Thursday, October 27, 2016

My First NaNoWriMo Book -Throwback Thursday

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On select Thursdays, I like to share a throwback to past writing, book trailers, or randomness about me and/or writing life.


With my 10th National Novel Writing Month challenge (NaNoWriMo) just days away, I started waxing poetic on years gone by. I thought it would be fun to dust off that first book-in-a-month project.

My first NaNo project wasn't my first novel. I'd written one, Visions, and had been flashing on ideas for a couple of others. One would be fleshed out over time and released years later, but the other became my first NaNo win.

The book was A Grand Seduction, and despite the saucy title, this wasn't a romance. It was a women's fiction book with scheming, seduction for hire, a murder mystery, and just to complicate matters, a romantic love interest who happens to be the investigating detective. Think Hollywood Wives along the Delaware, in a small Pennsylvania town.

About A Grand Seduction:

If the road to hell is paved with good intentions, where do questionable ones lead?
When a group of friends decides to help one of their own escape an abusive marriage, their first job is to destroy the prenup that would leave her with nothing. When a scheme to seduce-and-get-cheating-pics works too well, they suddenly find themselves with a booming word of mouth business.

Then one of the husbands winds up dead, and nobody's sure who did it.


Now the women must keep a bevvy of secrets as police investigate a murder. What will be revealed? Has the circle of best friends even been honest with each other?



What a fun book to write! What do you think of that premise? A Grand Seduction was published by a small digital imprint under my Lisa Logan pen name, and I later re-released it independently for a while. It's currently sitting around waiting for me to decide whether to breathe new life into it.


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I'm J. Rose Allister, wife, working mom, and the author of over thirty books. Somewhere in between one and the next, I love hanging out here on my blog and over on Twitter. Give me a comment or follow-I love chatting with people!

Wednesday, October 19, 2016

The NaNoWriMo Plotting You Haven't Done Yet

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Kickoff for NaNoWriMo is November 1. As part of my prep, I went back through some old notes and blog posts for last-minute planning advice, and I ran across this blog post from 2013 that I thought was worth sharing again now.

The NaNoWriMo Plotting You Haven't Done Yet 
by J. Rose Allister


Whether you’re staring at NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) with a blank, panicked expression or already have binders full of detailed notes, there are some things you can do right now to give your about-to-be novel an extra kick start of awesome. In this post I’ll give you three special tips I use myself and have shared while mentoring NaNo newbies. One deals with characters, another with setting, and a final for plot.

1. Do a birth natal chart for your main characters.

What’s a birth natal chart, you may ask? This is a personality profile based on the horoscope, more specifically, a profile based on the exact date, time, and place of birth. There are websites that offer this for free, like THIS ONE. Just decide when and where a character was born and presto! You’ll have a ton of information about a character’s strengths, weaknesses, and potential darkest secrets. Then it’s up to you to decide which traits to emphasize or omit and what factors made the character behave as such. Do one for your protagonist (or protagonists, if it’s a romance or other story with more than one MC) as well as for your villain.
I hit on this trick several years ago when I was flat lining and desperate for pre-NaNo ideas. The birth horoscopes provided me with such useful material for my character dossiers that I’ve used them many times since.

2. Select one weird location the character(s) will need to visit.


Maybe your book will take place primarily in an office, the character’s home, or deep in a mystical elven forest. Whatever the main setting, pick someplace that contrasts this and include it. Weird settings can practically become characters of their own, giving you fun idea to work off of and readers an interesting twist. Willy Wonka’s factor is a good example of this.
A “weird” setting needn't mean a bizarre place like Wonderland or the Star Wars cantina. It just means a location that isn’t immediately obvious. In one of my books, the characters are stuck on a ranch most of the time, but end up taking a trip to Las Vegas. In another, when the heroine visits “his place” she discovers the hero has been hiding out in a cave behind a waterfall. Both are real world settings that aren’t expected in context of the book.
One important rule here: don’t plop the setting into the story “just because”. Whether your weird location is an alternate reality or a seedy laundromat, there needs to be a valid reason why the character goes there (and not just to wash their unmentionables). Use the setting to further the plot or characterization. In my ranch/Vegas book, two things happen in Vegas that are crucial to the plot and its resolution. The waterfall cave location in the other shows the lengths the hero went to in order to hide, plus it places the heroine in a vulnerable, intimate situation that jump starts their relationship.
Some examples for “weird” settings:
An alternate reality
A creepy old house
An antique shop packed with curiosities
A shopping mall that’s been closed down for years
A carnival
A tree house
An old fire station converted into a house

