A Moment with Whispers Publishing

When I began my search for a publisher last year I will admit I was looking for one who published African-American romances. I visited one of my favorite sites, which contained several RWA approved publishers and after looking at each one I found Whispers. The first thing I saw when I went to the Whispers site was the cover for Reignited. Suffice it to say I was ecstatic and I knew I'd potentially found a home for a story. So with much trepidation and vacillating, I assembled my submission packet, closed my eyes, and hit the send button. I'm very pleased to say my publisher is Whispers and am equally pleased to have them with me today.

Please tell the readers a little about Whispers Publishing.

Whispers Publishing opened on February 28, 2006 with the intent to specialize in erotica only. Over the course of the years, we branched out into other genres and now offer a variety of fiction stories that include romance, fantasy, horror, and mystery.

Why publish e-books instead of print? 

When we first started Whispers, the market for e-books wasn't as big as it is now, but we knew there was room for another publisher who would focus on the e-market. We do have one print anthology out now and have three more in the works, we will always keep our focus on e-books.

What do you look for in manuscript submissions? What gets you excited? What turns you off? What would you like to see more of?

We look for manuscripts that are polished, that show the author has followed our guidelines, and that displays strong writing ability. 

Right now, interracial romances, menage stories, and African-American romances do very well with us, and we're looking for more of those, but we're also interested in unique stories that tells us the writer has been thinking outside the box. 

What one piece of advice would you give to an aspiring/established writer?

Know your genre. If you're writing science fiction, know how to right science fiction. Don't expect readers to give you a pass on mistakes you make. It's your job to know what you're writing, and if you include something in your book that doesn't belong within the context of that genre, readers will pick up on it. 

Do you think e-publishing will take over the print market? 

While e-publishing is growing stronger and stronger, I don't think the print market will ever disappear altogether. Too many readers still like to hold that print book in their hands, and there are many, many people who have no interest in technology so e-readers don't appeal to them. 

What’s the one important thing a reader/author should know about publishing?

It's not an exact science. Mistakes will be made, and it's part of the business. No publisher is perfect, and there may be issues with downloading an e-book or a release date may have to be shuffled around. It doesn't mean a publisher isn't trying its very best to make sure everything is 100%, but perfection isn't something that is easily achieved. 

What can readers look forward to from Whispers in the coming months?

We have our first ever Twitter chat coming up on Saturday, November 26th plus we have a Coffee and Cream event coming up in December at our authors' blog which is connected to our website. 

In addition, we'll be the spotlight publisher at Erotic Diaries during the entire month of February to celebrate our sixth anniversary on February 28th. 

We're also being interviewed all across the web in the coming months so we'll be easier to find! 

Blonde Demolition-Meet Mallory Sage

What’s your favorite color?

Blue

What type of vehicle do you drive?

A compact car and a truck

Describe yourself to me.

I’m short, blonde and stubborn. Once I dig in my heels, forget it.

How would your mate describe you?

Probably the same though his adjectives would be more about my physical appearance. He is a guy after all.

What really moves you, or touches you to the soul?

Children.

What's the one thing you have always wanted to do but couldn't? What would happen if you did do it?

This is a hard one. I was an orphan so I think having a family would be really important. Having a mother to go ask advice about.  I think I would have chosen a different career path if I had had a family growing up.

Describe your ideal mate.

It’s not something I really thought about. I expected I would go through life alone. But if I must answer the question, my mate would have to take me as I am.

What are you most afraid of?

That I won’t be able to do enough to save the world.

What's the most important thing in your life?

Right now, my fire company and this fair I’m running to raise money for them. 

What do you consider your special talent?

I can smell a bomb. It smells like honeysuckle to me.

How did you meet the hero?

We became partners at the Department of Homeland Security.

Was it love at first sight or did it develop slowly?

It developed slowly. 

What did you like/dislike about him when you first met?

He was arrogant and he questioned every decision I made.

If you were granted three wishes, what would you ask for?

World Peace, World Peace, World Peace.

You just can't hide from the past...

