Seven Things About Me

I was tagged by Tali Spencer and Michael Rupured for this meme, so feel free to hop over to their blogs to complain if I bury y'all in information lol.



1) I collect carnival glass. I have the stuff above my cabinets in the kitchen, curio cabinets are stuffed full, and more glass sitting out around the house. I've got a ton of this stuff, and own several different colors. My mom and I used to collect carnival glass, so now I have all her stuff too! It's taking over lol.

 

 

 

2) My favorite food, or so I've been told, is candy corn. LOL. I just bought 3 bags yesterday. o.0 I would have to say that my favorite food is streak and potatoes.

 

 

 

 

3) I drink waaaaaay too much Coke. Okay, that's probably not a secret. :)

 

 

 

 

 

4.) I always drink with a straw. Always. After I had back surgery I ended up with a horrible gag reflex. I mean a serious one. I can choke myself by just breathing. It's sad, really.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5) My favorite color is red. Even my car is red lol.

 

 

 

 

6) I hate bugs. Hate 'em, hate 'em, hate 'em. When I taught, I had to check for lice on Fridays. After I was done I'd spend a good ten minutes in the teacher lounge bathroom washing my hands raw. The only good bug is a dead bug. *shudder*

 

 

 

 

 

7) I drive like a bat out of hell lol. Which is kinda funny since I live in a *very* small town. You're not getting anywhere quick around here. My dad taught me to drive--my dad the WW2 vet and MP. Yeah, NASCAR drivers have nothing on me. Oh, and I taught both kiddo's how to drive lol.

 

 

 

 

 

So, there ya go! Here are the seven I tagged:

 

LM Somerton

 

Amylea Lyn

 

Julie Lynn Hayes

 

Cyn

 

Vamp Writer

 

Elyabeth M. VaLey

 

Chris T. Kat



Feature and Follow Friday #2

TGI Friday, y'all!  

 

 

The purpose is to meet new people and gain more followers in the book blogging community. It's a great way to find new blogs that interest you. Lord knows I have.

 

Here are the rules to the blog hop! To join the fun and make new book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:


· (Required) Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Hosts {Parajunkee & Alison Can Read}


· (Required) Follow our Featured Bloggers


· Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing on either Hosts blog. You can also grab the code if you would like to insert it into your posts.


· Grab the button from either Host and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say “hi” in your comments and that they are now following you.


· If you are using WordPress or another CMS that doesn’t have GFC (Google Friends Connect) state in your posts how you would like to be followed


· Follow Follow Follow as many as you can, as many as you want, or just follow a few. The whole point is to make new friends and find new blogs. Also, don’t just follow, comment and say hi. Another blogger might not know you are a new follower if you don’t say “HI.”


· If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love… and the followers.


· If you’re new to the Follow Friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!

 

 

~Q: What is the BIGGEST word you've seen used in a book lately - that made you stop and look it up? Might as well leave the definition & book too.~

 

 

Parthenogensis. The word parthenogenesis comes from the Greek παρθένος, parthenos, meaning "virgin", and γένεσις, genesis, meaning "birth". It is a form of asexual reproduction where growth and development of embryos occur without fertilization. 


I found the word in a friends Wednesday Brief flash story last week lol, and had to look it up. Of course, after I read the meaning I knew exactly what it meant and how it tied into her flash story!

~M

Guest blogger Alicia Nordwell

      Hey everyone! Today I have Alicia Nordwell with me talking about her book Pricolici which will be released by Romance First September 28th at Amazon All Romance Ebooks Smashwords and Pricolici's Goodreads page

 

 

  

 

 

 1.     When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I’m a writer? Really? Seriously, I’ll always consider myself a reader. It is really hard to put that label to myself, simply because I don’t feel I have that drive to be a ‘writer’ like so many of my favorite authors, or even my friends that write. It’s a great hobby, and I’ve been incredibly lucky to have a story picked up by Romance First Publishing, but I’m just not ready to be so bold as to claim such honors, lol.  

