Soulful Sex: Partners

First Reviews for Bloodchained

2007-10-10T04:14:00.000-07:00

Reviews for the book are starting to come in, and show that the SS Partners did a fabulous job working with me on our book!

5 STARS - Sime~Gen: "This carefully plotted novel by Diana Laurence was such a treat to read! Not many books are able to capture me completely the way this wonderful book did. Each chapter of Bloodchained made this reader hungry for more…a superb love story that touched my heart. I highly recommend this phenomenal read!"

4 1/2 BLUE RIBBONS - Romance Junkies: "This unusual approach to novel writing has produced a story that will thrill paranormal and historical romance lovers alike...the blending of these genres is definitely a winning combination. The romances, and there are more than one in this novel, are at times sweet and at other times extremely intense. Laurence has imbued her characters with traits that range from one extreme to the other, from honor to depravity. I cried at heartbreaking moments in the story. At other moments, I laughed at the quick wit exhibited by several of the characters. Through it all, I enjoyed this story of love and passion, betrayal and redemption. Grab a copy of this superb book and experience the world of the Roicans for yourself."

Coffee Time Romance: "The story of Bloodchained has a fresh and unique twist to the whole vampire genre of romance stories. The five main characters in this story are all well written and so unlike each other that you really find their interaction with each other at times moving, and at times amusing. This is a nice story to read on lonely nights when you are in the mood for romance mixed with a little suspense."

The Bloodchained Trailer

2007-09-20T18:37:00.000-07:00

If you're curious about our novel, and would like to become even MORE curious, check out the book promo video:

It's a Wrap!

2007-09-02T10:18:00.000-07:00

I just went to press with Bloodchained! The official Bloodchained website is also live at http://www.bloodchained.com/, and I invite you to visit there for ongoing news about the book. There's plenty of cool stuff on the site, including buy links, character sketches and portraits, an excerpt, reviews, the Fans' Tavern (with all sorts of goodies), and how to sign up for the Bloodchained Readers Club.

My congratulations and thanks to the 63 members of the Soulful Sex Partners for a fabulous job in bringing this book into existence. Now we'll sit back and see how it is received by readers everywhere!

We have a cover!

2007-08-23T16:32:00.000-07:00

Check out the fabulous cover design completed today by my daughter and illustrator, Katie Nelson. I couldn't be more thrilled with it. Hooray for you, Katesi!

In other news, the "Bloodchained Marketplace" Cafe Press store is now open for business, and offering a variety of fun items for fans of the book. I hope you'll check it out!

Stay tuned for the launch of the new Bloodchained Website, currently under contruction by yours truly.

Oh, and that book? Oh yeah, that book! My editor and I have completed the final edits through chapter 28. Only 12 chapters to go, and I believe I'll be seeing those very soon from her. Still right on target for that mid- to late-September release.

But other than that, I'm just bored out of my mind! LOL

The Bloodchained Virtual Tour has begun!

2007-08-09T19:13:00.000-07:00

I kid you not, I have started the delightful process of appearing all over the web talking about the phenomenon that is Bloodchained. Here are my first appearances:

August 8 - The Romance Studio - Romance vs. Sex in Bloodchained
August 9 - Suite 101's Romance Fiction Department - Getting Help from the Fans
August 9 - The Difference Now Blog - Bloodchained and the Writing Life
August 10 - Bloodchained - A Unique Experience - American Chronicle

Exciting, no? And starting next Monday, tune in to seven days and seven chapters of the complete behind the scenes story of Bloodchained and the Soulful Sex Partners Project, on Novelspot's Behind the Scenes feature! Whoa, this series of articles was a blast to write.

Meanwhile, I'm closing in on the last edits to the book, and awaiting comments from my professional editor Sarah. My illustrator is reading the book and planning the cover, too! That September publication date is coming right up...can't wait!

And now, from our Marketing Department...

2007-07-25T18:04:00.000-07:00

It’s not too early to be planning the promotion of the book, so here are some shameless pleas on that subject!

ATTENTION REVIEWERS: Do you review romance books for any websites? If the terms of your service permit you to select what you review, I hope you’ll consider doing a review of Bloodchained. Just shoot me an email telling me for whom you do reviews. I should have the advance review copy (ARC) of the book ready in about three weeks (pdf format), and will supply you with a copy (free of course). First come, first served though--only one reviewer per website. A couple of the SS Partners have already offered to do reviews (what sweeties).

LOOKING FOR INTERVIEWS: Secondly, I’m hoping to line up some interviews for after the release. This was such a unique and exciting project, I think a lot of romance fans will be interested to hear how it went down. If you are affiliated with any websites in this capacity, or know people who are and would like to suggest to them that they do a story on the project, please let me know. I already have one interview lined up from a very wonderful fan!

DO YOU HAVE A BLOG? Lastly, another friend of mine in the writing community suggested I do a “virtual book tour” by appearing on a series of blogs. Fun huh? If you have a blog and would like me to “stop by” for a little Q&A after the book release, just shoot me an email and I’ll give you more details.

These requests are of course for SS Partner members and non-members alike. Stay tuned for more on the promotion of the book!

DONE!!! And now it's time to edit...

2007-07-12T17:17:00.000-07:00

I couldn't be happier to report that yesterday I finished writing Bloodchained! Can I get a big "Hells, YEAH!"? It is currently at ~93,000 words (think of that as approximately 275 pages in paperback).

