I'm a Writer Not an Editor

In 2007-2008 The Kelsey Group, Word of Mouth Marketing Association, Forrester Research and comSore, discovered rating and reviews really did make a difference in what consumers were consuming.

After this big name stores started using their customer reviews in advertisements and every consumer with an opinion took notice.

From restaurants to furniture stores you can find a review about them online. The site with the most consumer reviews? Amazon. The product most reviewed? Books.

A Million Random Digits by RAND Corporation a book about how RAND came up with their technology and made money had 377 reviews with 1,983 of 2,056 finding the top review helpful. That particular review was about the book, but most of that book's reviews were about e-copy editing issues.

One of the most read and reviewed books on Amazon is George R.R. Martin's Game Of Thrones getting a whopping 3,284 reviews with 4,476 of 4,688 finding the top review helpful. The second most rated review for this book was all about, you guessed it, editing, with 1,986 of 2,117 finding it helpful.

If you're familiar with Amazon and their reviews you know when a person takes the time to sign in and click the 'YES, I found this helpful' button under a book review, it's because they have already bought it and they strongly agree or disagree. That's a lot of people very upset about editing. Why all the mistakes?

Times are changing but it seems like e-book publishing is just now starting to make changes. The authors that are self publishing don't have the money to pay an editor let alone a sub-editor. Having a fancy publisher and editor doesn't always guarantee perfection.

The way a book is uploaded and formatted in e-lit is completely different than paper. More than that the programs used to upload the author's copies are just now getting an upgrade.

Really? 

Yep, the programs used in e-lit upload are vastly outdated. Mistakes are made then first drafts are recognized and scanned by flawed programs instead of the appropriate copy. The correct draft can be uploaded but then the scanning program changes the book's format.

I've seen every kind of e-lit snafu out there and as an avid reader some are more annoying than others.

I just read The Ivy League by Ruby Parker. The story itself reeled me in and kept me hooked (even though it didn't sizzle my panties). What threw me off a little was how many times the main character Sara became Sarah with an H, for a paragraph or two. When Sara went from having coal black hair to having soft blond at the end of Chapter Twelve I knew something was up.

I'm horrible at editing my own work. I can reread my own writing twenty times and miss a simple mistake twenty times. A character detail change is pretty obvious. So was the first draft uploaded instead of the final copy or was that the 'edited copy'. Regardless of the flaws I enjoyed the book but I know I'm the exception not the rule.

I recently read a reader blog post, Why Some Indie Authors Fail by Rich Adin 'The Digital Reader'. He starts off things nicely with how Indie writers need a better notification system to when their new books are coming out. Then the article takes a dive sighting Indie writers who don't have editors and use poor grammar are plain disrespectful to readers.

I've never felt any personal insult when reading a poorly edited book, but from the comments on this guy's page and other reviewer sites, many readers do in fact take personal umbrage from the slightest grammatical error.

The grammatical errors are hurting my soul.

Do grammatical and formatting mistakes drive you nuts? You may suffer from a not so very serious condition called Grammatical Pedantry Syndrome or GPS. This is a form of OCD that causes a person to not be able to over look bad grammar or grammatical errors. I shit you not. This is a real form of OCD and could be keeping you from enjoying a good book.

So ask yourself:

- Are you able to read and enjoy anything not properly edited or formatted?

- Do you lose all sense of enjoyment and respect for an article at the first misplaced comma?

- Do you correct friends and strangers, verbally or mentally when they use who instead of whom?

- Are you even now editing this post?

If you've answered yes to any or all of the above questions you may have GPS and this may be affecting how you see the world. If you are an editor or an English teacher, well done, you have found a way to get paid for something you compulsively do anyways.

I empathize, for some of you grammatical errors actually make your skin crawl.

My girlfriend recently lamented her hate of exclamation points in narratives. She became quite heated about this. Just the thought of those pesky exclamation points were pissing her off. I've never noticed an exclamation point in a narrative. I had no idea what she was talking about mainly because like so many on the other side, I'm an error maker. I make it rain typos. I type words backwards, I use affect when I should have used effect, lay when it should have been lie, and I am a recovering comma abuser.

Quite honestly, I would probably put an exclamation point in a narrative. I'm not sure how half my friends have kept up a texting/email relationship with me. For all of my GPS gal pals, thank you. I've noticed you've stopped correcting my notes. Either you've gotten busier or I'm wearing you down.

