Welcome to Writing Inspiration Friday here at the Saucy Scribe Blog! Today I'm pleased to have Angelika Devlyn in the house to talk about what inspired her to take up the pen and write erotic romance!

For as long as I can remember I’ve always been a voracious reader, passionate about everything from fantasy to horror to crime. And then I discovered two things I’d never even looked at before - e-Books and erotica. Well, what can I say? Just like that all important first line in a book, I was hooked. I devoured books as though they were going out of fashion. Clearly, e-Books are a relatively new thing here in England and slow to catch on, but out of fashion they are not.

What surprised me most about these erotic stories was my own attitude towards them. After I’d shaken off the ‘dirty old-man mag’ mentality (because in my town all the paperbacks are on the top shelf) I began to realise that there was much more to these sensual stories than at first it would seem. They had a plot! They could be just as suspenseful as a mainstream adventure, but the sex was better. It wasn’t just added in there as a contender for the worst sex in a book award, these authors had taken the time to use sex to move the plot forward and create a story which more-often-than-not pushed the boundaries in a tantalising and erotic way.

The realisation of what a good erotic story contained represented a crossroads in my life, and I made a pact with myself to get my arse moving and just do what I’ve been thinking about for years - write.

The rest, as they say, is history, but with the tenacity of a hungry tiger, a “take-no-prisoners” attitude, some very supportive friends and many hours and words later, I finally sent my manuscript off and had my story accepted.

Since I’ve not had many reactions to it yet I cannot say what readers will feel about my maiden novel. Nor can I share with you any reviews at this stage. The road to future publications may be a rocky one full of obstacles, unexpected interruptions and hidden black ice. It might even be a fun sleigh ride, like those Calvin and Hobbes go on - only less dangerous - who knows? What I can say, however, is that whatever the future holds, I am determined to keep going; to crack on and break through the ice casing barriers of my mind and just do it! 

I want to learn, improve and move on to bigger and better things. I can’t promise myself that will definitely happen or see into the future like the Birds of Doom that have escaped Raven’s Passage in my book, but I do know that to write a story you have to write! Anyone can dream, write lists (which I do a lot) and make goals, but to achieve them is not easy. To stay focused, take action regularly and above all never give up is hard work. You too can smash down that wall of ice which separates you from achieving your goals. And without a pick-axe in sight. All you need is a steely determination and the willingness to see it right through to those last all important words- THE END.

Black Ice: The Dark Kingdom Chronicles is my debut book and the first in the series of the erotic adventures of Ronnie Weaver - a girl transported to another world where the Pandora witches are after her blood. Ronnie will leave behind her safe and comfortable life for one of high adventure, steamy sex and exotic mysticism.

To find out more please visit my website: http://www.Angelika.Devlyn.com

Thank you for having me here, Debora!

My question to your readers is - If I could snap my fingers and grant you an adventure of a lifetime, what would you ask for?

I will be hanging around to check for comments today. So please do drop me a line. I love to chat.

Angel

Thanks Angel for being here today!

CONTEST! Angel has graciously offered a free download of her first erotic novel to one lucky commenter!  Winner will be drawn from comments made before Sunday July 25th at 11:59pm and the winner will be posted on the blog Monday morning - so don't forget to come back and check!

*Email subscribers and GoogleFriends - both found on my sidebar - get extra chances to win each week when they comment*.

 

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 Welcome to Writing Inspiration Friday! Today's guest blogger is Kelsey Hanson from polishedportrayal.blogspot.com

 
As a teenager, I was often told to treasure these moments, as they would be the best that I would ever have.  I listened to this advice in FEAR, because if that was the case, then what could there possibly be to live for?  And if these years felt like CRAP, then should I expect the rest of my life to be even CRAPPIER?
 
I know I was not the only person to receive this little tip, so I'm certain that some people must actually feel this way to some degree, which I can't even imagine.  Living in the past is something I've never felt compelled to do, and have always been pushing forward towards a better and brighter tomorrow.  Which a lot of the time, is simply not the case.  My life past high school isn't crappier, but it hasn't been a delightful climb into the heights of delirious happiness either.  It's been an emotional rollercoaster, filled with highs and lows, but I can honestly say that the lowest of the low, for me, was the teenage years.
 
These were the years that I began to write.  I wrote sad, depressing poems about life and death, in a confused attempt to understand myself and the purpose of my life.  It was helpful I suppose, and I found that over the years, as my spirit lightened, and my despair faded, I wrote less and less.
 