I sent out the final ten chapters this evening to the Readers team and I know there are a couple of them who may end up staying up tonight reading, from the way they've been craving to know how the book ends.

Meanwhile, I'm heading back to the beginning of the manuscript to begin the final edits. This is always my favorite part! I love having the hard work of plotting completed, especially in the case of a book like this that is doing it's best to be in the page-turner, shock-every-other-chapter genre. Now I can work on perfecting the language, listening to the dialogue, and injecting some richer description.

I have to say, I'm very happy about the experience of writing a book not so focused on sex this time. Not that there isn't any sex...there's the dream sequence with Character X and Character Y, the nasty but hot scenario with Character A and Character Z, the creepy but hot business between Character Y and Character B, and the divinely sweet and sensuous scene between Character A and Character C. But I did get to spend a lot more time on other aspects of the story and that made for a book that I believe is much more deeply engaging. Engaging, with sex. And some nice kisses, too.

All rightee then, wish me luck on the editing!

The Big Love Scene, etc.

2007-06-26T16:53:00.000-07:00

Time for an update!

I just sent Chapters 22-29 to the Readers group for review. Chapter 30 is underway, which puts me approximately 75% done.

I’ve reached that wonderful point in the writing where I actually know what happens for the rest of the book, give or take some details. With a plot this complicated, you can bet that feels good! I’m also currently writing the Big Love Scene. You’d think with all the BLS’s I’ve written in my anthologies, I wouldn’t be intimidated by this one, but I guess I feel a lot of pressure to make it really good. I’ll do my best....

I’m starting to get really excited about the release of this book. Still on target for a fall publication date!

Back from vacation and ready to write

2007-06-05T17:17:00.000-07:00

Just returned from nine days on the road, exploring Indianapolis, Louisville, Kentucky Cave Country, Nashville, Memphis and St. Louis. 1,598 miles of fabulous family fun! And some romantic interest as well; if you’d like to read more of that, see my Erotica with Soul blog for the whole story here.

Meanwhile, the manuscript has been in the hands of my six volunteer readers. As of this writing they now have Chapters 1-21 in hand and are sending me some excellent feedback. Much to my relief, I’m hearing great things, particularly about the suspense. Guess the book is pretty much a page-turner! This is great news. You know, the author herself can strive for that, but there’s no way to tell for sure it’s working, seeing as she knows all the surprises ahead of time.

What I’m finding particularly interesting is the attraction readers are feeling for Liam. As a reader quickly finds out, it’s Finn who is the male lead; nevertheless, my effort to make Liam attractive in the early chapters seems to have worked nicely.

I’m particularly gratified that the Roican race is turning out as compelling for others as they are for me. It’s a little audacious for a person to create a new kind of vampires, when so many others have done great things with this theme. But it would seem the readers are intrigued with these beings and eager to learn more of their history and future.

All in all, I’m really thrilled with the comments so far! This is a good thing, because it was hard for me to come back from my fabulous trip south and set aside the life of leisure and get back to work. Fortunately, the encouragement of the SS Readers group has restored my eagerness!

The SS Partners Readers go to work!

2007-05-21T16:42:00.000-07:00

We’re launching a new phase of the project, with the help of six volunteers who will be reading and critiquing the entire manuscript. I’m so grateful to these ladies for giving of their time to give me feedback. Let’s meet them:

Cherie, Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin
Rhonda, McDonald, Ohio
Wanda, Tomahawk, Kentucky
Gina, Black Creek, Georgia
Donna, Rio Linda, California
Karolina, Sweden

So we are international! I’m thrilled such a diverse group will be helping me make sure our book works for different kinds of readers.

I have supplied the Readers with the first fifteen chapters of Bloodchained and they’ll be hard at work reviewing them over the next weeks.

Meanwhile, I’m through Chapter 21 and spent the past week going through my 140 page manuscript for continuity problems and editing. Now I know a little how the writers of “Lost” must feel! Keeping track of the various threads of plot in this Roican world is quite a challenge. Happily, if I messed up anything so far, the Readers will undoubtedly catch it!

These next few weeks should be very exciting. I can’t wait to start getting feedback and make even more improvements on the book!

The Partners read on...

2007-05-02T17:49:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to update that the SS Partners are currently getting a top-super-secret preview of Chapters 3 and 4. They're also working on another survey (that's Survey #6) to evaluate their reactions to further info about heroine Grace Gilder and her brother Sebastian, and our ambiguous protagonist Finn Equain.

I'm also checking on potential interest in a future chat, and seeing if I can find a few volunteers to do a full read of the draft and provide feedback.

Just finishing up Chapter 19. Wish I could tell you about who is in danger, who is fighting the urge to fall in love, and who has just be revealed to be...ah! but I've said too much already! My bad.

We have a title! And progress report...

2007-04-28T08:07:00.000-07:00

Could I be more excited? You see, I've been struggling to come up with a title for our book for weeks and coming up dry. Do you have any idea how hard it is to come up with an original, never-before-used title for a book with a vampiric theme? But much to my disbelief, no one has used "Bloodchained" before, and meanwhile, in my humble opinion it's perfect for this book.

I really hoped to let the Partners vote on the title, but alas, when I tried to come up with a short list of options, I couldn't think of anything that wasn't horribly lame, except Bloodchained. So in this one instance I'm being dictatorial. Sorry gang! But the emails I've received so far from the Partners indicate they are very happy with the title, so I'm delighted.

