Vampires and multiple orgasm brownies

That's right, you heard me. Ha. Ha. Ha. I've got a few announcements to make and then I'm going to share my fabulous Multiple Orgasm Brownie recipe.

First, Bitten has been officially re-released. There's a little over 2,000 words of new content, plus it's been re-edited and has a smoking hot new cover. This is a vampire romance/menage. (If you couldn't tell from the cover. And did I mention it's only $2.99?

Here are the details.

About Bitten:

Sandra Ashton is a witch who suddenly finds herself dating three vampires. So, what do you do when you’ve got three immortal beings professing their undying or is that undead love for you? You agree to what they like to call, “joint custody.”

WARNING: This book contains graphic language, violence, and lots of sex.

This book was previously published. It has since been revised, re-edited, and expanded.

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Get your copy here: 

http://www.amazon.com/Bitten-ebook/dp/B0097VVJ2Q/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1347218028&sr=8-3&keywords=Bitten+Tracey+H.+Kitts

Now for my other bit of good news. My recipe Gamberi del Diavolo (Shrimp of The Devil) will be in the upcoming book Passionate Cooks from All Romance Ebooks. Plus, the cookbook will be FREE! Isn't that awesome? Passionate Cooks will be available for download October 1st.

Now, as if a vampire menage wasn't sexy enough, I'm going to share my brownie recipe.

We all know what they say about chocolate. Sometimes, a little chocolate is all you need to make everything right with the world. 

Multiple Orgasm Brownies

Ingredients

1/2 cup cocoa powder

2 cups white sugar

1 cup melted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 eggs

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon chopped chili (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat the over to 350 degrees. In a bowl add your cocoa powder and the melted butter. Whisk until combined. Add sugar, mix together. Next, add the rest of your dry ingredients, chopped chili (optional) and finally the 4 eggs. Mix until well combined.

2. Grease a 9x13 inch pan and add butter (about an inch in thickness). Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes to allow for oooey gooey brownies, be sure not to overcook.

Serving size depends on how hungry you are and whether or not you want to share.

Until next time, have fun, enjoy the books, and enjoy those brownies. :)

Sex should be sexy

Have you ever read a romance novel and absolutely cringed when you got to the sex scenes? I'm sure everyone has at some point. Either it was offensive or as I call it "clinical." I'm by no means perfect. However, I keep in mind as I craft a story, what is sexy and what isn't. Sure, this is a matter of personal taste to some extent.

I constantly ask myself and my writing partner, "Is this sexy or is it stupid?" Other people may disagree with the end result, but I don't put anything into my books that I don't think is hot. Ha. Ha.

I was just reading another blog where they asked the question what makes a book a "good read."

http://romancebooks4us.blogspot.com/2012/09/what-makes-good-read.html

Sex is the only thing I could add to the discussion. Wow. That sounded bad. You know what I mean. Yes, sex sells. It is also important in most romance stories, whether highly erotic or not. It's just like real life. If the sex is bad, why continue the relationship? In the case of a book, why keep reading?

For those unfamiliar with the romance genre, it's not all about the sex. But, like my example of a real relationship, it is very important.

I've started reading a few books by very well-known authors and had to put them down because the sex was so awful. One I recall had sex with no emotion in one of the opening scenes of the book. Um, what was the point? This guy hated someone so he wanted to have anal sex with her? What? Okay, so there was emotion, just not a good emotion involved.

Another that stands out as horrific (in my opinion) was a shifter story where the "hero" was obsessed with the way the herione's female parts smelled. Nasty, right? This was constantly on his mind AND he continuously said it out loud. I don't know about anyone else, but if a man had to announce how I smelled every time I walked into a room, I would slap the living shit out of him. That is gross! Every time we got a glimpse into this guy's mind he was breathing her in like he was snorting cocaine, and I might add, not even listening to her. All he could think was some crap along the lines of, "Ah, that sweet, hot, p***y." No, I'm not kidding. It was that bad. To make matters worse, he used this "sweet, hot" phrase over and over again. I had to stop reading because not only did I not find him attractive, but I wanted to murder him with an axe.

I kept thinking, "This is a NY Times Best Selling author? The whole book is about this woman's vagina. Is it actually a character?"

I never want anyone to feel that way when they read my books! As far as what is truly "sexy" I realize that is a matter of taste. However, some things are obviously NOT.

Another thing I can't stand to read is what I call a clinical description. I'm okay with the occasional use of words like vagina and labia. (However, using "vagina" in the middle of a love scene can only be pulled off by a few people and even then on rare occasions.) Those, I don't find off putting in any way. However, reading the word "penis" anywhere in a love/sex scene immediately takes me out of the moment. This word (to me) is cold and clinical. If a medical examiner is making note of someone's dead body and for any reason mentions genitalia, they would use the word penis. A doctor of any kind would use the word penis. But in the heat of the moment to hear a character say "penis" makes me laugh. I'm sorry, penis is a funny word. And to be perfectly honest, the clinical term (in my opinion) makes the hero sound less well-endowed. That's never a good thing, right? Ha. Ha. Ha.