                                                        GPS and E-Books, 

                                               The Reviews Don't Look Good

The e-book uploading process may be reader blocking the lesser known authors. We already know reviews affect the consumer.

Book reviews can be especially harsh and authors feel no cushion of being a franchise or a large company. When you review a book you are broadcasting your personal opinion about one person's work.

What happens when the consumer blames the author for the format and/or editing? Is it always the author's fault?

You've seen 'those' reviews:

This seemed like a good book but the formatting was so bad I couldn't finish it! What a waste of money. There were so many errors, (unknown author) needs to hire an editor!

 I feel bad for these readers, but then I download the book and I don't get how they couldn't finish it. That's when I feel bad for the writer. That one negative review may have cost that author countless readers.

Eloisa James had a New York best seller with her fans in a tizzy because of the e-copy being riddled with formatting and editing errors. Her fans were upset, but they still bought the book because it was Eloisa James. The unknown and especially the indie author doesn't get that type of consideration even if the book in itself is wonderful.

Let's not over look a good book because of a few errors. Many of the books with grammatical or formatting errors that have people complaining up a storm, I've enjoyed just fine. I still notice the errors, but rarely do they impede my reading pleasure.

I'm not saying reviewers shouldn't mention the found errors at all. I just think a three paragraph freak out over a formatting snafu may be over kill, and most of us didn't even notice the misuse of your and you're on page 52. I believe mentioning the error helps the people with GPS know what they are getting into without hindering people like me from buying the book.

So, do you have GPS? I know there are many of you out there. Try to understand the person writing the book you're mentally editing isn't a complete idiot. Calling an author an unprofessional amateur for having tech/editing issues is uncalled for. He/she is only human.

Readers, remember all book reviews are subject to opinion being that they are just that, opinions. Writers, it's tough out there. Arm yourself with a tech savvy editor that is painfully honest and has GPS.  Hopefully e-publishing formatting and editing issues will soon be a thing of the past.

A big THANK YOU to all the writers out there. 

We readers are nothing without you. 

Married Sex...Let's Get It On

That's weird I don't remember my husband and I posing for this picture.

I want to talk about married sex, or more accurately, sex when you have kids. For many of us it might as well be kayaking. It's turned into a recreational sport you enjoy but don't usually have the time or energy for. As a parent your priorities shift and sex is often put at the bottom of the list.

For some it's not even on the list. I get it.

We parents are over booked and our brains are brimming with errands to run, birthday parties to remember, kiddy sports, meal planning, “What do you mean the projects due tomorrow?” blah!

Personally, I love married sex...now that is.

I had to get through the freak out of loosing my super awesome libido and ability to orgasm at the drop of a hat. When I met my husband in my early twenties I had the sex drive of a sixteen year old boy and I was of a rare breed of female that would orgasm every time, and usually in multiples.

Honestly if I didn't have at least two quality orgasms from a quicky I thought my lady was broken.

Is it any wonder I love sex?

I know, I know, I'll stop bragging. If it makes you feel better my orgasm super power went away and now I have my, 'Meh, not going to happen', moments like any one else. 

Truth is I appreciate good sex more now than I ever did then.

My husband and I had our getting to know you sex. Then, our newly wed fuck fest the first year we lived together. We were that over sexed couple that caused an old lady to move out of the building because of the screaming and banging.

By the time we got married, three years into the relationship, I'm sad to say we had fallen into routine sex. As second nature as brushing your teeth and taking a shower we rutted regularly but it wasn't anything spectacular. 

Then my husband started to travel for work. Sex became explosive again. We were in the throws of 'happy to see you, sad to see you go' sex. That's when I got pregnant and I was certain I would never want to have sex again.

That, I'm happy to say, only lasted nine months. After those nine months we brought home our beautiful child, aka; The Cockblocker. 

I adore my kid but I have to wonder if he has an internal alarm that goes off every time my husband and I are about to have some hanky panky.

After almost seven years we've honed and mastered the art of ninja fucking. Sex is now a covert operation and almost always spontaneous. We never know when the opportunity is going to strike. We must always be prepared.

That's easier said than done.The female mind is our own worst enemy. 

We women can be well rested and in a good mood, but if we have fifty things on our plate for the day or in the works for the next day, it's going to take an act of God to get us to orgasm. That kind of challenge is best left to 'clear your schedule sex', but 'clear your schedule sex' might as well be Easter.

It's a sweet indulgent holiday, that only comes around once a year, and it's based on a miracle. I don't know about anyone else, but I can't wait around for 'clear your schedule sex'.