 

 

 

2.     Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

Staying awake! Seriously, there is something about writing that makes me sleepy. I’ve found the middle of the afternoon is my best time, unlike a lot of other authors I’ve talked to that like to write in the morning or evening. Sometimes a story is so gripping I can’t help but write it at any moment available to me, though it all just depends on what’s going on in my mind. I do edit best in the morning though.

 

 

 

 

3.     Do your characters try to make like bunnies and create ever more convoluted plots for you? Or do you have to coax them out of your characters?

I’m always trying to figure out how to find the time to write new stories! Even when I write a short I end up with ideas on how to expand the story, and readers who are asking me to, it seems. If I had the time to write all the plot bunnies I’ve written up in note form and saved on my computer, I’d not be able to do anything else!

 

 

  4.     So how did you come up with your idea for your story?

I’d been reading shifter stories (I love them) and I was also researching ancient cultures. I had the idea to mix the two, since I love mixing reality and fantasy. Ancient cultures are often full of great mythos, and I found some interesting Dacian ones that inspired me.

 

 

 

5.     What is your favorite part of the Pricolici?

All the little bits of actual historical information actually. I researched so that I could accurately portray the character’s appearances, artifacts, and even some of the magical details! But, if you want to find out how those turned out, you’ll have to read the book! 

Story Blurb:
Forced out, Tucker was vulnerable and alone. Betrayed by his haitas, he unknowingly drove straight for Pricolici territory. Their alpha claimed him, as a hultan and his mate. Tucker didn't believe him ... at first. Facing an attack from Stelian's ancient enemy, Tucker found out what he truly was.


Powerful.



Excerpt:
Something warm slid over him and he buried his face in the soft wool that carried the spicy scent. A bit of a rumble and then he was being moved. Tucker didn’t question it as he let the gentle rocking send him back to sleep.



Hands tugging at the laces of his leather pants startled him. He was lying on a soft surface, probably the bed in his hotel room, but a dark man was hovering over him. Tucker gasped and began to squirm away.



“Stop.” The command made Tucker freeze. “I’m just getting you more comfortable to sleep.” He lay still as the hands resumed their work, tugging the laces free and then peeling the tight leather down his thighs.



A dark laugh rolled over his senses. “Well, aren’t you a kinky little lupe.”



Tucker didn’t think the voice wanted an answer. He yawned. The dream was strange, but he was too tired to try and figure it out. He’d heard the voice before, listened to it command and coax him. It made perfect sense for him to listen to it; it wasn’t real. He wanted it to be, though.



He wanted a strong lupe, one that would ravage him but keep him safe from the other dominants. He wanted an alpha like the one who kept filling his dreams. He wanted it to be real; the lustful yellow eyes and the sexy growl hovering over him.



He arched a little, his body stirring as arousal began to fill him. The sheets felt much softer than they had earlier, during his nap. He rubbed against them, enjoyed the silky glide. Maybe his dream lover would finally take him. He’d never touched him before, but he had tonight. Tucker knew the alpha could make him scream in release; he could only hope he didn’t wake anyone in the hotel if he screamed for real.



“No. I won’t claim you tonight. Go to sleep.”



Tucker whined, but the lupe just tugged blankets over him. He was already asleep and this dream wasn’t going the way he thought it should. It figured the stubborn alpha wouldn’t do what Tucker wanted him to even in his dreams.



“Sleep.”



Tucker sighed, but he couldn’t resist that command. Exhaustion overtook him again.


Where to find Alicia:

My blog: www.ciasstories.blogspot.com
Author Page on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ciasstories
My Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/author/show/4479520.Alicia_Nordwell
My email: anordwell@live.com

Wednesday Briefs

Welcome to the Wednesday Briefers flash group. The short stories have a maximum of a 1000 word count plus links at the bottom to the other flashers. The prompt for this week is: "Suffer the little...." or use one of the alternate prompts:

Use: three, hairy, billiard ball

or "When can I see you again?"

or "He/she said what?"

Use: scales, tradition, engine

or use: dapper, dandelion, direct

or "If I were you, I'd..."

