Topics I've researched for books that probably put me on a government list somewhere

Yes, you read that correctly. I thought we'd have some fun around here. I don't know about anyone else, but it's been a hell of a year for me, and not in a good way. BUT, I'm not getting into that now.

My writer friends and I have often joked about the kinds of things we end up researching for our books. The conversation is always hilarious, and normally ends with several of us agreeing that if we ever die suddenly, someone should probably erase our browsing history. 

And for the curious, NO, I have never researched anything about sex for any of my books. I don't look up porn for ideas or anything like that. As soon as someone hears that you write romance, these are the types of questions you will get. Ugh. To be blunt, I use my imagination, and my own life experiences for those parts. For me, writing a sex scene is a natural progression from writing about any kind of emotional response. You just take all that stuff you feel and put it into words. For those who think that's all a romance novel contains, I feel sorry for you, you're missing out on a great genre that's not porn on paper. Ha. Ha. Ha. 

Actually, given that the subgenre of romance I prefer is paranormal, I end up looking at some strange shit. Really strange shit. As many of you already know, paranormal romance is a very broad category. It can contain ghosts, witches, vampires, werewolves, any variety of werecreature really, and all kinds of magical practices. Oh, and murder, there's usually some murder in there.

Feel free to leave some topics you've wondered about when it comes to writing research in the comments below. Or, if you're also a writer, share some of your crazy research topics. :) 

Right off the top of my head, here's some of the things I've looked up recently, in no particular order.

- Various methods of poisoning (Still looking into this one.)
- Chemicals that dissolve bones
- Photos of gunshot wounds. Okay, I know this one is really grisly, but I needed to be able to accurately describe someone's injuries and how extensive they were. I'm not a ghoul, I swear. lol
- Best ways to hide bodies (Really, not a ghoul.)
- Creative murder methods
- Cult rituals
- Human sacrifice/various methods thereof (Not crazy either, I promise.)
- Sex magic (No, this doesn't count as looking up sex. That is so not the part of the ritual I had questions about. lol)
- What length blade is needed to hit the heart when stabbing upward through the ribs
- The best/easiest ways to poison someone (Still looking into this one.)
- What chemicals break down flesh 
- Illuminati conspiracies (Typing this alone probably put me on some crazy lists. Yes, it really was for a book, though I admit I found it so fascinating I plan to do further research just for fun.)
- Curses to break up a couple (So I could write one that sounded believable and yet WAS made up. If you know me personally and your relationship ends any time soon, SO not my fault.)
- Werewolf mythology (I've read this stuff off and on since I was a kid. Love it.)
- Vampire mythology (Also love this.)
- All varieties of fairy tales
- Various works of classic literature
- Medieval torture devices (Also love this. Yes, really. I've been fascinated with this topic since my early teens, at least.)
- Blood splatter analysis techniques (Because Dexter can't answer all my questions.)
- Layout of different large cities
- Gothic architecture (Ah, a normal topic.)
- Various gun calibers, styles, ammo, basically everything you can think of about guns. I've also fired different guns and a variety of ammo to see how it feels. Hey, I need accurate descriptions. I've used weapons more than once simply for the experience.
- Names, always looking for new names. Speaking of which, if you ever see your name in a book of mine, it was a total accident. I say this because I've been asked before. With the exception of a few first names, all of mine are either selected at random, or are chosen because of their meaning and how it relates to the character.


And those are just the tip. Ha. Ha. Ha.

Need a new werewolf?

I've got good news and bad news. Good news, I'v got a brand new paranormal romance for you. 

Bad news, this will probably be my last book until my home is FINALLY repaired from damages sustained during hurricane Michael. Worse news, I'm not sure when that will be. I'm under a tremendous amount of stress. I need things in order around me and a calm environment to write. My house is wrecked. The majority of my files are already packed up, along with my reference books, name books, things that I use regularly when working. 

I'm also having to use a mattress as my chair because I'm sleeping in my office and that's killing my back. Even though I've hired a public adjuster, learning what I need to do next, what's my job, what's their job, and all the other crap that goes with dealing with an insurance claim is a full-time job. It shouldn't be that way, but it is and it's driving me crazy.