So how to get in the mood? 

Well, you kinda gotta stay in the mood. Or at least have sex on the mind.

Enter erotica, a different kind of foreplay.A lot of us are reading erotica and romance as an escape to break away, ease our minds and get the 'feel good' juices flowing. 

Guess what? According to slew of doctors, professors and researchers that I don't have to list because I'm not a journalist, we are doing it right!!

Women who read erotic fiction and erotica want sex more.

The things we read in a book have the power to stay with us for days, weeks, months, and if it's epic, years later.Take that Cialis! 

Just remembering a certain naughty scene you read a few days ago can invoke the same response you had when reading it. You get turned on, or at the very least you are then thinking positively about sex.

So ladies, make sure your husband has had his multivitamin (400IU's of D and 12mgs of Zinc to give Mr.Willy a boost) and you are both well hydrated.

It's time to turn on the e-reader and unblock the cock. You're about to get acquainted with some quick sassy reads, that are barely over a hundred pages, but packed with unforgettable hot hot sex that will make you say, Mmmmmm.

Menage Anyone?

The Promise by Allyson Young

Jillian is a savvy business woman making it in the man's world of advertising. She's worked hard for her position. That's why she's shocked and disgruntled to have let her guard down. Jillian wakes up to find herself wrapped in deliciously male scented sheets in a condo not her own.

After a night of celebrating the gaining of a lucrative contract with an elusive client, Jillian did some celebrating of her own with her business rep she had been fighting a flirtation with. Not only has she slept with him, she made a promise while begging for one of many orgasms the night before. She's promised to spend one week with Peter.....and Sean.

Peter and Sean have had their collective eye on Jillian for months. Beautiful with her red hair and extra lush curves, Jillian sets off primal instincts that have Peter and Sean salivating. When they could practically see the chemistry ping pong between them, they knew it was time to pounce.

The Promise will have you hooked from page one. I actually hadn't read it in a while so I pulled it up just to skim and was sucked in all over again.

 The characters are lovable and the story is full of humor and the sex scenes are as memorable as they are hot. The bdsm adds some extra kink but is not over done. The sex is so wildly inventive there were more than a few scenes that made me go, Mmm, oh yeah!

At a 121 pages this book is an afternoon read that will have you putting the kids to bed early. With a rock my socks off warning label, I would recommend this book to anyone into kinky menage erotica.

Warning; This book contains erotic consensual BDSM, m/f/m menage with no touching between the males, spanking, fisting, sex toys and a fee good HEA.

For more of Allyson Young visit, http://www.allysonyoung.com/

Thank you Allyson Young!

* * * *

Not into menage? 

How bought a m/f story with a big dicked rancher, who is kinky as hell, with a need to dominate?

Okay, stop drooling and keep reading. 

 Bend to His Will by Sam Crescent

Neal Haney has had a hard on a mile long for the past seven years all because of Sandy Breeden. Sandy is Neal's youngest brother Luke's best friend. She's been an honorary member of the Haney family since she was in pigtails. Now she's twenty five and realizing some where along the way she fallen in love with Neal. 

Flagrantly flaunting herself in front of Neal is getting no reaction, so Sandy decides it's time to take what she wants.

Neal is having a reaction alright, but he has some hang ups when it comes to Sandy.

At the root of all of his absurd reasoning he doesn't think she can handle his lifestyle. While he doesn't completely consider himself a Dom, he does require complete control at home. In the bedroom he is master. He wants his woman tied up, tied down and ready to please him.

The first time they fully come together is explosive. The sex is ultra hot and the bond between the two builds quickly.When Neal thinks he feels too much for her, he turns chicken shit. Like many alpha men when feeling uncomfortable or cornered Neal say's the worse asshole comments at just the right time for maximum asshole effect.

Sandy's done with his nonsense and has decided it's time to distance herself from Neal Haney, even if that means distancing herself from all the Haneys. Neal hates himself even more than his family but will Sandy be able to forgive him?

Bend to His Will was yummy. A delightful quick read that will have you running through the gamut of emotions and falling in love with all the characters. I personally wanted to punch Neal as much as I wasnted to fuck him. I could totally understand Sandy's dilemma.

 Assholes are so good in bed.

The chemistry and sex is holy mother of hotness. Those scenes had my eyes glazing over unable to focus. 

Sam Crescent closes this book with a hint to another. Dare I say there is a Men in Control series on the rise? I have my fingers crossed. There are at least two men I would like to see get happy endings and I wouldn't mind seeing more from the two brothers we know nothing about.

