Writing Inspiration: One Island, Two Stories

Undamaged: A Dallas Fire & Rescue Kindle World Novella, released in October, and my upcoming novelette Disputed Boundaries, appearing in the Naughty Flames: Eleven Fiery Romances boxed set, form part of my Stories from The San Juan Islands collection.

Both are set on San Juan Island in Washington state, very close to the Canadian border. It’s a place near and dear to my heart. It’s pretty remote, accessible only by boat or plane. In the summer, the island is crawling with tourists. In the winter, only the locals remain. Continue reading

#NaNoPrep2016: Under The Wire!

I have a title. I have a (tentative) blurb. I have a fake cover.

And it’s only October 29th.

Welcome to #NaNoPrep2016 where I’ve pulled together what I’m going to do for National Novel Writing Month at the last minute. Continue reading

Subscribe To My Newsletter!

Did you hear? I now have a newsletter! It’s called Kammerotica News and you can subscribe to it by clicking here!

So, why would you want to subscribe to my newsletter? Especially if you already read my blog, or follow me on social media? Continue reading

Amazon Adds Samhain to Its List of Victims

The digital-first, romance publisher Samhain has announced it is closing. Despite never having been published by Samhain, this news makes me very sad. Samhain was my target publisher, the one I aspired to be published by. The publisher from whom I got the absolute best rejection letter ever. Continue reading

NaNoWriMo 2015: NaNoPrep

2015 will be my 10th year doing NaNoWriMo and I’m revisiting some of my favorite characters I’ve created during the event, plus adding another hero and heroine into the mix. Back this year are Clara, Sam, Constance, and Pat from The General’s Wife: An American Revolutionary Tale. Joining them will be Clara’s brother – Oliver Hastings, the Viscount Thornton – and a family friend, Lady Eleanor Ormundsley. Continue reading

Definitions: What is Erotica?

[UPDATE: Please also see my reprise blog post “Definitions: Erotica, Erotic Romance, Steamy Romance”]

People frequently make broad assumptions about what it is I write. Friends, family, and acquaintances snicker about my “porn”. Romance writer colleagues imbued with the cadence of traditional romance often bandy about the term “erotica” as if to signal the ugly otherness of erotic romance.

So I will attempt to answer the provocative question What is erotica? and by doing so answer corollary questions about misunderstood erotic-like literary variations: Erotic romance, steamy romance, smut, porn, and Romantica®. Continue reading

Steampunk Inspiration (Part 2): Burning Man

In Steampunk Inspiration (Part 1), I discussed my family ties to a unique object of inspiration for my very first Steampunk story. I also hinted at the source of inspiration for my second Steampunk story.

For “Delia’s Heartthrob”, my entry in Naughty Hearts the Valentine’s Day release from the Naughty Literati, there was a specific source of inspiration. But before I get into that there’s a bit of very personal backstory. Continue reading

Inspiration: The Promise of Memory

We’re counting down to release day for the Hot Highlanders and Wild Warriors anthology. I’m guest posting on our blog today about my Roman-set story, “The Promise of Memory” and what inspired me to write it. You can either read the post below, or read it on the Hot Highlanders and Wild Warriors website. The post on the anthology website has an extensive excerpt! Continue reading

Character-Driven Sex

Whew! I just finished Book 2 of my Harwell Heirs series on Friday December 13th and sent it to my editor at Ellora’s Cave. While I was editing and polishing that manuscript (working title: Lord Petersham’s Contract), I wrote 50,000 words of Book 3 in the series (working title: Miss Danby’s Condition) for November’s National Novel Writing Month. This intensive period of writing solidified a belief I’ve had about writing erotica from day one: sex is driven by the characters and not by the author. Continue reading