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Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Spotlight on: Enslaved (giveaway)


Do you like fantasy, paranormal, or science fiction stories? Then today's spotlight is definitely for you! Read the blurb and an excerpt below. 


The gods are flawed . . . and they make awful parents.


Deryck knows first-hand the cruelty of the gods. Three thousand years after his birth, he is still trapped, forced to service humans as an Incubus—unable to choose whom he sleeps with, and living a life completely devoid of love. There is no out for him. No hope. Or so he thought.


Shayla McIntire spent five years getting her life back on track after the accident claiming her husband’s life. She is content to a nice, boring, subdued life free of the abuse she suffered before. Her friends are worried. They want her to find the man of her dreams and move on.
Little do they know, the Powers That Be have decided the man of Shayla’s dreams for her. There’s just one hitch, he’s enslaved to the gods and it will take power she doesn't know she has to free him. Deryck isn't the only one hoping Shayla will free him, though.



Excerpt:

Little birds swooped down to the patio. They hopped between tables, pecking at crumbs dropped by messy eaters or people suckered in by their teeny, tiny cuteness. A group of birds fought over a sizeable chuck of bread beside Shayla’s table. She dropped another down to them. The birds left the first piece of bread and flocked to the new one. A smart one broke off and doubled back to the original piece. It flew off with its prize while the others cheeped and pecked at each other. 

“Your croutons are getting soggy,” Faye said. She nudged Shayla with a foot under the table.

“Sorry. I’m not very hungry.” Shayla dropped the rest of her dinner roll to the birds. A busboy across the patio gave her a disapproving look. 

Faye reached across and handed Shayla a fork. “You need to eat. We aren’t leaving until you do.”

“Are you going to mother me all afternoon?” Reluctantly, Shayla stuck the fork into her Caesar salad.

“Only if you need it. Judging by the half-ass makeup job and wrinkled clothes, I’m going to go out on a limb and say you need someone to remind you to take care of yourself.” Faye shook her head. “Are you still hung up on what happened at the office? It’s been days. He hasn’t been around again, has he?”

Shayla chewed the bite of salad. Going to lunch with Faye was a mistake. The woman could have been a chief interrogator during the inquisition. 

“No, I haven’t seen him again.” Much to her dismay. That fact alone caused her to panic. Was there some sort of psychological disorder where victims of stalking wanted to be followed? Better yet, she should just simplify it and say she’d lost her goddamned mind in the last few days. 

Shayla pushed her bra strap back onto her shoulder. She’d worn the lace and satin bra she swore she’d never wear. Why? God only knew. 

“That’s it, I’m going to call NASA,” Faye blurted out of the blue. 
Shayla jumped. Lettuce flew off her fork and landed on her lap. Creamy salad dressing and parmesan cheese smeared over the leg of her jeans. Cursing under her breath, Shayla picked the chunks of salad off her thigh and swiped at the mess with a napkin. 

“What the hell? Does NASA even exist anymore?”

Faye handed over another napkin. “I sure as hell hope so, or our only chance to bring your mind back to earth is gone.”

Faye calling her out about being a space case made Shayla feel worse than before. She gave up on cleaning up the salad dressing and tossed the dirty napkins over her food.

“Can I be honest?”

Faye nodded. “Please do. Maybe then you’ll start acting like yourself again.”

“That guy has been on my mind since seeing him at the office. Every time I pass the flowers he brought, I want to track him down and thank him for them. Or at the very least, apologize for freaking out and calling the cops on him.” Shayla leaned back in her seat. 

“Can you fall for someone you think may be stalking you?”



Thank you for joining our blog hop! Don't forget, it goes all week long. For each day’s blog, you can check Just Ink Press's Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/JustInkPress. All commenters on the page will be entered into a GRAND PRIZE drawing at the end of the week and the more you share (i.e. Twitter, Facebook, etc.), the more chances you have to win copies of FOUR eBooks: The Dracove by NL Gervasio, Gods & Vampyres by NL Gervasio, Nemesis by NL Gervasio, and of course, Enslaved by R.C. Murphy—a $20.46 value. So be sure to say hi, drop the links to your shares on our page, and let all of your friends know!


R.C. Murphy spends her nights writing urban fantasy novels and a slew of short stories for her blog, The Path of a Struggling Writer. By day she is a not so mild-mannered housewife, wrangling vampires, demons, and various other nasty creatures. R.C. has joined forces with fellow writers, artists, and actors to form the Zombie Survival Crew where she reviews movies, TV shows, as well as penning articles on important survival skills.