Will I be able to meet the deadlines I have on my website? Probably not, but I'm going to try. Just understand that I don't have a laptop, and I don't have WiFi out here in the boonies. So once my computer is packed up, that's absolutely it for being able to write until I'm able to put it back in my house, set my office up again, and get back to work. We're looking right now at a few more months before HOPEFULLY a settlement can be reached. Or, we'll have to sue the insurance company. After that, we may be living in an RV or camper, if we're lucky enough to find one, for the next 6 months until our home can be totally gutted and rebuilt. 

Taking all that into consideration, it may be the end of 2020 before I'm able to work on another book. I'm trying to stay positive, but it's a daily struggle for me right now. Oh, and we have to pack up the entire house in order for work to start (once we get to that stage) and we have nowhere to store anything. 

Why am I telling you all this? So you understand why the next two Unseelie of Atlanta books MIGHT not be out when I said they would be. But they are coming, and I'm definitely not stopping. I've just really got my hands full right now.

Say a prayer, or send positive vibes, or whatever good stuff you've got my way. Please. I would really appreciate it.

Now .... here's that new book I promised. :) 

Supernatural creatures aren't new, but those who are strictly human are still getting used to them living out in the open. Some go so far as to deny that any “creatures of the night” are living in Wolf Cove, but that is certainly not the case.

Between her sociopathic ex-husband and a vampire stalker, Olivia has her hands full. So, when a sexy private investigator says he can help, she decides to take him up on the offer. Only, he might be more than she bargained for. That's not always a bad thing, right?

Warning: Contains one sexy tattooed werewolf. May encourage howling at the moon.

Ebook

Print

Happy reading!

I wish werewolves were real

I woke up today to a very strange email. I'm sure you've all heard me or some other writers say that characters come alive for them. Some of us even talk to them like they're real people, just to get a feel for how they might react. While I don't talk to my characters, I do play out conversations in my head, to see what feels natural and believable for them.

Since werewolves are kind of my thing (vampires too), I've done extensive research on the subject. While I wish they were real, sadly, there is no evidence to prove it. Of course, there's also no concrete proof against it either.

If you're wondering what I'm rambling about, I'm trying to understand that email I mentioned. I'm not going to reveal names or copy and paste the whole thing, because I think that would be a dick move. But it's just too unusual to keep to myself.

Someone wrote to me to ask if I could help them get in touch with Marco. For those who have read my Lilith Mercury series (and a few other books he makes a guest appearance in), you know that Marco Barak is head of the largest wolf pack in the US. While he does have some basis in reality, for his personality and appearance, Marco is very much a work of fiction.

At first I thought the email was just a fun prank. But the more I read about how desperate this person was to find a "real" werewolf who was willing to turn them, the more worried I became.

I've never tried to present the Lilith series as anything other than a work of fiction. Yes, I love it. Red (Book One) was my very first book and the series will always be close to my heart. But I was not writing from personal experiences with werewolves.

This person was very articulate. They wrote a detailed letter begging me to put them in touch with Marco so they could meet up with him and become a part of the pack.

They also think that I am Lilith.

I haven't responded directly, and I probably won't. To be honest, that letter was unnerving. However, I did want to say here, in the open, that I write fiction. I am not a werewolf or a hybrid of any kind and I do not know how to contact Marco, other than to write about him. Unfortunately, Marco is real only in my mind and in the minds of those who enjoy reading about him. He is fiction.

FYI on Book pricing and more things people say to writers

Random FYI on book pricing: I've gotten some complaints about a few of my books being overpriced. If the book is still with a publisher, I have absolutely no control whatsoever over pricing. I hope to one day be back in complete control of all my books. But until that happens, I can't do anything about the prices. I'm sorry. You can tell if a book is with a publisher by scrolling down to the publishing details on the book's page (like on Amazon, for example) this is near where the page count is listed.

Since I do get questions about this topic pretty often, here's some info on my pricing. smile emoticonJust FYI. My pricing is always based on book length, unless something is on special. wink emoticon

Ebooks
90,000 words and up - $4.99
60-80,000 words - $3.99 (Most of my books fall in this range)
25-55,000 (ish) - $2.99
Anything under 20,000 words - $0.99

Pring

This is largely based on what Amazon says MUST be charged for printing costs through Create Space. If prices go up, it's because printing costs have risen. I only make about $1 or less on most of my print books.