This one is the perfect quicky at 113 pages and will leave you panting for some alone time with your significant other.

Warning: This book contains hot (m/f) sex in graphic detail with light bdsm.

For more Sam Crescent visit, http://samcrescent.wordpress.com/

Thank You Sam Crescent!

p.s. I would have never made it through breakfast. ; )  

* * * *

Glorious New Erotic Fiction

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Fantasy, #Unconventional, #Twisted, #Inlove

#iheartfantasy

Erotic fantasy, and just to be clear I'm talking about the book genre not this morning in the shower, is a genre open to many possibilities. Fantasy demands the reader suspend disbelief and grants the writer artistic licence to tread past the boundary lines of ordinary restrictions. In erotic fantasy safe words are rarely given and a tone of anything can happen is set.

With fantasy you can be lady in waiting only to encounter a beautiful stranger washed up on shore, who just happens to want to ravish you. Or you can end up taken by pleasure elves with self lubricating cocks like in Jet Mykles Dark Elves series. #ilovebook1&2

You could also get wrapped into a tale like Denise Rossetti's Gift of the Goddess that is set in a medievalist time period where everyone wears trews and carries swords. This story has a warrior, a shaman, a scout, dragon tattoos that move, a love goddess, and giant troll like creatures. The plot revolves around wicked m/f/m and even a little m/m/f sex but the story has enough adventurous action to make it worth reading again.

There is a lot of hubbub over the difference between paranormal and fantasy. Really? Really!

A paranormal has elements that can not be explained by science including not limited to psychic ability, magic, creatures such as vampires and shapeshifters, ghosts and time travel. Some of that can even be considered sci-fi.

A fantasy book has a mythical magic or supernatural setting, characters or plot and is often times set in a medevialish time period ie; Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings...Yep, there is some difference but not much.

Some books have magical circumstances, some books have magical creatures, and some books just have magic. I personally don't really care whether it's labeled paranormal or fantasy as long as it's good. In this weeks feature we get all the fantasy elements with an added gothic feel.

I love a romance that is deemed, "Not for the faint of heart". Katrina Strauss's Secrets Revealed (Eldritch Legacy 1) is just that. Ms.Strauss sweeps past the boundary lines in Secrets Revealed, with a wickedly delicious out come. 

Secrets Revealed is a fantasy, in a medieval type setting, where kings rule the realm and if you get caught practicing magic you will be imprisoned and killed. Not for being a 'witch,' (that moniker isn't used once) but because the king himself is Magi and doesn't want anyone to become more powerful than he.

In Secrets Revealed young beautiful Inga is sick of all the death and needless illness in her village. Healers who could use nothing more then their knowledge of herbs will not help those suffering for fear of being taken by the evil Lord Eldritch.

Inga bravely uses her healing gifts for those in need and it's not long before those in power take notice. Although fearful of Eldritch coming to punish her, Inga also finds herself drawn to him in strange nightmares that leave her filled with carnal longing.

Lord Eldritch captures Inga but it's Inga who captivates him. Instead of having Inga killed she is locked in a separate dungeon room where things get really interesting. At first fearful Inga quickly becomes a thing of want, eagerly awaiting her next round of torment from her dark lord and master.

This twisted unconventional love story had me entranced. I wasn't sure what to expect next. There were plenty of scenes that had me thinking, Whoa....That's hot!, leaving me just as eager as Inga to see what Lord Eldritch had in store for her next.

Secrets Revealed takes some twisted turns that really kept me enthralled. I loved this book and I eagerly anticipate reading the next book in this series Lessons Learned, a book with a more paranormal bend. This was the first Katrina Strauss I've read but it will certainly not be my last.

This story is 190 pages and Katrina Strauss, you had me at your warning label.

Warning: This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language,and some situations some readers might find objectionable including, BDSM themes and elements including tethering,spanking, voyeurism, dubious consent, anal play/intercourse,homoerotic f/f, menage, m/f/f, m/f/m and m/m in a memory sequence.

Thank You Katrina Strauss!

TBR...Beyond A Badass Book

Um, top left, towards the middle. Nope, that's not it either. 

I'm always looking for my next read and I've always got my fingers crossed it will be good. For me there are two types of good stories whether fiction, romance or erotic.

One, the kind where I become the enthralled observer. I love  the heart pumping fiction The Straw Men by Michael Marshall. There is no way in hell I would want to be a part of that story, but I was drawn into that book right off the bat.