Sunday, February 24, 2013

Hot New Cover!


If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter than you've more than likely seen my hot new cover already. And WOWZA! It's definitely one of the hottest I've ever had. My wonderfully supportive husband has dubbed it his favorite so far. Hmm...I wonder why? ;-)

Release date TBA soon.

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Your Teacher Did What?!

When I was in seventh or eighth grade there was a teacher in my school everyone called "Barbie". She was tall, slender and had blonde hair. She was pretty as far as I remember, but not drop-dead gorgeous and not promiscuous in any way. Of course the boys always tried to get her attention.


When I was in high school I don't honestly remember crushing on any of my teachers. There was a Government teacher who was also a coach that creeped-out me and the other girls. He once made a friend stay for detention and she told me he removed his wedding band when she walked into the room. I was furious and wanted to cuss him out. She talked me out of it and as far as I remember nothing else ever happened.

Now I have my own children, four daughters to be exact, and I'm pretty damn protective of them. I'm also honest about sex and the possible threats around them. They know what a teacher behaving inappropriately looks like...unfortunately it keeps freaking happening.

Last week teen #2 came home with news that the Senior Coordinator had been caught with a student. Now, I've met this man, had whole conversations with him, and even joked around a bit. Nothing inappropriate at all or even borderline. However, I wasn't shocked. Unfortunately teen #1 was shocked and heartbroken. She's a Senior this year and has known this teacher since she was a Freshman. He's someone she has respected and looked up to for years. Now, that image has been shattered because he decided to have sex with one of his students.

I'm furious that my child's trust has been broken over sex, but I know it's an inevitable lesson she had to learn someday. I'm just glad she isn't a victim here. The worst part in my mind is how this will effect his family (of course, he's married with children), how it will effect his students, and how it effects the parent/teacher relationships as a whole. Those are precarious at best and now one bad decision has fucked it up even more. Yeah, I'm pretty damn angry.

In yesterday's newspaper I saw reports of two other teachers in the general Houston are with accusations. Come on now people. This is getting out of hand. So what's wrong? What's the problem and the cause of this? Why are teachers looking at their students as sexual beings? In my opinion it starts with them forgetting about the line between them and the students where they are supposed to be the ones in charge. This might not always be the case. For some it might be something darker, like a power trip to over use their authority. But for many I see it as a blurred line.

Teachers seem to be younger now than when I was in high school and I think too many of them are trying to be "cool" with the kids. They are trying to "relate" by talking on the teens' level and sharing parts of themselves. Some might think that's a good thing. I disagree. I've always told my kids I'm a mom first. I'm not their "friend", or their "buddy". I'm a mom. I'm in charge. And what I say goes. End of story. Sometimes I do listen to them as a friend would. Sometimes I share parts of myself as a buddy might. But they all know I'm always a "mom" first.

I think that's where these teachers are failing our children. Not all teachers of course, just the ones who forget that they're in a position of authority that they shouldn't take for granted. The line blurs because they're less than a decade older than the kids they teach. They share the same taste in music, movies, books, whatever. They start to see these kids on an even level instead of as their wards. In essence, they are fucking up the very basic concept of being a "teacher" rather than a pal.

So, what can/should be done about this? Hell, I don't know. I would never have the patience to teach. I commend anyone who does, but I also implore you to remember YOUR JOB. You're not there to "connect" with the students on a social level. You're there to teach them and guide them onto the next level of their education. I don't want you to be my kids' friend. I want you to be their teacher. They have enough damn friends.

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Do You Know R. C. Murphy? (new release!)