3. Pick a random object that becomes vital to the plot

This is something I’ve done for several NaNoWriMo, and it’s always fun. Take an ordinary object and make it extraordinary. It can be an everyday object with magical properties or an item of great financial/sentimental value. The entire plot might revolve around this item, or maybe it seems unimportant at first but impacts events later. For instance, I gave a main character an earth-shaped pendant with mystical properties—the ability to keep his werewolf nature (somewhat) at bay. So naturally I had him lose the pendant while he’s on the job during a full moon.
Ideas for random objects:
A snow globe
A gift that arrives wrapped with no note
A clock that doesn’t work
An antique car
An heirloom ring
Keys that don’t open anything (or do they?)
A headstone in the garden

Pinterest is a fun place to find inspiration for locations and objects, but my favorite inspiration station is the NaNoWriMo forums. The Adoption Society section has threads for “adopting” settings, objects, characters, plot twists, even titles. It’s a great place for getting the NaNoWriMo juices flowing.

Do you have any special plotting tools you use for NaNoWriMo?

~~~

J. Rose Allister is the author of more than thirty books and is a nine-time winner of NaNoWriMo. A former editor and submissions director, she now works as a mild-mannered hospital secretary by day, naughty writer by night. Connect with her on Twitter or Facebook. She loves talking to people!

Monday, October 17, 2016

Now Available: Archipellus: God of Samhain

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ARCHIPELLUS: GOD OF SAMHAIN
Book 8 of the Sons of Herne series
October 16, 2016

BUY NOW
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How can he ever hope to embrace love...when his very touch brings death?


Archipellus is the god of Samhain, the holiest--and most dangerous--of all the pagan sabbats. On the night of All Souls, the veil between worlds stretches to its thinnest, and Archipellus must use his incubus powers to draw sexual energy and reinforce the barrier, keeping the realms from chaos. The draining is perilous to humans, so the women he chooses as lovers are already near their crossing into the underworld. With their consent, he will aid their journey in a final moment of blissful release. Considering this, he is certainly immune to the wave force of passion unleashed by the meddlesome Fates, whose love spell has consumed each of his sabbat brothers whole. 

Melissa Jacobs walks in to her terminally ill sister's hospital room and is shocked to discover a gorgeous, yet frightening incubus preparing to drain her. She forbids the joining and offers to take the girl's place--on the condition that Archipellus uses some of the power drained in an attempt to heal her sister. The result is a tear in the veil, allowing passage of a truly terrifying creature who steals her only sibling and vanishes into another realm. 


To seal the veil and find Melissa's lost sister, Archipellus must join with his half-angel brother, a warrior friend, and the fiery human lover who refuses to be left behind. When he gives into his desire for Melissa and drains her too far, he must save her at all costs. He will stand at the crossroads between the living and dead to confront the truth about his powers--and the price for using them.

Sunday, October 16, 2016

Not Her Time -Snippet Sunday

12:00 AM 24 Comments
It's Snippet Sunday, a Weekend Writing Warriors'  blog hop!

It's finished!!  I'm ready to release Archipellus: God of Samhain sometime in the next week. I might take a couple weeks off from snippets This is the last post from that book for now. I may take a couple weeks off from posting snippets in order to gear up for NaNoWriMo.  


 For this week's snippet...

Last time, Archipellus, the god of Samhain, was beginning the sabbat ritual by honing in on a female who was close to passing to the underworld. We finished with: “That whisper was a siren song, calling out for release by the god of death. He would answer.

Let's pick up a short time later, when we meet our heroine. Archipellus has selected a woman near death and has appeared in her hospital room to make her an offer: join with him in a carnal ritual that will relieve her suffering and help her cross over peacefully. In return, he will gain the energy he needs to seal the veil and spare both their worlds. The woman agrees...


The monster Archipellus held at bay all year rose, quickening his heartbeat, demanding that he claim the frail woman hard and fast in order to drain her strength into himself. Beads of sweat broke out on his forehead as he forced himself to remain composed, a task so consuming that he didn’t register the squeak of the door opening. The privacy curtain yanked back before he could hide himself, and there stood the woman from the bedside photo, her mouth wide open and murderous fire blazing in compelling blue-green eyes.
“What in the hell are you doing to my sister?” she cried.
He was on her in a heartbeat, clamping a hand over her mouth. “Silence yourself before you attract attention.”
She squirmed against him, which didn't help his urgent condition in the slightest until she bit into his palm and shoved him away. She raced to her sister’s bedside and threw herself over her.
“It’s not her time, demon. Get out.”


...What do you think?  


How can he hope to embrace love when his very touch brings death?
Archipellus thinks he alone is immune to the romantic power that has overtaken his sabbat brothers, for an incubus who drains partners during sex could never find happiness with a mortal woman. Then he meets Melissa, a woman willing to brave the danger of his erotic touch in hopes that his power might also cure her sister. When their passion tears a hole in the veil between worlds, Archipellus will embark on a quest to seal the breach and rescue the sister who was snatched and taken across the rift.

Read Book 1 of the series, Dominus: God of Yule--and follow the link inside to get Book 2 free!
Buy on Amazon

~ * ~ ~ * ~ *~ * ~ * ~ *~ *~ * ~ *~ *







For more awesome snippets, check out 


~ *~ * ~ * ~ *~ *~ * ~ *~ 
I'm J. Rose Allister, wife, working mom, and the author of over thirty books. Somewhere in between one and the next, I love hanging out here on my blog and over on Twitter. Give me a comment or follow-I love chatting with people!

Tuesday, October 11, 2016

Mouth-Watering Microwave Monkey Bread

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It's Too Yummy Tuesday!

On select Tuesdays I share delicious recipes either inspired by my books or that are just plain delicious!


There are days when I hanker for the smell of something great baking, but I don't have the time to accomplish that feat. Burning a nice scented candle can help, but that doesn't satisfy the taste buds! So for days like these, a two-minute batch of monkey bread is ideal.

I've been serving this since the kids were little, and it was as easy for them to learn to make as it was for them to eat! Monkey bread doesn't last long, but it smells great and tastes even better.  Try it substituting some of the butter with coconut oil and organic maple syrup for the sugar. You're welcome. :)

Mouth-Watering Microwave Monkey Bread

 Ingredients

3 Tbsp. butter (or 1/2 butter, 1/2 coconut oil)
1/3 c. brown sugar (or maple syrup)
1 Tbsp. water
1 tsp. cinnamon
Optional: 1/3 cup raisins or chopped nuts
1 can refrigerator biscuits (the round kind, not croissants)

Directions

Melt together everything except biscuits in a glass pie plate in the microwave. Sprinkle the nuts/raisins evenly around the bottom if using. Cut each section of biscuit dough into quarters. Lay on top of butter mixture in pan. Cook about 2 1/2 minutes on high until dough is baked. (They don't brown, so watch carefully. If they overcook, they get tough.)

Let cool a couple minutes before eating, if you can stand it. If not, have some cold milk standing by.
Enjoy!
~~~