Until now.  Having my husband deploy for his military tour in Afghanistan was one of the most difficult experiences of my life, mainly for having to watch my two children struggle with his absence and the adjustment to our lives.  Feeling uncertain of how to handle this, I resorted back to writing.  But this time?  Ten years later?  I didn't feel the need to understand myself as much as I had in earlier years.  I know who I am, what I value, which direction I want my life to go and how I plan to get there.  Writing sad, depressing poetry?  Well, that would serve no purpose other than to push me further into a deep, dark hole of despair and desperation.
 
What made me feel better?  What inspired me to move on?  What actually helped me pull through this challenging time, was writing a positive and humorous reflection of the moments in our life.  Not a convoluted version that inaccurately describes our days as being happy-go-lucky moments, but a portrayal of how even the most brutal of brutal experiences can be something to laugh about.  And in writing this, I found that the opportunity to share my thoughts and feelings about these moments inspired other people too.  Which was all kinds of inspiring for me to continue blogging my heart out and sharing our story.
 
Some days, I find myself holding my head in my hands, frustrated with the chaos of managing to find enthusiasm for my son's dinosaur expression, while cleaning up the floors from the mess of my daughter's potty training attempts.  The same place I had just cleaned up my yorkie's pee, after he jumped up from my lap, made eye contact with me and deliberately lifted his leg, all because I was unwilling to throw his ball for the 90th time.  But these moments?  They can be inspiring all the same, because as horrific as a day can get, the worst ones are often made of the best material for writing.

www.polishedproductions.etsy.com
www.polishedportrayal.blogspot.com

CONTEST:

One commenter will win this cute notepad with magnetic closure. Fits in your purse or in your pocket and is great for writing down inspiration when it strikes!

Want to increase your chances of winning a Writing Inspiration Friday give-away? Subscribe to my blog by email (subscribe box on the sidebar) and/or GoogleFriend the Saucy Scribe for an extra chance each week!

Winner are announced on the Monday blog - so check back!

(Winners chosen at random from comments made by Sunday 11:59 est.)

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• Writing Inspiration Friday – Debora Dennis
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Today, I'm going to kick the idea off and tell you a little about what inspired my first novella, The Kandy Shoppe. If you stick around to the end of the post, and comment, you could win one of two prizes. Winners will be chosen at 11:59pm est Sunday evening and announced Monday morning, so you have all weekend to comment!

I'll be honest, I never thought about writing a novella. All my plots and books up to that point were novel size. I had just finished a book that was pretty emotional for me and during the period of "letting it sit and stew" I flipped through my notebook of ideas.

Nothing was strking enough of a cord to make me want to dive in and write that story - you know that feeling of "OMG I have to write this before I bust open!" - Nope not happening.

Being between books is NOT the most inspirational time for me, it's when I doubt my ideas, it's when I wonder if I'll ever have another idea good enough for a whole entire book.

In the middle of a funk I found myself in the local grocery store - in front of the ice-cream freezer making the earth-shattering decision of what flavor ice cream I would drown my sorrows in - when inspiration struck.

At that moment all I could see was a little old-fashioned ice cream palor, a broken freezer and one hot-damn sexy freezer repair man!

And even though I was NOT an erotic writer - this was an erotic story begging to ooze from my fingers - and it was a short story. (Honestly, that fact alone surprised the heck of me - I'd never considered trying my hand at a novella until that day.)

After a little bit of convincing from my critique group and few trial runs flexing my erotic muscles (on paper!) the story took on a life of it's own.

Not only did it sell quick - it was the debut book for a brand new ePublisher, Blade Publishing.

I can now honestly say that I never know where the inspiration for my storylines might come from or what direction they might take.

Do all ideas that are born in crazy places like the frozen food section of the local grocery story often turn into stories? No, they don't. But I do keep my eyes, ears and heart open at all times, with a pad at the ready - in case that inspiring moment does come along!

I hope my story inspires you to go out today and write something different than your "normal" story - explore a new idea, a new direction or simply take a different path!

Thanks for reading! Since this is the debut of Writing Inspiration Friday's, I'll be giving away two prizes today. Chosen randomly by an uninterested party (my daughter!) one commenter will win a free download of The Kandy Shoppe (pdf or mobi, which can be read on kindle if you prefer) and the other will win a pkg. of acid-free scrapbook stickers in, of course, an ice-cream shop theme!

(Want to increase you chances of winning every Friday? Subscribe to my blog by email - put your email in the box to the right and submit - and your comments on every Friday post automatically count twice! "Friend" my blog with Google Connect - also on the sidebar - and you add another chance every Friday you comment!) 

