Writing Beyond The Comfort Zone

I'd like to thank Sara for giving me the opportunity to post here today. I've been thinking a lot lately about the forces that drive us to write what we write. For years, my writing was confined to a single, very specific, sub-genre: contemporary, paranormal romantic suspense set in California. I was comfortable there. It was home. When I moved into erotic romance territory, it was a very small, very comfortable move. It was still contemporary, still set in California; nothing that might cause my regular readers to react with negativity.

But then a funny thing happened on my way to writing book number fifteen. I got an idea for a story that was a big departure for me. It wasn't set in California. It wasn't set in this century...or even the last one. In fact, thanks to the paranormal angle, it wasn't even set altogether in this universe.

That book, Iron, has just been accepted for publication and I suddenly find myself both more nervous and more excited than I've felt about any of my previous releases. I have no idea what the reaction to it will be. This is embracing the unknown in a big way; it's like that very first dive off the high board. It's a little intoxicating--and no, that's not just the Guinness talking! ;)

I've always advocated the idea that writers should emulate method actors in our craft--ie, that we should each find that place within ourselves where we're not entirely comfortable, where our emotions are raw and authentic and write from there. I've tried to stay true to that philosophy myself when I write, but I guess maybe I'd reached the point where I'd grown comfortable with the discomfort.

Maybe that's why I had to branch out in a new direction?

Market wisdom advises us against the idea of completely re-inventing ourselves over and over again. That's no way to establish a brand, make a name for yourself, or keep a devoted following. And I would truly hate to do anything that would alienate readers. But, I think it's also true that 'when you're bored, you're boring'. And boring is a good way to lose fans, too.

I think, on the whole, I'm going to side with Jack London who said: “I would rather be ashes than dust! I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry-rot. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. The function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days trying to prolong them. I shall use my time.”

So, what about you? If you're an author, do you have any books that represent a somewhat uncomfortable change in direction? If you're a reader, how often do you take chances and try something new? I'd love to hear what you think about this!

Contest Running Through March

This month I am running a contest on both my website and the Facebook fan page. It's very easy to enter. Just watch the book trailer for "The Amoveo Legacy" and leave a comment about what you thought. At the end of March I will select 5 winners in total!

Website Link http://www.novelromance.net/id3.html

OR

Facebook Fanpage Link http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Amoveo-Series-Paranormal-Romance-of-a-Different-Breed/34755877882

Good Luck and by the way. Happy St. Paddy's Day!

Sara Chatting LIVE Tonight at THE HAUNT!

Happy Friday the 13th everyone!! Tonight I happily

will be the featured author at THE HAUNT yahoo group from 7-10pm. So, not only is it Friday the 13th there's also a full moon tonight. Nice. To top it all off I'm having my tarot cards read today....so I should have some great stuff to dish about tonight.

In other exciting developments, I am going to be particpating in a revolving book tour with Red River Writers. Here's their Facebook link so you can see all the great events they've got coming up.

http://www.facebook.com/reqs.phpfriend#/event.php?eid=73108782039&ref=shareIt's a great opportunity to not only do promo for yourself, but even better you get to help other writers. So, on March 20th I'll be hosting Guest Blogger, Pg Forte. She is also an author of Paranormal Romance and would probably interest my readers too! I hope you'll come by and read all about Pg and the exciting developments she has going on. I should tell you she writes some pretty spicy stuff....hubba hubba. If you want to get a head start and check out her work here's the link to her site. http://www.pgforte.com/

Don't forget....I'll be chatting LIVE tonight at The Haunt,. I'm going to run a contest and give away a couple of prizes so I hope you can stop by and join me. If you aren't yet a member of THE HAUNT today would be a great day to join. It's free and easy. Just go to the link right here on my blog and join. So I hope you'll come by and shake the rafters with me at The Haunt!

Ebooks or Print?

As you probably know if you're reading this, I have my first book being published later this year with Devine Destinies. They are primarily an ebook publisher, but do print as well. They put their books out in ebook format first, and provided the book sells well , then they will invest in putting the book into print. It's easy to see why epublishers are plentiful. It's much less expensive to publish ebooks. There's a significantly lower financial risk to try a new author in ebook format as opposed to print. But what about the readers? According to Amazon, 5% of all of their book sales are in the Kindle ebook format. That's a pretty solid amount of ebooks being sold, so clearly there are readers out there that buy ebooks. However, they still aren't mainstream purchases. Since my first book will be out this summer initially as an ebook, I obviously want it to sell. Let's be honest, I want my publisher to put my book into print as quickly as possible. I have a poll running on the blog and on my website to try and get a feel for what my readers will want to buy.

I buy ebooks myself and enjoy the convenience of it. However, I also love to go to the book store and peruse the shelves. So how about you......ebook or print?

Release Date for "The Amoveo Legacy"

Hello! I am so excited! Today I got some great news from my publisher. Originally they had me under their eXtasy Books imprint but I started to have some reservations because my book is not erotica. Don't get me wrong...I have no issue with erotica. Hey I enjoy reading it from time to time. The thing is....my books aren't erotica. They are mainstream romance. So what does this mean? What's the deal? Well, they're now releasing my series under their mainstream imprint Devine Destinies. I am very happy about the change! I also got my release date. Hooray! Right now Book 1: The Amoveo Legacy is set for release on July 15, 2009.

Want to be sure you get your copy of "The Amoveo Legacy"? We are now accepting advance reservations for Book 1 on the Facebook Fan Page. Just go to the Fan Page and post your name on the Reservation list.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Amoveo-Series-Paranormal-Romance-of-a-Different-Breed/34755877882?ref=nf

February's Winner for Novel Romance'!

Big Congrats to Sharon May!!! Sharon is the winner of February's Contest on my Novel Romance website. She will receive an autographed copy of "The Amoveo Legacy" on CD as soon as it's released. Stay tuned for more contests and book excerpts!