 

I’m using: "If I were you, I'd..."

 

The Waiting Game-Part 3 

“Thirty minutes to recuperate, then we start again. Is the plug still vibrating?” Mac grinned when Hal nodded his head. “Good.”

* * * *

Hal lay on the bed, pleasure ruling his body. Wave after wave washed through him as the ropes held him close. When Mac first bound him, he’d been worried he’d feel restricted—and the ropes did do that, but they also brought about a feeling of security. He could let go and trust Mac to take care of him. As they experimented, Hal found he didn’t care much for the S & M side of BDSM. A little light pain was all he could handle, and Mac hadn’t pushed him to go farther.

“Time to start.”

Hal shivered on the bed as the nipple clamps and cock ring were replaced. As soon as Mac spoke, Hal’s cock hardened completely. He heard Mac moving around the room, but couldn’t see thanks to the blindfold. What was he doing now?

“If I were you, I’d prepare myself.”

That, and the sound of something cutting through the air, was his only warning. A sharp sting on the inside of his spread thighs had him swallowing hard. The pain was by no means bad, more startling. There was edge, a bite to the pain, a warning of what could come next. The sting spread out and headed straight for his cock and his mind scrambled. What the hell was Mac wielding?

Without sight he couldn’t figure out what Mac… oh God, yes, yes, he did know what was being used. The fly swatter. This one was strictly used for their play. It was the only thing, so far, they’d found that gave him just enough pain without being too much. His cock jumped against his belly as nervousness and excitement flowed through him. Hal grunted as the muscles in his legs tightened for the next hit.

“Figured out what that was, huh, my sweet sub?”

Several more blows rained down—some were on the inside of his thighs, but a few hits were on the outside of his legs, his calves. Hal twisted in the ropes, moaning wantonly. Bits of pain mixed with the pleasure. He needed… oh, oh, yes! His body arched as another hit landed. The sweet sting circulated through him, heightening his need, before focusing on his aching cock.

“How nicely your skin reddens for me….” Mac bent down and kissed a mark. “How hard your cock is. You make me proud, Hal. So sexy in your submission.”

Hal’s hips thrust, his cock weeping his desire on his belly… frantic for relief, fighting for something… desperately fucking the air. He needed, oh God, he needed.

Mac stroked that lovely piece of meat that strained for attention. “Beautiful, just beautiful. So flushed and hard for me… wanting.”

Hal whimpered into the gag, his body going limp against the restraints… begging for what he needed.  

Mac stripped off his clothes. He knew that sound—Hal was nearing the end of his control. He eased the plug out and gently blew against Hal’s twitching hole that begged to be filled with him, not silicone. He spread the lube on himself and added a bit more to Hal. No pain would be involved in this. He’d driven Hal up to aching heights; it was now time to bring him crashing down gently.

Mac pulled off the blindfold, and Hal’s shining eyes focused on him. Quickly he released the ropes and the gag. He did not, however, undo the chain holding Hal’s wrists hostage. Mac positioned himself between Hal’s legs, bent over him, and kissed his lover. Their tongues dueled, lashing together, enforcing the bond between them.

“I love you, Hal. You are mine—my one and only. My heart. Let me see your pleasure, hear it from your lips. Give it all to me.” And with that he hooked Hal’s legs over his arms and slammed inside.

“Oh! Oh…” Hal threw his head back and yelled… not from pain, but from finally being filled with what he needed… filled by his mate. “Yours!” His legs tightened around Mac’s hips, pulling Mac closer, urging him in farther. “Oh, fuck! Yes, yes…right here! Take me! Oh God, sir…”

Mac rode Hal hard, hips snapping as he pounded his lover, their eyes locked on one another. Moans and soft, startled screams filled the air as Mac made love to the other half of his soul.

“Can I—can I come?” Hal gasped as Mac repeatedly thrust inside. “Please, sir.”

