I have a new release with Changeling Press today. Isn’t the cover amazing? The story a romance set ten years into a zombie apocalypse. I am obsessed with zombie story, and this was a lot of fun to write. Please click on the cover to go to Changeling’s website (newly designed) and read an excerpt!
Joyce Hertzoff has a new book coming out and passed this blog to me. Her answers can be found on her Facebook Page – http://www.facebook.com/joyce.hertzoff.3
A. What are you working on?
An erotic romance set ten years into a zombie apocalypse, and no there will not be zombie sex!
I’ve never ventured too far from contemporary, so this is a new experience for me. The world building has been great fun and a bit of a challenge. Once this is done, I plan to edit a contemporary category length story I drafted late last year.
B. How does your work differ from others in this genre?
I don’t really like to compare myself to others. I write what I like. I am not very deep! =) I try to add a little humor, and my heroes all have nougat centers. I’m sure there are others who do the same, but I like to think my stuff is a little original. In my last story, one scene includes references to aliens, the pyramids, medieval weaponry and women’s wrestling. How common can that be?
C. Why do you write what you do?
I love romance. I love happy endings. The world is a sad enough place that I’d rather my stories be fun and a touch frivolous. I write contemporary and erotic romance. Did I mention I love sex scenes!?! The research is FABULOUS!
D. How does your writing process work?
It is pretty simple. I get an idea. I stew on it. I google pictures of people who I think look like my heroes. Then comes the outline. After that I trudge along and listen to the conversations the characters have in my head. Some stories come faster and easier than others! Here is a picture of my work space. I almost think I should have an office type space, but I like being under a blanket and surrounded by pets.
*If you look closely you will see that my dog is cuddling up with a stuffed animal. He’s kind of a strange one.
And now I pass the baton to:
Ruby Standing Deer – www.facebook.com/ruby.deer
Leela Lou Dahlin – https://www.facebook.com/leelalou.dahlin?fref=ts
My newest contemporary novella, All She Needs, is coming out on 4/18/14. So, if you survive tax day and are looking to unwind check out my newest novella.
BLURB: Ready for a fresh start, Trina dumps her controlling boyfriend and accepts a transfer halfway across the state. On the way to her new home, she comes upon two gorgeous men skinny dipping. She decides there’s no harm in a little fun with the two men.
She never expects to see either man again but Luke, one of the hot guys from the swimming hole, turns out to be the IT guy at her new job. How can she convince him that she isn’t looking for another relationship? Does she really want to?
EXCERPT: Trina turned. No, it couldn’t be. Her knees knocked and she gripped the edge of the cubicle. Power suit or no, this was more than any woman should have to endure.
Elise stepped beside Trina. “Lucas Harrison, this is Trina Sanders, our newest team member.”
Him! Luke held out his hand. A hand whose fingers she could still remember sliding in and out of her.
She took his hand. Maybe if she played it cool he wouldn’t remember her. “Nice to meet you.”
He smiled in return, but the very tops of his cheeks flushed pink. He recognized her. Damn.
“Did you get my order? She needs a laptop and docking station. I’m counting on you to take care of her.”
His gaze flitted over Trina. “I will.”
Wait. What did he mean by that? Gah. Which was worse? Her messed up job or a co-worker who’d seen her naked.
“Excellent.” Elise, who was rapidly turning into Trina’s least favorite boss ever, patted her on the back. “See you at eleven.”
Trina nodded as she tugged on an errant lock of hair. Maybe that fast food place down the road was hiring?
—-
If you don’t want to wait, check out my other novellas, Roadside Assistance & Haunted.
As you can see I updated my website. February was a bad month in my house. On the last day of the month, we had to put one of our greyhounds to sleep. So, I needed a change and the website just happened to be on my list!
On the writing front, I submitted a new novella to Changeling. It’s a little more serious than I normally manage, but contains some humor as well. Let’s hope my editor doesn’t think it sucks. I am also working on another erotic novella and a short story. One is about zombies and the other a historian.
I’ve also been querying two of my contemporary stories as well. Wish me luck. Oh and here is a picture of Cutie.
I know I am a little posting this but here is the link to a review for my novella Haunted from Long and Short Reviews by Ginger. Here is my favorite part.
“The story has a fast moving plot that didn’t leave a dull moment. Along with sizzling hot hotel room action I enjoyed this quick read. The author’s plot delivered an interesting story line that was well written and a satisfying read.”
In honor of my Christmas release, Honesty, which you can find out all about by clicking on the awesome cover below. I am holding a little contest.