Meanwhile, I created the logo you see here on the blog for the new book. A little romantic...a little sinister...rather like our hero Finn, I think. Have I mentioned lately how I've fallen for this guy? LOL

So, progress report: I am now approximately half done with the draft of the novel, with rough notes for the rest. I had originally hoped to be able to involve the Partners a bit more in the plotting than this, but as I started writing the plot they chose, the book quickly became a "Lost"-style tangle of turns and plots twists and surprises that were so complicated I simply wrote them all down before I'd lose track!

It's been very nice for me to do a book with this complex of a plot, having worked for the past two years in the short story and novella lengths. I'm finding the world of the Roicans really fascinating to invent and embellish. It's been very cool working with a race that shares certain aspects with traditional vampires--the blood-drinking, seduction, and domination/submission themes--while being much more morally complex. Are they good, are they bad, how do they deal with their immortality and power? What is their heritage and where are they headed in the future? And what kind of relations will they ultimately establish with mortals, particularly in the individual cases of our protagonists? (By the way, I now have posted a published synopsis page for the book.)

I'm also happy that this is definitely going to end up a full-length novel and will be published in paperback. I hope it will be a thrill for the Partners to hold in their hands and open up to see their names inside the pages!

So, going forward I hope to present the Partners with some more excerpts (without giving away too much or being too confusing) for feedback. New Partners are still welcome at any time of course!

Hope everyone likes the title...now, back to writing!

The power of fans like you

2007-04-23T17:19:00.000-07:00

Some comments I recently expressed to the 57 members of Soulful Sex Partners--food for thought!

This weekend I saw a documentary that really demonstrated the power of fans.

Maybe you’ve heard of the short-lived science fiction TV series called “Firefly.” Perhaps you’re familiar with Joss Whedon, the creator of the show, better known for his series “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” Well, Joss is a writer who seems to be able to capture the hearts and imaginations of fans. The fan base he accumulated for “Buffy” and its spinoff “Angel” are impressive enough, but it’s the fans of “Firefly” who really amaze a person.

This documentary was called “Done the Impossible” and tells the story of how the love of fans for a cancelled TV show was the impetus for getting said show made into a big Hollywood movie. Simply put, these viewers fell so much in love with Joss Whedon’s cast of characters and their futuristic Wild West-ish world, they couldn’t live with its untimely demise. They fought and fought to make their voices heard, until people listened, and Joss was able to produce the superb motion picture “Serenity” and resurrect his beloved team of space renegades.

This documentary said a lot to me, in view of my current involvement with SS Partners. An author can only dream of having his or her characters be so dear to fans. I know what it’s like on a small level: I’ve gotten emails asking me to please, please, please write more about the Golden Pair (The Golden Padawan, from LBR Press READ FREE), or Mauren and Kier in my novel Souls’ Embrace, etc., or Colya and Adesteis from “The Chieftain’s Man” in my latest collection of stories. There’s really no more rewarding feeling than that for an author.

That’s why I hoped it would be a cool concept to actually involve readers in the development of a story from its inception. What better way to give fans ownership in an imaginative world than have them participate in the germination of ideas, naming of characters, plot development, etc.?

I dream of the day when the paperback is published, seeing members of SS Partners present copies to family and friends and say, “This is a great book and I was involved with writing it. See, here’s my name in the Acknowledgments!” This is not just a ploy to sell more copies; I just really like the idea of a book spreading from reader to reader not because a big publishing house has decided to blow big bucks advertising it, but because individual fans care about that book, love its characters, and want to share them.

That’s what happened with “Firefly.” I’m no Joss Whedon talent-wise, but I’d still love to see a community like that happen on a much smaller scale because of something I and my readers created together.

Chapter 2 - Finn and the Roicans are go!

2007-04-16T16:49:00.000-07:00

The Partners reviewed Chapter 2, the introduction of the mysterious Finn, and much to my relief gave their approval. The results of Survey #5 confirmed to me that not only do they find Finn an intriguing character, but they also made sense of my newly invented "species" of vampiric beings, the Roicans. Here are some highlights from the comments I received:

"Loved it! I feel like I know this guy already...your description of Finn is spot on."
"Very good suspense...The origin of the Roicans is fascinating too...I love it!"
"WOW!! Lovin’ the book so far!! I really love Chapter 2 and Finn! And I REALLY love the Roican lore. I think you did a fabulous job with the spin on vampirism. Excellent job! It’s a very beautiful tale so far!!"

As far as the survey, all respondents liked Finn (or at least found him intriguing, even if they weren't sure yet if he's good or bad). Over 80% gave thumbs up to the Roican concepts, with the remainder just needing some further clarification (and it IS coming, believe me!). Only a few people got any answers wrong on the quiz, so I guess I'm explaining things pretty well, thank goodness.

As of this writing I am finishing up Chapter 8. The plot, as they say, thickens. I will post more thoughts soon!

Chapter 1 gets thumbs up! And the subject is vampiric...

2007-04-11T17:39:00.000-07:00

The SS Partners have been enjoying their exclusive access to the draft of Chapter 1 of our book. I’m delighted to report the reactions have been great! Here are a few comments gleaned from the emails I received:

“The story is off to a good start. Keep up the good work!”
“It was sad but you could really get a good feel for the strength of both characters. It was a great way to introduce them.”
“I’m looking forward to reading this book, big time!”
“I like the story! The old tavern comes into view clearly…The way Grace called her brother “Bastian,” lets the reader know that the two really care about each other.”