I'm not suggesting that descriptions should be "flowery" by any means. Use frank language, just don't make it sound like your doctor is writing the scene.

I also think that getting overly descriptive with bodily functions is gross, whether during a sex scene or not. A mention once or twice, fine. But all the time? The stand-out example of this is a book I borrowed from a friend. The main character steals people's souls through sex by "swallowing" their essence. She later vomits them back up and stores them in a bottle. You heard me right. It was disgusting! Especially, since there was lots of kissing immediately after the whole vomiting up someone's essence part. No thank you. Oh, and a friend of hers dissolved into a squishy blob immediately after having sex with her. BLEH!

Okay, I'm done. Ha. Ha. Ha. I need to think about something else now or I won't be able to eat breakfast.

We should love what we do

Lately, I've been blessed with a wonderful opportunity. As the contracts for many of my books expire, I am re-releasing them on my own. Why is that a wonderful opportunity? Because through this, I am rediscovering why I love to write, and why I decided to pursue this as a career in the first place.

All of the titles in question are being extensively re-edited before I self-publish them. There are many things that after 5 years of experience, I would like to say differently. In many cases, the word count has been altered by as many as 8,000 new words.

In re-releasing and editing the first two books in the Lilith Mercury, Werewolf Hunter series, I remembered that I based Lilith on myself. Yes, I readily admit that. Ha. Ha. Ha. I know that many writers do things like this, but would never own up to it. My reasoning was simple. If I want to write an ongoing series, I need to know the main character well. As I read over her adventures again, I realized not only how much we were alike, but how much I had changed since I first began her story. I've grown as a person and hopefully when I begin to continue the series, Lilith will grow as a character. She was a little harsh in the beginning, with very good reasons. She and I both have softened and hopefully matured over the past 5 years.

Now, I'm working on the re-release of Bitten. This is to date my very best seller, and in my opinion, one of the best books I've ever written. As I've begun to read the story again, there are so many details that I'd forgotten. So many things that make this story memorable to me had become more feelings than actual memories. After all, I wrote the story near the end of 2007. I believe I finished it January, 2008.

Anyway, I adore these characters. Reading their story again is like visiting old friends. Sure, I'm getting ready to self-publish these titles and I know that many still frown upon that. But you know what? I'm grateful to get to know them again. If I hadn't chosen to not renew my contracts, I probably never would have taken the time to read the complete books again. That would've been a mistake. I'm learning from myself as strange as that may seem. I'm learning what has worked in my writing and what needs to change. I'm developing my skills as a storyteller. And I'm getting to know people that I've missed.

I am so grateful for the opportunity to discover my writing all over again. I am reminded (the more I read and edit) why I love this so much. Writing is my passion and I am blessed to be able to do what I love.

Having a fantastic morning. :)

Even though I have yet to get a cup of coffee, today is a great day. Want to know why? For one thing, I've been doing my very best to think positively. That's right, I'm shaking off my pessimistic thoughts and looking on the bright side. I'm an upbeat person by nature. However, time, shitty past jobs, and the economy have taken their toll on me. I'm not going to get into a long speech about the power of positive thinking. But I will tell you it absolutely works. When I was really down and thought the world hated me, I expected bad things to happen, and they did.

Now, I wake up each day anticipating something wonderful. Yes, there's more to it than that. My point is, more and more good things are now coming my way. You get what you expect to get. Sure, bad things will still happen from time to time. That's life. I'm looking to increase the good stuff. Nothing wrong with that. :)

So, on to some good news to share. Object of My Affection has just been released! This is book two in the Lilith Mercury, Werewolf Hunter Series. Also, for those interested, Red (Book One in the series) is coming soon to print. Click the link below the book for more information on Object of My Affection.

Object of My Affection

Plus, Constant Cravings just received it's 7th 5-star review! Only one is listed on Amazon. The others are on different blog sites and the Ellora's Cave page. Either way, I'm thrilled. :)

Constant Cravings

Something fun for a change

I looked at the calendar and realized I hadn't blogged in a few weeks. Not only that, but my blogs have, in my opinion, taken on a boring and even depressing note. I'm always sharing my experiences with writing, marketing/promotion, and things of that nature. Wow. You can really get bogged down in that crap. No, I'm not saying that writing and promoting your books is crap. But focusing on it too much is bullshit. You've got to have some fun/relax sometime. It is vital to your sanity. Trust me.

So, I thought I would share a fun recipe. It's no secret that I love fall. Summer in the south is like stepping into your own personal slice of Hell each day. Bleh. I hate it. I also love pumpkins as I'm sure everyone knows who reads my blog. Ha. Ha. Ha.

Today's recipe is pumpkin soup, and it's served in its own little "pumpkin bowls." If you're in a Martha Stewart kind of mood, why not give it a try?

It's not as difficult as it sounds, and looks really impressive when you serve it. :)

Ingredients

• 6 small (6 to 7 inches in diameter) unblemished pumpkins
• 1 medium pumpkin (10 to 11 inches in diameter)
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon cloves
• 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 3/4 teaspoon freshlyground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced or pureed
• 1 Yukon Gold potato, peeled and diced
• 6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• 1/2 cup cream, creme fraiche or sour cream

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare the small pumpkins as though you were making jackolanterns, cutting off and reserving top, scooping out seeds and reserving, but stopping short of carving the face. Set aside. 