J. Rose Allister is the author of more than thirty books, primarily romance and erotic romance. A former editor and submissions director, she now works as a mild-mannered hospital secretary by day, naughty writer by night. Connect with her on Twitter or Goodreads. She loves talking to people!

Sunday, October 9, 2016

The God of Death Will Answer -Snippet Sunday

12:00 AM 27 Comments
It's Snippet Sunday, a Weekend Writing Warriors'  blog hop!

Despite a busy week, I made hopping progress on Archipellus: God of Samhain. It's almost done!
A quick synopsis:


How can he hope to embrace love when his very touch brings death?
Archipellus thinks he alone is immune to the romantic power that has overtaken his sabbat brothers, for an incubus who drains partners during sex could never find happiness with a mortal woman. Then he meets Melissa, a woman willing to brave the danger of his erotic touch in hopes that his power might also cure her sister. When their passion tears a hole in the veil between worlds, Archipellus will embark on a quest to seal the breach and rescue the sister who was snatched and taken across the rift.

 Onto the snippet...
Last time, Archipellus, the god of Samhain, began the invocation for the ritual to seal the veil between worlds. We ended with: He gripped the hilt of the sword with both hands and raised it in front of him, his glowing red eyes reflecting off the mirror-like blade. He lifted his head and called the invocation.

