Sunday, February 28, 2010

I think I'm going off the deep end.


I think I'm going off the deep end some days.  Is it just me, or do other authors find out that the characters they're writing about take a life of their own some days, and soon start appearing as if they're real people?  It doesn't help that I put them in places I'm already familiar with.  But sometimes I feel as though I could call them up on the phone.

Yep.  I'm certifiable.

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Dear Self

I have six books out with Red Rose Publishing, two of which became best sellers.  But as a writer, I'm still trying to find the genre that best suits me.

I've done contemporary, humorous, fantasy, and a Texas cowboy.  I'm currently working on a paranormal (ghost), but when I sit back and look at what I've had published, they seem to be all over the place style-wise.  The only thing thing they have in common is that they're erotic.

I'm wondering if I should try another genre or two.  If for no other reason than to challenge my writing chops. 

Friday, February 26, 2010

I'd give anything to learn how to do it.

My hair is past my shoulders.  That's considered long for an "old fogie" like me.  Normally I wear it loose, or up and clipped with one of those "grab-it" things I can't remember the real name of.

But today was a windy day, and I saw one of the other girls wearing her hair in a French braid.  Man, I'd love to be able to do that.  Or have the $ to pay some one to do that whenever I felt like it.  But I doubt if I could even get my arms back behind my head and keep them there long enough to do it myself!

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Another storm on its way?


When is spring coming?  I don't remember what the groundhog saw up in Pennsylvania, but here in the hill country the weather was cold and cloudy.  Not a speck of sun in the sky.  Which means we should be seeing an early spring.  Except the weather man now tells us there's another big blow heading our way.  More rain, or snow, or sleet.

Is it my imagination, or is this one of the worst winters in history?

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

My muse is on vacation.

My Get Up and Go has got up and gone.  At least temporarily.  I don't have the energy or the inclination to write.  At some point I'm going to need to find that burst of inspiration again. Oh, yeah, I have story ideas.  In fact I have a half-written WIP sitting on my hard drive now.  It's just a matter of finding the rest of the story inside me and dragging it out to put it down in black and white.

Guess this is what they mean by "the winter blahs".

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

What's the deal with Curling?

Hubby and I have been watching the Olympics off and on this week.  More off than on, I have to admit.  When it came time for the Curling event, he got disgusted and switched channels, and I understood why.

What is Curling?  Why is it an Olympic sport when events like Bowling are not?

Monday, February 22, 2010

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Well, hell. NOW what do I do?

I just saw where another author is promoting her new book.  The only problem is, it has the same title as the book I've just submitted to a publisher.  On the positive side, my plot and hers are totally different.  Different genre, too.  And her book is also with another pub.  But should I continue to use the same title?  Does it matter?

Saturday, February 20, 2010

SUCKERS is now available at ARe and OmniLit!

SUCKERS

By: Carolyn Gregg
Published By: Red Rose Publishing
ISBN # 978-1-60435-483-0
Word Count: 5,850
Categories: Erotica Contemporary Fiction
Available in: Adobe Acrobat, Microsoft Reader, HTML, Mobipocket
Price: $1.99

http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-suckers-412926-144.html
 
He wants Felicia to pose with a new product.
All she can think about is finding a way to get into Aaron's heart
...and his pants.

******
Mary Elizabeth hustled back into the studio with a brown box in her hands. "Aaron, that was a courier. I signed for you."
"What is it?" he called, stepping back out into the open.

"I dunno. From a company called Oral Fixations?"

A big smile brightened his face almost immediately. "Oh, yeah! I've been waiting for that. Talk about luck!" He went over to the small table where he kept his prop materials, and opened the package. After removing a layer of bubble wrap, he lifted out something purple on a stick. Felicia squinted to see what it was.

"Hey, not bad," Aaron commented almost to himself. He inspected the item, then pulled a second and third item from the box. The second one was pinkish, but the third was a wild rainbow of colors. The third one Aaron handed over to Mary Elizabeth, who stared at it in fascination.

Curiosity got the better of her. "What is it?" Felicia called out.

"Yeah. What do they call this?" the makeup artist asked.

Aaron glanced at the paper included in the package. "It's one of several new products this company wants to start advertising in select magazines. I spoke to them yesterday, and they said they'd send over a few samples. This one is called Dick on a Stick."