All you have to do is like my Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/DanniPriceWriter?ref=hl) between now and Christmas Eve to be eligible to win a $10 Starbucks’ gift card. I will pick one winner at random.
Also, I’m sorry, the contest is only open to US residents.
It’s Friday! Yay! So, that means it’s time for a new prompt. But, first, a big thanks to everyone who posted last week. (http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/RWCprompts/) Your stories were awesome. Now, this week’s prompt.
Paulina is waiting for a friend in the lobby of a hotel when she overhears two gorgeous men arguing about who possesses the best technique for picking up women. When the first man makes puppy dog eyes at the second, Paulina can’t help but laugh.
To her mortification, a third man hears her and drops down beside her on the hotel couch.
It turns out the three men are friends and want you to judge who is best pick up artist. You have 1000 words to tell us what happens next.
http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/RWCprompts/conversations/messages
(Link to the group if you want to post a prompt)
Today is the release day for my holiday novella. This was the first thing I sold! And a prompt posted on this loop almost exactly one year ago is where the idea came from. So, because I am feeling a little sappy, here is the original prompt and the scene (all edited and prettified up) it inspired.
PROMPT
Alicia couldn’t believe it. She stared at the Christmas tree she’d decorated yesterday, with the holiday itself just days away. However, it certainly didn’t feel like Christmas. The temperature outside was climbing. Meteorologists predicted a record-breaking heatwave. A HEATWAVE…in December…in New Jersey??? Terrific.
There’s your set-up. Where you go from here is up to you. Feel free to change the character’s name, sex, location, if you’d like. Play around with the scenario. Does she already know the hero? Does the heatwave bring them together?
Word count for this one is 2,000 words. As always, scenes must fit the romance genre & not be more explicit than the average BLAZE. No critiques, positive comments only. Feel free to submit more than one scene, if you’re so inspired; just remember to send each as a separate email. Most importantly, WRITE & HAVE FUN! 🙂
MY TAKE (The story is called Honesty and all the links and stuff are on my website under coming soon or released… depending on how soon i update my website)
Hannah Williams jumped out of bed. Eyes narrowed, she glared out her bedroom window.
Whoever said that Christmas was the most wonderful time of the year clearly did not live next door to Clark Bodnar. The horrible man hung his lights on Black Friday when ordinary people shopped for crappy appliances and discounted televisions. Since he’d moved in four years ago, she’d endured more and more extreme decorations with each passing season. Lights covered each and every frigging square inch of the two story house. She’d wager the dang things were visible from outer space. To make things worse, he left them on from five in the afternoon to two in the morning each and every day without fail. This year he’d gone too far. This year he’d installed blinking lights that faced her bedroom window.
The prospect of another day at work with less than eight hours of sleep infuriated her. Customer Service was a miserable enough job on the best of days. Grouchy people asking her how she could live with herself for denying a ten dollar credit proved dang near impossible when exhausted. The lights had to go. No more polite hints and friendly notes. This was WAR.
Her bunny slipper clad feet crept down the dimly lit staircase. Yeah, there was no reason to sneak around in her own home where she lived alone, but she couldn’t help herself. It wasn’t every day she embarked on vandalism. Okay, okay, maybe she’d never thrown a single egg at a house or a roll of toilet paper into a tree, not even on Devil’s Night back in high school, but that only made tonight a more momentous occasion.
When she reached the small kitchen with its outdated appliances, she grabbed a pair of kitchen shears from the utility drawer and slipped them into the pocket of her fuzzy, purple robe. The weather had been wet and unseasonably warm for Pittsburgh in December. A coat wouldn’t be necessary.
Armed, she headed down the short flight of steps to the side door which faced the offensive Christmas display. The lock turned with a loud click, and she opened the door a crack. Her slippers poked out, fluffy pink ears first. She craned her neck to perform a quick surveillance check. A cold breeze blew her long blond hair away from her face. No one should be out at midnight, but still, she had no desire to explain her unusual appearance. Satisfied that the coast was clear, she stepped outside, and her feet sunk into the damp ground with a squish.
The handle of the shears dug into her palm. She forced herself to loosen the death grip she maintained on them. A few feet separated the houses. Moments later she knelt down near the electrical outlet that fed the holiday abomination.
Out came the shears, and she placed them against the cord. A loud “Ho Ho Ho” rang out, and she jerked back with a squeak. Her heart raced, and it took a moment to remember the source of the noise was one of the gigantic inflatable characters camped out on his front yard. Why couldn’t he have something normal like a manger? The moment the thought crossed her mind, she realized that would backfire on her. He’d probably install a Baby Jesus with realistic screaming action. She shuddered.