So for our latest project, the Partners are now taking a look at Chapter 2. They’ll be meeting the mysterious Finn Equain, and learning of his strange interest in the legends of the bloodsucking race known as the Roicans. Then the Partners will be responding to Survey #5, and giving me feedback. First, I want to find out first impressions concerning Finn. Second, I’m really concerned about making sure my invented vampiric race, the Roicans, makes sense and is interesting.

Meanwhile, I’ve been pressing ever forward with the writing, and in fact, am done through Chapter 6. (Well, they’re short chapters...which I find cuts down a lot on my personally overused element of punctuation, those groups of three asterisks that signify a scene change!) Chapter 6 was particularly exciting as it was the arrival of the three travelers at the inn, obviously the “launch moment” of the main plot. It also includes the initial reactions of Grace and Sebastian to their three intriguing guests.

Are we having fun yet? Hells, yeah! And I’m certainly looking forward to finding out how the Roicans go over. Hopefully it won’t require a huge rewrite, but then again, better to find out now!

Our characters have names at last!

2007-04-04T17:30:00.000-07:00

And here they are:

The Innkeeper: Grace Gilder
The Innkeeper’s Brother: Sebastian Gilder
The First Traveler: Liam Koll
The Second Traveler: Finn Equain
The Third Traveler: Nessa Koll

Grand job on your picks, Partners!

I have another exciting development on which to report: I have been plugging away at writing the beginning of the book, and for our next project I’m inviting the Partners to read the first chapter and provide me with their input. Hopefully they’ll be sucked into the story (rather than the story sucking), and will have some interesting suggestions and comments.

And here’s my usual reminder: it’s not too late to sign up and be a part of writing our book! I have a feeling it’s going to be good, if I do say so myself….

Meet our cast of characters...

2007-03-24T07:20:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in my last post, the SS Partners are currently pondering possible names for our five lead characters. I thought it might be helpful to provide some descriptive text about these folks, so I’ve been writing some character sketches. For the time being I’ve given them “placeholder names”: monikers by which I’ll refer to them until the Partners choose their real names. Our story takes place in a Renaissance-y fantasy world, in a country which I have dubbed Audica.

So, here are the five in summary:

“Jane” – our heroine, ~27 years old, an innkeeper (parents deceased)
“John” – Jane’s brother, ~23 years old, who runs the inn’s pub
“Peter” – the first traveler, ~33 years old
“Mark” – the second traveler, Peter’s friend, ~33 years old
“Mary” – the third traveler, Peter’s sister, ~24 years old

For the full character sketches, please click HERE.

Subscribed Partners, email me your name ideas or feel free to post them here! When I have enough nominees, we’ll be having an official vote to select the final names.

We have a plot!

2007-03-20T04:16:00.000-07:00

The Soulful Sex Partners have spoken and chosen from the three possible plotlines I proposed to them. The nominees were:

1. The Oracle and the Warrior

Takes place in a fantasy realm reminiscent of the Greek/Roman empire. The heroine is an oracle at a temple in her country’s capital city, a woman renowned for her powers of precognition and other psychic gifts. Her country is at war with another empire, which is led by a notorious warrior/king bent on conquering it. This warrior is himself possessed of certain psychic gifts, particularly the power to compel. He manages to kidnap the oracle and is determined to take her under his power so he may force her to share with him her visions of the future, in order to aid him in his plan of conquest. Can the oracle resist him and avoid betraying her country? The conflict is complicated by the fact that much about the warrior’s character commends him to the oracle, and she begins to fall in love with him.

2. The Milkmaid and the Magician

Takes place in a primitive, Dark Ages type fantasy realm. The heroine is a young woman living a quiet, rural life as a serf on a dairy farm. In her community there is a legend of a great magician or wizard, purported to have created a great secret castle full of marvels. Whether the man truly possesses magic or is just a technological genius is up for debate. Either way, the milkmaid is obsessed with daydreams of him that eventually evolve into vivid and compelling visions. She is certain he needs her for some purpose and determines to locate his castle. She is, of course, successful, and discovers the man to be even more fascinating and mysterious in the flesh (in more ways than one). It also turns out that she is a key factor in his realizing his ultimate plan.

3. The Innkeeper and the Strange Travelers

Takes place in a Renaissance period type fantasy realm (comfortable living conditions but pre-industrial). The heroine operates an inn which is visited one night by a trio of strange but attractive travelers, two men and a woman, who decide to take up residence there. Shortly thereafter there commence strange doings in the town, including bizarre bloodlettings. The innkeeper comes to suspect one or all of her guests are involved. However, each of the three has his or her appeal, and the innkeeper struggles to set aside her feelings and attraction, and determine which of them is guilty of dark magic and vampirism. In the end she must put her own life at risk to save the one redeemable member of the trio.

And the winner: The Innkeeper and the Strange Travelers!

This option received all first and second place votes, so it’s good to know none of SS Partners think it sucks! LOL Seriously though, I’m delighted to be able to do another vampire story (see also “Pints” from Soulful Sex Volume I and “The Verity of the Vampyre” from Soulful Sex Volume III), and I’ve already started giving it some thought. It’s not going to be your typical vampire tale I think: while I want to retain those great elements of dominance/submission, mystery, and supernatural seduction for which the genre is famous, I’m hoping to do some fresh things with it.

