It’s Just A Job – Incubus

Wikipedia’s short definition of an Incubus is:

An incubus (nominal form constructed from the Latin verb, incubo, incubare, or “to lie upon”) is a demon in male form who, according to a number of mythological and legendary traditions, lies upon sleepers, especially women, in order to have intercourse with them. Its female counterpart is the succubus. An incubus may pursue sexual relations with a woman in order to father a child, as in the legend of Merlin. Religious tradition holds that repeated intercourse with an incubus or succubus may result in the deterioration of health, or even death.

That makes Incubus very interesting.  Of course, it also makes them even more attractive to fiction writers than your every-day demons.  Demons, that I profiled in the last post of this series, had over 500 search results at Amazon.

Incubus and Succubus have over 450 each.

It’s hard to resist a demon that has to have sex in order to survive.  Most fictional versions that I have read or seen in contemporary popular fiction, though, have dispensed with the idea of the victim being asleep at the time.  Most victims are awake, aware and often fully cooperative.

One of the more interesting versions of the incubus/succubus retellings I’ve seen lately is the Canadian-made series, Lost Girl, featuring Anna Silk and Kristen Holden-Ried (The Tudors).  Silk is a succubus, and fighting to maintain her independence in the middle of a fae war.  My jaw sagged in the middle of a recent episode when she found solace after being dumped by a guy by indulging in an MFF menage that was filmed all the way up to everyone taking off their clothes, kissing and caressing each other before the scene ended…  I guess Showcase can give HBO a run for its money.

Lost Girl just received funding and started filming its third season.

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Today is Anzac Day

It must be because I grew up hearing the stories about what Australian and New Zealand troops achieved (and died achieving) during the First and Second World Wars, that Anzac Day tends to register in my consciousness more than Rememberance Day ever does, even living here in North America.

In Australia, Anzac Day is a national holiday, and by the time this post goes live, it will have already passed, because of the international date line.

So this is my very small acknowledgement of Australia’s and New Zealand’s contribution to peace-keeping around the globe.  I’ve been privileged to know more than my share of Australian forces personnel, and some of them are family.

It’s a universal thing, in the end, isn’t it?

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ePub Reader Software For Cellphones & Tablets Compared.

For the longest time I have been using FBReader on my cellphone to read ePub formatted ebooks.  It was a fallback app I grabbed quickly when my Sony eReader died a couple of years ago, and I needed something to access all the books I’d had on the Sony.

The last laugh was on me:  The FBReader won’t open DRM protected books.   But in all other respects I like it very much indeed.  It handles text and flows it across the screen very nicely, and it rarely jams up.  I’d say it never jams or locks, because I can’t recall it ever doing so — but I’m hedging my bets.

I tripped over another app last week — Aldiko.  It’s also a free program, also handles ePub, and the thing that drew my attention is some small print that implies it can handle DRM protected books.  I haven’t been able to test this yet, as I can’t find my DRM books…they’ve been misfiled (or, gulp, deleted).

However, that may yet fail to be an issue.

Aldiko looks very pretty.  As you can see from the screen shot, it has great presentation, and the website where you download the app is very jazzy.

But…

The software locked up on me at least six times while I was transferring my books over from FBReader, forcing a reboot.

I also had to go deep into the software settings in Calibre to get the two programs talking to each other nicely.

But…teething problems, I figured.  I’ve used Aldiko for just over a week…and I think I’m about to re-download FBReader and re-install it, and take the hit on my DRM protected books that I won’t be able to open (if I ever find them).

Why?

It’s a really tiny, but major reading speed bump:  Aldiko won’t display italics.

So, every time a character wants to get really intense or starts “Saying something with emphasis, goddam it!”  you lose that inflection.

Plus, I read paranormal romances, and one of the books I read this week had a character speaking to another character in their minds, and all the mental dialogue was in italics — or it should have been.  I kept tripping over what I thought were typos — missing dialogue tags — until I figured out it was speech that should be in italics to represent thought-speech.