“Say… my… name,” Mac growled above Hal. His body gleamed with sweat, his hair falling in his eyes. “Say it…”

“Mac,” Hal whispered, obeying the need he heard in Mac’s voice. “Fill me, love.”

“Oh, fuck.” Mac threw his head back, teeth gritted. “Come!”

Bodies moving, writhing—sliding against each other as pleasure rushed forth claiming them—both men came together in a wild chorus of sounds.

Mac was the first to recover. Easing his body down next to Hal, he petted and stroked the trembling muscles, mumbling soft, meaningless words of comfort. Tired, but happy, whimpers reached his ears as Hal lay quietly next to him.

“Mac, unchain me, please? I want to touch you.”

Mac rolled over to the bedside table, retrieved the key to the cuffs and unlocked Hal. Immediately Hal’s hands were on him, smoothing over abs, through his hair, over his face.

“Missed you,” Hal sighed.

“Missed you too, babe. And thank you. That was worth the price of being gone.” Mac held Hal close, his eyes traveling over Hal. The red marks left by the fly swatter were already fading. “I love you so much.”

Hal snuggled in closer. “Love you too. Always.”

“Always,” Mac agreed as he turned out the lights.

The end.

Don’t forget to visit the other briefers!

~M

Nephylim m/m

Lily Sawyer m/m

Michael Mandrake m/m

Cia Nordwell m/m

Tali Spencer m/f

Julie Lynn Hayes m/m

Feature and Follow Friday #1

 

TGI Friday, y'all! Here's something new, lol! The link is at the bottom. This is kinda like a blog hop.

 

 

~What hyped up book do you think was worth all the talk?

 

Fifty Shades of Grey . I've started reading this book and I have to say I'm liking it. And there is certainly a lot of hype around these books. :)

 

Hop on over to Parajunkee  and Alison Can Read to see more!

~M

Guest blogger Tali Spencer

The Known Sky 

During the editing of The Prince of Winds, one of the editors at Dreamspinner commented on how much she loved the scope of the world and the many landscapes it presents. Her observation homed in on something I deliberately wrote into the book—and that also mirrors my own life. More than any other of my stories, The Prince of Winds showcases the landscapes of my childhood and youth.

When I was seven, I looked out the living room picture window every morning at a view of Pike’s Peak. My father often drove us on day trips into the Rocky Mountains, along narrow roads into valleys filled with golden aspens. He also took us into a mountain, Cheyenne Mountain, where he worked. As a kid, I didn’t appreciate NORAD’s nuclear bunker. Most of my memories are of soaring peaks and deep gorges to the west, and of beautiful sweeping plains to the east.

We moved a lot when I was growing up. My father’s work in missile guidance systems took us to Massachusetts, the Marshall Islands, Texas, California, and Virginia—and several other states as well, every part of the continental United States but the deep South. Such diverse landscapes gave me a deep appreciation for nature’s variety and power. I know firsthand how quickly the desert cools at night, and how wide the sky can be, filled with stars. I drove into El Paso during a sandstorm and when we got out of the car, we saw the paint stripped down to bare metal. A blizzard in Boston left snow drifts deeper than I was tall—and I’m not short. I’ve driven a car on a frozen lake and nearly got caught in a flash flood in an arroyo. The dunes at White Sands, New Mexico are blinding. The Ohio River is a highway of water.

As a young mother, I spent time in South America, living for a while in Bolivia. There I experienced more new landscapes. Beautiful blue-green lakes reflected volcanoes. Inca terraces and inscrutable ruins shared mountainsides with native villages. I grew faint after ten minutes of playing basketball at 13,000 feet above sea level—yes, the air is that thin. Standing on the spine of the Andes while llamas graze nearby is amazing. The snow-capped mountains march to either side like enormous teeth. The triple peaks of the Illimani rise so majestically above the Altiplano, it’s no wonder the Incas believed it to be a god. The Amazon forest has both more sounds and more silence than any place I have ever known.

Cruises reveal as many wonders. Turquoise water and pink sand beaches. Storms at sea are terrifying when a ship stands between you and disaster. Beautiful islands surrounded by sea are nonetheless dependent on rain for water. The sun seems stronger at sea, and I adore watching the sun rise and set across the ocean’s vast horizon.

