A naughty little blog hop

WELCOME TO THE NAUGHTY NIGHTS BLOG HOP and Kindle Fire Plus A Book-A-Day Gift Giveaway!

 NNP wishes to extend a warm welcome to all "hoppers" and we thank you for joining us in celebrating our

TWO YEAR ANNIVERSARY!

For those who may not know, Naughty Nights Press (NNP)  has chosen to host the Naughty Nights Blog Hop from June 27th through July 3rd, 2013 as our way of  celebrating our second year anniversary. 

We wanted a way to engage readers, writers and bloggers in our merriment time for this completion, of what we feel is one more of many expected milestones for NNP and our loyal readers and writers.

That, folks, is straight from the NNP blog, home of the amazing Kindle Fire + A Book-A-Day Giveaway! And I don't know about you, but I would freakin' love a Kindle Fire, so hells yes I'm going to be joining, too!

You might've already seen me mention it on Facebook, or tweeting about it earlier.

I'll be giving away a copy of Naughty Hot Shots - Double Shot - A D/s Duo Fantasy Story in which one of my shorts is featured. And honestly, I'd include an excerpt, but it's too hot for my own blog!

However, I can give you an excerpt of my short story "How Do You Say 'All Over Me' in Español?" in the newest anthology Campus Sexploits 4: Foreign Exchange Students, available now at NNP! I think --but I'm not sure-- it might be included in the Book-A-Day Giveaway.

So have fun! And if you just can't wait, go ahead and grab it for yourself. You won't be sorry!

-=[~]=-

My hand was shaking. God, if someone walked in right now, I would so lose my job. I tore my hand away and put it behind my back, rubbing the back of my wrist on my clothes to try and erase the sensation of his finger tickling my skin. All it did was send that shiver straight up my spine, and I shivered.

“What–” I mean, is there–? Can I, um, help you with anything?” I tilted my head and smiled, trying to be casual and failing miserably. I took an awkward couple of steps away and almost fell over Dicks' podium.

He was staring at me, and I would've bet money he was wondering exactly what kind of freak I was. “I want to buy dinner. You have hunger, no? All day you have no left this room.”

My eyes kind of bugged out at that. “You were watching?” My voice cracked there at the end.

He laughed and stepped closer. I swallowed hard. “Is not hard, no? All my clases are in this building today, and I don't see you.” He took a step closer.

What is it about those hot guys that make us look like total asses? I'm usually so fucking cool around people! My heart was bungee jumping with my uvula, and I coughed. “I really should finish working. Maybe another time?” I was dead certain someone was going to walk in on us, and the paranoia was killing me.

He took my hand, smiling. The tip of his middle finger caressed the length of my palm and I almost slumped against the podium. My knees were jelly. “Está bien. Sueños dulces, Yolanda.”

It's not until Eliseo was out of sight that I breathed a huge sigh and slumped into the chair. God, he was just way too damn hot for my own good. But if any of my dreams were of him, they'd be sweet dreams, indeed. Just like he said.

-=[~]=-

Come and join the bloghopping fun! I promise: you won't regret it!

Ciao!

Side note: We have a lot of fun discussions on my Facebook fan page. I also sometimes use it to crowdsource future posts. So if you want to keep in the loop, or even be mentioned on TPF, make sure to give my Facebook fan page a like and follow my updates!

Follow @delenasilverfox

Writing a Blurb Made Simple

This is a post that made its debut over at the Naughty Pages of the Phoenix, and I think it bears repeating. Plus, the links work in this one.

If you’re like most writers, the words “write a synopsis” make you feel a bit pouty and rebellious. Kind of like writing a synopsis, but maybe not as bad. If you’re like most writers, writing a blurb makes you get a little whiny.

Writing blurbs making you
a tad crazy?

Admit it. It kinda makes you want to throw a tantrum like a sissy la-la, doesn’t it? It’s okay, there’s no shame here. It’s just you and me.

Between you and me, I love writing blurbs. Love them! It’s the very first thing I write, actually, followed by writing my synopsis, which you can check out here: How To Write a Synopsis Made Easy.

So what is it about writing blurbs that I find so easy? Simplicity.

First I’m going to tell you about a writing technique that I will praise until the cows come home. Most people who have known me for any length of time have probably heard me talk about Randy Ingermanson’s Snowflake Method. I get absolutely no compensation for sharing his tips or products; I just love what he has to share.

If you can afford it, I very highly recommend getting his program Snowflake Pro. Everything about the Snowflake Method you need in one easy-to-use little program, with some seriously kickass extras that are actually useful.

You can use the Snowflake Method whether you’re just getting started on your WIP or you’re halfway through. It works just as well for pantsers as it does plotters.

The idea is you take your entire story and condense it into one line, ideally 15 words or less. Lesser is better. If you can’t take the main idea of your own book and boil it down to a simple sentence, might I suggest asking yourself if you know what, exactly, it is you’re writing about, and why.

Brutal? Maybe. But we all know that you can’t be a nancy ponce and call yourself a writer, so buck up and hear me out.

After you take that first line, expand it into a five-sentence paragraph.

This is where we delve into the dissection of a story and the basic three-act structure. You have the beginning, and Plot Disaster #1 happens at the end of Act I. In a character-driven novel, the character’s choices and actions bring about Disaster #2 in the middle of Act 2 (this is usually considered the high point, as well). More character choices and action, plus some plot influence, brings about Disaster #3 at the end of Act 2. Everything comes to a head, forcing Act 3, which has the resolution and denouement.

How does that look in your paragraph form?
Your beginning: Sentence 1
Plot Disaster #1: Sentence 2
Characters making things worse, result in Disaster #2: Sentence 3 (usually it seems all is lost at this point, and your reader should be asking themselves, “Wow, how are they ever going to get out of this one?)
Character choice/action + some plot influence brings Disaster #3: Sentence 4
Resolution, falling action, ending: Sentence 5

Now you have a fantastic blueprint for the rest of your story. And don’t look now, but with a little tweaking, you have yourself a blurb.

Here’s an example from my latest MS, Devil’s Bitch, which will be released later this year:

Norelia, Imperial heir and zealous second-in-command of the Endless Army, is cornered by a wager against her father, the Emperor. The stakes? To marry the winner of the next Summer Games in order to ensure the continuation of the Imperial line. Confident she will win the Games and the wager, she is devastated when a mysterious contender named Reoth defeats her and claims not only the title of Champion, but claims Norelia as well. A misplaced note reveals Reoth and her father placed wagers on Reoth's ability to "tame" her, proving it was all a game after all. When her father is killed in a surprise invasion, the Empire stands on the brink of war and Norelia is thrust into the center of it with Reoth, a man she'd sooner kill than trust. As Reoth admits knowledge regarding who is behind this invasion, Norelia must determine where his true allegiance lies before the Empire, and her heart, are destroyed forever.

You’ll notice I tweaked the first three sentences to be more engaging as a back cover blurb. However, I assure you my plot-points paragraph has five sentences following the exact process I’ve described for you.

So go and give it a try! Once you get the hang of it, I hope you find it as useful as I have. And come back and leave a comment with your own five-sentence plot-points paragraph. Share your blurbs with me. I’d love to hear how this works out for you!

Ciao!

***

Side note: We have a lot of fun discussions on my Facebook fan page. I also sometimes use it to crowdsource future posts. So if you want to keep in the loop, or even be mentioned on TPF, make sure to give my Facebook fan page a like and follow my updates!

Follow @delenasilverfox