The Partners are on hiatus from surveys for a little bit now, while we brainstorm via email and this blog about things like characters’ names and the basic plans for the plot. It’s never too late to join in the fun, so if you want to be involved in the creation of this story, sign up today, kids!

Survey #3 - Time to Pick the Plot!

2007-03-14T18:40:00.000-07:00

Yes indeed, things are really getting exciting now. I've devised three possible plot lines for our paranormal fantasy romance, and the Soulful Sex Partners are currently voting on which is their favorite plot.

Will they opt for the Roman-Empiresque setting, or the fantasy realm reminiscent of the Dark Ages, or the more hospitable late Middle Ages type of world? Will they favor the plot with the fortune telling and hypnosis, or the one with vampiric characters, or the one with a charismatic magician?

Don't you wish you could get the scoop and vote? Well, you still can. Just sign up (see the right hand column) to be a Soulful Sex Partner and you can participate in sealing my writing fate!

Third Person It Is! (and Pretty Sexy)

2007-03-14T18:23:00.000-07:00

Survey #2 results are in, and here's what the Soulful Sex Partners had to say:

Point of View - Third Person

Which is cool with me.

Sensuality Level - Graphic but Tasteful
with love/sex scenes as the plot requires

Definitely sounds great.

Taboos

Well, we'll be keeping the sex hetero and with only two people at a time. The ages of the hero and heroine are wide open, so we'll see what the plot requires. And the Partners didn't mind a little S&M, so we may go with some mild dominance/submission themes if that fits the plot...but nothing that might offend those not into bondage.

For the complete results of the survey click HERE.

Thanks to all who voted!

Survey #2 - Point of View, Sensuality Level, and Taboos

2007-03-10T06:43:00.000-08:00

Soooo....we're already moving on to Survey #2, covering these essential topics. The SS Partners are voting for the next few days to select the point of view for our book (first or second person). They'll also be giving me input on how graphic the book should be and what's off limits taboo-wise.

Will the Partners vote for lots of sex? Or will they want the book less graphic, more sweet? Will they give me thumbs up or down on potential inclusion of three-ways, bondage, etc.?

I'm putting my writing fate in their hands. To get your chance to push around the award-winning, bestselling romance author, sign up (see the right hand column) to be a Soulful Sex Partner immediately before you miss any more of the fun!

The Partners have spoken...on GENRE

2007-03-10T06:11:00.000-08:00

So we now have the results on our very first survey! The Soulful Sex Partners expressed their opinions on the various possible genres for our book, and the winner is:

Fantasy - Paranormal (tie)

I for one am delighted in your choice, people! Both genres are great and they fit beautifully together. My brain is already in a whirl considering the possible themes and characters, and we'll be pursuing more details soon.

For the complete results of the survey click HERE. Please note, the lower the average score, the more that genre was approved.

Thanks to all who voted!

The First Survey is Live!

2007-03-05T16:41:00.000-08:00

Yes, SS Partners is officially underway, with 51 members currently participating. Those who are signed up are voting this week on their opinions on a very important subject…

GENRE!

The Partners will be sharing their input and opinions on these possible genres for our romance book: science fiction, myths/fairy tales, fantasy, paranormal, historical and contemporary. I’m so excited to hear what you all have to say!

If you’re not a Partner yet and want to sign up, now’s the time to click on that link to the right and join. The current survey closes midnight, this Friday, March 9, so if you sign up before then I will email you the survey link.

Stay tuned till the weekend to learn the exciting results!

Soulful Sex: The Fantasy Collection

2007-02-12T17:32:00.000-08:00

News for fans both old and new, SS Partners and those contemplating becoming one: my new ebook Soulful Sex: The Fantasy Collection was just published and is now available in pdf, lit and Mobipocket versions. The book contains three spicy novellas with fantasy themes, and you can purchase it direct from Living Beyond Reality Press for $3.39 (thats 15% off the $3.99 cover price).

Next month will bring the long-awaited release of the paperback version of my latest three trilogy anthologies combined: Soulful Sex: The Paranormal, Science Fiction and Fantasy Collections. I can't wait! But in the meanwhile, it's great to see this new ebook on the virtual shelves. And I love the cover, another great design by my talented daughter Katie. Wondering what the grapes, dagger, and mystical ring might be about? Well, you gotta read the book!

Compelling Female Characters

2007-02-07T16:59:00.000-08:00

First of all, let me just say I’m thrilled to have gotten forty SS Partners signed on in our first month. We’ve got people from all over the world participating, and it is going to be a blast.

So, the other day I posted about favorite hero-types from TV and movies, and now it’s time to address the heroines. Some of my most beloved female protagonists are from books, so I’ll include those too. See what you think of these women:

Elizabeth Bennet, Pride and Prejudice: Lizzy is every bit the match for our wonderful Mr. Darcy. What I love most about her is that she has convictions and is not afraid to express them--and very eloquently too. She has all the spunk of Scarlett O’Hara without the self-centeredness, topped off with wit and a sense of humor. I can also identify with her being attracted to a man who, for all his mystery, seems fascinated with her; there are few things as seductive as a guy being interested in you!

Scarlett O’Hara, Gone with the Wind: Speaking of, in spite of her self-absorption and tendency to manipulate people, I’ve always admired Scarlett for her courage and determination. I’ve had a few of those “shake a turnip at the heavens” moments myself, and I love women who have that sort of inner strength.