It completely ruined the book.

I thought it might be an issue with books that I uploaded myself, so I tested it with a commercial ePub formatted copy of my books, as I know where the italics are supposed to be.  Still no-go.  The italics were still stripped out.

I’m ready to chuck in the towel and switch back again.

Anyone else have this problem?   Anyone have any thoughts for or against FB Reader?

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Shakespearean Sonnets

I’m almost afraid to mention Shakespeare.  There is a whole generation of readers out there, including my kids, who had Shakespeare in Love shoved down their throats in English class at highschool.  They studied the movie and everything to do with Shakespeare for ten very long weeks, to the point where none of them now will sit still for anything to do with the bard.

I suspect there is a big slice of the general reading population that feels exactly the same way.

Which is a pity.  Shakespeare In Loveis, in my opinion, a great movie, a great romance, and a perfectly accurate portrayal of Elizabethan London.

William Shakespeare was born on this day in 1564, and he died on this day, 52 years later, in 1616.  He was a common playwright, who enjoyed commercial success and the queen’s favour…but his

plays, unlike most of his contemporaries (Christopher Marlow, for example), continue to enjoy commercial success even today.

You have to wonder what quality it is about Shakespeare’s plays that makes them so mass-appealing, after so many centuries.  They’re considered great works of literature now, but Shakespeare was writing purely to pay the rent — he wrote what was popular, what the common man want to see.  He wrote to entertain.

Perhaps that’s the secret.

 

Friday’s Mash

Goodies I’ve found from chatting and cruising this week:

Sites

The Indie Reader – “a venue for discriminating book-lovers to find and purchase books published by the people who wrote them. Think indie movies–produced with a singular vision–instead of the mass-marketed stuff you’d find at the multiplex. In a world where almost everything is packaged by committee, IndieReader offers you books with a single voice: the writer’s own.”

Interesting Posts/Articles

#IBelieveInSherlockHolmes

This is trending around the world at the moment.  Yes, I contributed.  :)

Putting On the Ritz 

One of the best flash mobs I’ve seen in a while.

5 Ways to Help Authors Without Spending a Dime

5 MORE Ways to Help Authors Without Spending a Dime

 

Indie Authors

L.J. Kentowski – Paranormal Romance

 

Can Romance Save the World? – Guest Post by Naomi Bellina

Today my special guest, Naomi Bellina, is stepping up to the plate.  Please welcome her.

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Thank you, Tracy, for having me as a guest today and letting me share my thoughts on romance writing and saving the world. Be sure to enter my contest at the end of this post.

I’m a self-help, make life better, improve my character, motivational junkie. I diligently download lectures and talks from scores of inspirational and enthusiastic women, who tell me how to become the best person I can be.  I listen to these in my car on the way to work, to guarantee my day starts on a positive note. I want to make the world a better place, help society improve, and be a good person.

Part of my life’s work as a massage therapist involves helping others, but I have to wonder, how does writing romance novels fit into this holistic picture? I mean, come on, romance? And erotic romance at that. Isn’t this a frivolous way to spend one’s time, writing and reading love stories, especially since we know what’s going to happen. It’s going to end happily ever after and everyone will get what they deserve. Shouldn’t I be spending my time on more worthwhile endeavors, like raising money to cure cancer, or helping the homeless?

After a bit of soul searching and paying attention to a particularly wonderful speaker, whose message came at just the right time, I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s okay to shine my light in this manner. Life is stressful. At the end of the day, we need to escape to a place that lets our mind relax, and we need forget about our problems for a little while. Even though we know it’s make-believe, and we know how it’s going to end, reading romance makes us feel good. Erotic romance can make us feel hot and sexy, and hot, sexy readers tend to be nice to their partners. We share the love, and then everyone sleeps better, and gets up in a good mood the next day.

People in a good mood drive kinder, smile more, and generally behave better than crabby people. Better behaved people will lead to less fighting, less tension, and more patience. Come to think of it, writing romance just may save the world.

