“OMG Your Photo!”

Enjoy Tanith Davenport's take on publicity photos.

When I first became a writer, one of my favourite parts was the comparative lack of visibility. People may learn my name, but they’re unlikely to know my face. Just as well for them, since I’ve known it for years and it’s not that exciting. Unfortunately, having to pose for publicity shots has brought one fact into sharp focus – my friends don’t think my face is that exciting either.

Believe me, there are few things less flattering to hear when your new photo comes up than “Oh my God, your photo is amazing! It looks nothing like you!” I’m under no illusions about my looks – I have mirrors. I also know that whatever magic I can work with make-up is nothing compared to what a photographer can do with a good stylist and great lighting. But I didn’t expect the difference to be quite such a source of enthusiasm.

I suppose it could be worse. I’ve known people to use someone else’s picture for their erotica rather than risk putting off the public with their own. And I’ve never had any readers actually abuse my photos, as I’ve seen happen to other erotica writers. Just as well really, since there’s not much more I could do to improve them apart from bring a better face to the shoot.

Maybe I should learn to be flattered. It’s obviously meant as a compliment. But please, if you meet me at a festival, don’t tell me I look nothing like my photo. I’ve got green hair – I’m hard to miss. And it is me in that shot, I promise. Even if it looks amazing and nothing like me.

Here's a blurb for Tanith's book Sleepwalker
Tally Haslam has too much to deal with. A herbalist and aromatherapist, her latest creation – an aphrodisiac potion – remains in unsaleable condition as she has nobody to test it with. And, much to her annoyance, she sleepwalks.
Hoping to get away from it all for a weekend, Tally travels to nearby Madigan Hall for their yearly Paranormal Evening—but on the first night she wakes up outside the bedroom of another guest: Kyle Hunter, who has chosen to pleasure himself with the door open. Tally escapes without being seen, but is unable to get Kyle out of her head—especially when she finds herself at the same table at him the following evening.
However, Tally’s world is turned upside down when, at the paranormal dinner, she encounters the ghost of the Blue Lady, who seems determined not to leave her alone—and shows a disturbing penchant, when Tally sleepwalks again, for leading her astray…

Tanith has been writing for ten years and first got into erotic romance through the Romantic Novelists’ Association New Writer’s Scheme. Besides writing, her first loves are rock music and travel. She lives in Yorkshire with her long-suffering husband and cats.
Visit her website  or click here to read an excerpt from Sleepwalker. (Amazon UK link) or Dot com

Advice to Your Younger Self - Melissa Keir

I saw this picture on Facebook and had to share it with my friends. It really hit home with me. I wasn’t an outgoing person growing up but I did like to shock others. I always justified that if people were talking about me, then they weren’t talking about my friends or family. When I look back on my younger years, there’s a lot I’d love to tell myself. There’s also so much I’d love to change. I was in such a hurry to grow up and move on with my life, that I didn’t appreciate the small things happening around me each day. I wasn’t always kind nor did I always do my best. Yet, now when I look at where I am today, I’m happy with my life. Maybe it took all those mistakes to get me to this place. I love writing and being an author. I enjoy helping other authors and reading their stories. I’ve made some wonderful friendships and have a happy homelife. My children are well-rounded and moral with a great sense of themselves. I suppose I would tell myself to slow down. Life is not a race. What would you tell your younger self? Remember to only use two words!

As a writer, Melissa likes to keep current on topics of interest in the world of writing. She’s a member of the Romance Writers of America, Mid-Michigan RWA, and EPIC. Melissa is always interested in improving her writing and believes in helping other authors. Author spotlights, book features and interviews are a few of the ways she showcases other authors on her blog.

Melissa doesn’t believe in down time. She’s always keeping busy. Melissa is a wife and mother, an elementary school teacher, a book reviewer, co-owner of a publishing company as well as an author. Her home blends two families and is a lot like the Brady Bunch, without Alice- a large grocery bill, tons of dirty dishes and a mound of laundry. She loves to write stories that feature “happy endings” and is often found plotting her next story.