 

And I haven’t mentioned the amount of time I’ve spent in the air, flying over mountains, forests, deserts, oceans, and plains through every season.  It’s humbling and amazing to watch the landscape change across the miles.

So when I wrote a story in which one of the characters could fly, I drew heavily on my experiences and the landscapes I love. The story of The Prince of Winds starts off in a desert. It moves to an island with a shore like that of Peggy’s cove and crags that resemble those I knew from hikes in El Paso. Melkor flies Rimmon back to his home over fields like Wisconsin and dunes like those of White Sands, toward mountains based on the Andes. The snowy mountain trails are pulled from Colorado. The gullies of the battle scene originated in Texas. There’s a scene at a mountain temple which is pure seven year-old me standing at the edge of an overlook atop Pike’s Peak. Every scene has roots in images and memory.

I gave the world of The Prince of Winds a name: The Known Sky. That’s what every invented world is. It’s what the writer knows. I hope readers enjoy the landscapes in this one.

Links to me and my books:

My Blog: http://talismania-brilliantdisguise.blogspot.com/

Twitter: @tali_spencer

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tali.spencer

Dreamspinner Author Page: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/index.php?cPath=55_661

Resplendence Author Page: http://www.resplendencepublishing.com/m8/490-201-103-501-1--captive-heart-pride-of-uttor-series-book-one-by-tali-spencer.html

Wednesday Briefs

Welcome to the Wednesday Briefers flash group. The short stories have a maximum of a 1000 word count plus links at the bottom to the other flashers. The prompt for this week is: "You are the sunshine of my ..." or use the alternate prompts:

Use: butts, pudding, cat

or "I'd like to make you an offer...." or

use something with stripes in your story or

use: whole new world or

"I always thought you look like..." 

I’m using: whole new world 

The Waiting Game-Part 2 

Mac looked up the stairs and grinned. His sub was up there... helpless and waiting. The least he could do was let Hal know he was in the house. Mac walked up the stairs slowly. But that didn’t mean the game was about to start.

* * * *

Mac stood in the door of their bedroom. Nothing got his blood pumping like seeing Hal restrained. Not that long ago, Hal had known nothing about BDSM outside of what he’d read or seen in videos. Mac had opened up a whole new world to Hal when they started a relationship.

He crossed the bedroom, stopping near the bed, and cleared his throat. He knew Hal heard him enter the room from the way his body tensed, but he wanted to make sure. One faculty he hadn’t taken from Hal was his ability to hear. Hal was still new enough to the lifestyle he tended to panic if he couldn’t relate to his environment in some way.

Mac trailed his finger up Hal’s cock. “Excellent job, my sweet sub. I’m very proud of you.”

Hal’s body twitched on the bed in pleasure from Mac’s words, and a bead of precome leaked from his cock. A muffled groan worked its way from under the gag in Hal’s mouth.

“Excited, aren’t you?” Mac rubbed the bead of precome around the top of Hal’s cock, watching it jump from his light touch. “Five days is a long time, I know. I’ve missed you too. I ache to feel you twitching around my dick as I fill you. Hand jobs just aren’t the same.”

Hal’s hands fisted in the cuffs.

Mac licked the precome off his fingers, making enough noise Hal could hear him, and sat on the bed between Hal’s spread legs. “The plug was a little big, wasn’t it? Did it burn as you inserted it? Bet it did, since I didn’t give you much time to prepare. But that burn faded, huh? To be replaced with another kind of burn… a burning need for the real thing.”

Mac tapped the plug nestled in Hal’s ass. Taking the base of the plug, he slowly fucked Hal with it. His sub’s toes curled into the bedding and the muscles in his legs tightened as more precome slid down Hal’s dick.

