I'm so excited. I ordered my first bookmarks this week! I feel like a 'real' author now. I can't wait to hand them out. If you would like me to mail a signed bookmark to you, please email your mailing addy to me at suzanne.graham at rocketmail.com (Use the @ symbol to replace 'at'. )
I will be handing my bookmarks out in person at the RomantiCon Conference, October 9-11, in Richfield, OH. If you're there, be sure to introduce yourself! I would love to meet my readers.
The bookmarks reveal the third title in the Gifts of Desire series. Now I am at work on writing that story and getting it submitted to my editor. I'm excited to write the happily-ever-after for my four favorite characters, Amanda, Tom, Mark and Sabrina.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Friday, August 21, 2009
Fingers with extra hands
My editor sent my edits for The Christmas Present this week. No serious issues, which was great. I still have a bad case of the missing comma, but my next stuff should be better.
I actually read the chapter in the Holt Handbook on commas the other day. Doesn't that sound like fun?! I felt like I was back in freshman English from high school.
*Shhh! Don't tell anyone, but I actually like reading the Holt Handbook. I was flipping through and reading about semi-colons and dependent clauses, before I caught myself.
A couple of the edits made me laugh out loud. I had a love scene that had fingers with an extra hand and hands that didn't belong to any body.
How does that happen? Introductory phrases that don't agree with the subject.
Example: With his other hand, his fingers stroked her cheek. This actually says, His fingers with his other hand stroked her cheek.
Here's another: Leaning down, his warm breath caressed her lips. Actual meaning: His warm breath was leaning down caressing her lips.
So, I survived another round of edits from my editor with very minimal bruising. Fortunately her sense of humor shows in her comments, and she also gives praise peppered in her edits, which is much appreciated.
I actually read the chapter in the Holt Handbook on commas the other day. Doesn't that sound like fun?! I felt like I was back in freshman English from high school.
*Shhh! Don't tell anyone, but I actually like reading the Holt Handbook. I was flipping through and reading about semi-colons and dependent clauses, before I caught myself.
A couple of the edits made me laugh out loud. I had a love scene that had fingers with an extra hand and hands that didn't belong to any body.
How does that happen? Introductory phrases that don't agree with the subject.
Example: With his other hand, his fingers stroked her cheek. This actually says, His fingers with his other hand stroked her cheek.
Here's another: Leaning down, his warm breath caressed her lips. Actual meaning: His warm breath was leaning down caressing her lips.
So, I survived another round of edits from my editor with very minimal bruising. Fortunately her sense of humor shows in her comments, and she also gives praise peppered in her edits, which is much appreciated.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Friday Night, Date Night
Woohoo! The Nana is taking the kids overnight tonight! First we are all going to the beach for the day. Then we will drop the dirty, sandy, slimy children at Nana's house, and the hubby and I can come home kidless! Does it get any better than that?
What will we do with all our free time? Knowing the nerds that we are, we will probably each cuddle up to our computers and work for a few hours. Then one of us will look at the other and say, "Hey, are you ready for some . . . Battlestar Galactica?" Then we'll bounce into the family room and sit plastered to our chairs for a marathon of BG episodes.
Yep, we're scifi fans, and a good friend has lent us the ENTIRE SERIES of BG. All the seasons on DVD! We never saw any of them when they were on TV. It's all new to us. I think we're into season three now with only one more season to watch. Boy, that will be a bummer when they're over.
It's incredible to watch an entire television series from beginning to end with no commercial interrupts and no long seven days in between each episode. Sometimes I get a little anxious during the day, and I wonder what's wrong. Then I realize that I am thinking about Starbuck and her romantic conflict with Sam, her husband, and Lee, her true love.
Ooooo, love those love triangles. Why can't they all just get along and love each other? That's what I would have them do if they were in one of my stories!
Do you have a favorite television series that you've watched in marathon sessions?
What will we do with all our free time? Knowing the nerds that we are, we will probably each cuddle up to our computers and work for a few hours. Then one of us will look at the other and say, "Hey, are you ready for some . . . Battlestar Galactica?" Then we'll bounce into the family room and sit plastered to our chairs for a marathon of BG episodes.
Yep, we're scifi fans, and a good friend has lent us the ENTIRE SERIES of BG. All the seasons on DVD! We never saw any of them when they were on TV. It's all new to us. I think we're into season three now with only one more season to watch. Boy, that will be a bummer when they're over.
It's incredible to watch an entire television series from beginning to end with no commercial interrupts and no long seven days in between each episode. Sometimes I get a little anxious during the day, and I wonder what's wrong. Then I realize that I am thinking about Starbuck and her romantic conflict with Sam, her husband, and Lee, her true love.
Ooooo, love those love triangles. Why can't they all just get along and love each other? That's what I would have them do if they were in one of my stories!
Do you have a favorite television series that you've watched in marathon sessions?
Monday, August 10, 2009
The Birthday Present
On Sale Now!
Book one in the Gifts of Desire Series
A special birthday present shows Amanda
how something new can be so exciting.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Are you ready for The Birthday Present?
1 Day and Counting
Excerpt Day!
Excerpt Day!
(If you haven't read the excerpt from the beginning of chapter one, go to The Birthday Present. Then come back here for this scene a little later in the chapter.)