Jane Eyre, Jane Eyre: I’m rereading this masterpiece after a long hiatus and it means even more to me in mid-life than in my youth. What I love about Jane is her fierce insistence that she matters and has worth, and that her desire for fulfillment and happiness is important. I also love her for valuing the same things in Mr. Rochester that I would in her place: his intelligence, his sardonic wit, and his need for a help-mate. And again, that same Mr. Darcy-esque appeal: mysteriously, he is fascinated with her.

Claire Bennet, “Heroes”: Surprisingly, the teenaged cheerleader is the strongest female character on this great show. She started out the series as a typical teenager, trying to reconcile the adolescent need to fit in with her disconcerting super-power of self-healing. Impressively, she accepted her own freakiness along with the friendship of a boy from the outgroup. While still remaining believably a teen, Claire has dealt with the deceit of her adoptive father, attempted rape by a football player, an attempt on her life by a madman, and more. Through it all, she’s brave, smart, and determined to play a part in her own fate.

Pam Beesley, “The Office”: The perfect match for Jim Halpert from my heroes list, Pam is amazingly inspirational for a soft-spoken receptionist. She rises above her position at Dunder-Mifflin by showing patience, good spirit, and best of all a sense of humor. I can so identify with her charming partnership in crime with Jim. I’m rooting for ya, Pam!

Kate Austen, “Lost”: Kate has her problems, sure, but I do admire her for being tough and willing to team up with the boys when things get dangerous. She’s a great combination of masculine and feminine traits: while she can fight, wield a weapon, and survive in the wild, she’s also nurturant and tender-hearted. Of course, an injured Sawyer would bring out anyone’s tender side…

Liz Lemon, “30 Rock”: A lot of my affection for Liz springs from my regard for the actress who plays and writes her. Tina Fey is pretty without being in-your-face about it, brilliantly talented, and charming. Liz’s ability to deal with her exasperating co-workers gives one just another reason to admire her.

I guess there seems to be a theme going on here: I do like women who are strong, determined, and resourceful, without losing their classically feminine traits. They’re even better when they can display wit, intelligence, and a sense of humor.

Any other nominees or suggestions? In another six weeks we’ll be starting to create our heroine, and I can’t wait.

A Trifecta of Milestones

2007-01-20T14:09:00.000-08:00

Three big milestones this week, guys and gals:

We reached 30 Soulful Sex Partners (plus myself) today. Now that is definitely a respectable number! I can't wait to start getting input from all of you.

Meanwhile, this week I finished writing my 35th romance story, the final tale to be included in The Fantasy Collection and also the last one in my paperback which comes out in March.

And lastly but not leastly, I also achieved an additional milestone: the completion of my Character Gallery.

For the uninitiated, the Character Gallery contains original portraits of 65 (yes SIXTY-FIVE!) of the main characters from my published stories. (BTW, 47 of these are included in "Diana's Deck.") Whew, that took awhile, but it was a ton of fun visualizing all these people. Some of the portraits are better than others, some convey the characters better than others, but as one big group of romantic faces they are pretty nifty if I do say so myself. So as we contemplate what the characters of the SS Partners book might look like, I want to feature a few of my fave portraits here.

Anders Ulvaeus, the good vampire from "Pints," was the first portrait I did, and I think I experienced a bit of beginner's luck there. Interestingly, just this past week my tracking revealed that a Swedish person (and Anders just happens to be of Swedish extraction, coincidentally) was searching on Google Images for "good vampire" and turned up the portrait. Apparently in her opinion, Anders was just how she pictured a good vampire. Or at least I think that was what was happening on the board where she posted about him...it was all in Swedish!

Lady Anslyn, heroine of "The Queen's Lady and Her King," has the distinction of being my personal favorite for most beautiful of all the females in the crew. I suppose the most beautiful of my female characters should be either the Goddess Artemis, the mermaid Loreste, or the concubine Miakaela, but Anslyn just came out that way.

Since we're talking favorites, among the heroes the most good-looking one to me personally is Bill from "The Fantasy Room." This guy just really sends me. In the story itself he appears as he does in the portrait here, as best man at a wedding, but also as an 18th century French lothario and a teenaged pool boy...and I'm sure he'd look just as good as either!

I guess to be perfectly honest, it's hard for me to find a guy in this bunch that isn't attractive to me, but then, I'm the one who did the portraits, so what can you expect? A year or so ago I ran a contest for my newsletter subscribers to vote for who they thought were the handsomest and prettiest in the bunch (keep in mind this was pre-Bill, though, LOL), and the winning hero was Jacob, the woodsman-rescuer in "Between Earth and Sky." So I'll post him here for you to check out as well.

In that same voting, my newsletter readers picked as prettiest heroine Pasha from "As Commonplace as Rain," one of my top choices as well. It really was a shame she spent her whole life in a community devoid of males, being such a sweet, gentle beauty. Of course good things come to those that wait, in this case, Tristan.

So, I hope you'll check out the Character Gallery and perhaps post or email me your faves or the ones you find intriguing. I want to create some really interesting looking characters for our book. I do think, however, that I may refrain from portraying them visually, since I'll bet you will each have a strong-held, personal mental picture of the characters and I wouldn't want to inflict my specific vision on anyone...which of course is the downside of the Character Gallery, LOL!

But you have to admit...Bill is pretty dreamy. :-)

Nominations: Most Compelling Male Characters

2007-01-15T18:33:00.000-08:00

All right, Partners and sneaky readers lurking silently, here's what's on my mind tonight.

