by Laura K. Curtis | Jul 16, 2014 | Books, Romance |
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: It takes far more to interest me in a self-published work than in a traditionally published one. I know that my own self-pub work, Toying with his Affections, which came out today (woohoo!) will face the same struggle for eyes and for legitimacy. Even authors whose traditionally-published work I enjoy have to start over when they begin self pubbing because I’ve been burned too often by going “Oh, so-and-so has a new book out!” and then finding out it’s poorly edited or has no discernible plot or whatever.
There are gazillions of self-pubbed books out there. Seriously. I couldn’t begin to try them all. And there are a lot of subgenres I don’t read, so for those you’ll have to find another place to recommend books to you. Even books by some of my friends I have bought and have sitting on my Kindle or iPad and have not yet read (so sorry, Lexxi Callahan and Penny Watson, I promise I will get to them before the end of the summer, but things have been madness)!
So first off, I don’t read much historical at all. I know there are some great self-pubbed historical romance authors, but I just don’t read it, so I can’t help you out. Likewise paranormal. But here are some things I have read and do like:
ROMANTIC SUSPENSE:
You know that would be first, right? There are two authors in this genre I think do a great job with their self-pubbed work.
Crane has several books ranging from short stories and novellas to category length fiction to single-title. I am always happy to see a new one…like today!
Rachel Grant’s Concrete Evidence was probably the first romantic suspense self-pub I read strictly on recommendation (that is, I hadn’t read something she traditionally published or met her at a conference or anything). I still think it’s the best of her books, but I’d recommend any of her first three.
CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
Oh, these are beautiful. I wouldn’t glom, because the themes can get a bit repetitive (hero falls first, chases heroine) but the writing is lovely. The Chocolate Kiss is my favorite because of the hint of magical realism, which is always something that tends to draw me in.
[edited to add: Actually, I’d forgotten that The Chocolate Kiss was one of Florand’s books that came from Kensington, a traditional publisher. I mix up her self-pub and traditional books, which is to her credit. So for self-pub, try The Chocolate Temptation instead.]
ODDS AND ENDS
And then there are the books in genres I normally don’t read that I’ve picked up because they were written by people I knew from their traditional publishing careers or because I met them at a conference and liked what they had to say about the world.
I picked up Quinlan’s Wreckless for my niece. People sometimes mistake these books for being NA, but they’re definitely not. They’re YA and totally suitable for my 12-year-old niece to read. I haven’t read her other books, but I did read this one before I gave it to Leyla and it was sweet, well-written, with enough humor to make it good for a kid who’s still figuring stuff out.
2. K.M. Jackson‘s Bounce: Women’s Fiction
I don’t read women’s fiction. I especially don’t read women’s fiction with infidelity. It’s a giant line in the sand for me having less to do with how well stories are written than with my own personal history. But reading is an intensely personal experience, so everyone has lines in different places and no one will like everything. I admit that I did not read Bounce too carefully for precisely these reasons—I did not want to get overly involved with the characters. But I know Kwana, so I skimmed through it and I liked what I read. It got excellent reviews, so I feel certain that if those are no your particular issues, you’ll enjoy it!
And, finally, two westerns, one historical and one contemporary, both of which I bought because I like the authors’ traditionally published work:
I am absolutely sure I have left people out, but you have to start somewhere! So what about you? Do you have favorites in the indie publishing world?
by Laura K. Curtis | Jul 14, 2014 | Books, Freebies & Giveaways, Romance, Stuff! |
In Toying With His Affections, the heroine, Evie, sells sex toys for a living. She works for a fictional company called Goody’s Goodies that has both retail outlets and a home party arm. Now, before I started writing this book, I knew very little about sex toys. I knew the basics, but not how wide a variety there were, nor that home parties for such a thing even existed.
So, naturally, once I’d decided to write a sex toy story, I had to do research. Which meant hosting a party of my own and conning my friends into inviting my friends to attend. We had a great time. I highly recommend the Passion Parties folks to give you a bunch of good laughs, even if you think sex toys aren’t your thing.
Anyway, I bought several things at the party, some just for me and some to give away as promotional items. Today, I am giving away “31 Sexual Favors for Him.” It’s a set of cards that you can give to someone (or several someones, if that’s what you are into) like little coupons to brighten his day.
As usual with Rafflecopter raffles, don’t forget to CLICK THE BUTTON showing that you’re a member of the mailing list or that you’ve left a comment, or the entry won’t count!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
by Laura K. Curtis | Jul 11, 2014 | Dogs, Stuff! |
Many of you already know this, but some of you may not. (You may also not care—feel free to move right along if you’re here for the freebies; there’ll be another of those tomorrow.) The past month or so has been exceedingly tough, but things are looking up and I have time and energy again to let you know what’s going on.