“Oh yes, very excited. I wonder if you’ll be able to wait for permission to come? Will I have to spank that gorgeous ass of yours tonight? I do so love to see your skin redden under my hand.” Mac bent down and licked the length of Hal’s dick. A sharp whine sounded from the man tied to the bed. “Or, maybe I should use the whip. After all, if you come without permission that is breaking a rule.”

Mac closed his mouth over Hal’s dick, taking him to the root. His nose brushed against Hal’s hairless groin. Frantic sounds broke from around the gag in Hal’s mouth, and Mac lifted his head, removing the source of torment.

“It wouldn’t take much for you to lose control, would it, my desperate little sub?”

 Mac tweaked the clamped nipples. Truth be known, he was as needy as Hal. Five fucking days were too long, and he needed Hal as much as Hal needed him. Mac brushed his lips across the inside of Hal’s knee. The soft skin roughened with chill bumps. Hal was very sensitive, but tonight, he was too sensitive.

Mac rested his head against Hal’s knee. “I think we’re both are too close to losing control. We need to take the edge off, babe, or this night isn’t going to be much fun for either of us.” He felt the tension drain out of Hal. Mac either called Hal ‘sub’ or by name. He only used affectionate terms when he needed Hal to know it was okay to step out of their roles for a moment.

He unzipped his pants and pulled his dick out of his underwear. Stroking his cock with one hand, and Hal’s with his other hand, he worked them towards orgasm. The grunts coming from Hal told Mac it wouldn’t be long. Seeing his sub twist on the bed, hips thrusting, was enough to make his balls tighten, and that familiar churning in his gut told him he was ready.

“Gonna come… come, now!”

A sharp scream pushed through the gag in Hal’s mouth as his seed covered Mac’s hand. Mac followed shortly, making sure to come on Hal’s groin. The fact it hadn’t taken long for both of them to come told him he’d done the right thing. Now they could enjoy the slow build-up of their night together.

Mac patted Hal on the leg as he stood up. As he did, he glanced down; Hal lay on the bed, the rapid rise and fall of his chest slowing as he basked in the afterglow. This was much better. Now the tension could come from what he did to Hal, not Hal fighting his own body.

“Yes, much better now. Think we need to give those tender nipples a break before we start again, Hal.”

That was the only warning Hal received before Mac removed the clamps and rubbed the susceptible little nubs. Hal arched on the bed and cried out against the gag. From having his own nipples clamped, Mac knew that little ripples of pleasurable pain arrowed straight to Hal’s dick… a dick still soft, but showing interest.

Mac slipped the cock ring off, and went to the bathroom for a towel. Once he was done cleaning Hal, he tossed the towel in the dirty clothes basket and switched on the TV.

“Thirty minutes to recuperate, then we start again. Is the plug still vibrating?”

Hal nodded his head and Mac grinned. “Good.”

TBC-Part #3 next week

~M

Make sure to drop by the other briefers:

Nephylim m/m

Michael Mandrake m/m

Cia Nordwell m/m

Elyzabeth VaLey m/f

Tali m/f

Julie Lynn Hayes m/m

Plagiarized books

Guest post by Tali Spencer:

It happens all the time. A writer puts up a book, or a series of chapters that constitutes a first draft of a book, on a free site. The writer is seeking encouragement, connection with fans or readers, maybe advice. They don’t stop to consider—fully consider—that their work might be stolen by someone else and published. Most of the time, they never even bother to register copyright on their work. They know copyright is just a legality and think it doesn’t matter. After all, the work is theirs because they created it. Right?

Right. But there’s more at stake than who wrote it when someone else puts their name on it.

I found out this weekend that my book, The Prince of Winds, was stolen when it was up for a while on a free site. Many people enjoyed this story there and offered me encouragement. Fans said I should get it published. But I waited and posted more free material until I could believe in myself. Well, I guess I should have listened to my readers … because someone else took the book and published it before I did. Dreamspinner notified me Sunday morning (actually Saturday night, but I saw the email when I woke up Sunday) that a reader who had bought the book off their site complained that she already owned the book. I was asked to clarify the matter.

Did I write The Prince of Winds?