100,000 words or more (Red, for example) $11.25

90,000 words - $10.25

80,000 words (roughly could be just under or just over) - $9.25

70,000 words - $8.25

60,000 words - $7.59

55,000 words - $6.99 

Anything in mass market paperback will be slightly different, due to size and printing costs. I try to be consistent with print prices, but as I said, it's not easy due to cost fluctuations.

I hope this helps. :) Feel free to ask questions. I'm pretty transparent when it comes to this stuff. I'm just trying to put out quality work that entertains and make a living without overcharging anyone.

Now, time for more things people say to writers. I suppose this could also be categorized as things that you will eventually encounter if you become a writer. Sometimes it can be very difficult to know how to handle certain situations. 

1. For example, when other writers post on your boosted post or ad. *sigh* I'm not talking about leaving a comment to show support. I'm talking about when other writers pimp their work on a post that YOU paid for. This has happened to many writers I know, including myself. I understand, especially as a new writer, that it can be very difficult to reach a broader audience. However, this behavior is SO not cool. Again, I'm not talking about simply leaving a comment. I leave comments sometimes, if I think the cover is great, or the book looks interesting, etc. It's also not cool to post on a random thread on another author's page and start pimping your books. Unless people have been specifically asked for such information, of course. We all make mistakes, and I'm certainly not perfect. But please, don't do this. It puts writers in an awkward position of having to think of a response (that doesn't make us sound like the asshole), or deleting the comment. Both of which usually makes them feel bad. I know it does me.

2. Sometimes you will get messages out of the blue from people you don't know asking you to like their page. This is another awkward one for me. Normally, I'll go ahead and like the page and leave it alone. But what if it's something you DON'T like? Yeah, this can get weird. I'm also guilty of simply deleting these messages. I'm sorry if that makes me look like a jerk, that was not my intention. If you have any kind of a "public persona" you should always be careful what you do publicly. I'm guilty of sometimes being too honest. This can back fire bigtime, because someone will always be offended by anything you say. Therefore, if someone asks me to like their page and I really don't want to (because I don't like being put on the spot like that), I will typically not respond. Again, this is not to be a jerk.

3. People will send you information on their books and ask you to post about it to your readers. This one is also very difficult to handle sometimes. I DO occasionally post about books from other authors, but there is also a reason behind it. If I feel that my readers would probably enjoy the book, or if I have read it and really liked it, I'll share. If it is something way off base from my genre, I'm probably going to delete the message. These type messages also make me uncomfortable. I don't want to be rude to anyone, but I'm not going to post everyone's information to my readers. It has nothing to do with "competition" or being a bitch. First of all, there are more than enough readers in the world, and their reading preferences vary wildly. There is no such thing as competition. Second, I don't know of any authors who would do this, even if they know the individual personally. It's very off-putting to be put on the spot. Kind of like when people ask you to write their life's story.

4. Getting asked to read or review someone's book is also a very awkward situation. For legal reasons I do not read anyone's work and I do not review. I've never reviewed. I simply do not have the time, most full-time writers don't. This can be particularly difficult to handle because most of us DO want to encourage people to follow their dreams. That doesn't mean that we have time to help them craft it and/or offer suggestions. I know I keep saying this, but none of this is to be a jerk. This is a business and I do it for a living, as many others do. If you were a lawyer, for example, would you expect another attourney, working for another firm, whom you did not know, to research all of your cases and just GIVE you the answers? Or to review every single case you worked and give their opinion? Of course not. They have their own busy workload to take care of.

5. If an author takes the time to answer your questions, be respectful of their time and don't keep asking things that can easily be found on the FAQs page at Amazon. Just because many of us work from home does not mean we have all the time in the world. I'm sure that only a few of us are sitting around working on our LARPing costumes. LOL Most of us are hard at work on our next book. Having said that, we're all pretty approachable and don't mind helping if we can. Just do your homework first. I can't tell you how many times I've been asked broad questions like, "How do I get published?" Wow. I'm not even sure where to begin.

I hope some (or all) of this is helpful. I also hope it is taken in the spirit I intended and not seen as snark. I'm truly not trying to be rude here. I'm just sharing what myself and a lot of other writers encounter fairly often.

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