The second type is my favorite, it's the book I want to be a part of. I've moved into another world, I adore the characters, I want to be their friend, I may be mentally role playing one of the characters as I read, and there is usually someone in the story I want to fuck.

The second type is why there are so many different author/series fan clubs. Having a story that sweeps us up and away, resulting in an emotional investment in the character's well being and happiness is what we the reader typically crave.

Books are like friends. And like friends we are more connected to some than others but we always hunger for that deeper connection.There is nothing I love better than getting that giddy tingly feeling of excitement when reading a book. I read a lot and not all erotic but, each time I start a book I have hopes that this book will grab me by the horns or sweep me away. 

Like going on a first date or joining a new social group I start every book a bit nervous and optimistic. I think that's why Amazon and Goodreads now act as the Match.com of the book world, giving us suggestions based on preference. Even with technology the way it is a good book is hard to find. Sometimes the best books are the ones I've stumbled upon quite by chance.

* * * *

 Kit Rocha

Two Women One Amazing Result

A few weeks ago I had just finished a book with so much potential in the first half it made not reaching that potential in the second half that much more keenly disappointing. Having raised expectations for a book can be unrealistic and a bit silly, so to the TBR list I went in search of my next read. That's when I found it. My favorite type of story. The book that gave me tingles and everything. I can't believe I had put off reading this one.

I'm not sure what I was expecting but Beyond Shame by Kit Rocha was beyond it. I loved Beyond Shame and I didn't want this book to end I was so into it. The more I read Beyond Shame the more I wanted to be an O'Kane in sector four hanging out with the women, slinging liquor and throwing myself at Bren's feet like a pathetic groupie at the end of a cage match in hopes he would rip my panties off and fuck me right there in the...but I'm getting ahead of myself.

Beyond Shame reads like a fiction but is strongly sex driven. The back drop is a future dystopian earth setting where the city of Eden rules. The sectors are the slums and outside of the sectors are the communes where the farms are. People there are owned and bred to make more workers.

Humans outside of Eden can be bought and sold as well bartered along with goods and services in all the sectors and communes. The laws are fierce in Eden and things like fornicating and drinking alcohol can get you kicked out.

That's what happens to our female lead Noelle, a high society daughter of a councilman. After two strikes she's kicked out of the city with out money or hope of survival. Jasper is the right hand of gang leader Dallas O'Kane the king of sector four. Jasper is hard bodied, hard hearted, sexy as hell and wants nothing and everything to do with the naive out cast Noelle.

 Jasper's not sure Noelle can survive in the sectors. Life is hard in sector four. They brew illegal alcohol and protect there assets and asses. They have gritty cage fights and sex parties to blow off steam. Technology and electricity is limited to Eden, so sometimes the power goes out. Tattoos are a must for decoration as well as social standing. O'Kane's bare a specific wrist cuff and if you are in a permanent relationship you are marked. In sector four they live, fight, drink, fuck, and love hard.

Noelle and Jasper may be the core of this story but there is a bigger plot and a host of awesomely bad ass characters interwoven throughout Beyond Shame. The characters have the feel of Sons of Anarchy only much sexier.

Sex is enjoyed freely so expect plenty of hot shameless scenes. Noelle is tasting her freedom and experimenting sexually with everything, so there are scenes where she gets...and is with....and

it was during...mmmm...Well, I wont divulge any details, but it's good.

How Noelle found her groove.

 Noelle is on a sexual odyssey to self discovery. A big part of that is Jasper pushing her limits but holding himself back, afraid she will end up hating herself and him for enjoying all the different sex. Noelle does find herself and I'm happy to say it's a natural progression, not annoyingly sappy, or a cliché light bulb moment.

I ended the book hungering to learn what was going to happen with all the secondary characters I had come to love. There is a lot happening in Beyond Shame, and I'm delighted to say it's just the beginning. I was thrilled to find out that Beyond Control, the next story in the series, is coming out March 19th with yet another Beyond due out in the fall!

This book is full length 355 pages and is a ninja erotic fiction shockingly coming without warning, so I'll give you one.

Warning; This book contains explicit sexual matter, m/f/m, f/f/ m/ff/m and some anal play, light bdsm and language some readers may find offensive.

If you end up enjoying this book as much as I did make sure to check out Kit Rocha's fabulous fan page at www.kitrocha.com and her facebook page where she posts excerpts and teasers for her up coming Beyond books.  Thank You Kit Rocha!  I for one can't wait until March 19th.