My Book Place

Tell us about yourself and your books.:
I write erotica. Sharing the inner thoughts and emotions of characters is the ultimate voyeurism.

I am a big believer in plot and character development.

I want the characters to be as real as possible. Character motivations drive the events and sexual activities.

Sex scenes are detailed and graphic. I want to always give a perfect picture of exactly what is happening and why and how and how the characters feel physically and emotionally.

While I believe there is way too much shaming out there in the world when it comes to sex and things sexual I also think dirty acts and a sense of wicked naughtiness are wonderful in erotica.

I have two degrees and am dedicated to providing the highest quality erotica.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I'm sure my massive intakes of caffeine are quite normal for an author….

Considering the genre I write in it may be considered unusual I often write (type) with people near me in various settings who have no clue what I'm up to on my laptop.

When I edit a book I do three complete edits where I read every word. The unusual part is that I also do each one a little differently. In order to better spot errors, even small ones like an extra space between words, I change the font, font size, and type color with each edit.

Edit 1 : Times New Roman, 12 point, black
Edit 2: Bookman Old Style, 14 point, green
Edit 3: Random grab bag font, 16 point, purple

Even with that I still miss some errors!

What authors have influenced you?
The living legend JJ Argus and the other living legend, silkstockingslover. Her works, mostly short stories, can be found on literotica.com. And Stephen King!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I'm pretty new myself so advice from me is presumptive at best. However, I can pass on advice I received (okay, some from me as well). That is to be patient. When you write and publish something no one knows unless they are psychic. No matter how good it is it may not get sales. For instance, "Moby Dick", the great classic, after the initial poor first year of sales, went on to sell an average of 27 books a year for 34 years. Once the author Herman Melville died it later became popular and "discovered". And Melville was a successful author BEFORE he published that book!

Once someone finds one of your books you, as an author, need to make sure it make them, the reader, happy. The book is for the reader, not the author. That is the mission. Take the time to edit thoroughly, have someone else read it to make sure each little part makes sense to others.

Make sure it is realistic even within the realm of the fantastic. Realism is more interesting than having readers say again and again, "That would NEVER happen." If your story loses credibility than you, the author, automatically do as well.

Cream rises to the top but can also float up a bit faster if you communicate in all ways — email responses, blog, web site, and, yes, promotion.

[Read more…] about Featured Author Interview: Jordan Church

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Tell us about yourself and your books.:
I'm a family doctor. I am also a university professor. I took pride in serving others and found meaning in teaching and doing research.
When I was diagnosed with cancer, one of the hardest things for me was losing the identity of the professional. Beyond not living long, what troubled me was that I wasn't sure I would be able to do what is meaningful to me while I am still alive.
Cancer led me down the path to my authentic self more quickly. I had the urgency to find my authenticity. I was running out of time, and I had to work double as hard while my energy tanked. I had to read more and write more. It was vital for me to find meaning and to find it now.
Cancer also humbled me. I became aware that before being a doctor and a researcher, I am a person. And because of that, I can serve better. I can do things for others in ways I was never able to before. To my patients, I can be the doctor who also understands their experience because he is a patient himself. I can hear as a researcher what others do not hear because I suffered.
I found purpose and authentic conversations in being with others as they pursue what is of value to them and what is right. I found meaning in telling the stories of those who have little space to share their stories.
Cancer also led me to be more empowered, to always seek the truth, and to speak truth to power.
My book is "Roads to Meaning and Resilience with Cancer: Forty Stories of Coping, Finding Meaning, and Building Resilience While Living with Incurable Lung Cancer."
I interviewed thirty-nine people with lung cancer, and in the book, I share aspects of our stories.
They are like you, men and women with busy lives, families, and friends. Some worked as doctors, teachers, writers, builders, and managers. Others stayed home to take care of their loved ones.
We are living longer than we initially expected, and this has made our experiences resemble nothing that many of us have lived or witnessed before. Many of them have captured with their words some of the essences of our existence as humans.
If you have developed lung or another type of cancer, or if you have struggled with an illness, you will find aspects of your story reflected here.
From these thirty-nine individuals, I have learned far more than I have through any reading or writing. By sharing their experiences, I am merely opening the space for them to teach others.
The book is about the essence of human experience. It is for every reader.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Because I work as a physician and professor, there was little time to take off and write. I wrote mostly in my evenings and weekends. I also took a one week vacation and used that time to write.
My writing is reflective and intends to build on the qualitative research I have conducted by interviewing patients.

What authors have influenced you?
Patti Lather in her book Troubling the Angles was an influence. She wrote about the experiences of women living with HIV AIDS. I did similar work on the experience of people living with lung cancer. I am, however, one of the people living with this disease.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just write. Edit and re-edit.

[Read more…] about Featured Author Interview: Morhaf Al Achkar

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Tell us about yourself and your books.:
I chose to get a doctorate in clinical psychology because I find depth of study beyond the ordinary to be of special interest. That means a focus on ourselves and our society. Life should never be a closed book and the world is full of potential even when we are in crisis. My desire to explore led me to write these books about mermaids and how they represented the empowerment of women as crisis was exploding. While mermaids are a myth, the rest of it may be seen as fantasy but in fact represents what is happening in our world now.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I think the most unusual thing is that I talk to my characters. Part of the reason I do is that they often show up demanding attention and inclusion. As a psychologist I understand what is happening. They represent parts of me and what I adore. So, of course I talk to them and it enhances the work.

What authors have influenced you?
I can't focus on a limited list. How we are and what we write comes from a multitude of sources.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Writer/Psychologist here. Be yourself. You have a life experience and a multiple layer personality. Go in and see what you find, not what you think other people may think you should be doing. There is an awful lot inside of everyone and releasing in a creative endeavor is personally and collectively fulfilling.

[Read more…] about Featured Author Interview: Roger Burt

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Tell us about yourself and your books.:
Hey, everyone! I'm USA Today best-selling author CM Albert, but you can call me Colleen. I write steamy contemporary romances that have a lot of heart, a little dash of humor, and a whole lot of heat. Kind of like life, I celebrate both the human side of relationships (growth, disfunction, overcoming adversity) and the physical aspects (intimacy, sexual, pushing boundaries). All of my books have a happy-ever-after, because above all else, I believe in the power nd healing ability of love.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I usually always type my books on my laptop, but for some reason, my newest unpublished book came to me fast and furious and wanted to be handwritten out. Because I started with a Scentos scented gel pen, I have since handwritten every chapter using one! This is the weirdest way I have ever written a book, but it's also been fun and very liberating.

What authors have influenced you?
Bertrice Small, Colleen Hoover, Melissa Foster, Haven Kimmel, Skye Warren, Nora Roberts, LJ Shen . . . so many!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Be patient and don't give up! I didn't publish my first book until I was 42 — and I'm now a USAT best-selling author. It didn't happen over night. You have to learn the business, be humble, make connections, observe those you respect in the field, be an active reader in your genre, and STAY AT IT…even when you want to quit. I truly believe that if you have a book inside you, it will keep screaming at you until you let it out! You got this!

[Read more…] about Featured Author Interview: C.M. Albert

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Tell us about yourself and your books.:
I love to write. Marketing not so much. I enjoy both the research and the wordcraft of writing!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
7-10 four nights a week and Sunday for 4-5 hours.

What authors have influenced you?
Furst. Conrad. Shakespeare. Yeats. Smil. Crichton.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write daily. integrate writing into your life style, like exercise, eating and sleep.

[Read more…] about Featured Author Interview: JOHN GRAVES

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