Editing for the Forces of Good

By R.C. Murphy

 You've finished the first draft of your book. The pages zip out of your printer and you make a pile in the center of your office to dance around in a fit of pure joy. Nothing, nothing can bring you down off of Cloud Nine. In that moment, you are convinced nothing so brilliant has ever been put to paper. It is a wonderful feeling . . . until you send your brilliant manuscript to an editor and they hack your baby to pieces and feed it to the wolves.
Okay, I’m exaggerating a little. But in the heat of the moment, it feels like you’re watching someone rain all over your hard work.None of us are perfect. I have an amazing editor who I've worked with on my last two releases. Despite my newest book, Enslaved, having a pretty clean manuscript (her words, not mine), things popped up during editing I couldn't fathom being there in the first place.
For instance, a mysterious tense change from past to present at random intervals starting halfway through the book. Despite all my complaints, (Word must have changed it after being swapped from .doc to .docx, aliens abducted the manuscript to make me look silly, demons ate the proper words!) I knew it was my fault. I got caught up in the heat of creating new, exciting words and went on automatic while writing. It happens. We 
aren't gods, even though we are responsible for creating whole new worlds and universes.
Going through the editing process also gives you a chance to run your newborn manuscript past another set of eyes. The editor can’t read your mind and must rely on what is on the page to tell the story. If there is a weird gap in the action or a character veers too far from where you've established, there is someone there to wave a flag and say, “Yo, wait! This doesn't make a lick of sense.”
Editing has been cast as the bane of a writer’s existence. However, I've used each round through the editing wringer as a learning experience. Each time I come out with more information to help me write the next manuscript cleanly. A clean MS means less time in post-production before publishing (if you are self-publishing or going through a small press publisher). Basically I’m telling you to suck it up, listen to a professional editor (or read the heck out of editing guides), and become nice and friendly with the editing process. It would be a shame to spend months, years on a book just to have it ripped apart by readers due to simple fixes you could have fixed by taking just a little more time and editing it thoroughly.
My favorite editing tip? If your dialog is a constant problem, read it out loud. Each character should have a different rhythm to how they speak. Hearing it will allow you to tweak the dialog to fit the character. Also, you’ll sound crazy. But hey, most writers are anyway, right?


* * * * *
R.C. Murphy spends her nights writing urban fantasy novels and a slew of short stories for her blog, The Path of a Struggling Writer. By day she is a not so mild-mannered housewife, wrangling vampires, demons, and various other nasty creatures. R.C. has joined forces with fellow writers, artists, and actors to form the Zombie Survival Crew where she reviews movies, TV shows, as well as penning articles on important survival skills.

* * * * *

EnslavedThe gods are flawed . . . and they make awful parents.Deryck knows first-hand the cruelty of the gods. Three thousand years after his birth, he is still trapped, forced to service humans as an Incubus—unable to choose whom he sleeps with, and living a life completely devoid of love. There is no out for him. No hope. Or so he thought.Shayla McIntire spent five years getting her life back on track after the accident claiming her husband’s life. She is content to a nice, boring, subdued life free of the abuse she suffered before. Her friends are worried. They want her to find the man of her dreams and move on.Little do they know, the Powers That Be have decided the man of Shayla’s dreams for her. There’s just one hitch, he’s enslaved to the gods and it will take power she doesn't know she has to free him. Deryck isn't the only one hoping Shayla will free him, though.

Buy it here! 

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Do You Know Regina Cole? (giveaway)


Why witches ROCK – CiC Blog Tour Day 7! 
Thanks to Missy for letting me stop by for the blog tour today! Caught in Crimson has been out for a few days now. Anyone read it yet? If not, make sure you enter the contest at the bottom and you’ll be in the running to win not only awesome gift cards and free ebooks, but you’ll also have your chance to get the whole Spellbinding series before you can buy them!
 Today I’m going to talk a little bit about why witches ROCK.

It’s hard to find pictures of a sexy witch. Powerful women are feared, and with fear comes hate. And let’s face it, when we hate things we say they’re ugly. So society has definitely embraced the idea that witches are old hags with hooked noses and warts and straggly hair. Of course, if MEN were more often depicted as witches, do you think we’d see the same trend? I don’t, but that’s a soapbox for another day. ;)
One of the coolest things about writing a powerful heroine like a witch is that she can be kick-ass, strong, and gorgeous all at the same time. As a reader, I love to step into the shoes of a main character that’s powerful.
 What do you guys think? Are witches given an unfair shake in books and art? Let me know below!
 And don’t forget to enter the Rafflecopter Giveaway!!
 http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/ZjAyNWY5M2EwOGZiMWI5MGY3MGE0MmIzNGM5NzYyOjE=/

Thursday, February 7, 2013

You Might Be An Erotic Romance Author If...

  1. While watching your kid during JROTC drills your camera keeps straying to the Marine inspectors.
  2. Every time you pass a street named Penns Grove you see Penis instead.
  3. The highlight of your day is whatever hot bodied photos you can find on Facebook.
Yes, I'm sorry to say I'm guilty of all of the above and probably more. But hey, it makes for good inspiration. ;-)


Friday, February 1, 2013

Montgomery County Book Festival

Tomorrow I'll be heading north to The Woodlands for a book festival! The weather promises to be gorgeous. So, if you're in the area plan on stopping by for a bit. There will be many wonderful authors of various genres on hand to talk books and sign books!

More info here:

And here:


Best of all, admission is FREE!!!