And so it began. This is how it played out. Saturday night the book was removed from all sales sites until the matter could be resolved. People looking for the book couldn’t find it and wrote to me asking what was going on. What did I tell them? The truth.

The book was published in March 2012 by a publisher called Forever Amber for a writer named Emily Wilcox. Check out this [HERE] to see the scoop on Forever Amber. Both I and my publisher have every reason to believe this publisher was in fact a single person using pseudonyms for the many plagiarized books the company published. My book was published as two books: “The Prince of Desire: Persian Prince Adventure” and “The King of Storms.”  The thief put the books up on Goodreads, too, [HERE].

This is bad for me in several ways. It’s bad enough some readers out there might think I’m the plagiarist. I never even copied homework. But they don’t know me from a street sign in Toledo, so now I have to rebuild my credibility as an author. I also have to rebuild credibility for this book. I could just write it off, but I’m not willing to do that—and neither is my publisher. The Prince of Winds is a fine book and I’m proud to have written it! Dreamspinner believes in it, too, and is keeping the book in print.

The book is already back on the sales shelf. There’s one reason and one reason only we were able to resolve this issue so quickly: I had registered the book’s copyright in February 2011. That’s right. As soon as I put it online, I paid my $35 and got a certificate that establishes me as author of this book. I did the same for Captive Heart, by the way. So when Dreamspinner asked if I could clarify the matter, I had only to go to my file cabinet and send them the copyright number and information. A quick check and some consulting with their lawyer and we were good.

The Prince of Winds now carries a disclaimer that an unauthorized edition was published. It names the other title but not the author. Because I’m the author of both versions. The copyright notice in the book now carries my copyright registration number to prove I’m the copyright holder. Anyone who bought the book on its original release won’t have those notices. The blurb now also carries the same disclaimer.

How do I feel about that? I hate having that language attached to my blurb. I hate having that other title even buried in in the copyright notice where most people never look. It’s like having a scar. It will always be there, but I don’t have to like it. Good thing I have enough life experience—and scars—to be able to chalk this one up to a lesson learned.

If you put your work out online for free, for fun, because you like the ego strokes or want to do something nice for your fans—do it. Just realize that someone else could easily publish your work as their own. And if someone does that, it might create problems for you down the line. If you try to publish your work, it could come back to bite you in the ass. My ass this morning is so sore I need one of those hemorrhoid pillows.

As for copyright registration? It didn’t keep someone from stealing my work. I will probably never track down the now vanished publisher (the book itself is also long since off any sales sites) to sue for damages … though I have the legal standing to do so. It may never convince readers who already think I am the one who pilfered someone else’s book. But what it did do was enable me to rescue this book before it was irreparably crippled by a horrible launch. It allows me to ask Goodreads to remove that author and the offending books. Worth every cent of that $35 as far as I’m concerned. Only my Sunday was ruined, not my month.

Here’s my final say: I love my publisher. Dreamspinner was wonderful and supportive and believed in me all the way. I love my husband and friends. They listened to me vent and put up with me at my worst. I love my fans. When I told the ones who wrote to me about what was going on, they rallied like troopers.

And I still love writing. I’m writing the sequel, and I’m pretty damn sure the thief can’t do that. 

Links.

Forever Amber link: http://www.eroticromancepublishers.com/2012/04/forever-amber.html

Goodreads link: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3316671.Emily_Wilcox

 * * * *

This post also is running on Tali’s blog and several others. I posted it here because I felt this needed to be seen by as many people as possible. I know several of y’all are thinking about publishing or about to be published... and this is something an author should be aware of. This scared the hell out of me, frankly. Enough so that I also copyrighted the material I had up at the same free site. 

I don’t want to debate the issue of 'should you/shouldn’t you’ post free stuff… that isn’t what this is about. What this *is* about is the risk of posting for free anything, anywhere before you send your MS to a publisher. As I’ve said before, many publishers won’t even take material posted beforehand because first rights have used. That includes material on blogs. What happened to Tali shows why.