I sat down on my chaise and glanced over at the woman on the chair next to mine. She had a classic, English rose complexion, porcelain-pale skin with peach undertones, and she wore her blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail. My eyes travelled down the rest of her. She was voluptuous with lavish curves, completely opposite of my lean, thin frame.
The woman was topless, wearing only a tiny patch of hot pink cloth over her cleanly shaved mons held up by two thin strings. Her stomach was slightly rounded and her bare breasts were full, perfectly sized to fit in the palm of my hand.
I’d never thought about touching a woman before, but now I imagined the weight of her breast in my hand and how I would tease the nipple until it became erect between my thumb and forefinger. Then I would lave it with my tongue and pull it into my mouth, sucking on the fullness. I imagined she would taste like peaches and cream, delicious.
The woman looked over at me and caught me staring at her chest. Embarrassed, I felt my face flush. I quickly averted my eyes, but not before I saw her smiling at me.
I stared ahead at the rippling water in the pool. I could feel the woman’s eyes scanning my own body from head to foot and my nipples pebbled at her attention. The fabric of my bikini top created friction against them as they grew hard under her gaze. My breasts were much smaller than hers, nearly flat against my chest under the two turquoise triangles of my top as I lay on my back on the chaise. Certainly not as enticing as hers.
Finally, I looked back at her and met her eyes. She smiled brightly at me.
“Hi, I’m Sabrina,” she said with a British accent. She reached out to take my hand in greeting. Her fingers were soft, but firm. “This is my husband, Mark.” She pointed over her shoulder to the man sitting next to her.
“Hi.” I licked my lips. My mouth had suddenly gone dry at the sight of Mark’s broad, hard chest and chiselled abs. His bronze skin glistened with tanning oil. When I was able to speak again, I said, “I’m Amanda, and this is my husband, Tom.”
“How cute, you’re T&A and we’re S&M,” Sabrina said.
The Birthday Present on sale tomorrow at Total-e-bound.com!
The woman was topless, wearing only a tiny patch of hot pink cloth over her cleanly shaved mons held up by two thin strings. Her stomach was slightly rounded and her bare breasts were full, perfectly sized to fit in the palm of my hand.
I’d never thought about touching a woman before, but now I imagined the weight of her breast in my hand and how I would tease the nipple until it became erect between my thumb and forefinger. Then I would lave it with my tongue and pull it into my mouth, sucking on the fullness. I imagined she would taste like peaches and cream, delicious.
The woman looked over at me and caught me staring at her chest. Embarrassed, I felt my face flush. I quickly averted my eyes, but not before I saw her smiling at me.
I stared ahead at the rippling water in the pool. I could feel the woman’s eyes scanning my own body from head to foot and my nipples pebbled at her attention. The fabric of my bikini top created friction against them as they grew hard under her gaze. My breasts were much smaller than hers, nearly flat against my chest under the two turquoise triangles of my top as I lay on my back on the chaise. Certainly not as enticing as hers.
Finally, I looked back at her and met her eyes. She smiled brightly at me.
“Hi, I’m Sabrina,” she said with a British accent. She reached out to take my hand in greeting. Her fingers were soft, but firm. “This is my husband, Mark.” She pointed over her shoulder to the man sitting next to her.
“Hi.” I licked my lips. My mouth had suddenly gone dry at the sight of Mark’s broad, hard chest and chiselled abs. His bronze skin glistened with tanning oil. When I was able to speak again, I said, “I’m Amanda, and this is my husband, Tom.”
“How cute, you’re T&A and we’re S&M,” Sabrina said.
The Birthday Present on sale tomorrow at Total-e-bound.com!
Saturday, August 8, 2009
It's Getting Closer.
2 Days and Counting!
Meet the Cast of Characters in
The Birthday Present
Amanda - After eight years of marriage, Amanda is bored with sex. She's still in love with her husband, Tom, but their sex life has become a predictable routine.
Tom - He loves his wife and wants to give her anything she wants for her birthday.
Sabrina - Sensual and voluptuous Sabrina is also vacationing with her husband on Tenerife, Canary Islands, when she meets Amanda and Tom.
Mark - Mark’s deep voice with its lyrical British accent reminds Amanda of her fantasies about having an English lover after she fell in love with Jane Austen’s Mr. Darcy in high school. She always imagined he was tall with dark hair and dark eyes like Mark’s.
Meet the Cast of Characters in
The Birthday Present
Amanda - After eight years of marriage, Amanda is bored with sex. She's still in love with her husband, Tom, but their sex life has become a predictable routine.
Tom - He loves his wife and wants to give her anything she wants for her birthday.
Sabrina - Sensual and voluptuous Sabrina is also vacationing with her husband on Tenerife, Canary Islands, when she meets Amanda and Tom.
Mark - Mark’s deep voice with its lyrical British accent reminds Amanda of her fantasies about having an English lover after she fell in love with Jane Austen’s Mr. Darcy in high school. She always imagined he was tall with dark hair and dark eyes like Mark’s.
Friday, August 7, 2009
It's Coming!!!!!!
First Release Countdown!!!
3 Days until The Birthday Present is available for purchase.
3 Days until The Birthday Present is available for purchase.
Please join me in the happy dance as I celebrate a huge milestone in my writing career! Put on some dance music and your swingy skirt.
Let's dance the night away!
Let's dance the night away!
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