Visit my About Me page on my website. Leave me a comment, and you will be entered to win your choice of ebook from my backlist. I will draw the winner April 27th, so feel free to comment up till then. Thanks again to Tracy for having me here today, and thank you everyone for visiting.

Naomi Bellina

Extraordinary erotic romance to tickle your fancy and unleash your libido

Site | Facebook | Twitter

Excerpt

A woman, a dwarf, a vow of celibacy. Enjoy this spicy excerpt from Seducing the Stone

“I’m not letting you go just yet. This person you were with, I want to talk to him. He knows where to find gems, right? I need him to get me an emerald.”

“No, he doesn’t know where to find gems. His name is Max, and he’s just a security guard who tried to stop me from taking the sapphire.”

Kuron looked unconvinced. Knowing the whole story would soon be all over Adonea, Raya quickly relayed the events which led up to her being in the museum the second time.

“So you see, he’s nobody, and there’s no reason for you to bother him. The sapphire is gone, and you’re out of luck. Let me go, and I’ll forget we ever had this unpleasant little encounter.”

“The human, Max, obviously likes you. He jumped in front of you when I fired my stun gun. I think he might talk to me if I were to convince him it would be good for your health to do so.”

Raya recalled Max had indeed thrown himself in front of her, to protect her. A warm glow filled her at this thought, and she lowered her face to hide a smile. It had been a long time since anyone had performed such a chivalrous action for her sake.

“You say he’s going to be at this museum tomorrow? I’ll pay him a little visit then, after their event. He should be in a good mood and amenable to helping me out. I could even offer him payment for his services. Humans are so avaricious. I’m sure he’ll jump at the chance for some extra cash.”

“Why do you want an emerald? Talk about avaricious. What are you dwarves going to do with an emerald?” Raya stopped as it suddenly dawned on her.

“You need to refresh your emerald at the temple of Espenar, don’t you?” She saw the look of annoyance on Kuron’s face and knew she was right. “I thought your groves were looking a bit shabby lately. Well, good luck finding the right emerald. We searched for a long time to locate Starry Night. If your people weren’t so contrary, you could just ask us for assistance. We would be happy to help you acquire one.”

“And if your people weren’t so selfish, we would ask for your help.”

“We are not selfish! You’re just being greedy! You have plenty of water from the streams on your side of Adonea, and we sell you as much of the water from Lake Cerulean as you want.”

“Yes, and you make a tidy profit off that water. You know good and well the lake water is what keeps us young and healthy. You should share it with us free of charge.”

“That water is our livelihood; selling to others is how we survive. We can’t just give it away. Come on, Kuron. We’ve been over and over this for years. Our people are not going to come to an agreement, and you keeping me here sure isn’t going to solve anything. And you’re not going to find the correct emerald without doing a proper investigation. Now let me go!” Raya tugged at the ropes binding her.

Kuron’s expression changed as he observed her attempts to escape. His eyes turned dark, and a slow, lustful smile spread across his face. “But you and I have a bit of unfinished business, my dear. Do you remember the last time we saw each other? Years ago, at a birthday party for some ambassador. I seem to remember you spurned my affections that night, but you told me if I ever caught you, I could have you. I do believe I caught you.”

To her chagrin, Raya did recall making a foolish promise to Kuron, after downing quite a few glasses of elderberry wine. What had possessed her to do such a thing? Kuron was irritating and arrogant, certainly not the qualities she preferred in her lovers. It appeared, however, she was trapped. She prided herself on keeping her promises, and Kuron seemed determined to hold her to this one.

The dwarf came closer to Raya, unbuttoned her shirt, and began to fondle her breasts. After her two months of deprivation, Raya was embarrassingly horny. Her nipples immediately sprang to attention, and she moaned involuntarily.

Kuron smiled. “I see you’re just as randy as ever. Excellent! Too many fairies lose their passion when they reach a certain age.”

Raya bit his wandering hand, and Kuron yelped as he pulled it away.

“Watch the age comments. I’m still in my prime. Now untie me, get your clothes off, and let’s get to work.”