Repeat preparation with the medium pumpkin, then cut it into wedges along its natural grooves. Peel each wedge. Cut flesh into 2-inch chunks and set aside.

In a small bowl combine ground spices with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Sprinkle this mixture into pumpkin cavities, dividing evenly. Cut 1 tablespoon butter into bits and divide between pumpkins. Replace pumpkin tops and place pumpkins in a shallow roasting pan. Roast 30 to 40 minutes until tender when pierced with a knife but still intact. Remove from oven and set aside.

While pumpkins are roasting, prepare the soup: Heat remaining butter along with olive oil over medium-high heat in large pot until foamy. Add onions and remaining salt and pepper and cook 5 minutes until softened and begin to color. Add garlic and cook 1 minute to release flavor. Add diced potato, chunked pumpkin flesh and stock and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes until potatoes and pumpkin are completely soft.

Whisk in cream, taste and adjust seasoning and set aside.

Roasted pumpkins and soup should be done at about the same time. To serve, remove tops from pumpkins and use a melon baller to scoop balls of pumpkin flesh, leaving them in their respective pumpkins. Carefully ladle soup into each pumpkin, filling about 2/3 full. Replace pumpkin tops, place each pumpkin on a plate, and serve.

The prep takes about an hour and a half and the cook time on the soup is about forty-five minutes. Totally do-able for a fall get-together. :)

Do you actively promote?

It's before dawn. I've had four hours of sleep, and I hurt too much to lie in bed. As I contemplate whatever the hell it is I've done to make my legs and back ache, I started to think about work.

I'm always looking for new ways to spread the word about my books. However, as I've made an effort to spend less time on the computer, it just hit me that I'm no longer actively promoting my work. And you know what? It hasn't made a damn bit of difference in sales. None.

I used to bust my butt every Monday to post excerpts on Yahoo groups. I'd sit for hours seeing which forums on which sites would allow me to promote myself. Since I wasn't crazy about "drive by" promotion, I also took the time to take part in conversations on these groups/forums. I also used to take out ads here and there with different online magazines. I spent hours (yet again) trying to research which was the right one to reach my intended audience.

As my budget became more non-existent, I cut out all of the paid advertising. As I wanted to spend more time with my family, and writing my next book/books, I spent less time in the forums.

I'm here to tell you, my sales haven't changed one single bit. I've even done a few radio talk shows and didn't see an increase in sales from those either. But, they were fun.

Social networks are also useless as a means of promotion, in my opinion. While I enjoy networking with fans and fellow authors on Facebook, it's really not a good way to reach more readers. Same goes for Twitter. And I feel like Triberr is just spam. LOL Sorry, but I did not have a good experience with that either. I actually lost some followers because they felt like they were being spammed by the constant auto-posts from Triberr.

I'm not sure what anyone (myself included) can do with this information, but I thought I'd share. It has been my experience thus far that none of my promotional efforts have made any lasting difference. For the record, when I did actively promote, I did so regularly. We're talking years worth of consistency, not hit and miss. And it still amounted to nothing.

Just something to think about.

Lilith Mercury is making a comeback and a few things about self-publishing

Right now, I'm hard at work on preparing the next book in the series for re-release. Object of My Affection has been reformatted, has smokin' hot new cover art, and is now being re-edited. I will edit this several times before sending it to an editor who will then have another go at it.

For those who are wondering, yes, this will be a self-pub title. Object of My Affection is one of the books whose rights have reverted to me. All of these titles were previously published with a publisher. That sounds redundant, but you know what I mean. I don't want anyone assuming that I submitted it over and over and no one wanted it. Quite the opposite. I found a home for the Lilith series within four months of writing the first two books back to back.

As the contracts expire on these titles, I have chosen not to renew my agreement with the publisher. There are many reasons for this. Most importantly, I believe my choice to be a sound business decision. The books I've decided to publish on my own are/will be all professionally edited. Yet again, I'm only clearing up what some people might think of self-pub titles. These are not things that I wrote in my mother's basement and hurried to publish because my bestest friend said they rock. LOL Although, I do have my best friend's unending support. :)

I am also an artist, so I've chosen to do my own cover art for these titles. The cover art isn't something that was thrown together with a title slapped on it. These are images I felt conveyed the meaning of the story as well as looked great. Let's be honest, people really do judge books by their covers and I want mine to look as good as they possibly can.

My point is, I do this for a living and I've put a lot of time and effort into the process. I figured while I was giving an update on my projects, I might as well clear the air about some preconceived notions when it comes to self-publishing.

I will also be re-releasing Wicked City, in time for Halloween and everything. This story is an erotic paranormal by definition. However, it could also be considered futuristic urban fantasy. It was seriously fun to write and I cannot wait to share it with everyone again.

Object of My Affection should be ready to go sometime in the next few weeks. Wicked City is currently on the schedule for October.