Contest begins April 1, 2012 and ends May 31, 2012. Drawing will be held on June 2, 2012. Winners will be notified by email only.

Fourth prize: A Surprise Prize! (Doesn’t everyone like surprises? I do!)
Third prize: A $25 Amazon.com Gift Card
Second prize: Beverly’s Cannon Pack – books 1-3 (paperbacks only)
First prize: A $50 Amazon.com Gift Card

How do you enter? It’s easy!

Log into Yahoo and join my newsletter at Beverly Rae’s Fantasies. If you’re already a member, you’re already entered.

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY NEWSLETTER.

Enter a second time by answering the following question:
What is the heroine’s name in Betting the Moon?
Send your answer in an email to info@beverlyrae.com with the words “Let’s Celebrate” in the Subject heading. Be sure to include your full name and physical mailing address (no post office boxes, please). Entries without the requested information will be discarded.

Please read about the details:

1. By entering, you confirm that you are at least 18 years old.
2. By entering, you give your permission to use your first name and the initial of your last name for all advertising venues including, but not limited to, all Yahoo groups and this website.
3. Second and Fourth prize winners must reside within the continental U.S.

Good Luck!

Beverly

Beverly

When I first began writing, authors who wrote “those eBooks” weren’t considered “real” authors. Never mind that eBook authors had their books in the real world. Never mind that real readers paid real money for their books. eBook authors were still not considered real published authors by many traditional print authors, traditional print publishers and even organizations who were supposed to support writers in every step of their career. I lived through that discrimination until the Kindle and other ereaders took off. Today no one even questions that an epubbed author is a real author. In fact, those same traditional print authors and publishers are seeing their print sales dwindle while their eBook sales increase (yes, they jumped on the epubbed wagon).

Now it seems there’s another form of discrimination. This time it involves authors who write sex involving sentient beings such as werewolves and other shape-shifters. Some are even calling these romances “porn involving animals”. Seriously?

I don’t know when the whole concept began, but I do know that it’s somehow tied up with the bad boy thing a lot of women have. Maybe it started with vampire romances since vampires didn’t actually change into animals. Okay, maybe he changed into a bat to fly back to his hideaway, but that was rare. Can anyone wonder that writers would shift (pun intended) to werewolves, werecats, aliens and more? As writers we always want to stretch the limits. Although we never actually saw the sex scene, didn’t we all just assume that Captain Kirk made love to the green alien woman? She wasn’t human, just human-like, but I don’t remember anyone yelling foul then. Didn’t we believe that Spiderman, who “shifted” into a being with spidey powers, get it on with his love in the movies? What about the characters from the Twilight movies or the Vampire Diaries? Should those be considered “porn with animals” too?

I write graphic and explicit sex scenes in most of my books. My shape-shifters are intelligent men and women who, for the most part, are just like any other romance novel hero or heroine. They hate, they love, they have sex. But, like vampires, they have that other side to them. Do the shape-shifters in my books have sex with mortals while in their animal form? No. Do they sometimes shift just enough to bring out a small part (like changing eye color, etc.) while engaged in the bedroom? Yes, but I’d hardly call that having sex with an animal.

Just my $0.02.

Sara’s dream of wild sex with multiple men has come true. But when they change into werewolves, she flees, running into the arms of a killer. If she can open her heart to the pack, she’ll find love…and save her life.

HOWLING FOR SARA
(Night Runner Werewolves, Bk 1)

What’s Coming Up for 2012:

My website is going to have a whole new look in 2012. I’m planning a terrific prize drawing for the “Grand Opening”.

I have several new books coming out next year including a new series with a new publisher, Siren Publishing. Watch for the first two books of my Night Runner Werewolves series, Howling For Sara and Chasing Cally, releasing in January and March. I’m hoping to release four more books to wind up the series later in the year.

Samhain Publishing will release more of my books including the second and third book in my popular Magical Sisters series. Sex with a Hex (Meg’s story) is available now for pre-order on Kindle and Nook, and Sexual Shift (Hilly’s story) will be available in July. The fourth book in the bestselling Cannon Pack series, Betting the Moon, will come out in April. A new single title, In Pursuit of the Pink Pearl will release in October.

2012 is going to be a great year! I hope you’ll visit me on Twitter and Facebook.

Happy Holidays!

Beverly

Here’s an idea of what you can expect as a writer on the less than fun side of things:

Rejection: Yeah, get used to it. Very few writers sell their first book. Even if a publisher/editor loves your book, she’ll probably ask for revisions. Only actors and ugly toads face more rejections.

Revisions: Once you’ve made your book “perfect”, then the publisher will undoubtedly ask you to change it. Once you’ve made your book “perfect” for the publisher, then she’ll pass it along to an editor who will probably ask for more changes. Once you’ve made your book “perfect” for the editor, then she’ll go through it again (okay, several times) and make more changes. Trust me. By the time you’re through with edits you’ll know every word by heart.

Loneliness: Writing is a solitary venture. Unless you have a writing partner (which has challenges of its own), you’re going to be pushing this “baby” out all by yourself. You’ll spend hours in front of your computer, at all times of the day. I have four dogs who lie at my feet when I write. But they don’t make good conversationalists so sometimes I get lonely. After all, who do I invite to go to lunch?