Kuron loosened the knots and undressed while Raya rubbed her sore wrists. Promise or not, she would get even with Kuron for this. No one kidnapped and tied her up. Well, not without her consent, anyway.

“Sit down, and I’ll show you who’s lost her passion,” she said as she pulled out the chair. Kuron sat, and Raya knelt in front of him. Observing his robust erection, she felt her pussy juice up and reflected on how unfair it was that dwarves had the hardest, thickest cocks of all the creatures on the planet. But then, that was one of the reasons she enjoyed dallying with them.

Grabbing the base of his cock, she lowered her mouth down as far as she could and sucked the shaft, then pulled back up and licked the head, her toes curling in sexual excitement. Two months! How could she have gone without this for two months?

Buy Seducing the Stone: Amazon | Barnes & Noble |

Pulse Pause Moments – A Scandal In Belgravia – Sherlock

If you’ve only read a couple of the original Sherlock Holmes stories before, or only watched the two movies with Robert Downey Jnr., you’re probably wondering how on earth Sherlock Holmes could end up in one of my Pulse Pause posts.

I’ve actually been waiting impatiently to write this post for about three weeks now, although in fact, I could have written it anywhere in the last fifteen years.  But what has changed in the last three weeks is that now I have back-up confirmation.  Proof, if you will, that Sherlock is not the dry, academic, intellectual and boring character that most obsessed romantics like me steer clear of.

No, he’s driven, passionate and highly emotional.  He just doesn’t want to be.  He doesn’t like emotions.

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

After scrupulously avoiding the BBC’s Sherlock for weeks because of what I considered to be various infractions, I finally caved about a month ago, and reluctantly gave it a go.  For a full run down on the crater the series made in my life and the fallout that ensued, click here.

A Scandal In Belgravia is the first episode in the second season, and up until that point the series had completely captured my attention.  Scandal made me a fan.  I haven’t been a fan of a series, movie or actor for a long, long time.  When you consider that “fan” is derived from the word “fanatic”…well, I don’t like to call myself a fan of anything unless I really mean it.

There are dozens of reasons why the episode…well, movie, really — it’s 90 minutes long — makes any romance reader’s heart stutter to a stop.  Some of them are hard to enumerate without laying down dreadful spoilers.  I’ll tread carefully, because I want to encourage you like crazy to go get a copy of both seasons and watch them for yourself.  The end of the second season will leave you weeping, I absolutely guarantee it.

But, back to Scandal and its pulse-pausing moments. The episode is loosely based upon the original short story by Conan Doyle, “A Scandal in Bohemia”, which also featured Irene Adler getting the better of Sherlock Holmes, the only female antagonist ever to do so.

The most interesting aspect of the episode is that this is a romance that was not consummated, yet the sexual tension was thick enough to float croutons.  For example, when Sherlock cracked a near impossible code inside five seconds, Irene looks up at him:

IRENE (intensely): I would have you right here on this desk until you begged for mercy twice.

(The two of them stare at each other for a long moment before Sherlock speaks again.)

SHERLOCK (with his eyes still locked on Irene’s): John, please can you check those flight schedules; see if I’m right?

JOHN (vaguely, overcome by all the sex in the air): Uh-huh. I’m on it, yeah.

(Clearing his throat, he starts to type on his laptop. Sherlock and Irene continue to stare at each other.)

SHERLOCK: I’ve never begged for mercy in my life.

IRENE (emphatically): Twice.

Surprisingly it isn’t an issue that there is no consummation to the romance – well, there’s no sex, anyway.  In many respects the romance is fully formed and completed — but again, I can’t get specific.  For these characters and this story it works.  It’s fitting.  You’re not left feeling dissatisfied in any way, because actions speak much, much louder than any words or endless amounts of sex could.  I’ve written before about Sherlock’s reticence when it comes to dealing with love, and inconvenient emotions that get in the way of his work.

