Tag: research

Romance Novels

What Erotic Romance Writers Read

Fair warning, the answer is going disappoint you. I’m sure you look at what I write (that being erotic romance novels) and you think I’m reading the hottest books around, when I’m not out there in real life trying out all the crazy things in my books. Yeah, I know what you all think and you’re wrong.

Of the last 4 books I read, 2 of them (and 1 more on order right now) were non-fiction (and none of them were the Kama Sutra either). The sad truth is becoming a writer has changed what kind of reader I am. When I do devote time to reading, it is usually for research in one way or another. Yes, 2 of those past 4 books read were fiction romance but I read one because I tour with the author for book signings and I felt like I should be familiar with her work, and I read the other because it was from a publisher that I considered subbing to and it’s important to read books in a publisher’s catalog to make sure they are a good fit for you, so I count the motivation to read both of those as research as well.

Don’t cry for me though, as I sit toiling away, reading non-fiction books for research because no matter what the motivation for picking up those books, I truly enjoyed reading every one. At least parts of each book have stuck with me on a deeper level. What were these books? While I do not want to be a reviewer in any shape or form, I will pass on the titles and the parts that impressed me enough to stick with me.

writing romance

The best tools on the net you’re probably not using…and they’re FREE

Necessity is truly the mother of invention and the kick in the butt procrastinators such as myself need. It was through desperation that I began using two tools that every person should be aware of. MESH.COM My PC was having issues so I’d moved exclusively to working on my MAC. I usually try to make a habit of emailing my work in progress to myself regularly so that I have a back up copy stored on Hotmail’s servers. Not the perfect system at all, particularly when I go days without remembering to do it. That is how when the MAC started acting up and I couldn’t even log into it to get the latest version of my WiP out, I started to look for a better solution and found Mesh.com What is it? I am totally not equipped to explain it well so I suggest you go check out the site yourself, but here is how I see it, and use it. I opened a free Live Mesh account and from there I have 3 (soon to be 4) options. I can store files (Word docs, excel, JPGs, MP3s, anything) on their servers and log in to access them from […]

Life, Romance Novels

HOW DOES A NY ROMANCE WRITER DO RODEO RESEARCH?

As I gear up for release of my next cowboy book, UNRIDDEN, on May 26th, I can’t help remininscing. Below is a blog I posted on the Linden Bay MySpace back in December when Rough Stock was released. The Work in Progress I talk about is UNRIDDEN, back when it was in it’s infancy. Enjoy. Cat   Research…every writer has to do it occasionally, some more often than others depending on the genre being written. I know I have to do quite a bit for my military romances or risk committing factual faux pas which will cost me the respect of readers. There is research where you get a book or find a website to get your facts, and that is important and helpful, but it’s not enough. It’s not enough to immerse both the writer, and consequently the reader, in the world of the characters in the story. It is not just laziness that has me, more often than not, seeking information and factual details from my “muses” rather than another resource. Picture this… I am on the phone with one of my military consultants when I hear a bugle being played in the background. After spending all of his […]