#WriteTip - Set Realistic Goals by @ErzabetBishop, spotlighting her #Shifter #Romance BURNING FOR YOU

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Erzabet Bishop is perhaps one of the most prolific romance authors I know. As such, her writing tip on production is one I will definitely take to heart. After this informational break, don't forget to check out Burning For You, her new shifter paranormal romance from ARe.

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Set Realistic Goals

by Erzabet Bishop

Many of us writers have day jobs or other tasks that keep us away from the worlds we want to create. That said, it is possible to write a novella in two weeks. You just do the math and divide it out day by day around those things that thwart us. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. That's why you have to keep realistic goals that work around your schedule, not against it.

It can be a bit harder when you are pressed for a deadline you weren't ready for. (raises hand) Sometimes current projects avalanche when you aren't looking (yup) and it's easy to get in full panic mode. (flooding, medical procedures, microwaves that die, work, pet vomit, laundry, stuff...)

Just remember-like they said in Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy- grab that towel and what...can we hear it? Right. Don't panic! You will do this. Bit by bit. 500 words at a time? You bet. Writing that email to yourself with half a chapter on lunch? Sure. Talking into your phone when no one is looking for a bit of dictation? Hell yes. What you do today is more than yesterday and you are closer than you think. Use your spare time and resources and get that novella/novel done. 

I won't lie. I'm in panic mode right now staring down the short edge of a novel due yesterday and twenty thousand words to go. But I'm going to pick up that keyboard and start whomping on a word count that can actually work. Life happens. Reasonable publishers will work with you as long as you let them know what's going on. That is my realistic goal for today. Right after my second cup of coffee...

Happy writing! 

Burning for You

By Erzabet Bishop

Where there’s smoke, there’s dragon fire.

Ordinary girl. Extraordinary fate.

Violet Winters is having a less than perfect day. Her parents are meddling with her love life (again), her wintery magic is kaput and her vivid dreams are coming far too close to reality. When she falls through the ice after seeing her fiancé all close and snuggly with a fellow polar bear, all bets are off. Is she better off dead or will she get another chance at life when a Grimare angel rescues her from her chosen fate?

Fire meets ice and passions ignite.

Dante is a dragon on a mission: fight the string of strange fires springing up around Westmore and find a mate. When his Captain decides to have the men pose for social media shots to garner attention for the station, Dante finds himself in the middle of a steady stream of women after his special strategically placed “fire hose.”

At Hot Whips Café to haggle with the owner for counter space for their new firemen calendar, he meets a woman who sets his inner scales on fire. Can he save her from the machinations of the Fates or will she die a second time by the very threat Dante fights against?

A dragon’s panty melting kiss may just be the wow this curvy girl needs.

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Excerpt

“Come on, Dante, show us a little leg.” The smirking photographer circled in front of him and it was all Dante could do to control the dragon scraping beneath his skin to avoid reaching out and shoving the camera up his ass.

Pictures for social media. The Captain had officially lost his fucking mind. The catcalls and male laughter from the rest of the guys made him lose his footing and the fire hose he’d been using as a prop to conceal his nakedness began to slip.

“Jesus. Fix that hose. This isn’t internet porn, you know.” The Captain groused, scowling.

Dante scrambled to catch the hose and cover himself and balanced against the newly washed and waxed fire engine, trying to pretend he was anywhere else but standing like a prize bull at an auction.

“If you’ll hold still, please. The others have already contributed their shots. You’re the last one.” The cameraman huffed, turning the lens. He lowered the camera and glared at Dante. “You could smile maybe?”

Shit. He was distracted by the wacked out dream he’d had the night before. A woman he’d never met swam in front of him, dying. Her long black hair fanned out in the cold, dark water and he’d panicked. He’d told her to live.

“Fine.” Dante growled, a wisp of smoke curling out from behind his lips. He felt the change sliding beneath his skin, the dragon agitated by his distress.

“God, Dante. Come on.” Carter laughed. “You aren’t afraid of a little flashing light, are you?” The rest of the crew laughed, sharing in the good natured ribbing.

“Bastard.”

He just wanted it to be over. His beast wanted to fly and hunt and if he didn’t get out of here soon, he was going to lose his mind. Most of the men here were either dating or married. He wasn’t and the urge to mate had made his already bad temper even worse.

The Captain had lured him and the others in with the promise of a social media boost to help the department. He figured a couple of pictures for Instagram like that vet that had so many followers it was insane. Model pretty with a gaggle of women trailing behind him like no tomorrow. The guy had even been on national television recently. Cap was dreaming, but he also knew the man would do anything to save their department from going strictly volunteer.