Melissa loves hearing from readers!

www.melissakeir.com

http://www.facebook.com/melissaakeir

http://www.facebook.com/AuthorMelissaKeir (fan page)

www.twitter/melissa_keir

Gemma Juliana~Seeing through the Eyes of Your Characters

Thanks for inviting me to be your guest today, Roxanne.

One of the most exciting prospects when starting to write a new novel is getting to know what makes your characters tick. I always look forward to writing the heroine’s name on one sheet, the hero’s name on another, and starting to fill in ‘facts’ about them.

Sometimes I think I know the characters because they have been banging around in my head for a while, only to be startled once I sketch them out on paper.

For instance, in the early stages of writing The Sheikh’s Crowning, I decided Princess Yasmine was a shy virgin princess, untouched by human hand. She’d lived a sheltered existence in her brother’s palace, until a rowdy, deep and brooding FBI agent from the USA landed in her world and rattled her sensual cage.

Not so. Yasmine didn’t tell me until Chapter Two that I must go back and rewrite her. She was not a virgin. She was a widow who knew what love and loss was all about. Her experiences led her to determine she would never again love any man whose career was dangerous enough to cost her his life.

The meek, timid woman I’d first envisioned Yasmine to be was a figment of my imagination. That’s saying a lot, as a fiction writer! In reality, Yasmine was a passionate, experienced and sexually starved woman whose heart was breaking at her loneliness. Kings and princes courted her, but none of them made her heart sing. She was crying out for the right man to come into her life and help her feel alive again, but she wanted him on her terms.

Then there was Rick, her hero. He shocked me as well, but not as much as Yasmine. He was the consummate bachelor, in love with his career and with a passion to ‘get the bad guys’… He’d enjoyed short-lived affairs with a rich array of women around the globe, but always guarded his heart.

Rick had no problem pursuing Yasmine when he thought her an ordinary woman, but as soon as he realized she was a princess, he jumped to the conclusion she was too rich for his blood. He couldn’t possibly offer her the sort of life she deserved.

When writing a story, it isn’t enough to get into the heads of your characters, nor even their hearts. As authors, we must become each character, and see their world through their eyes and from their point of view. Acting as if you are that character will reveal hidden gems and facets of their personalities that will never be revealed simply by writing about them.

The Sheikh’s Crowning is a novella with heat level R, and is available as an e-book on Amazon. It is the latest story in the Sheikhs of the Golden Triangle series. Yasmine wants Rick to give up his dangerous career before she can entrust her heart to him. Rick says he can’t consider being with a princess anyway, and he has no intention of giving up his career. When it seems they are locked into a hopeless situation, a twist of fate blows the lid off their issues and offers them an unexpected alternative.

Sometimes a unique location is as much a character as the people who populate a book. I found this to be the case while writing a holiday ghost romance about undying love called Christmas Spirits. The novella takes place in Winterthorne Castle, nestled away on an estate of enchanted land in Ireland. The castle is elegant, lonely, haunted and yearning for a family to call its own again. It was very much a living, breathing entity as I wrote the story, and I was aware of “being” the castle on several occasions, seeing the characters through the castle’s eyes. “If these old walls could talk…” This is still my favorite story so far, for two reasons: Winterthorne Castle and the theme of eternal love.

Thanks for stopping by Roxanne's blog today! What do you think is most important when breathing life into a new character?

Gemma Juliana lives with her alpha hero, a magical dog, and her teen son in an enchanted cottage in north Texas, where she can be found plotting, writing stories, drinking fancy coffees and sampling as many forms of chocolate as she can find. She loves doing research, spinning new stories, and hearing from readers. Her newest release, Autumn Masquerade, will be available on Amazon in mid-October.
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Upcoming Release Cover Reveal

I'm excited!
My latest release is scheduled for publication October 1st.
Here's a sneak preview of the cover.
Thanks once again to the wonderfully talented Steven Novak for this stunning cover.