Friday, March 28, 2008

Crying Rape at the top of my lungs re: Booksurge

Okay, I can put up with a lot. I'm an author, 'nuff said on that. However, touch my wallet and I'll scream to the rooftops. If you think this pure overt extortion Amazon/Booksurge is shoving down POD Publishers won't affect your wallet, think again.

Read about it here:
http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6545772.html?nid=2286&source=link&rid=1817936174

It's clear extortion and rape. That's forcing something down someone's throat (or other orifices, if you will) without their consent. Booksurge costs more to use. So, the publishers either have to eat the cost (Not likely because they are a business), cut the royalties of the authors (not wise to annoy the geese who lay the golden eggs), or pass the costs onto the consumer. The latter is not a great solution, but the best out of a bad deal, since this would mean about a dollar additional per book in price to cover the additional 10% more Booksurge charges as opposed to Lightning Source.

Whatever happened to free enterprise and the concept of captialism? If you offer the best deal at the best price, you get all the business. Up to now, Lightning Source has beat the pants off the competition, so they got all the business. Now Amazon/Booksurge has just taken away that choice. "Do business with us, or lose the sales at Amazon."

I can tell you from my point of view, this is worse than a bad deal. It's rape. Already, my publishers (all of them) sent me one good royalty check from my Amazon sales, then I had to eat a massive negative balance because of returns from the bookstores. In one case, I still owe that money months later because sales never offset that negative balance. Clearly, the money I make off print sales is next to nothing already.

I know for a fact that my publishers have already signed and paid for advance contracts with Lightning Source for print books scheduled months in advance. What will my publishers do? Eat the losses and sign new contracts? I hope not.

I hope with all my heart that my publishers tell Amazon/Booksurge to stuff their extortion where it will never see daylight. Profits from print sales aren't that great. I hope my publishers continue with their POD business of choice and start selling the print books from their own websites, cutting out Amazon as a middleman.

Will this hit Amazon/Booksurge in the wallet enough for them to realize they made a big business blunder? Maybe not. I don't care about that. This is more about not bowing to extortion and rape. Like any good woman under attack, I hope we at least make them bleed a little because we should not ever submit to rape.

Lena

Saturday, March 8, 2008

Trivia Contest #2

http://www.changelingpress.com/product.php?&upt=book&ubid=821

Night Critters 1: Must Love DogsLena Austin and Tuesday RichardsAll rights reserved.Copyright ©2006 Lena Austin and Tuesday RichardsAn Authorized ExcerptThis e-book file contains sexually explicit scenes and adult language which some may find offensive and which is not appropriate for a young audience. Changeling Press E-Books are for sale to adults, only, as defined by the laws of the country in which you made your purchase. Please store your files wisely, where they cannot be accessed by under-aged readers.


With aching slowness, Corbin pulled down the zipper of her minimalist jumpsuit, designed to hug every curve of her body. She'd bought the jumpsuit with Corbin in mind, and he seemed to appreciate the effort on his behalf. His lips followed the zipper's slow trail down, licking and nibbling every inch revealed. "Did I mention how much I love this suit you sprayed on?"
Roni gasped and wriggled beneath him. The tiny bites and soothing licks, moving slowly down to her dripping p****, made the anticipation increase to unimaginable levels. Most guys hopped on with minimal attention to her needs and rode her like a racehorse doing the two-minute mile. Not Corbin! The human was a master of the slow, sensual lovemaking most women dreamed of. "You're showing me just fine."
Corbin chuckled softly at her moaned answer. He continued to pull the zipper down past her hip joint, but stopped its progress midway to her knee. There, his lips worked their way to the soft flesh on the inside of Roni's thigh. "Open for me, baby."
Obediently, Roni spread herself before him, helplessly caught in her need for his tongue or his c***. She didn't give a rat's ass, as long as she got relief from the rumbling volcano inside her. She could feel her skin heating, knowing her fur was showing and unable to stop it. She just prayed her shaved p***** would be enough to keep the virtually hairless human aroused. "Corbin…"
Her zipper slid down to her knee, exposing more of her flesh. Corbin's hot mouth attacked her p**** like he was a hungry predator. His sensual hum vibrated up her entire body.
Her delighted shudders echoed his hum, and her entire focus narrowed to how his tongue scraped across her swollen clit, and his chin ground into her flowing p****. One of her hands crept downward and pulled apart her labia to give him full access.
Corbin responded to her silent plea by delving even deeper into his treat. If she'd been an ice cream cone he'd have been swirling his tongue to relish every bit, fueling a thousand fantasies of every woman in view. As it was, he was all hers, and he was a master at his art.
Roni had no warning. Her body stilled only for a second, an eternity of waiting before she exploded. Her back arched, and she clawed the rug to hang on to sanity. Roni screeched his name, helpless and caught in the force of her orgasm.
Her human lover wasted no time. He knelt upright and wiped his chin of her juices with an evil grin of triumph. Had he been a werewolf, such an expression would have been a serious challenge to her as a born Alpha Bitch. Then, he ripped her new jumpsuit to shreds with his bare hands.
The loss Roni counted as a small one. She'd buy another. She restrained herself from the urge to go completely furry and demand a chase in the woods. Poor primate that he was, he'd never scent her out, much less catch her and tame her as an Alpha Male claimed his mate. What a shame. He came so close to perfection, Roni almost howled in despair.
Corbin closed his eyes for a moment and shuddered. He bit his lip and took a deep breath. His dark eyes opened, and he grabbed her ankles. Before Roni could even squeak, he put her feet on each of his shoulders and hauled her bodily across the carpet until his c**** nestled against her still throbbing p****. "C'mere!"
The Chuskie in her obeyed before the thinking woman caught on. Roni blessed her daily sit-ups and came upward to put her arms around his neck. Seamlessly, she slid down on his cock and fell backwards toward the carpet.
Corbin's strong arms saved her from a nasty bump on the head and gently lowered her back now that he was firmly entrenched inside her. Again, he shuddered, perhaps to avoid coming too soon. He put his hands on her thighs as his brace. "Ready, baby?"
Unable to speak, Roni nodded and grabbed the carpet once more. She'd be at his mercy, and unless she wanted a serious rug burn on the parts not still covered by the remains of her jumpsuit, she had to hang on tight.
The first thrust rocked her back into orgasm. Roni pulled up two fistfuls of carpet and grabbed again for more. Again and again, each thrust shoved her further across the Oriental rug. Likewise she left a trail of shredded handfuls behind her. Ana was going to kill her, and Roni didn't give a royal damn. She howled her lover's name. "Cor-wor-wor-woo-woo!" God, Roni hoped she didn't sound like an idiot.