So many in the country had gone that route and the bear shifter was fighting it tooth and claw. Dante supported that. He’d moved from his home in the mountains to come here after his buddy Carter had told him about the job. Happy and with a large family of cat and dragon shifter young, his friend would do anything to ensure things stayed status quo. So would he, and apparently that included standing naked in front of a freshly polished firetruck.

Thank God his mother couldn’t see him or he’d never hear the end of it. She’d been writing him emails nonstop asking if he’d met any promising women. Jesus. He’d never seen a woman more eager to fuss over grandchildren. But he hadn’t and the prospects didn’t look very favorable. Not that he hadn’t dated. He had. But no female he’d met even sparked his interest past the typical curves and tight jeans and it wasn’t enough. Not anymore.

He wanted a mate. Someone to come home to and warm his bed and his heart. Most of the women he’d come across only wanted one thing—to bang a fireman and brag to their friends.

“Well, that’s about as good as I’m going to get if you’re going to scowl like that.” The photographer capped his lens and sighed, stalking off toward the Captain. “You can get dressed now.”

“Jerk.” Dante swiped the robe he’d worn from the floor and shrugged into it.

“Man, you really need to learn to crack a smile, buddy.” Carter grinned as he and a few of the others approached now that the photographer had gone.

“Thank you, guys. Dante.” The Captain came forward giving Dante a narrow eyed look, then nodded toward the remainder of the group. “We should see the finished product in a day or so.”

Wait. Product?

About Erzabet Bishop

Erzabet Bishop is an award winning and bestselling author who loves to write naughty stories. She is the author of Lipstick, Crave, Snow (Three Times More Lucky Box Set), Malediction (upcoming-A Wicked Halloween Box Set), Map of Bones (upcoming-A Wicked Affair Box Set), Sanguine Shadows (Vampire Bites Box Set), The Science of Lust, Wicked for You, Heart’s Protector, Burning for You, Red Hot (upcoming), Bayou Shadows (upcoming-Nola Naughty Nine) Hedging Her Bets (Alpha Fever Box Set), Cat’s Got Her Tongue (Alpha Heat Box Set), Arcane Imaginarium: Spirit Board, Holidays in Hell, Mallory’s Mark (upcoming),The Devil’s Due (upcoming), Charity Benshaw’s Enchanted Paddle Emporium (upcoming), Sigil Fire, Glitter Lust (upcoming), Written on Skin, Club Beam, Pomegranate, A Red Dress for Christmas, The Black Magic Café, Fantasies in Red, Sweet Seductions, Holiday Cruise, Fetish Fair, Temptation Resorts: Jess, Temptation Resorts: Marnie, Taming the Beast, The Erotic Pagans Series: Beltane Fires, Samhain Shadows and Yuletide Temptation, along with being a contributor to many anthologies. She lives in Texas with her husband, furry children and can often be found lurking in local bookstores. She loves to bake, make naughty crochet projects and watch monster movies.

Follow her on Twitter @erzabetbishop.

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#WriteTip - Sticky Notes and Storyboards by @ErzabetBishop, spotlighting her @DecadenPub #LesbianFantasy #Romance

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I'm delighted to welcome fellow Love Spanks contributer Erzabet Bishop here today. If you're a fan of smoking hot Lesbian Romance (aka FF Romance), she's probably already one of your go-to gals. Also, here's a little-known fact about me: my first manuscript (which has been trunked and will never ever see the light of day) was a retelling of the myth of Persephone. Once you read Erzabet's blurb, you'll know why I'm so excited. 

Let's get this writing tip out of the way, shall we?

Sticky Notes and Storyboards

by Erzabet Bishop

Every writer has that moment where the story sticks and you just have to knuckle down and figure something out when it doesn't flow the way you think it should. What works for me every time is an old foam-core poster board and a selection of colorful sticky notes so I can move plot elements around until they make sense again. And they always do. Eventually. Whether it's sideways or up and down, I twist the board until it fits what I need. Character arc, plot weirdness or just overall story. I have even used the back of my bedroom door. (Much to my husband's horror.) It's about what helps you get the story done. One plot bunny at a time...

Pomegranate

Myth and Magic #1

by Erzabet Bishop

What if everything you thought you knew was a lie?

Crafting spells, running her shop, and hanging with her lover, Hayden, was all Persephone Carraway wanted out of life. The future was filled with endless possibilities as long as it was with the girl of her dreams. But Hayden has a secret and, it turns out, so does Persephone.