In a very old post of mine where I was talking about Sherlock Holmes as a highly emotional man I wrote:

“But actions speak louder than words.  Holmes does not ever speak of what lies in his heart, but what he does to protect and finally, to revenge Elizabeth, shouts to the rooftops what he is incapable of saying aloud.”

Sherlock Holmes Had A Secret Lover?

In Scandal, too, Sherlock says it all by what he does.  But the creators of Sherlock have admitted that they, too, drew on The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes for some of their inspiration for the character of this new Sherlock, just as I did for mine, so the coincidence isn’t quite the surprise it might be.

In Scandal, the romance is all played out in their heads…and their hearts.  This is very much a heart-breaking episode, with shocking twists and turns that even took me by surprise and I am nobody’s fool when it comes to plotting out a story, and with my expertise on all things Sherlock, I should have seen some of them.  But the emotions in the story got me and I ended up just watching the episode as a viewer, my mind not working ahead of the writer — a very rare and unusual treat for me.

This is the episode when Sherlock comes face to face with love and has to deal with it.  He tries to keep it at a distance and it doesn’t work.   Of course, Irene is not a good woman, so in the end, Sherlock’s intellect is what saves the day, but the damage has been done.  His heart has been lost, and the tie to Irene Adler — “The Woman” — is in place.

Unfortunately, I have to talk in generalities to avoid spoilers.

But here’s a glimpse of some moments that don’t give everything away, altogether.

Sherlock’s first glimpse of Irene, in person, is when she walks into her lounge room wearing nothing but high heels and a smile.  Dr. Watson asks her to cover up, and Sherlock says it’s because Watson doesn’t know where to look.  Irene replies it’s because Watson knows exactly where to look, but she doesn’t know about Sherlock…

In the next few minutes, he learns from her where she is hiding photographs she is apparently using to blackmail the royal family – they’re in a safe in the same room they’re standing in, hidden behind a painting.  Sherlock studies the number pad for the safe’s lock and Irene laughs and says she’s already given him the code.

That’s when the CIA bust in and demand that Sherlock open the safe or they will shoot Dr. Watson.  Sherlock protests that he doesn’t know the combination.  The CIA insists they listened to Adler tell him she had given him the code, so open the goddam safe, or Dr. Watson dies.

And Sherlock glances at Irene, who looks downwards…

Sherlock turns and punches in 32-24-34 and the safe opens, only to kill the CIA operative with a booby-trapped gun.  When the fuss is over Irene smiles at Sherlock and compliments him.  “Thank you. You were very observant.  I’m flattered.”

The safe’s opening combination were her measurements.

—

The most heart-rending moments — the ones that really stop your pulse — come with the biggest plot spoilers, so unfortunately, I can’t relay them here.  (The fact that there’s so little I can relate without giving away the plot shows exactly how tightly written the show is – brownie points to the producers and writers.)

If you’ve seen Scandal, then you can nod along with me:

1. Sherlock and Watson yelling at Mycroft for swearing at Mrs. Hudson
2. Christmas at Baker Street — the entire scene.  Wow!
3. At the morgue — even better.
4. Battersea Power Station.  The whole scene.  (Martin Freeman is brilliant and so deserved his BAFTA award!)
5. Mrs. Hudson’s rescue.
6. …and after.
7. Cracking the code.
8. “Will you have dinner with me?”
9. Flight 007.
10. The showdown – “I am _ _ _ _ locked.”
11. “Run!”

Of course, this is all gibberish if you haven’t see Scandal.  But I know there are a few Sherlock fans that read this blog, and I’m hoping if you’re not a fan yet, you might give this new show a try…it’s worth it!

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NOT Going to RT? Yeah, Me Neither.

I actually am bummed at not going to RT.  It’s my second year I’ve missed.  Money is the primary issue – the conference is always thousands of miles from me, and it’s an expensive sucker to attend in the first place.  But I have a ton of friends I only ever get to see at RT and the conference pretty much stopped being business about five years ago.  It’s more of a week of parties and talking.