Seeing as we're going to need to develop a very interesting, engaging, complex, charming guy for our male protagonist, I'm jotting down a few ideas from recent TV and movies for characters I'm drawn to. My fans will recognize a few names and faces here from various tributes on my main blog, www.eroticawithsoul.blogspot.com.

Anyway, see what you think of these guys:

Jim Halpert on "The Office": [this one's dedicated to our newest member who signed up today, a big fan of John Krasinski] Subtle and natural charm, sense of humor, self-confident but also vulnerable.

Admiral Adama on "Battlestar Galactica": Strong and steady, a little cranky but unswervingly loyal, wise but capable of being distracted by his passions, commands tremendous respect.

Hiro on "Heroes": Okay, he's not exactly sexy, but it seems everyone is drawn to the guy. It's his exuberance, his joie de vivre, his happiness at being special, his dedication to do good. And the "future Hiro" is sexy. Hopefully he'll show up on the show again soon and inspire us.

Les Stroud, host of "Survivorman": Incredibly resourceful, courageous, self-deprecating and very human, funny, a lover of nature and life. And plays one sexy harmonica as well as guitar.

Sawyer on "Lost": The classic bad boy with heart of gold, I just love his sarcasm, wit, and way with nicknames. That streak of self-loathing is kind of sexy too for some reason.

Captain Malcolm Reynolds, "Firefly" and "Serenity": It's more than the long brown coat, he's also just so wild and feisty. Love the wild west manner of speaking too. This is one of those I'm-my-own-worst-enemy kinds of heroes, always getting himself in trouble by caring for the wrong person or letting his ethics interfere with staying in one piece.

Colin Firth's Mr. Darcy, "Pride and Prejudice" mini-series: No list like this could be complete without including him, if you ask me. No elaboration is even required.

Okay now, I'm really hoping some of youse guys will post. Just throw up some names, or second my emotions...we've got a few weeks here to let our inspirations percolate before we start setting this beloved guy in stone for our book!

A fourth fantastic website partner!

2007-01-09T16:45:00.000-08:00

Newly signed on as an SS Website Partner is the fabulously fascinating Lipstick Mystic, owned and operated by the fun and amazing Jennifer Shepherd. Jennifer is a highly successful psychic, astrologer, and freelance writer who I met in 2006 under some rather interesting circumstances.

Jennifer had received a piece of negative email from an anonymous critic whose email address suggested she was me. That is, Jennifer guessed from the address that it might be me...she'd never heard of me, or my "Soulful Sex" anthologies, or my "Erotic with Soul" approach (can you believe that? LOL) She normally blows off email like that, but this time something prompted her to write and inquire if I were indeed the sender. This kicked off a fantastic exchange of ideas that culminated in Jennifer interviewing me for her site (and it's my fave interview to date, too).

Anyway, about Lipstick Mystic: As Jennifer writes on the site, "As a user-friendly guide to the paranormal, I’m more of a 'Lipstick Mystic' than some scary medium who makes shocking predictions. My focus is on empowering people with metaphysical information that’s fun and practical. After all, I figure you don’t have the time to study complicated mystical theories. You're just interested in feeling better, improving your life, and maybe even hooking up with a soulmate (or two), right? That's what I'm here to help you with."

And hopefully to lead some more Soulful Sex Partners into the fold, with the support of her website. Big thanks to Jennifer for the help!

Space opera, vampire saga, or ribald comedy?

2007-01-08T17:44:00.000-08:00

As Partner sign-ups continue apace, I'm driven to start giving some thought to what kind of questions I'm going to be throwing out there for you to consider. Obviously the first one has to be, what genre are we going to work in?

Now this could be touchy. Everyone has their favorite genres and usually a few they just can't abide. Happily, I think I've written romances in just about every genre imaginable. Today I finished the second fantasy story to appear in my next book, Soulful Sex: The Fantasy Collection, and I'll admit I love the fantasy genre because it gives you so many options.

But I'm game for just about anything, and I hope we can come up with a consensus that will make most people happy and only turn off a few. Obviously vampire books sell like hotcakes, but I've had some romance fans write me that they never read them (except of course the sweeties were kind enough to say they enjoyed mine, LOL). Science fiction romance, although a favorite of mine, isn't especially popular…but on the other hand, the one sci-fi offering in my book Soulful Sex Volumes I & II ended up the favorite of the very hard-to-please romance critic Mrs. Giggles. Well, the point of this paragraph is, I'm hoping we can make the book good enough that even those folks who prefer a different genre will still enjoy it.

At any rate, I've got to get busy coming up with my first poll, so you SS Partners can put on your thinking caps and start giving me input. In the meantime, here's an idea to encourage some fun posts to see where we are all coming from taste-wise:

Take a minute and post below about your own favorite books, movies, and/or TV shows. I'm sure we’ll find some common ground as well as some interesting variety. I'll start...

Sampling of Diana's favorite books: Pride and Prejudice, Atlas Shrugged, Jane Eyre, The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon (Stephen King), A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Updike), Gone with the Wind, To Kill a Mockingbird, the “Strangers in Paradise” graphic novel series.

A few of Diana's favorite movies: "Love Actually," "The Day the Earth Stood Still," "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," the Lord of the Rings trilogy, the "Pride and Prejudice" miniseries, "Oklahoma!" (Hugh Jackman version), "Clerks," "A Mighty Wind," "That Thing You Do," anything by M. Night Shyamalan, anything with a John Williams score.

