Edits are done? Now what?

Yes, you heard me. The second round of edits are now in the can. According to my editor, they now go to the line editor who works it over with a fine-toothed comb to ensure perfection. I'm not sure exactly what happens then but I think it happens soon. My ebook is slated to come out in SIX WEEKS!!! CRAZY!

So now it's just a waiting game. I am finally getting the opportunity to work on some other projects. That makes me happy.

I did get a cover. It was gorgeous, beautiful, made my toes curl! But I had one issue with it. The heroine of the story is a big girl and the woman on the cover was a little too skinny bitch for my taste so I asked if anything could be done about that. I haven't heard yet but I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

That's it for now. I'll let you know just as soon as I get the final one.

Later gators!

Sunday Book Rant

Now for those of you who have been reading my blog since the beginning (Helen, Vi, and Tricia), you know that when I do the Sunday Book Blog, it's about books that I have read that I enjoyed. I don't post negative comments (because I'm not a review site, just like to state my opinion) because I am in the industry, as a writer, and I may meet these people at conferences and whatnot and I want people to not hate me.

That being said, I am going to post something negative about a book and mention the book and the author by name. Why? Because she's dead and I don't think she particularly cares.

Curious? What has gotten Monica is such a tizzy? Well, I'll tell you. 'The Flame and The Flower' by Kathleen Woodiwiss.

WHAT?!?! Besmirched the name of the Grand Dame of Historical Romance?

YES!

And here's why.

I have long heard about this book. People praise it and love it and that's fine. For them. Me? I had such an issue with this book that I only got about a third of the way through before I gave up. I couldn't read it. Not that it wasn't well-written but because I HATED both the HERO and the HEROINE!

Let me explain. Now, I can fully appreciate that this book was written a full 5 years before I was even born and therefore can make concessions for that. To a point. But what got me about this book is that the hero rapes the heroine THREE TIMES in the first couple chapters. Not a forced seduction but a full on rape. 3X!!! And what got me is that he knew that it was rape and that she didn't want him and didn't enjoy it but his attitude was "Well, someday you'll like it but until then I plan on using your body as my personal cum receptacle."

WHAT THE FUCK!?!? SERIOUSLY, DUDE?

Even after he's forced to marry her, he's unrepentant about what he's done.

Okay, I can get past a lot of things in a book. I am so not against forced seductions. As long as the woman at some point in the process relents and enjoys the experience. She may hate him and herself later because she gave into her desires but deep down she wanted him.

I know that there are many who will disagree with me and I don't want to get into a debate about forced seduction vs. rape. (You can do that over at the Smart Bitches blog or at Karen Knows Best here. FYI, I dodn't agree with either review.) A couple years ago there was another historical romance where the Hero uses forced seduction on the Heroine and that sent all of Romancelandia into a crazy tizzy about whether or not this was rape and is it appropriate in books. I read that book and like this TFATF, I didn't finish it. Not because of the forced seductions (which may or may not have been rape depending on your perspective) but because the hero and heroine were both so repugnant to me that I didn't particularly care for them enough to finish the story.

There is a little bit of that in TFATF as well. The heroine is so mealy mouthed and mouse-ish that she annoyed the shit out of me. Maybe I'm just too much of a modern woman to appreciate her but I literally wanted to crawl into the book and smack that bitch. Sorry. It was what I felt.

Now, on the flipside. Last year I read a book in which the Hero slips the Heroine a roofie and has sex with her. Definitely date rape. I had to put the book away for a while but eventually I did go back and finish the book? Why? I loved the characters and I wanted to see what happened to them and I understood the hero's motivations.

After reading that book, I had to consider where my boundaries were. I guess with this book I found it. The hero raped the heroine. Pure and simple. And I couldn't finish the book. I totally appreciate and respect Ms. Woodiwiss' talent and all that she has meant to the world of Romancelandia and I fully intend on reading another one of her books (my friend, Tricia recommended a different one to me) but that was one line I couldn't cross and the author couldn't pull me along over.

That's it. End of rant.

YAY!

My editor loves my new ending and will be sending the next round of edit which I will have a week to complete. The only bad news is that I have a Mac and although I can export in .rtf and .doc, the formatting is wonky. I have Open Office but that doesn't seem to help. I'll have to figure out a solution. I may have to buy Office for Mac. We'll see.

Done!

Sorry that it's been three weeks! Time flies.

Let's see. What's happened since my last post? I turned in my edits yesterday. I had planned on doing it earlier but then I decided to rewrite the entire ending so it took longer than I expected. I like the new end better but now I have to see what my editor says about it. However, I am happy that I made my deadline.