Pay: At first and, truthfully, sometimes after years of work, you’ll make a paycheck that most Wal-Mart greeters would think is miniscule. After writing full time for years, I’m finally making decent money. And I’ve earned every cent. But then again, most writers don’t write for the money. They write because that’s what they like to do.

But let’s look at the brighter side of being a writer, shall we?

Creativity: You have an outlet for your creative musings that few others have. You can freely let yourself go, “play” with characters and stories that some would think childish and have a legitimate excuse for doing so.

Control: You are in control of your characters and the stories you want to tell. Or at least you are until your book is contracted and you face revisions.

Freedom to Say What You Want: Why do you think there’s so many bloggers today? Why else is Twitter so big? Everyone wants to say what’s on their mind. As a writer, you can say it anyway you want through her work.

Immortality: Your work will live on without you. With the Internet and eBooks thriving, your book will be available even after you aren’t. Sometimes I think that’s a good thing and a bad thing all at the same time.

So? Is writing really for you? Only you can answer that question. But I must confess. I fooled you. Determining if you want to be a writer is fairly easy and has less to do with what I’ve covered here than one simple fact. If you want to be a writer, you’ll write. No amount of deterrents or roadblocks will stop you. Writing is who you are more than what you do.

So I ask you again. Is writing for you?

I am exhausted but truly happy. Not only did my hubby and I spend four crazy days, we had the good timing to be celebrating our anniversary at the same time.

Here’s just a few of the things we did:

Stood in line for 2 hrs to see William Shatner (Capt. Kirk, Denny Crane, etc) on stage

Jumped into the back of the line to get in to see Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia) on stage

Checked out exhibits, dealer merchandize, singing groups, drum lines, and the art exhibit

Watch robot battles – twice!

Took photos of incredible costumes – see photo page

Heard all about dragon sex

Met interesting people including a professional roller derby player

Spent tons of money

Ate lots of junk food

Searched everywhere for Sprite Zero and found only one place that sold it. (Seriously. In Atlanta, home of Coke, only one place?)

Consumed complimentary champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries (Thank you, Omni Hotel)

Shouted “So say we all!” back when Edward Olmos (Commander Adama, Battlestar Galactica) chanted it at the end of the BSG panel

Checked out Belle Books panel

Booked our hotel reservations for DragonCon 2012

If you have a chance to go to DragonCon next year, do it! It’s the absolute best convention ever.

DragonCon pictures.

Like mothers everywhere, I’ve done all I can to prepare my daughter for life. I’ve given her a variety of educational experiences from Montessori preschool to homeschool to private school and public school. I’ve taught her right from wrong and tried to stress that there’s a whole lot of gray in between. Have I done a great job? I think so. Whether or not I did, however, I know I did the best I could.

I’m going to miss her big time. She’s such a bright person, witty and charming, and truly the sweetest girl in the world. But we all have two sides to our personalities and she’s no different.

Want to know some of the things I will miss?

• 1) I’m going to miss her laughter. She has the absolute best giggle.
• 2) I’m going to miss her art. Who knows when I’ll get to see her artwork, much less keep it for my own.
• 3) I’m going to miss her sensitive and caring heart. The girl is the softest touch ever. I’ve even seen her throw a tennis match so that her opponent won’t feel bad.
• 4) I’m going to miss her smile. Even her Mona Lisa one that she uses for the photographs she hates to have taken.
• 5) I’m going to miss her noise. From the music to the television to the silly YouTube videos, the house is going to be way too quiet after she leaves.
• 6) I’m going to miss — absolutely everything about her! I’ll even miss the eye rolls, the messy room, the way she says “Mom” in that not-so-loving way. Everything that’s a part of her will be missed. I can’t wait for her to come back home and she hasn’t even left yet!

Then there’s the flip side. When she’s away at college, having fun and (hopefully) studying hard, my husband and I will be rediscovering the couple we once were. Although I’m sure a lot of our conversations will start with “I wonder what she’s doing right now?” we plan on relearning how to talk to each other, how to play with each other, and how to exist in an empty nest world. We’re looking forward to not having to lock the bedroom door. Hell, we’ll even be able to run around buck naked if we want. (Okay, that’s sooo not happening.) But we are determined to find out if there truly is life after children.

So if I’ve done my job, if she’s going to enjoy college and we’ll enjoy our new freedom, then why am I so torn? Simple. Because as a mom, we give ourselves to our child in hope that one day she’ll fly the nest. But we’ll always hold a part of her close.
This transitional time isn’t just for her. It’s for all of three of us. Will I still be there if she needs me and even when she’d rather not have my input? You betcha. And her? Well, she’ll still be my baby every time she comes home. Whether she likes it or not.

(LOL. Gotcha! You didn’t really think I’d post a pic of my dimple-ridden butt, did you? It ain’t happening, folks, because there aren’t enough therapists in the world for that.)

But I do plan on baring my soul and I hope you’ll bare your soul right back. I plan on covering almost anything from writing to weight loss to why men do what they do. Almost no topic will be off limits.

Did you notice how I used the word “almost”? That’s because my momma didn’t raise no fool. I won’t be discussing political topics (no matter how riled up I get) or religion. Other than that, the field is wide open.

So for this first blog, I’m going to ask you to do me a favor. Send me a topic or two of your choice. What would you like me to discuss? If you’re feeling shy, you can always email me privately with your choice.

Talk to you soon! (I hope.)

Beverly

Here’s my daughter’s drawing of my bottom.
Trust me. She was being very kind.