And you have to understand…parties, drinking and talking isn’t something I do a whole hell of a lot of, most of the time.  In order to get books written and published, I do the day job, write, and get some necessary chores completed in between. And sleep.

I have a few non-writing friends — they understand my pecularities.  Most of them are readers, who devour books and movies by the cartload, and get the obsession.  But my real friends…ah, well, most of them I met, or met in the flesh, at RT or some other conference, and it is there that actually going to a party and drinking and talking starts to make sense.

So, I’m hanging out at The Romance Studio over the weekend, to take off some of the sting.  TRS are giving away prizes (including one of my books), and there are dozens more authors (who also aren’t going to RT) who will be chatting as well.

Come on over.

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It’s Just a Job – Demons

Demons once haunted the pages of religious texts and the odd horror movie, and that was it.  They were welded to religion and faith as much as angels were.  It didn’t matter what religion – demons appear in some shape or form in every major religion in the world.

But even though their roots can’t be denied, the religious connotations are loosening as demons — and angels — are fast becoming the new sexy in romances.

Curiously, demons aren’t all black and nasty.

Wikipedia says of the ancient Greeks treatment of Demons: “The Greek term does not have any connotations of evil or malevolence…it should be duly noted that the term referred only to a spiritual force, not a malevolent supernatural being,” and of demons in general that “Many of the demons in literature were once fallen angels”, which implies that redemption is possible?

Given Romanceland’s fascination with bad boy heroes, its easy to see why they’re drawn towards demons in paranormal romances.  They’re bad personified…and they could be good, because they used to be.

 

When I searched for romances that feature demons, I found over 500 of them on Amazon.  So I’m not going to list them individually here. :)  Instead, click here to jump to the Amazon search page to browse through the search results for yourself.  Demons are popular!

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The Abdication Of Bonaparte And The Count of Monte Cristo

Today, 198 years ago, Napoleon Bonaparte abdicated as emperor of France and was shipped off to the island of Elba off the coast of France.  In fact, he managed to escape less than a year later, and went on to reclaim power and lead one of the most infamous battles in history:  The Battle of Waterloo.

But his incarceration on Elba sparked off at least two writers’ imaginations.  One of them was Alexandre Dumas, who in 1844 published The Count of Monte Cristo, and the inciting incident for the entire novel was based on the hapless hero, Edmond, accepting a letter from Napoleon when they were forced to land on Elba to find medical aid for their captain, and promising to deliver it to a stranger.  Edmond’s life utterly changes from there.

The book is a terrifying 800 pages long, but in the 19th century it was an instant hit and is considered a classic these days.

It was made into a movie in 2002 starring Jim Caviezel, Guy Pearce and Richard Harris…and the movie rocks.  They’ve managed to compress 800 pages of florid 19th century prose down into taut romantic suspense — and it is romantic.  Caviezel makes your knees weak in the later half of the movie as his fifteen year plan for vengeance gets closer to fruition and is nearly derailed by…well, I won’t spoil it except to say that the movie pays careful attention to plot, emotions, character and romance.  It’s fabulous.  If you can scare up a copy, watch it.  It’s worth it.  If you’ve seen it already, do you agree?

The other writer who was inspired by Bonaparte’s incarcaration was Frank Darabont, the writer/director of The Shawshank Redemption- although his inspiration was indirect, via Dumas.  There is a moment in the movie when the prisoners are unpacking donated library books:

HEYWOOD
Treasure Island. Robert Louis…

ANDY
(jotting)
…Stevenson. Next?

RED
I got here an auto repair manual,
and a book on soap carving.

ANDY
Trade skills and hobbies, those go
under educational. Stack right
behind you.

HEYWOOD

The Count of Monte Crisco…

FLOYD
Cristo, you dumbshit.

HEYWOOD
…by Alexandree Dumb-ass.

ANDY
Dumas. You boys’ll like that one.
It’s about a prison break.

Floyd tries to take the book. Heywood yanks it back. I saw it first. Red shoots Andy a look.

RED
Maybe that should go under
educational too.

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