It's so weird that my book is coming out in a little over six weeks. I think I'm still in shock. A blissful state to be sure. Now all I have to do is hope that everyone else enjoys it as much as my editor. My stomach is literally roiling now that I have to worry about reviews. SCARY!! But I don't want to think about that now. Now, I'm going to work on the other projects that I put on the backburner. Some revisions on another story and another novella that my editor may like.

Later Gators

Update

Just got my first round of edits. Contracts are in the mail. Guess this thing is really going to happen. Now have a real editor deadline instead of the self-imposed kind.

Book Blog

So I know I should just call this a 'book blog' and forget about the 'Sunday' part. It's just ridiculous. Just to let you know where I am in the process, I just mailed off my Cover Art form as well as the Blurb form to LooseID. The blurb form was hardest. I have a terrible time writing short. I tend to ramble but I got it done and I hope they like it. Now all I am doing is waiting for my edits and I'll be off again.

Now for the books...

Moving Target by Cheyenne McCray

Ever since witnessing the murder of her family by the Russian mob, Ani has been in hiding. But that changes when a family comes to her in dire need and she does the one thing that she shouldn't. Contacts someone from her past. Now the Russians are after her and the only person she trusts is the one man she can't have. Daniel, her WITSEC inspector.

I know that this is a short description but it fits perfectly, as do Ani and Daniel. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this story! Ms. McCray, as well as Lora Leigh, deliver a romantic suspense just the way I want it, plenty of action and loads of hot sex. Seriously! The book practically burned my hands. This is exactly the tine that I want to set with y romantic suspenses. And the sex here is done wonderfully so that it doesn't detract from the story and is not superfluous (I love that word). The only gripe that I had is that when Ani first entered WITSEC, she was a size 22 and now she's a size 8 but this fact is almost a throwaway. I'm not saying that this should have been harped on, but for me, it was significant. I just wished it had been focused on a bit more but there was plenty of other action that I soon forgot about all my questions.

RATING: RUN!!!!!

Seduce Me by Robin DeHart

Esme Worthington is a scholar minding her own business when scoundrels break into her London home and abduct her. Their cause? Finding Pandora's Box and the key she is supposed to possess. Luckily, Esme is rescued by Fielding Grey, Marquess of Eldon. He is also a Legend Hunter and has been hired to retrieve Pandora's Box. He finds the box but can't leave her behind. Soon, the two embark on a journey of passion beyond their widest imaginations.

Again, the above is why I am not a blurb writer.

Anyhoo, this was my first book by Ms. DeHart and I have to say that I enjoyed it. Having never read her, I didn't know what to expect but what I got was a pleasant read. I enjoyed Esme and Fielding. I think that they worked well in the story. Esme marks my recent run of older heroines. Usually in historicals, I prefer young virgins (why did that sound wrong?) but I have been expanding my horizons.

There was good tension and sizzle between the H/H and very nice love scenes. All in all, enough to make me want to finish the book and look forward to the next in the series.

RATING: SPEED WALK

Until Wednesday!

Latin Hotties Week Finale

So sorry that I dropped out of Latin Hotties Week. I've been crazy busy. Who knew there was so much work to do when you're under contract?!?!

Since I want this to be a true blog about my journey, I'll tell you what's been happening this week. First, I received an acceptance letter from LooseID which outlined the changes that they would like to see made as well as the next steps. One of the changes that they wanted to make was to change the title, which I was totally fine with. Then I accepted their acceptance and I received the contract which I promptly sent to one of my CPs who was a lawyer in her previous life (lucky me!) to review. Holy cow! It's like 11 pages long! CRAZY!!! And it came with a whole lot of other forms for me to fill out. One of the things that I love is how LI is so dedicated to promoting their books and already I feel like I'm in the right hands.

Now, I am working on covert art and blurbs. According to my editor (I have an editor now!) I should get her changes sent to me in a couple of weeks and then I have about a month to get them back to her. WHEW!!! Helen, my CP, tells me that this all very out the ordinary and the reason for the rush is because my publication date is so freaking soon.

Speaking of pub dates, my novella is tentatively scheduled for 10/13! As for the title, I called it 'On Business' but LI didn't think that it was sexy enough (and it wasn't) so it looks like we're going to go with 'Dirty Business.' I like it. So do my CPs and my editor so I'm happy. I told the other Vixens' that they could call it 'Smack My Ass With A Fish' and I would be happy. Thank God they didn't and I really do like the new title.

So that's it. That's what's been going on. I will keep you all informed as I move forward so that everyone (all 2 of you not including the Vixens) can share my journey.

Until later, please to enjoy

BENICIO DEL TORO