First and most importantly, my crazy younger dog, Philomena, was diagnosed with kidney disease. She stopped eating and dropped from 32 pounds to 23. I was an utter wreck. We thought for a little bit that she might not live. We were force-feeding her day and night, shoving pills down her throat coated in yogurt to keep her from choking them back up, running her back and forth from the vet constantly. After her first five day stay in the hospital, she came home, and then went back in for another two days. We were scrambling to re-arrange schedules, etc. so that we could maintain some control. But then, after the second stay, they found a new medication for nausea and she popped back up, started eating again, and yesterday’s blood results were excellent. She’ll likely be on drugs and a special kidney-friendly, low-protein diet for the rest of her life, but she’s back to getting into trouble and generally making a pain of herself.
In fact, just today, Mike said to her “you’re so cute, I just want to strangle you.” Which is a good sign that everything is getting back to normal.
My own issues have been brewing since at least last July, though actually longer. The first time I remember losing my grip (literally) and sensation in my right pinkie finger was probably 20 years ago. But it went away. It’s come and gone over the years without me paying it a whole lot of mind, but when I ruptured the C6-C7 disc last July and my whole arm went numb and useless, it was time to start paying attention.
At RWA last year, I was on a lot of painkillers. I’ve been on and off them ever since and once I got my insurance straightened out, I set up surgery. They went in, pulled out two discs (a second had gone bad because of the instability caused by the first one) and then found bone spurs pressing on the nerve that they had to shave off. They put in two small plastic “spacers” instead of discs, that were then screwed in. After a while, the bone should grow around them, “fusing” the vertebrae. Both of my doctors were excellent and when I woke up, the pain in my mid-back that beat like demon wings beneath my shoulder blades had already begun to dissipate.
But neck surgery is…not easy. I am wearing a neck brace which is uncomfortable, especially in the heat. The surgery was July 3, and today is the first day I managed to sit up in bed without lifting my head in my hands as if it were a bowling ball, not something physically attached to me. Yesterday was the first day I managed to eat anything more solid than soup and eggs. (And yesterday it was rice and toast—my stomach is completely destroyed from the number of painkillers I’ve taken since the surgery.)
So, that’s where we are. Yes, I am still planning on going to RWA. Today I feel much better about that choice. Even 48 hours ago, I was thinking I must have been out of my mind. But I’ve only taken one pain pill today and I did the dishes and walked around and, as I said, didn’t have to lift my head as a separate object. So things are looking up. On Monday I go see one of my docs, and on Wednesday I see the other. I suspect I will be required to wear the neck brace at RWA, and I will probably spend most of the con in the bar hanging out instead of walking from place to place.
by Laura K. Curtis | Jun 30, 2014 | Freebies & Giveaways |
The 24 individual manicure pods were won, but the nail art fabulousness doesn’t stop there! Since a manicure even gets a mention in Toying With His Affections, today I am giving away three sets of nail strips from Espionage Cosmetics. Evie wears plain red nail polish, these are a wee bit more exotic. Once again, perfect for conferences, conventions, and the unconventional party! The set includes wild sparkling octopus tentacles, comic book craziness, and Tim Burton-inspired wackiness!
I’ve worn these in the past and had mixed results. I would recommend putting them on as close to the event as possible, since one night they lasted for only a few hours. Other people have worn then for more than a week without any problem, however, so I cannot say that they will peel off your nails the way they di
d off mine! Be sure to wipe your nails with rubbing alcohol before putting them on to keep the sticky stuff…well…sticky for as long as possible!
As usual with Rafflecopter raffles, don’t forget to CLICK THE BUTTON showing that you’re a member of the mailing list or that you’ve left a comment, or the entry won’t count!
Worldwide entries accepted!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Here’s a video tutorial telling you how to use the nail wraps:
by Laura K. Curtis | Jun 23, 2014 | Books |
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: It takes far more to interest me in a self-published work than in a traditionally published one. I know that my own self-pub work, Toying with his Affections, which came out today (woohoo!) will face the same struggle for eyes and for legitimacy. Even authors whose traditionally-published work I enjoy have to start over when they begin self pubbing because I’ve been burned too often by going “Oh, so-and-so has a new book out!” and then finding out it’s poorly edited or has no discernible plot or whatever.
1. Bria Quinlan: YA