Once again composed, she shifted back into place and lifted the shears to cut the power cord for the lights. It wouldn’t stop him for long, but a night or two of sleep would make it all worthwhile.
“You know that isn’t a good idea.” A deep voice startled her from the far side of the house near the back yard.
Jerking back, she lost her balance and fell back onto the muddy ground. One slipper flew off and ricocheted against the side of the house.
Busted! She squeezed her eyes shut and prayed. “It isn’t what you think.”
The mystery man chuckled, a lovely warm sound that reached down to her now soaking wet toes. Unable to help herself, she opened her eyes to search out the face that went with the unfamiliar voice.
He was young, college young, at least five years her junior. A shame, because he was handsome, almost pretty, with dark brown hair that fell carelessly over his eyes. Yeah, he was the type of man who’d only get better looking with age. Who was he?
“I can explain.” The mud she’d landed in finally made it through her robe to her backside. She grimaced.
“You can? Cause it looks like you were trying to get yourself electrocuted in an attempt to mess with my brother’s decorations.” He tipped his head in the direction of the house, yet his tone was friendly. In the next instant, he reached out a hand.
She sighed. “Are you going to call the cops?”
“No. As long as you promise not to cut that wire. Well, not until you unplug everything first.” With a smile and remarkably little effort, he pulled her to her feet.
Hannah gaped at him until he pulled his hand away, the hand she’d held on to for a moment too long. Embarrassed, she hunted down her ruined slipper and slid it back on. She kept her eyes straight ahead, which happened to be smack dab in the center of the faded red hoodie he wore.
“Um, well…” She glanced up to find him grinning down at her.
The back door of the Bodner’s house crashed open. “What’s going on? Is that you, Joel?”
Joel grabbed her shoulders and hurried toward her house. He opened the side door and shoved her through it. Before she could turn around, he’d yanked the door shut.
She leaned against it in an attempt to listen to their conversation, but could only distinguish a few muffled words through the heavy wood. A few minutes later, the voices faded away. A thousand questions buzzed around in her head, but judging by the silence, they wouldn’t be answered tonight. She pushed off the door, ready to head back to bed, when someone rapped lightly on it.
She swiveled back and pushed the thin white curtain aside. Sure enough, Joel grinned back at her. The door swung open with a creak. She flinched at the sound, her nerves stretched to the limit.
“Hey.”
“Uh, hey.” Her mind blank, she fumbled for something to say. Only, she’d never faced a situation like this before.
His grin grew until it seemed to take over his entire face. “I didn’t get your name.”
Shoot. He planned to snitch on her after all. Eyes glued to the floor, she mumbled, “Hannah.”
“Hannah, huh? That’s pretty.”
Her head jerked up. What the heck was he talking about?
“Well, Hannah, I promise to help you with my brother if you promise to meet me here tomorrow night.”
Somehow, she managed a small “okay” along with a tiny nod.
He blew out a long breath as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. “Awesome.”
“Um, if that’s all…”She glanced up at him and then behind herself in a not so subtle hint. Mud from her hair dripped down her shirt, and she pushed the soggy locks over her shoulder.
When he didn’t immediately answer, she slowly started to swing the door shut. His hand shot out to stop her. She angled her head up to get a better look at him. He stood at least six inches above her five-foot-five frame.
In a now or never kind of way, he swooped down and planted a quick kiss on her cheek. She gasped and drew back.
“Bye Hannah. See you tomorrow.” No sooner had he spoken than he trotted off to the other house.
That night she tossed and turned. It wasn’t due to the twinkling lights.
—
Danielle
mail@danniprice.com
-- Danielle mail@danniprice.com http://danniprice.com/
http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/RWCprompts/conversations/messages
(LInk to the group if you want to post a prompt)
It’s Friday again and NANO is coming to an end. I for one am taking it down to the wire! So, let’s keep this simple shall we. Write scene of no more than 1,000 words that includes a dog, a misunderstanding and a ham sandwich.
Here is my November release. This one is an erotic romance and I think a lot of fun.
Quinn loved life. Too bad he’s dead. All in all, dying didn’t get him down. His death had been the thing of bucket lists. In the middle of screwing a knockout blonde, he’d gone out on top. Literally.
Virginia hates her job as a medium. When Jake, the hot, but geeky guy next door, enlists her help to uncover the truth about a supposed supernatural sex therapist haunting the local hotel, Virginia thinks the stories are nonsense. Egged on by her best friend, Virginia agrees to spend a weekend in the room and learns, not only is it all true, but the ghost is a total hunk who believes only she can help him move on.
Can Virginia help Quinn with his not so little problem and deal with her growing attraction to Jake?
Danni Price 