One night in the Underworld will change things forever…

Demi, Persephone’s mother has developed a designer pomegranate, infusing it with her daughter’s blood. A single act of betrayal will craft war with the old gods and the Fae, leaving destruction in its wake. Persephone is drawn into a web of myth and magick where nothing is as it seems, even herself.

Myth. Magic. Pomegranates…

Excerpt

Persephone took a breath. Her mouth was dry and her skin slick with sweat. She was thirsty. So thirsty. Her eyes wouldn’t focus, and her heart was racing.

“You look like you could use this.” A woman in a black mask and unbuttoned tux jacket approached, holding out a bottle of water. The white dress shirt was halfway open, straining against her breasts. Every movement tugged against the soft flesh, hinting at the bounty buried beneath the fabric. Vest unbuttoned over leather pants and kickass boots, she made Persephone’s breath catch in her throat. The woman’s black hair was slicked back into a tight bun, her red lips plump and succulent.

Hands shaking, Persephone took the bottle. “Thank you.” What is wrong with me?”

“This is your first rave, I take it?”

“Yes.” She drank the cool water, each swallow bringing her more clarity. Soon the bottle was drained and dangled empty in her grasp.

“It can be a little much when they turn on the purple wave. Here. Sit.” The masked woman led her to a chair. Large and white, it faced an enormous fireplace. Green fire burned within. Persephone fell into the chair, her dress spilling around her. She watched the green fire dance, marveling at the images unfolding. Her mind was still muzzy but she saw...no....

“Faces...there are faces,” she gasped, trying to push herself up from the chair.

About Erzabet Bishop 

Erzabet Bishop is an award winning author who loves to write naughty stories. She is the author of Lipstick, Dinner Date, Crave,The Science of Lust, Arcane Imaginarium: Spirit Board, Holidays in Hell, Mallory’s Mark (upcoming 2016),The Devil’s Due (upcoming 2016), Charity Benshaw’s Enchanted Paddle Emporium (upcoming 2016),Tethered, Sigil Fire, Glitter Lust (upcoming 2016), Written on Skin, Club Beam, Pomegranate, A Red Dress for Christmas, The Black Magic Café, Fantasies in Red, Sweet Seductions: The Erzabet Bishop Collection, Holiday Cruise, Fetish Fair, Temptation Resorts: Jess, Temptation Resorts: Marnie, Taming the Beast, The Erotic Pagans Series: Beltane Fires, Samhain Shadows and Yuletide Temptation along with being a contributor to many anthologies. Erzabet has been a finalist in the GCLS awards for 2014 and 2015. She lives in Texas with her husband, furry children and can often be found lurking in local bookstores. She loves to bake, make naughty crochet projects and watch monster movies. When she isn’t writing, she loves to review music and books.

Follow her reviews and posts on Twitter @erzabetbishop.

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#WriteTip - Don't Quit by @ErzabetBishop, spotlighting her @DecadentPub #Romance, Club Beam

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Fellow Decadent Publishing author Erzabet Bishop is about to have her Beyond Fairytales romance Club Beam turned into an audiobook. Yes, I'm super jealous. In addition to snagging an excerpt, along with some up-close-and-personal time with the gorgeous cover, I also convinced her to give me a writing tip. I reinterpreted it a bit for the graphic, mainly because I had been trying to figure out how to use that stock photo for a while now. 

Writing tip from Taraquan.com

Writing tip from Taraquan.com

Don't Quit

by Erzabet Bishop

Don't quit. Even when it gets hard. You are the only one who can write your book.

hen I first contacted Decadent Publishing to inquire about their fairy tale line I was assigned a story called “The Beam.” I looked it up and found out it was about a wizard who is bested by a woman and he exacts his revenge. Whenever I encounter a new project like this, I have to sit down and think about what all the moving parts mean. In this case, how to turn a story like this into a modern romance that readers would find appealing. Since I tend to write urban fantasy slanted pieces, I immediately laser beamed in on the wizard and witch part. I mean, how cool is that to have a ready-made story ripe for the picking? I just had to add some modern twists. What would be more modern than a witchy karaoke event and fairy tale fetish night? 

The process of writing for me is an organic one. It begins with a legal pad and a series of colorful sticky notes and a foam board. I start thinking about the chapters and what needs to happen to make the story move and there you go-plot points on sticky notes I can adjust as needed. It works too. Sydney had lots of thoughts on where she wanted to go and believe me, she is still in there talking. The second book in the Shadow World series is already writing itself (think dragon shifters and a psychic) and I can see the fireworks shaping up nicely.