He threw part of his grin over at Felicia. "I had thought about having either you or Roxie for the shoot. But since you're already here, guess you win out. I want to get some test shots done up for the client, and if they approve, we can go from there. Got the time?"

Did she have the time? Other than a trip to the market and a date with the latest Pitt movie just out on DVD, she'd made no other plans. Felicia flashed him her best photogenic smile. "Bring it on!"


Suckers

Carolyn | MySpace Video

Friday, February 19, 2010

Oom Lah Rar Rar WTF?

Okay, let me be among those who say I don't get Lady Gaga.  I don't get her name or her fashion sense, much less the words to her songs.

Whatever happened to loving, tender, heartfelt ballads like "You've Lost That Loving Feeling:" and "Keep On Loving You"?

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Did 'ja ever dream the dream?

This is for all of you too old to enter.  Have you ever watched the show and thought "hell, if I was just just x number of years younger, I could make it to the finals"?  Or would you allow your ego and pride to face down Simon Cowell?

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Yes, I'm a Real Author!


I keep thinking I need to write a little pamphlet that I can pass out to people who think that, just because my books are e-books and therefore not "easily accessible" in regular bookstores, I'm not a Real Author.  When will it become more widespread and therefore "generally accepted" that Real Authors don't necessarily have to have their books in print?
It won't come soon enough for me!

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

What makes us do it?

I already have this movie on DVD.  Plus I've seen it so many times, I know some of the lines by heart.  So why did I sit in my living room last night and watch this stupid movie with commercials on cable, instead of shutting it off and watching the commercial-free disc instead?

I have a couple of friends who do the same thing.  A movie comes on TV that they already own and have seen countless times.  But they'll sit there and watch it again.

Can movies be like comfort food?

Monday, February 15, 2010

It's Mayhem Monday!

Starting today, Mayhem Monday will live up to its name.  Every week I'll be posting something very naughty, be it a story excerpt, photo, or whatever my dirty little mind can conjure up, so be prepared.

Today I'm going to post a short excerpt from one of my books.  It's from my newest release SUCKERS.
~*~*~*~*~*~*

Aaron had an old dentist’s chair that he’d bought at an auction that he preferred using for extreme closeups, especially when he needed to zoom in on a particular body part. The built-in head rest, plus the adjustability of the chair, made it ideal. It was also easy on the model, letting her rest without putting any strain on her.

“Okay, Leesha. We’re going with down and out sexy this time,” he told her as he adjusted her head to the angle he wanted. His hands smelled of soap. The man was meticulous when he was messing with film and chemicals.

She nodded, carefully keeping her lips parted so as not to smear the makeup. She heard Mary Elizabeth remove the cellophane wrapper, then she handed the sucker to her. Felicia waited for Aaron to pose the candy.

“I’m going to want a lot of tongue. How’s her tongue, M. E.?” He was starting with the hand-held, rather than the tripod camera.

“Clean ‘n pink.”

“Good. Okay, Leesha. Dick on a Stick. Show me how much you like it.” His voice was soft, low, and sultry. Good photogs used their voice to get the kind of mood they wanted out of their models. If the pictures were meant to emote excitement, Aaron used his loud, bolstering voice at them. If he wanted down and dirty sexy, his range would sink into the cellar where she could feel her panties getting wetter by the second.

This was definitely going to be a wet panty shoot.

He wanted lots of tongue? Baby, you’re getting tongue.

Friday, February 12, 2010

I just got yelled at.

Hubby caught me eating a Rice Krispies treat at the computer.  Okay, I admit it.  I love to eat while I'm reading email, writing, surfing the webs.

I know I'm not alone.  Admit it.  I'm right, aren't I?

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Take one rolling hill country highway, and add ice.

And you get my reason why I couldn't drive in to work today.

Gee, guess I'll just have to stay home and grab a cuppa, and go spend some time in front of the computer.

Bummer. (Wink!)

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Reading the emails in my box

Sometimes spam can give you an unexpected laugh.

Will someone please explain to me why I got an email advertisement for Vaseline as a Valentine gift????

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Facebook? Twitter? MySpace?

As an author, full-time mother and wife, and holding down a real life job, I have limited time to advertise.  I want to get the most bang for my buck, so to speak.  So which venues would you say are the best ways to get info out about my new releases?