Let's pick up a couple sentences later, after he has spoken the declaration. Now he seeks a female sabbat partner...


As Archipellus finished the declaration of his intent to seal the veil, his wings unfurled, stretching out to where the tips touched the walls across the chamber. The god of Samhain had wings of strong, yet supple leather, appendages that would anchor him to the veil, holding it together while he infused it with the energy needed to seal the rift. His wings did not have feathers like his brother Jorandil’s, but then, Jorandil bore the blood of an angel. Archipellus was a demon.
The blade still in front of his face, he closed his eyes and let the desperate voices in. There were so many that a lesser being would be driven mad, but Archipellus called upon the sword and his own strength, using meditative techniques to hone his focus. He zeroed in on the female cries, mentally pushing aside those in distress for causes he could not alter while seeking the ones who approached their time of crossing.
Her whisper was what attracted him, resigned, prepared, too young to be taken from life, yet accepting that her time on earth was at an end. That whisper was a siren song, calling out for release by the god of death.
He would answer.


...What do you think?  



Read Book 1 of the series, Dominus: God of Yule--and follow the link inside to get Book 2 free!
Buy on Amazon

~ * ~ ~ * ~ *~ * ~ * ~ *~ *~ * ~ *~ *







For more awesome snippets, check out 


~ *~ * ~ * ~ *~ *~ * ~ *~ 
I'm J. Rose Allister, wife, working mom, and the author of over thirty books. Somewhere in between one and the next, I love hanging out here on my blog and over on Twitter. Give me a comment or follow-I love chatting with people!

Friday, October 7, 2016

Halloween Short! Freebie Friday

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Welcome to Freebie Friday! On select Fridays, I offer something free, generally a book. (But not necessarily.) The books will either be one of mine or some other erotic romance that is free at the time of my post.

Last time, I mentioned I was checking out Instafreebie as a way to deliver content to readers. I really like it! So just in time for October, I'm offering another Instafreebie...this one a steamy Halloween short story!

Here's more about this month's freebie:

The Sex Hex
A witch’s desperate spell on Halloween night will grant a night of incredible erotic pleasure for the man caught in her web—but it might also kill him in the process. An erotic romance short story featuring a naughty witch, a steamy spell, and an HEA.
 
Ready for your freebie?  GET FREE HALLOWEEN STORY NOW

And hey, I'll add a shameless plea right here...if you enjoy this freebie, could you please take a moment and drop a review-then tell a friend? 

Monday, October 3, 2016

Halloween, Holiday Reads, and Hard Decisions

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On the first Monday of each month I gab about what's going on with me, my writing, and life in general.

Happy October! This is that time when the holidays are about to race by me in a wild, chaotic blur. Hopefully, I'll be organized enough to get all the things done that I want before I realize that it's over for another year!

In any case, I've got a lot in front of me this month. Do you find October a busy time too?

Halloween

Halloween is a favorite time of year around our house! My favorite part is decorating. While I don't get to go as hog wild as I'd like living in our current location, I like visiting the Halloween Superstore to check out the latest animatronics. For dad and daughter, costumes are a year-round hobby, so deciding what to wear and where to show it off is a big part of the festivities. Bri likes to hop around from one character to the next, trying on different costume ideas until finding one that truly fits. Which is a lot like my writing career, come to think of it. More on that in a minute.

Holiday Reads

This time of year, I get in the mood for some good holiday-themed reading. Witches, vampires, and werewolves in October. Fall themes, "giving thanks," and historicals in November (I suppose because the month makes me think back to another era). And wintry, snowy tales of holiday romance in December. Do you have any suggestions for good holiday reads for me? Drop me a comment. 

If you get in that same reading mood, I certainly have my fair share of October-ready titles to offer you. Check these out:

*Bewitching Love (set in a beach town, but a naughty witch and vampires, so yeah! Also a great one if you like secret baby reads...)
*Her Full Moon Cowboys (my all-time bestseller!)

...and my hawt Samhain romance, Archipellus: God of Samhain, is coming out in the next couple of weeks. Just in time!

For a Thanksgiving-themed read, there's my newest Sons of Herne, Anduron: God of Mabon.  And if you're ready to fast forward to the winter holidays, I have a fun vampire one called Holidays Bite. Guaranteed to steam up the windows on a chilly winter's night!  Or grab Dominus: God of Yule for free!