Check out further adventures with Master Gideon and Sydney in Sci Spanks 2015 now available on Amazon. You might just get invited for a session behind the Red Door. Master Gideon has a paddle and he’s ready to play. There will be more where that came from, you can count on that…

I hope you will enjoy the introduction to my Shadow World series and return to Club Beam for many more adventures. I am happy to share that the audio book is now in the works. 

Club Beam

by Erzabet Bishop

In the Shadow World, nothing is as it seems.

Detective Sydney Marr is having a very bad day. Her boss is on the warpath, she’s being treated for a werewolf bite, and her current case has hit a dead end. When her friend Erika talks Syd into going with her to Club Beam, she jumps at the chance, even if it means spending an evening without her spell arsenal. A high-class vampire bar and fetish club, Club Beam is fantasy made real.

Club owner and Dom Gideon Raines spies the red-haired beauty and is transfixed. A fight against a skillful murderer brings war for fae and vampire alike. Sometimes when you play with monsters, the monsters play back.

Excerpt

“Once upon a time….” Erika sang and waggled her eyebrows. “Come on, Sydney. Live a little. This club is smoking hot, and you’ll love it.”

Sydney grumbled under her breath and watched the club-goers parade past, each dressed like a fairy-tale character. The Little Mermaid trounced by in a see-through, diaphanous gown revealing too much in the way of personal attributes. Sleeping Beauty sashayed down the sidewalk with a leash around the neck of her Prince Charming. A woman in a way-too-short Red Riding Hood outfit approached. Her arm was wrapped around a seductress dressed in wolf ears, a tail, and a skimpy thong-style bikini. Red carried a basket full of what looked like pink fuzzy handcuffs and a can of whipped cream, which she swung into Syd.

“Hey!”

The red-cloaked vixen sent her a wink and traipsed on by, joined by a near-pornographic version of the Red Queen from Alice in Wonderland. Any shorter and the skirt would show her naughty bits. Or maybe that was the plan.

Syd had just gotten off her day shift as a detective, and the last thing she wanted to do was be around more people. Especially people with more skin showing than on late-night cable shows. Her head hurt from the lights and the pulse of the music, and her stupid witch costume was pinching her toes. Erika’s scant fairy costume hugged all her curves, her breasts bursting from the bodice. The skirt barely covered her backside, and the strappy silver sandals showed off her silver-glitter nail polish.

The building loomed next to them. A giant warehouse-like structure, it was large enough to house all manner of mischief, and Syd was itching with the desire to get inside and find out just what was going on behind its doors. The sidewalk was flagged by trees lit up with twinkly white lights, adding an upscale ambiance to the area. What in the daylight looked like an industrial area gone to the dogs had been transformed into an attractive and well-attended venue.

She didn’t have the heart to tell Erika she’d been here once already today for the case she was working on, but the entrance had been sealed up tighter than a drum. Sydney’s recourse was to infiltrate Club Beam by night as a patron. Her sergeant, Debra, would kill her if she realized Syd had even considered going in without backup. So would her partner, James. Erika had asked her to come so she wouldn’t be alone, and, despite herself, Syd couldn’t resist. To catch a vampire, you had to go out at night, and Club Beam was the hot spot. After last month’s fuckup, she had to do this and do it right, even if it killed her. James was on medical leave, and it remained up to her to get this guy before someone else got killed or turned furry.

I will not think about becoming one of the terminally furry. It’s over. Move on. Take the pills the doctor gave you and freaking pray.

“Oh look. I think I see Snow White.” Erika stood on her tiptoes and craned her head along the huge expanse of line they still had to navigate to get inside.

Syd peered into the crowd and grimaced. Hairy legs. More makeup than a Mac commercial. “Nope. That was a guy in drag.”

Erika narrowed her eyes. “God, Syd. You’re the world’s biggest wet blanket ever.”

Sydney shifted her weight and moved another two steps toward the door as the line inched forward. “I told you, I’ve had a hard day. We had a homicide case come in, and I’ve been out beating the street. I want to go home and bury my head under my pillow. But, no. Out of the kindness of my heart, here I am standing in line at a vampire bar with a bunch of overgrown kids playing dress-up in fairy-tale fetish wear.”

ABOUT ERZABET BISHOP

Erzabet Bishop is the author of Club Beam, Sigil Fire, Written on Skin, Tethered, Pomegranate, Temptation Resorts Jess and Marnie interactive choose your own adventure romances, and more. She is a contributing author to The Big Book of Submission, Slave Girls, Hungry for More, and many other anthologies. She is a winner of  two 2015 Goldie Awards for her work in anthologies and an active member of the Romance Writers of America. She lives in Texas with her husband, furry children and is often playing at local bookstores.

Follow her posts on Twitter: @erzabetbishop| Newsletter