Monday, February 8, 2010

Confessions of an Undercover Author

I bought one of these flash drives at Office Depot, so I can take my current WIP with me to work, and edit/write during my lunch and breaks.

Is anyone else guilty of this?

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Looking for Inspiration

Is this a face that could launch the imagination for a thousand storylines?

*sigh*

Not to mention the voice!

(Can you tell I'm a Gerard fan?)

Awright!  Everyone 'fess up!  How many of you troll the interwebs, looking for a figure or face to give your muse inspiration?

Friday, February 5, 2010

Sex Sells, But Not in the Movies

I was flipping channels last night and came across FOX news.  It was two women and a guy discussing the fact that, although sex sells, the top ten blockbuster movies are practically devoid of sex scenes (or the scenes are subtle and overshadowed by the actual storyline.)  Take these titles for instance:

Avatar
Titanic
Forest Gump
Lord of the Rings
The Godfather
Star Wars
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Pirates of the Caribbean
Harry Potter films
Jurassic Park
Spiderman
Shrek
The Dark Knight

Since erotic romances and erotica are currently the hottest selling ebooks, isn't it odd that sex has no bearing in the mainstream movie industry?

Thursday, February 4, 2010

A Prayer

A friend sent me this as a sort of "Welcome to the Neighborhood" gift. I hope you get as much of a kick out of it as I did.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

"The Seven Book Marketing Mistakes That Authors Make" according to BookBuzzr

One of the places I promote my books is at BookBuzzr.  They've started a blog, and their first one is titled "The Seven Book Marketing Mistakes That Authors Make".  You might want to check it out.  It's interesting reading.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Got a Really Nice Review for CFB from Book Wenches

Got this a couple of weeks ago.  Look at what they had to say about it!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Being an expatriate of the Deep South, I simply couldn’t resist when I saw Carolyn Gregg’s novella Chicken Fried Beefcake. Because, well, there’s just nothing like a good ole boy on his best behavior. Assuming that he’s not demanding you fetch him a beer or make him a sandwich, of course. In this story, Ms. Gregg takes all the good qualities that you could ever want in a good ole boy – tight jeans, cowboy boots, quiet confidence, kindness, intelligence, and oh did I mention tight jeans? – and rolls them up into one fabulous package by the name of Billy.

In Beth, Ms. Gregg gives us a heroine who is likeable even if she seems somewhat lacking in the common sense department. Beth is incredibly clumsy, but I think that part of her clumsiness is a self-fulfilling prophesy. She expects to trip up, therefore she does. She is very “good” in a bumbling kind of way, and while I couldn’t quite figure out why she felt the need to break up with her fiancé in front of his parents (perhaps because she likes the parents better than the fiancé?), I had no doubt that she believed it was the right and honest thing to do. In addition, Ms. Gregg does a wonderful job making Wyatt an obnoxious jerk that the reader can revile. He is so over-the-top that it is not particularly believable; however, he does make a perfect foil for the almost angelic Billy.

Billy is the anti-Wyatt: sexy and gentle with a playfulness to him that is immensely appealing. After having lived in a borderline abusive relationship with her soon-to-be-ex fiancé, Beth needs some of that gentleness and a lot of his sexual adventure. The sex scenes between these two truly do steal the show in this story; they are sensual enough to curl your toes and will most likely have you reaching for the fan to cool off. They are spontaneous and uninhibited and definitely fun. Although it may require a bit of a stretch of the imagination to believe that Beth and Billy can fall in love almost overnight, they definitely prove themselves to be compatible.

Overall, I found Chicken Fried Beefcake to be cute and sexy and fun. It made me root for Billy and Beth to find their happily-ever-after and for Wyatt (boo, hiss) to receive some sort of comeuppance. In fact, this story almost makes me want my very own pet redneck. I wonder if I’d have to travel all the way to West Texas in order to find one?
~ Reviewed by Bobby "BD" Whitney
Book Wenches
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you're interested in reading the blurb and an excerpt, and maybe even buy the book, click on the cover on the lower left-hand side.  Appreciate it!

Monday, February 1, 2010

You've been warned. This blog is rated "Questionable"!

I've been hanging onto this for a while, wondering what to do with it.  There's only a select few people you can share stuff like this with and not worry about offending them.  But, heck, I write erotic romances.  This is an adults only blog, per se, soooo.....

Enjoy!