http://www.changelingpress.com/product.php?&upt=book&ubid=821

Okay, now for the trivia question! Remember, you must email the answer to me privately via: voiceomt2002 AT yahoo.com.
While Corbin shredded her jumpsuit, Roni shredded something else. What was it? Hint: Ana will be angry.
Lena

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

RWA Encourages Hate Mail

Breaking News:

In the continuing saga of RWA National’s seeming campaign to stamp out (Hah!) the erotic romance genre, several hate-filled and unprofessional letters have been published by the RWA magazine, the Romance Writer’s Report for the past four issues.

These vitriolic letters are not IMHO, the work of professional persons interested in maintaining the aura of respectability of romance authors, but rather prejudiced hate letters aimed at one section of the published authors. Why is the RWA allowing this to be published repeatedly in what is supposed to be a magazine from an organization dedicated to supporting all authors of recognized romance genres? Like it or not, the RWA does recognize erotic romance as a legitimate genre.

I am no longer a member of the RWA for just such an example of the imbalanced nature of the RWA’s “support.” Some of these letters have accused the erotic romance authors of being “sluts” and “prostitutes” for writing “smut” in our eagerness to be published.

There are several things wrong with such accusations, even beyond their very nature as unprofessional attacks on one genre of authors. First, I doubt seriously if the writers of these letters are aware that many famous NY authors are also erotic romance writers who started out in the ebook world, such as Angela Knight, Lora Leigh, and Kate Douglas. Those best-selling authors deserve respect and admiration for their work. Could the letter writers be ones making the same amount of money? Not likely. Money talks. The buying public voted with their wallets.

I do also take exception to the term, “slut” being used to describe me and my sister erotic authors. Many of us are married mothers and grandmothers. Not exactly slut material. I myself am a fat old grandmother who just happens to have a long memory of those heady days when I first fell in love with my husband and my single days before the advent of AIDS. I suggest that any woman who enjoys the pleasures of the bedroom might have such memories. I and my sister authors merely have the skill and imagination to make these memories into stories the readers buy. Skills are learned and earned, unlike talent. I’d like to think I have that as well.

The term “prostitute” amuses me more than anything else. I do indeed sell a service for money, but it’s not illegal and I’m unlikely to get an STD from my keyboard. Anyone who sells a service is not a prostitute. I am alone here in my home office, typing on a keyboard, not walking a sidewalk soliciting sexual favors for money.

It is true that I abandoned my attempts to sell my stories to NY publishing houses, but it was not in the interests of selling sexual stories. In fact, my first sale was a historical set in Egypt that would be considered quite tame by today’s standards. It didn’t sell well, despite several awards from reviewers.

This is in the March RWR:

Here is the letter in its entirety:

As might be expected, I heartily agreed with what Linda Swift Reeder had to say regarding the increasingly graphic direction romance novels are taking. I find it odd that authors who once tried to convince the world that romances weren’t “soft porn” or filled with “purple prose” are now writing the very thing they once so vocally decried. Likewise, words that were once avoided are now liberally sprinkled through the pages. Just last week, I added another of my “auto-buy” authors to my “don’t buy” list because of the constant use of the F-word and other, equally unpleasant language.