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"Easy reading is damned hard writing." ~ Nathaniel Hawthorne

With Memorial Day weekend behind us it's official beach going season here on the East Coast. That means it's also summer reading season! Lazy days at the beach, on the boat or just in an adirondack chair in the back yard under the shade of a giant maple - perfect ways to get lost in a good book.

Stores are gearing up for the "beach read" days ahead with lighthearted, easy going stories. I'm no exception. I love the summer and whether it's a book in my beachbag or on my eReader - you can bet I've got something fun to read with the margharita by the pool!

What are your favorite types of "summer reads?" Do you want light and frothy while you lay on the beach blanket soaking up the summer rays? Or, is this the perfect time for a deep, dark paranormal? Me? I'm never really the dark and dreary type (I usually don't read crime novels.) I'm more a fan of lighthearted, fun and quirky (what a coincidence - that's what I write - LOL!)

On the writing side of things, today over at the Dunes & Dreams RWA blog we've got a guest blogger! Scott Eagan from the Greyhaus Literary Agency will be posting and taking pitches in the comment section, so if you've got that perfect beach read ready to pitch to an agent - here's your chance!

Scott is currently looking for romance and will consider some YA too. Check out his website for exactly what he's looking for and exactly what he's NOT looking for right now.

Even if you don't have anything to pitch, it's always interesting to get an agents take on the market, so we hope you'll come by and join us! (I should note that Scott is a West Coaster - so while I'm posting this in the early am EST, he won't be posting until later - if you don't see the post yet, check back later on PST!)

Have a great weekend!

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Now that the contract has been officially signed I can start giving a few more details!

I sold my paranormal romance, A FISTFUL OF FATE to Lyrical Press!

Would you die for the one you love - twice?

Past life memories, a long-held grudge and a love spanning two centuries will unite an 1806 blacksmith executed for murder with the soul of his true love during a present-day reenactment that becomes all too real.   

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The question most often asked to every fiction writer is about where we get our ideas.

If only it were an easy question to answer.

The best advice I would give to anyone thinking about putting pen to paper or fingers to the keyboard would be to pay attention to your thoughts.

I carry a small moleskin notebook in my pocketbook at all times. I listen to the banter of the people around me on lines, at work, in the stores (dialogue is my weakest link - while I can talk a blue streak, writing it seems to paralyze me, go figure.) If something catches my attention - a turn of phrase I haven't heard before, a slang word - I write in my book.

While in the car, out walking or exercising most of us listen to music. Have you listened to the words lately? There are some songs that just make you move, but others have a story, an emotion that jiggles at the heartstrings or pulls at a memory. Sometimes it sparks a "what if" moment that before you know it has characters attached or the beginning of a plot! Take notes...your imagination is calling you.

Watching TV or at the movies? Have you ever thought you would have ended it differently? Change up the characters and try to change the ending to suit you.

I'd like to say the corner coffeeshop has fresh ideas every morning to serve up with your grande mocha latte, but it's just not that easy. Most authors will tell you there actually are no new ideas, it's all in how we spin them that makes that idea seem fresh and new.

So grab your voice recorder or your favorite pen and a pad and start to pay attention to what's going on around you. Take notes when your blood pressure spikes or are overwhelmed by a good deed. Listen and observe.

Then when you sit down to write - read those notes, remember the feelings, let the characters run free in your imagination and you just might have a story in there!

Is every idea book worthy? NO. And that really isn't the point here. Even great ideas need to be developed, nutured into something that can grow to be a great book, it all takes time. But you never know where the next great idea is going to come from. The point is to be ready for it when it hits!

Go forth and take notes, open your mind and grab those ideas as they rush by.

Make it a saucy weekend!

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Sometimes letting go of the past or accepting what came before can prove to be a difficult thing.

Before email and facebook we were left with just memories of past friends and loves. Now, good or bad - logging in to your facebook or opening your email could bring you face-to-face with recollections you might either embrace or would have preferred to keep hidden in the recesses of your mind.

As a writer, I often ask questions. One question I recently asked both friends and family was, "if you had the chance to go back to high school and college, would you? Would you do things different?"

My immediate response was "YES!"

But my husband was just as strong in his "NO!"

My reasoning was that I would have not listened to the naysayers and I would have pursued my love of writing waaaayyy  sooner that I did. I wouldn't have written just for myself and then thrown away all those manuscripts without a second look. (Yes, I did throw out quite a few...oy)

But, my husband looks at the question from a completely different way saying, "every choice we've made, every relationship we've shared (good or bad) shapes us into who we are at any given time."

