Just Do It The Best Way You Can

I'm going to go ahead and toot my own horn here. 
In three years, I've written, formatted, and published ten full length novels along with six shorter features I call my shorties. In order to save money, I learned to design my own book covers and create my own book trailers to go with them. Though not sophisticated, my biggest personal triumph is managing to put up a decent looking website. 
Why am I so proud of myself over stuff people do everyday? 
Well, for one thing, I'm at a  certain age where the digital era has left a few of us behind. For the sake of fulfilling the one dream I had since seventh grade, I've learned to adapt and catch up. I put aside my fears and self doubt and jumped into the playing field. A second thing is, I want to inspire other artists(not just writers) to seriously take up their crafts and let their talents shine on their own merit. Not what a reviewer has rated her work, or what an agent said was the reason he can't sell her. An artist, even a poor one, doesn't need someone else like a publisher or producer to validate her worth. The public will decide if a product is worth buying. Most of us don't need to be told what to like, contrary to what the industry seems to believe.
If one has a story to tell, a song to vocalize, a painting to display, or anything her mind, spirit, and hands have crafted- show it and share it. Publish and/or produce yourself. Believe in yourself even when family and friends forsake you. Come out strong when peers and associates try to scorn or ridicule your talent and commitment. Toot your own horn when it seems like no one else will. After a while other people will believe in you too. 
The last three years have been full of ups and downs, but the one thing which inspires me to continue working are my constant readers. Though not a big community, they have proven to me my time and effort spent on my writing is worth it. I have readers who appreciate what I do and actually have taken the time to contact me to relate  how much they like my style or my stories. 
And that ladies and gentlemen is what has made my writing and publishing  endeavors worth the aggravation that came with choosing to put myself out there with millions of others who are hoping like hell their product will catch on with the public. Though my sells are usually modest, this writing thing is well worth it and it has indeed been a dream come true. 
Never give up on yourself. Your success is what you want it to be, not the ideal of someone else who probably isn't rooting for you anyway. 
Just do it the best way you can and be proud of yourself.

What's Wrong With A Vampire Doing It With A Werewolf?

“Please,” he whispered, holding her waist in his shivering hands. “Take me, Monique.” She put her fangs in his neck hard, holding him around the shoulders. His fingers dug into her hips tearing her skin, his eyes rolled up and he started to tremble. She backed him into the corner of the shower. Pushing against the walls, he growled as she went deeper and began to suck his blood. He howled and grabbed at her body, squeezing her hard as a reaction inside him began to rage.  She pulled back to watch. The muscles in his body quivered, reshaping themselves as bone became like liquid and then gave his body support. It was brutal, and Monique loved it. 

I ask this question only because a reader e mailed me to say she would have enjoyed my novel Scarlett much better if the sex scene with Monique and James was left out. She said they weren't at all sexy, but disgusting to put it mildly. Okay. I asked her was it because James was fully transformed or if the writing was raunchy or just bad. She said she wasn't sure. Okay.
First, let me say, I am not offended or angry with this reader. She was honest and obviously felt the need to let me know how much the sex scene bugged her. I appreciate her feed back as much as anyone else. Second, I love hearing from readers so much that words can't express it. So don't ever think you can't share your reading experience with me(as long as you remember to be polite)!
 While I can't argue with what someone finds distasteful, I do think it was a great scene to express the special nature between these two characters. I have to say, I don't think sex between a fully transformed werewolf and a vampire, who is able to turn herself into a bat creature, exactly goes against the laws of nature. They are both shape shifters.  
If the problem was the writing, I admit my writing style is not gifted with the erotica- but I do what I can here and there to spice things up. Anyway, Monique and James are who and what they are, folks. Sorry if the way they like to get down bothers anyone. I hope you won't let something like that ruin your reading pleasure. Just skip the parts you don't like and keep on readin' baby!

      

Because The Rains Are Here...

"April Rain Song" by Langston Hughes

Let the rain kiss you
Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops
Let the rain sing you a lullaby
The rain makes still pools on the sidewalk
The rain makes running pools in the gutter
The rain plays a little sleep song on our roof at night
And I love the rain. 

                                

 

An outstanding collection by my friend Cathy Jo for any season or reason. 
 http://www.amazon.com/Transitions-short-stories-rainy-day-ebook/dp/B0067DCZ20/
  












                                                 

The Rainwalkers by Denise Levertov

An old man whose black face
shines golden-brown as wet pebbles
under the streetlamp, is walking two mongrel dogs of dis-
proportionate size, in the rain,
in the relaxed early-evening avenue.

The small sleek one wants to stop,
docile to the imploring soul of the trashbasket,
but the young tall curly one
wants to walk on; the glistening sidewalkentices him to arcane happenings.

Increasing rain. The old bareheaded man
smiles and grumbles to himself.
The lights change: the avenue's
endless nave echoes notes of
liturgical red. He drifts

between his dogs' desires.
The three of them are enveloped -
turning now to go crosstown - in their
sense of each other, of pleasure,
of weather, of corners,
of leisurely tensions between them
and private silence.

                                               

My Heart Always Always Knew Novella

I'm so excited about this novella. In three weeks it has outsold all my other titles combined! Wow. I thought I had another sleeper on my hands. Not that that is ever going to stop me from writing my daydreams down on paper. Even if this success is short lived, I don't care because having it and lost it is better than not having it at all! And success is a relative term. I'm not breaking any sells record except my own. But I'm one happy writer over here! 
I just put this trailer out for the novella last night. Check it out, let me know what you think.

http://www.amazon.com/Heart-Always-Knew-Sandra-Hall-ebook/dp/B00R23KU9O/