Madeline Baker, R6

(sigh) "Soft Porn" and "purple prose"? Oh, PUH-Leeze. I understand this dialogue goes through four issues. If I wanted to write Barbara Cartland style, I'd still be unpublished. Times have changed. The f-word and the "evil C's" are now a part of the common vernacular, and I doubt sincerely that anyone in the throes of passion says, "Oh, baby! Make love to me now!" Uh, last time we did the horizontal tango, I was yelling "F*** me! F*** me hard!" at the top of my lungs.

The readers say with their spending dollars what I write. There are enough genres around that I’ll always be able to write something that sells, if paranormal erotic romance falls out of favor. I don’t think the erotic will ever go away, but who knows? The readers determine these things, I don’t. Do they really think my publishers would accept erotic romance if the stuff wasn’t selling like hotcakes?

Let them clutch their perfect pearls in horror at my language. Don’t read my books if my words offend you so. Your buying dollar determines the market too, prose princess. Bet you have to work harder than I do to not say what I type honestly.

I feel sorry for these women writing these letters. Makes you wonder if they "lay back and think of England" while their husband gets his jollies. How pitiful. No wait. I feel sorrier for their husbands.

Saturday, March 1, 2008

Trivia Question One

Remember, answer me by emailing to voiceomt2002 AT yahoo.com
Trivia Question One: What color did Roni's eyes turn?
Answer can be found in the excerpt I just posted previously.
Lena

Adult Excerpt: Must Love Dogs

http://www.changelingpress.com/product.php?&upt=book&ubid=821

Night Critters 1: Must Love DogsLena Austin and Tuesday RichardsAll rights reserved.Copyright ©2006 Lena Austin and Tuesday RichardsAn Authorized ExcerptThis e-book file contains sexually explicit scenes and adult language which some may find offensive and which is not appropriate for a young audience. Changeling Press E-Books are for sale to adults, only, as defined by the laws of the country in which you made your purchase. Please store your files wisely, where they cannot be accessed by under-aged readers.



Roni had no such restraints to keep her from pealing out the wildest howl he'd ever heard. "Woo-woo-wooo!" She threw back her head and sang to the moon.
The carriage shot them down into the blackness of a dark cave. At least Corbin assumed it was a cave. He couldn't see the stars or the moon but he could see the luminous red nature of Roni's eyes. She looked like the legendary demon dogs. Wait. Her mother was a Siberian Husky werefolk. Their eyes turned red in low light. His heart raced faster, and adrenaline shot through his system. He'd howl in a few seconds if he didn't do something, and his body reacted before his conscious mind thought up a plan. His arms clamped around Roni's, and he yanked her closer for an adrenaline-laced kiss.
She returned the kiss in kind, smelling of excitement and a trace of fear from the ride. Her lips worked beneath his, nibbling on his bottom lip with tiny nips both painful and arousing.
They were still locked at the mouth like two teens with stuck braces when the ride ended. The attendant chuckled when he lifted the restraint bar, and whispered the name of the nearest local hotel. "Get a room, you two."
Roni released Corbin's lips and giggled. She tugged on his hand. "C'mon, handsome. Your car is this way." Then she let go of his hand and ran. The wink over her shoulder invited him for a short chase.
He knew where the damn car was. Barely. Not that it mattered. She couldn't run fast in those heels and presumably she left them on to let "the human" catch her. He laughed and loped easily after Roni.
She "let" him catch her at the rear bumper of his hydrocar. Her hand reached up to grasp his head and pull him down for a lingering kiss.
Corbin wrapped his arms around her and lifted Roni's butt until it rested on the trunk of his car and equalized their heights.
Roni responded by wrapping her legs around his waist. The heat of her arousal smacked his nose like a fist. "We need a room. And a bed. Now."
Those panted demands acted like the strongest aphrodisiacs known to lupine kind. Corbin stroked her whole body from breast to hip and back. "Yes. Your place is closest." It was a lie. His home was closer, but the last thing he wanted was for Duke to see or get involved. She was his, and he didn't want to share even her face.
Roni dove for the passenger side and had her seatbelt on before he could even get in. Her big brown eyes flashed with that demonic light once more in the streetlamps. Her fingertips stroked his zipper, but she couldn't reach any further. "Damn the laws that keep me locked away from you. I'd suck on your cock the entire way home."
The aforementioned body part stood at rigid attention like a soldier called to duty. Corbin's mind blanked as all the blood rushed out of his brain. "Yes, ma'am. I'll drive as fast as I can."

http://www.changelingpress.com/product.php?&upt=book&ubid=821

Welcome to my Blog!

Thanks for popping by! Don't sit on the whipping horse unless you want to find out how it's used. I speak my mind and annoy many people, but all of it is meant in good spirit. Feel free to argue with me. I like it.

Best way to reach me is by email: voiceomt2002@yahoo.com

Lena