Would we have met and fell in love if we'd both chosen different paths? Would we have moved to California for seven wonderfully warm years? Who's to say.

As a writer constantly drawn to ways to give my characters traits and lives that people can relate to, his idea makes perfect sense and I've spent a lot of time contemplating just this theory.

Along the line of thought that choices we've made shape who we are today - what about the paths we've taken in a past life (if you're into that sort of thing - which I am  )  Could fears, hope and dreams of a past life correlate with the person we are today? I know I have a very unnatural fear of railroad tracks, I will drive MILES out of way to avoid driving over them. Is that just a crazy phobia on my part - or is there something deep down in my soul that screams out in fear when those railroad tracks come into view forcing me to take a detour?

Lucky for me the month of March finds my local RWA writing group hosting a workshop on Past Life Regression as a tool to creating memorable characters! The best part is you don't have to belong to RWA or Dunes & Dreams Romance Writers to take the workshop. (And you can take the workshop in your pajamas (woot!) since it's an online workshop given in our forum. You can come and go at your leisure giving yourself plenty of time to reflect on your past.

*****PERMISSION TO FORWARD GRANTED AND ENCOURAGED *****

Dunes & Dreams RWA Chapter 215 (from Eastern Long Island) present their March 2010 Online Workshop.

http://www.dunesanddreams.org/writing-workshops

Cost: $10 D&D members, $25 all others. Payable in US funds only.

March 1 through March 29: Past Life Regression for the Writer’s Soul: A New Approach to Character Creation with Dawna Richard

Blurb: Have you ever had the feeling that you have been to a certain place or time or experienced reoccurring dreams? Have you had a lifelong phobia that you have no explanation for? This could be an indication that you have lived before. Whether you are interested in exploring the possibility of a past life or you are just looking for that next story idea, this class is for you. Learn a little about yourself and unleash a plethora of new ideas along the way. Through past life regression/self meditation techniques, you will have the chance to explore the workings of your mind and gain the tools to uncover a story and characters waiting to be written.

Bio: Dawna Richard is a founder and lead investigator of California Paranormal Research and Enlightenment. She has more than 15 years’ experience with reading Tarot, past life regression, and paranormal research.

She lives in sunny California with her husband, son, and three dogs. When she’s not working or investigating haunted locals, you can find her pursuing her goal of becoming a published author under the name Kylie Dawn.

DATE: March 1 – March 29

Registration deadline is February 28th.

PLACE: Dunes & Dreams RWA FORUM (Not a yahoo loop)

Registrants will receive a login password to the workshop forum several days before the workshop begins to allow ample time to become familiar with the forum or to notify the coordinators if you have trouble logging in.

COST: $10 Dunes & Dreams RWA Members/ $25 all others (US funds only – paypal or checks)

 
CANCELLATION AND REFUND POLICY: No registration fees will be refunded. All payments for a workshop must be received by the registration cut off date. Payments received after the cut-off date can be applied to a future workshop of the
applicant's choosing.
 
If a workshop is canceled due to unforeseen circumstances, such as instructor inability to teach class, registration fees will be applied to a future workshop of the applicant's choosing.
 
Hope to see you in class!

Registration form and more information:

 http://www.dunesanddreams.org/writing-workshops or

email the coordinators at workshops.ddrwa@gmail.com

Make it a Saucy Weekend, give someone you love an extra hug, don't be afraid to speak your mind and do one thing you didn't plan on!

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Here it is, Fiction Friday again and I've been toying with the idea of whether or not to post about this show all week.

Why?

Because it bugs me, and I'll probably get lots of disgruntled comments about how closed-minded I really am - and for a woman who writes romance (and sometimes erotic romance) do I want that rep?

Let me start by saying this is nothing against Jenna Elfman - I like the actress, I think she's very talented.  I just hate the premise of this show and think it's a waste of her talents. (And the fact that Grant Show isn't featured enough - but I digress...)

I assure you I am not closed-minded and I am the first one to agree that normal is state of mind and not one to be foisted upon people by society, religion or government. BUT, have we sunk so low as a society that the whole premise of this show could be considered a feel-good comedy?

In case you haven't seen this "gem," the premise is older woman picks up much younger guy in bar, goes back to his flea-bag apartment to have unprotected sex. Which results in her becoming pregnant. Now she's shacking up with "the baby-daddy" as he's referred to in the show and still dating guys her own age - while forging some weird live-in relationship with the younger guy.

Unless the humor is about our society being morally bankrupt, then yeah, I get THAT.

