in this one.

Also, can't forget my upcoming Tarot card "The Devil"....or Sins and Virtues..."LUst"... I always get the good juicy ones...lol. The Devil card is played out in "Ash: son of the Demon God..." Yep folks...Ash is the son of the good of devil himself....who is sent to seduce the Sun God....whoa..what a hottie he is. Well...use your imagination on that one. As for Lust...did someone say lust...how about "The Initiator?" Now here's a twist...a gorgeous vampire prince with black purple eyes....taken slave by mind controllers and a sexual slave awaiting initiation by an anonymous man...ummm...the possibilities.
There are some Xmas ones coming too possibly...cross your fingers!
Anyway, I love to hear from fans...and thanks to the ones who write and comment. Leave me a message...ask me a question....I'm very happy to answer. Cheers, L.M. Davis....oh yes and visit Extasy books...check out Vampire Lust and click on to my website...

Welcome...

You've found the place... This is "Dirty Girls... and Naughty Boys", the group blog of eXtasy Books authors.

I'm Celine Chatillon and I'll be your host for the first days while we get this thing set up. After that, there should be several other "dirty girls" or "naughty boys" blogging here, too.

Who are we? We're a mixed lot of writers who share one thing in common: We write erotic fiction. Some of us are more into "romantica" while others are into SF/Fantasy with erotic elements... So the views and news presented here will be as varied and exciting as our books.

To see what kind of books we write, check out our publisher eXtasy Books, an imprint of Zumaya Publications.

So, "come" along and join us... We guarantee you'll have a real good time.

~~Celine~~