Diana's favorite TV shows (in the past year): "Battlestar Galactica," "Heroes," "Survivorman," "The Office," "Scrubs,"
"MythBusters," "Lost," "So You Think You Can Dance." Oy vay, that's eclectic.

Now don't leave me with zero comments, people! We are never too old or too jaded to enjoy swapping favorite stuff lists. :-)

A third Website Partner! And a contest, too.

2007-01-07T10:35:00.000-08:00

We're on a roll...a third website has come on board, one of the most prestigious romance fiction sites on the web: The Romance Studio. Since its launch in January 2003, The Romance Studio receives an average of 3 million hits per month, and is regularly visited by 100+ countries outside North America. The Romance Studio has reviewed over 6,000 romances of all genres. I received one of my greatest honors a year ago when I was voted Featured Author of the Year for TRS's Blue (erotic romance) side. My thanks to Tina and her great gang at The Romance Studio for giving SS Partners their support--it's an honor.

Contest? What's this about a CONTEST?

Yes, I'll be holding a drawing of everyone who signs up in January to become an SS Partner, and the winner will receive his or her choice of any book (or Diana's Deck) available from the Living Beyond Reality Press Bookstore. Oy, such a deal, you should sign on now, baybee.

Howdee Partners!!!

Eight, count 'em, eight people signed up yesterday, so all systems are GO for SS Partners to take off! Welcome to the original eight, who get to be part of the Illustrious Group of First Month Signers-Up / Charter Member type peeps. (IGFMSUCMs) Yeah, that's a really ugly acronym that I promise to never use again.

Welcome to our first Website Partners!

2007-01-06T07:33:00.000-08:00

Two great websites have joined up as SS Partners!

The first is Coffee Time Romance & More, a really fun romance fiction site with which I have been involved for some time. As the site introduction states: "We offer honest reviews on any paperback, hardback, and e-books along with author interviews, live author chats, free reads, and monthly contests that you will love and much more! So dance your fingers across that keyboard and come see us for a time well spent!!! The only requirement is that you get your favorite cup of coffee sit back and enjoy your stay." CTR has been a great supporter of my work. Most recently they have offered my novella "Gift of Flesh" as a free read...very cool.

The second is Novelspot, a superb website that discusses books in the action-adventure, fantasy, historical fiction, romance, and science fiction genres. The site offers reviews, columns, chats, and online discussion galore in an easy-to-navigate setting. It's a great hangout for both readers and authors. For a long time now I have written a monthly column for Novelspot about erotic romance fiction entitled "Explorotica", and I really enjoy having the forum.

Big thanks to Karenne and her cohorts at CTR and Allie and company at Novelspot for their future support of SS Partners! You guys rock.

Now you can join the club!

2007-01-03T17:42:00.000-08:00

Yes, delay no longer, my friends: the Official SS Partners Group is now a reality. That means you can sign up and receive notices of polls and other key goings-on once the project gets officially underway.

Here's the link to sign up:

Click to join ss-partners

Just that easy, just that quick!

And to make this even more fun and exciting, I thought I'd offer a contest for all early subscribers. I'll do a drawing on February 1 among all January charter members who join SS Partners, and the winner will receive his or her choice of any book (ebook or paperback, also including Diana's Deck) from the Living Beyond Reality Press Bookstore. Coolios, eh?

I'm also looking for WEBSITE SPONSORS so if you have a website and would be interested in participating, please email me at dianalaurence@wi.rr.com.

I hope you're starting already to think about what you hope this book might be about...the possibilities, at this point, are endless.

Sign up sign up sign up! (oops, rampant enthusiasm there.)

It All Started New Years Night...

2007-01-02T19:05:00.000-08:00

...you know how you stay up super late for New Years Eve, sleep in on New Years Day, and then have to try to go to sleep at a normal hour New Years Night? Good luck with that.

I had insomnia and this is the idea that came to me: Why not write a romance story with the help of readers? Why not poll people along the way, asking them everything from what genre they like best, to which name to pick for the heroine's cat? (Or should she have a ferret?)

Just think, I asked myself (but not out loud because my husband was already asleep), wouldn't it be fun to take these Partners along in the journey? You know, blog about how things are going, provoke some friendly discussion about the plot developments?

And then, when it's all done, wouldn't everyone get a bang out of the finished book? Especially if all the Partners got their names in it? Well, if this turns out like my LAST great idea, there may be only three Partners, but hey, four heads are better than one.

So, that's the line of thinking that spawned the Wonder that is Soulful Sex: Partners. I'm currently finishing up my sixth collection of "Soulful Sex" stories (see www.dianalaurence.com) and for the next one I'd like you to come along for the ride. To see if I'm the sort of writer with whom you might like to team up, please sample a couple of my free ebooks available through the Living Beyond Reality Press READ FREE Project.

If you want to give it a go, under no obligation whatsoever, shoot me an email at dianalaurence@wi.rr.com. Eventually I'll probably set up a Yahoo Group for the SS Partners, but in the meantime I will add you to the "emailing list" so you don't miss anything.

And if I can't find anyone goofy enough to go for this crazy little plan, well, I'll just have to write the book all by myself. Now wouldn't that be sad?

So...must head off and finish up my current book. The paperback is due out in March so I will be busy for a bit, but in the meantime, I hope I can line up some SS Partners.

Maybe...you?