Unfortunately, my household is contributing to the ratings on this loser because of its time slot (which actually fits the name of the show - "accidentally on purpose") because if it wasn't sandwiched between two winners like "How I met your mother" and "two and half men" - I'm sure it would have been cancelled by now. So, my hat is off to the time-slot execs at CBS for earning your money with that smooth move.

I guess this conservative girl does take heart in the fact that Jenna's character didn't go the obvious and just have an abortion - in that respect she did do the morally upstanding thing. The rest of the show? Not so much.

Other men buying cribs for her baby. Her friends trying to hook her sister with a "gay-guy" to fix her image (oh, yeah, that was a great storyline!)

My problem is my teenage boys watch tv with us on Monday night for the comedy - is this the message I want to send my impressionable, hormone driven 16 and 18 yr old boys? Most nights we try to switch over to another channel for that 30 minutes - but if I leave the room to do something else and forget, my kids end up watching something I don't think belongs on prime-time. Unprotected sex, unwanted baby and living with one man while dating another is not exactly the humorous message I want to send to my kids in prime-time.

Okay, let me have it. It's fiction. It's a sitcom. Lighten up Frances... yeah I know. Sometimes I just can't help who I am and how I was raised.

And now back to your regularly scheduled programs...

 P.S. If I do watch, it's for Grant Show!

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Are you at the edge of your seat rooting for the romance that will have a tragic ending like Romeo and Juliet or Tristan and Isolde?

How about wiping away the tears as lovers look past what the rest of the world sees in the stories like Beauty and the Beast or Pretty Woman?

Love and adventure more your speed? All the Indiana Jones Movies or Star Wars.

Destined to find love? I'm thinking Affair to Remember or Somewhere in Time.

So many different moods, so many different timeless love affairs to warm your heart.

What's your favorite? For me, the ill-fated doesn't give me the warm-fuzzies. I am ALL ABOUT the happy ending in my romance and nothing leaves me colder than a love-story ending in death (sorry to all you Romeo and Juliet fans!)

I'm a sucker for destiny and fate anyday.

No matter what your preference, love is in the air this weekend - so enjoy it with the one you love!

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Macabre ~ adj ~ gruesome, grim, horrible

Today's Word Goal ~ 800 Words

Today's Coffee ~ Vermont Country Blend

Fine, you caught me. This time of the year I AM a couch potato almost every night. Two of my favorites are back on TV, one will be off for a few months and I found a new one to take it's place.

Last night was the "winter finale" and just when I got that tug on my old heartstrings thinking Peter was going to kiss Olivia, it didn't happen.

I love Peter. I love his tortured past and his troubled relationship with Walter. Most of all I've loved the way he's been letting his guard down more and more around Olivia.

But we knew the truth would come out soon enough and last night Olivia saw Peter in a new light. She saw the "glimmer" of the alternate universe - she knows what Peter is.

OMG! Can't wait for spring.

Jack is back! Okay, so it's not totally believable that any of this could happen in just 24 hours, and some of the plots are way, way out there - but I have to watch!

He's always there saving the day, putting his life on the line, and maybe, just maybe he might get a little more affection this season.

I like that they've brought Renee in this time around, I hope Jack at least get some affection out of this season, it's a been a few since we've seen him with any kind of love interest. (Hey, I AM a romance writer, did you expect anything else?)

New show! Mark Valley (wow, great eyes!) plays Christopher Chance in this showed based off the comic of the same name. Valley is a West Point grad, and a gulf war vet, which gives him just a bit more of an edge in this role.

Love the dry sense of humor.

I've got a soft spot for shows and characters that operate just outside the "law."

Haven't seen this one? Give it a try.

And last, but not least... LOST is back for it's final season.

Will the Island finally give up it's secrets?

The premiere was interesting with two realities going on. One with our losties still on the island and the other - our losties aren't lost at all, they're landing in LA going on the path they would have gone if flight 815 hadn't crashed on the island.

But which one is real? Will they have to make a choice where to stay?

I loved the raw emotion we saw in Sawyer when he was trying to save Juliette, honestly 5 years ago would any of us have guessed he could love anyone that deeply and be so overcome with grief? And Sayid, OMG I think the whole house heard my sigh of relief when he came back from the dead - thank you! We can't lose Sayid now.

So, there you have it. My favorite time-sucks. Give me a warm blanket, a cup of tea and something sweet (really, anything chocolate will do!) and I'm content for a few hours.

Happy Couch Potato-ing (I'm sure that's not a word, but it's my blog and if I want to make up words... I can )

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