Mallory Sage lives in a small, idyllic town where nothing ever happens. Just the kind of life she has always wanted. No one, not even her fellow volunteer firefighters, knows about her past life as an agent for Homeland Security.

Former partner and lover, Trey McCrane, comes back into Mallory's life. He believes they made a great team once, and that they can do so again. Besides, they don't have much choice. Paul Stanley, a twisted killer and their old nemesis, is back. 

Framed for a bombing and drawn together by necessity, Mallory and Trey go on the run and must learn to trust each other again―if they hope to survive. But Mallory has been hiding another secret, one that could destroy their relationship. And time is running out.

Blonde Demolition

Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/7olwvhs

Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/104247

Chris Redding can be found:

Links:

www.chrisreddingauthor.com

http://chrisredddingauthor.blogspot.com

www.facebook.com/chrisreddingauthor

www.twitter.com/chrisredding

Books:

Corpse Whisperer

The Drinking Game

Incendiary

A View to a Kilt

Confessions: Volume One

Need Some Embue?

Has your reading adventure been a bit tepid as of late?

Need something to take it up a few notches?

Allow “The Steamy One” to elevate your temperature…

Nu Cherte Publishing and SK MINI’S are proud to present the newest facet of the family…

Embue

Embue is French for the word “Steamy.” This particular moniker will embrace the sensuality of literary world, using characters from all walks of life. No one is off limits. 

The presence of Embue is to stimulate the senses and enhance the reading journey. In the midst of the journey, the goals are to bring forth relevant personalities we can relate to in today’s world and how we embrace our sexuality in and out of the bedroom. 

None of us are perfect but in Embue’s world, she will strive to highlight that piece of freedom we all long to display.

Embue will make her debut in the SK MINI’S anthology, Undressed, Inc. which is centered within a private detective agency. The release is slated for September 2011 under the SK MINI’S imprint.

To learn more about “The Steamy One”, visit: www.nucherte.com/Embue.aspx 

Setting the Mood

How many times have you been reading a good romance when out of the blue the main characters just hot up on the nearest location and start doing “it”, No lead up, no seduction. This (at least in my opinion) amounts to nothing more then what I would call filler sex. You know the kind where the author looks back at his/her finished manuscript and says “Oh I need about another 500 or so words so let’s throw in a sex scene. Not that sex just for the sake of sex is such a bad thing. However, it does make the difference between a story that is erotic and one classified as erotica. 

I pride myself on being an Erotic Romance writer rather than an Erotica writer. This is perhaps the reason for this little blog. How do we, as writer set the mood, and how can readers get the most emotion from those scenes? Not that there aren’t scenes that require little to no build up  and play a important part in the scene or story. 

I believe it comes down to simply setting ourselves up for the romance or seduction of that moment. What is it that personifies sensuality to you? We all have that thing which puts us into the moment. Therefore, my challenge to you, both writers and readers, is set the stage before you jump head long into those particular scenes. Light some sweet candles, dim the lights, pour a glass of wine, and put on some soft sensual sounds. I truly believe you will find the scene works a whole lot better than trying to fit it in between doing a load of laundry, chasing the kids away from the television and writing or reading to the sounds of the garbage truck backing up the street. 

Secondly, if you don’t write erotica, don’t use sex as a filler unless you plan on creating a lead-up. Set your stage and make it something more than a bit of grunting and sweating designed to fill the pages!

Sergeant John Rose planned to make the military his life, at least until an eye condition threatened to rob him of that goal. Now the Army has another plan for him and four other soldiers that find themselves in the same boat. Together they will form the government’s latest weapon in a war John didn't even know they were fighting. A war on the monsters most people believe are just a figment of their imagination.

JL Oiler grew up in the mountains of West Virginia where she still lives with her husband and children. She is a graduate of Fairmont State University in Fairmont West Virginia, and holds a Masters degree from Ball State University in Muncie Indiana. She always possessed a passion to create stories to entertain her friends and family, but life led her on a variety of paths before she found the opportunity to return to the dream of writing stories to share. 