This also isn't about whether you should or shouldn't copyright. But, because Tali could prove she held the copyright, she was able to have the situation resolved in little over twenty-four hours. What could have taken a great deal of time to resolve ended up being nothing more than roughly a day. Keep in mind Prince of Winds had *just* been released, also. What turned out to be nothing more than a little hiccup in her launch could have ended up being a disastrous turn of events. As it was, that hiccup ruined her weekend.

Like I said, scary as hell and hits much too close to home.

~M

Winner of the Carved in Flesh anthology

And the winner is: SusanB Sebrewster @ hotmail dot com

I've sent you an email, Susan. As soon as you email me back so I can confirm the email, I'll send you the ebook. :)

Thanks for taking part, guys. There were some very emotional responses to this, and I appreciate you guys sharing.

*Grin* be on the lookout for the next contest, coming soon!

~M

Contest-Carved in Flesh!

Hey everyone! Storm Moon's Carved in Flesh is now for sale! In honor of this very special anthology, I'm giving away a copy.

To enter leave me a comment and that email addy! If you want to address the subject of scars—in whatever form or fashion you choose—that's cool! If not, that's also cool. Just make sure to leave some sort of comment so I can enter you in the contest. :)

I'll announce the winner Sunday.

http://www.stormmoonpress.com/books/Carved-in-Flesh.aspx

 

People often say that the true perfection in the human form is in its imperfections. Scars are visceral reminders of a person's past, a sign of an event that can never fade. Whether it was gained in combat, a traumatic experience, or part of a ritual with a lover, scars are the ultimate labels. They leave a permanent mark on the body and spirit that, one way or another, change a person forever.

Faded Love-
A near-fatal car accident leaves superstar model Ashley's face permanently scarred and his career into a tailspin. Only his lover, Will, can pull him out of his depression, provided his affection hasn't turned to Faded Love.

Excerpt:

“Will?” Ashley’s hand was gently held and pulled down. Why did Will’s voice sound so funny, like he was hoarse? “Will? What’s going on? Where am I? What’s on my face?”

“Listen to me. You’re in the hospital.”

“Hospital? Why the hell am I in the hospital?” Straining, he was finally able to make out the pale walls, and smell a scent he had always associated with hospitals: cleaners and sickness.

“You don’t remember… anything?” Will bent over Ashley, still holding his hands. God, Will’s skin was so warm, and his was so cold. “Tell me what you remember.”

“Was on my way home from that shoot. You called. I was going to call you back… Will?” Ashley’s voice rose and cracked. “Then, nothing until now. What—what… Will?”

One of Will’s strong hands managed to loosen itself from Ashley’s death grip and brushed Ashley’s hair back from his face. “You’re in the hospital. There was an accident, a bad accident. You were hit on the way home two days ago.”

“Fuck me! Two days ago?” Ashley bit his lip as pain spiked in his ribs. “How bad? Who hit me?”

“It was pretty bad. You have bruised ribs from the impact with the steering wheel, your arm is bruised—not broken—and more bruises over your body. I forgot the driver’s name. They hit you on the passenger side, slammed you into a street light. Two people in the other car died.”

“Died? Jesus.” Every time Ashley tried to lift his hand to his face, Will stopped him. “What’s wrong with my vision? Why can I only see out of one side?”

Gripping his hand, Will hesitated. “You were struck so hard your head hit the driver side window.”

Ashley gripped Will’s hand. There was more, he just knew it. What little he could make out of Will’s concerned face told him that. “And? Tell me, dammit!”

 “The window busted. There was glass everywhere. Oh God, Ashley, I’m so sorry. You were cut. On your face… and—and… there’s going to be a scar.”

“A scar?” Ashley whispered, and then his voice gained in strength as horror stabbed at him. “A scar, on my face? My face? No! Oh my God, no! How bad, Will? How fucking bad?”

Tears soaked Will’s voice. “From the hair line to under your chin. Jesus, Ashley. I’m so sorry.”

The screams from Ashley’s room brought most of the nursing staff at a dead run.

~M