Speaking of free holiday reads, I'll be offering a Halloween short this Friday that you won't want to miss! Stop by the blog to check it out.

Hard Decisions

I need your help! I'm making some important decisions related to my books in the coming year (and beyond), and your input would be quite valuable.

As I wrap up Sons of Herne and begin planning upcoming projects, I've been reflecting on the different subgenres I write. I mentioned before how my daughter likes to spend time trying on different costumes before settling on one, and that defines my writing career in a nutshell.

Dear readers, I am here to confess. J. Rose Allister has been a steaming melting pot of hot romance. Sometimes I hanker for everyday heroes. Then it's gods and fantasy. Or I'll want to dive into the dark worlds of vampires and werewolves. I'm trying on genre costumes to see what fits. Trouble is, I like them all. But that doesn't mean my readers do.

I've been lumping books under my J. Rose Allister pen based on heat level rather than subgenre. Now I want readers to have a clearer understand of what they're getting from me, so I'm considering multiple hot romance pen names.

Should I divvy up my romance into contemporary and paranormal/fantasy pen names? Comment here or take the survey in the sidebar to let me know your thoughts. (Or, if you have thoughts to share privately, email me at jroseallister AT gmail DOT com.)  Thanks for your input!

~*~*~*~
On select Mondays, I like to gab about whatever's going on with me. For more gab, please join me on Twitter or Facebook. I love talking to people!

J. Rose Allister is the author of more than twenty-five books, primarily romance and erotic romance. A former editor and submissions director, she now works as a mild-mannered hospital secretary by day, naughty writer by night.

Sunday, October 2, 2016

The Sword of Apollyon -Snippet Sunday

12:00 AM 19 Comments
It's Snippet Sunday, a Weekend Writing Warriors'  blog hop!

Things are moving along with my WIP, I'm happy to say, so I'll share another snippet from Archipellus: God of Samhain. A quick synopsis:


How can he hope to embrace love when his very touch brings death?
Archipellus thinks he alone is immune to the romantic power that has overtaken his sabbat brothers, for an incubus who drains partners during sex could never find happiness with a mortal woman. Then he meets Melissa, a woman willing to brave the danger of his erotic touch in hopes that his power might also cure her sister. When their passion tears a hole in the veil between worlds, Archipellus will embark on a quest to seal the breach and rescue the sister who was snatched and taken across the rift.

Last time, we met our hero as he entered the sacred sabbat chamber to the beat of heavy drums. Archipellus, the god of Samhain, is preparing to invoke his annual ritual...and those in the room seem ambivalent about his presence. We ended with: "His father, the great Herne himself, managed to meet the red, glowing eyes of his son without flinching, but Archipellus saw his Adam’s apple give a telltale bob.

Let's pick up from there as the officiant announces his arrival...


“The god of Samhain has heeded the call,” Counselor Veramus said, raising his hand to gesture at Archipellus. “Let him bring forth the sabbat and use his power to seal the veil before the realms collide in chaos.”
Archipellus moved to the center of the room, standing on the spot where the glowing ley lines crossed while he regarded the pedestal in front of him. On it lay the artifact he would use to gain access to the other realm—the sword of Apollyon, the weapon that once belonged to the angel of death. The silvery blade, honed and faceted to perfection, gleamed in the light of the crystalline pedestal.
“You stand at the crossroads,” Veramus went on, making grand gestures with his arms as if being counselor of the darkest sabbat did not draw enough attention to him. “Find she who suffers and make your passing.”
The drums fell silent, and Archipellus’s horns creaked as they lengthened in preparation for the ritual. He gripped the hilt of the sword with both hands and raised it in front of him, his glowing red eyes reflecting off the mirror-like blade. He lifted his head and called the invocation.

...What do you think?  



Read Book 1 of the series, Dominus: God of Yule--and follow the link inside to get Book 2 free!
Buy on Amazon

~ * ~ ~ * ~ *~ * ~ * ~ *~ *~ * ~ *~ *







For more awesome snippets, check out 


~ *~ * ~ * ~ *~ *~ * ~ *~ 
I'm J. Rose Allister, wife, working mom, and the author of over thirty books. Somewhere in between one and the next, I love hanging out here on my blog and over on Twitter. Give me a comment or follow-I love chatting with people!

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