Guest Post – Ambrosia
The Advice I Wish I'd Gotten
by Elene Sallinger
By now, everyone has heard the number one piece of advice
that every writer gets – writers write. So, bang those words and have no fear,
you'll find your audience.
Very true. Writers write first and foremost. But, if you're
in the business of writing books, you might want to consider this. No
one bothers to tell you that this very same audience you've now been fortunate
to find is going to want more! In fact, some will demand it. If you're like me,
this weighs on you as you approach your next projects. To that end, if I had it
to do over again, I'd wait to submit Awakening until Reflection
was already written.
Think about it. They do it in film all the time. The Lord
of the Rings trilogy was filmed in its entirety over two years and then the
films were released sequentially, one each year. I can't speak for anyone else,
but I salivated for those films much the same way I am now over The Hobbit.
Stieg Larson did this with his Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series. He
delivered the entire series to the publisher at the same time. Hell, even the
entire 50 Shades of Grey trilogy was complete before it was ever
submitted for widespread publication and we see how that turned out.
It probably seems counter-intuitive, but I strongly
recommend waiting to publish your first book until your second is written. I
felt the demand of readers in the back of my mind the entire time I was writing
Reflection. This wasn't a bad thing, it was very gratifying actually,
but it made me a bit impatient with my writing. I wanted to get to the end of
the book in order to get it out there. I had to very consciously slow myself
down and focus on writing the best story I could. I was aware that readers were
looking for a catalog that didn't exist and I felt compelled to give it to
them. I know I love to read everything I can find by an author once I discover
them.
Fortunately, Reflection is now finished and the third
book, Unsettled, is well underway. With two books completed, I feel
comfortable and am hopeful my readers will invest in the series.
However, one thing never changes, regardless of how many
books you deliver to the publisher, no one reads a bad book. So, never forget
that the most important thing a writer can do is write.
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Thank you for having me!
Reflection
Blog Tour
August
5th - September 30
Erotica
Elene
Sallinger
Released
- September 2013
Review
Copies Will Be Available
Blurb…
Bridget Ross is a woman with a shameful
secret. Despite a life full of success and close friends she denies herself her
true desires in penance for the crimes she can't take back.
Connor Reynolds is a man without a purpose. His own tragic past prevents him
from putting down roots and pursuing his dreams.
Their paths collide forcing them to face the ultimate question … is their love
worth confronting their deepest fears and insecurities?
About the Author
Hailing from Washington, DC, Elene Sallinger
first caught the writing bug in 2004 after writing and illustrating several
stories for her then four-year-old daughter. Her writing career has encompassed
two award-winning children's stories, a stint as a consumer-education advocate,
as well as writing her debut novel, Awakening - a novel of erotic fiction that
won the New Writing Competition at the Festival of Romance 2011.
Excerpt:
“I have no idea why
you don’t see yourself as sexy, but you are. From your brain all the way down
to your perfectly painted toes. Everything about you is erotic as hell. You get
me hard in the same breath that you intrigue me with some thought you just
spoke.”
She turned her eyes away and flushed even
deeper at the mention of him getting hard over her. She was no prude, but she
wasn’t used to men so casually discussing sexual things with her.
He didn’t say anything else, but he did shift
until he was sitting more closely beside her. She could feel the heat from his
skin through the jeans he wore. The cotton of his T-shirt did nothing to mask
it either. A soft breeze washed over them and she could smell the light woodsy
scent of whatever soap he used. Her entire body was instantly attuned to his.
She saw his hand move but was still surprised
when he gently tipped her chin up to look at him. She didn’t know what she’d
been expecting, but the depth of the desire she saw in his face was not it. She
responded almost violently. Her nipples sprang to life, hardening and tingling
against the simple cotton of her bra. She went liquid at her core and her heart
rate kicked up a notch.
“I want to kiss you, Bridget. Hell, let’s be
real, I want to do a whole hell of a lot more than that, but I want to start
with kissing you.”
His eyes had deepened to an almost gunmetal
gray with lust. She was completely mesmerized by his obvious desire for her, by
the touch of his fingers on her chin, by the scent of his body so closed to
hers. She didn’t bother reaching for words, she just nodded.
He leaned in and brushed his lips across hers.
They were warm, and soft. As he deepened the kiss, licking into her mouth, she
could feel the rasp of stubble from where he’d shaved earlier that day. His
tongue leisurely explored her mouth. No crevice went without tending, but he
didn’t force his attention on her.
His hand ran gently up her body, stopping
briefly to cup her breast. He lingered but a moment as if testing the weight
and shape before moving up her body. She luxuriated in the feel of him. The
soft invasion of his tongue in her mouth was both foreign and familiar throwing
her even further off kilter.
She moaned and leaned into him bringing one
hand to rest on his thigh which flexed under her fingers. Her blood was
thrumming through her veins and she felt her body tuning to him. Any lingering
embarrassment over the portrait was forgotten as she gave herself up to his
kiss.
She could kiss him forever.
Connor brought his hand to her neck and
exerted gentle pressure to lean her backwards at the same time he turned and
subtly shifted his body to cover hers.
She didn’t think, she simply reacted. Her knee
connected with his balls and he exploded back from her curling into the fetal
position with a sharp cry.
“Connor!” she scrambled to her hands and knees
as realization sank in, “Oh my god! I’m sorry. I’m sorry!”
Hot tears began to run down her face and she
chanted her apology over and over. He wasn’t looking at her. His eyes were
clamped closed and he rocked back and forth, the pain evident on his face.
It was time to face facts. There was no use
pretending anymore. She was just too broken.
[Giveaway - two free ebooks to random commenters.]