JL currently has stories with Rebel Ink Press and Silver Publishing. She enjoys the Erotic Paranormal genre, but has dabbled in other areas of romance as well. Her first release came in January of 2010, since that time she has had multiple individual releases as well as the opportunity to work on several anthologies. She can often be found chatting about upcoming events or releases on Facebook or Twitter. 

Website / Facebook / Twitter

Meet Marlene Dotterer

1-Tell the readers a little about yourself.

I’m never just one thing. Some of my beliefs seem contradictory to people. I have many and disparate interests, and I’ve been known to change my mind occasionally.

I’m married, my children are grown, and I have lots of grandchildren. I teach natural childbirth classes, cook Real Food, and try to live close to nature. There’s always room for improvement.

2-As an author, do you take time to read? If so, what do you like to read and who is/are your favorite author/s?

Oh my, yes. I’ve not stopped reading since I learned how. I read all kinds of things (see #1 above), but mostly science fiction, with fantasy a close second. My favorite authors are the ones whose books I read over and over again because their worlds and characters have become a part of me. I will buy their new books without second thought: Julie Czernada, Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, Anne McAffrey, Diana Gabaldon... there are many more, but those are the front runners.

3-How do you stay motivated when the Muse is uncooperative?

The short answer is, I don’t. The only way I keep writing is if I know something is expected by someone. Like this interview. I tend to not put things off if I know I HAVE to get it out the door, but this means that my novels suffer major neglect.

4-If you could go anywhere in the world on a romantic getaway, what would you do and where would you go?

Someplace with a view of the stars. We both love to stargaze, with and without telescopes. One of our favorite memories from our honeymoon was stopping the car along the road between Lahaina and Kihei on Maui, and staring at the Milky Way.

5-What is the hardest thing for you to write?

I don’t know. This may sound silly, but I guess it would be anything I didn’t want to be writing.

6-If you could live the life of one of your characters who would you be?

This isn’t easy to answer. If I could choose a setting, I would live in Moon Over Donamorgh - Irish forest, witches, fairies, and people who care for each other. But while I’d like live with those characters, I wouldn’t want to be any of them.

I think it would fun to be Sandy Tan from Webs, which is the story in the Samhain anthology. Sandy’s part of a larger WIP called Verdandi, and I can totally relate to her. She’s a soil scientist, she’s shy, and she’s attuned to the spirits of planets. She gets to live on an asteroid spaceship and explore the galaxy, she’s part of a polyamorous relationship, and she works with plants. It’s a good life.

7-The tag line on my blog is ‘Indulge Your Inner Romantic.’ What do you do to indulge?

Ever hear of Half Moon Bay? The name alone is romantic. My husband proposed there, at the Old Thyme Inn. We go back often for a night of brandy and chocolate in front of a fire. During the day, we scramble around in the tide pools or hike in the forest. It’s just the two of us, all weekend long.

Samhain marks the end of summer and the preparation for winter.  To many, Samhain is merely Halloween, but to Pagans, it is a day when the veil between the worlds is thinnest, and we can reconnect with our beloved deceased.  Samhain is a joyful celebration where we invite the spirits of our loved ones into our homes to remember and honor them.

Pagan Writers Presents Samhain is a collection of articles, poetry, and short stories.  Forty Pagan writers have come together to express how we celebrate the holiday, to share their thoughts and feelings, and to entertain with stories that take place on or around the last week of October.

Leave your broom by the door and join us at the hearth as we tell you about the Sabbat known as Samhain.

Pagan Writers Presents Samhain is the first anthology in the Pagan Writers Press Sabbat collection.

All proceeds from the sale of this anthology further the mission of the Pagan Writers Community, an organization that seeks to edu­cate, inspire, and pro­mote artists, authors, blog­gers, musi­cians, poets, and writers who follow alternative-faith spiritual and religious paths.

Genre - Nonfiction, Religion, Spirituality, Wicca & Witchcraft

Marlene Dotterer writes science fiction and fantasy from the perspective of science and paganism. She walks a nature path, and feeds her Celtic soul with all things Irish. She is the author of The Time Travel Journals: Shipbuilder, an alternate history of Thomas Andrews, the builder of the Titanic. 

Website