Now Introducing, Author Raymond Frazee And His Jones For Writing

How I Developed a Serious Writing Jones Read, as one might say, is easy. I started that early, and still continue to this day, maybe decades later. But writing? Writing? Ah, hahahaha! Surely you jest! No, I don’t. I was one of those strange kids who thought they could—gasp!—tell stories. Here’s what happened: As I wrote once before, I started writing about 1972. I was fifteen, and I’d decided I wanted to write because—well, why not? I was smart; I was imaginative; and I was a shy, awkward, social misfit. In other words, perfect! But I had a lot of things working against. I had mild dyslexia, so I couldn’t spell for jack. I didn’t know how to type, and I had horrible handwriting. And, to top it all off, I was left-handed in a world of things for righties, so all the notebooks and the like were working against me. Not to mention there was no where near where I lived where you could find really cool, leather-bound journals, which would have at least made me look like a writer. Nope. I was stuck in the middle of a cultural wasteland, and I was but a little glimmer of light. I kept at it until I was maybe eighteen—right before I went into college, by the way. By that time my writing spirit was crushed, because my friends, rather than say things like, “Great, Ray! You’re gonna do fantastic!” used to look at me strange and say, “Oh . . . you’re going to write. Yeah, sure.” It killed me, man, let me tell you. And when I say I went off to college? Local college, aka high school with better parking. So telling the women, “I’m a writer,” wasn’t going to get my any swoons, or batty eyes, or even a date. Not that I was really writing at that time, because . . . I wasn’t. It stayed that way for a very long time, too, because I was suffering from one issue or another throughout the 80’s. I started writing again near the end of that decade, because—like it or not—I never wanted to be anything but a writer. See, that’s the thing: I’ve always wanted to write. I’ve wanted to tell stories. I’ve wanted to create characters that would make people interested to see more of them. Good or bad, I wanted to be the one who was ready to entertain others with fascinating tales. I write because I can. I write because I’ve discovered people do find my work good—some even find it great. And I write because I’ve learned how to take something I actually wasn’t very good at way back in 1972, and turn it way up until it bakes your brain with goodness. Why do I write? Because I’m a writer. And I always have been. Thank you Raymond Frazee and I encourage everyone to discover Raymond who hails from Valparaiso,Indiana. Find Raymond at: http://www.facebook.com/raymond.frazee

To Write Romance, Must One Be In Love?

I would like to pose a question. To write romance of any genre, must one have romance in their lives or are the only great writers of romance fiction love lorn like most of us? I've talked about it with a few people and even asked some other writers who have been at it for some time. I got a wide variety of answers. Some believe to write a great romance you must have had the experience of a great love. I wonder if Erich Segal had experienced the same love like his characters Oliver and Jenny. Had he and his wife Karen loved each other with such dedication and ferocity? Did Emily Bronte tragically love someone she could never truly have and had to settle for another? My opinion is this-I do not believe that one has to have been in a life altering romance as long as they have loved. Tragedy makes for a good plot, but romance even in Gothic novels isn't all about the tragedy of poverty and being hidden away. To write fiction whether it be romance, science fiction, horror, or any type I believe one has to draw on personal experiences but also has to role play in a way each of their characters. Each one must be visualized much like actors do when they are handed scripts. I little doubt that Kate Winslet grieved the loss of Leo Di Caprio in Titantic. However both of them had to draw upon their skills and talents as actors when neither of them had probably been in a love affair with so many dynamics. When I write about a kiss, I want to use all of my sensory memory into how that kiss felt; how it made me feel and then I go from there embellishing as I go. It's like a painter who looks at a sunflower. A sunflower is easy enough to paint, however to see it the way Van Gogh saw it that is what I strive for when I write romantic and sexy scenes. I want the reader to see and feel exactly what I am writing. Am I making sense here? So let me hear your answers to this question, do you think that an author mus be in love or have had been in love to write romance fiction? If so tell me why and if no then explain.

Fantasy Pages: NEW from Nikki Noffsinger - CURSED AWAKENING

Fantasy Pages: NEW from Nikki Noffsinger - CURSED AWAKENING: Take a look at the new release from Renegade Night author Nikki Noffsinger . Enter a world of passion, wolf-shifters, and love that conquer...

Erotica Versus Porn And Why Women Love It

Have you ever picked up an Erotica novel? Recently, the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy has been gaining a cult following. Perhaps it is the catalyst to women discovering a whole spectrum of Erotica. What is Erotic and is it porn? First, I am not demonizing pornography. I personally don't get off on it because it does nothing for me. I also do not DO NOT CONDONE CHILD PORN NOR DO I SANCTION ANY SORT OF PORN WHERE INDIVIDUALS ARE RAPED OR DEFECATED ON. I AM QUITE AGAINST CHILD PORN AS WELL AS HUMAN TRAFFICKING(the sex slave trade). Erotica is more sensual and builds on well written fantasies. How many of us have ever wanted to try something new with our significant other? How many of us have wanted to shed our good girl image and get down and dirty? How many of us want to get lost in a great story with well written plots and memorable characters? I think many of us would probably raise our hands. Erotica versus porn-is there really a contest here? I think when people who have never read an erotic novel make the judgement because there is strong language used and very descriptive sexual content that it automatically makes it pornography. Porn is just a physical act. Men react to what they can see more than what they can feel. So in my opinion, women pick books that creates that emotion or situation that evokes a certain feeling. I pick up a book I want to be roped in I just don't want to read sex on every page, I want all 4 out of 5 of my senses to come alive. A great Erotica novel will not only rope you in but it will seduce you instead of just throwing you across the bed and giving you a Slam! Bam! Thank-You Mam! I remember the first time I saw reproductions of the works of Gustav Klimt. I was seduced each time I looked at his paintings like The Kiss which made me feel what it was like to be held in a lover's arms. His painting Love that reminds me of passion. The painting Danae which some of us had to sneak a peek at since our teacher thought it was too risque for us to see is one of the most erotic works of art I've ever seen. Klimt had a love for love. He found beauty in the female form and worshiped it. So women from practically the dawn of time have always been sensual creatures capable of eroticism and great passion so it is only natural we would be drawn to well written Erotica. Erotica is more than just the visual and what you can physically feel and touch. To me, Erotica is more sensual and more mental than porn which is just right there straight forward in your face. So when I hear people just classify Erotica with porn it really strikes a nerve with me because the two are like apples and oranges. They might both be fruit but they are entirely different. Okay maybe fruit was not such a good analogy. So many people are still bashing the oh so very popular Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L.James. However, there are some really good writers of Erotica romance novels and I hope you look them up as well add to the list! Jaci Burton Various titles Cherise Sinclair Various titles Denyse Bridger Various titles Lora Leigh Various titles Megan Hart Various titles Kayden Mcleod's Master of Subservience So let me know your thoughts and tell me some Erotica genre authors you like or don't. List authors and their books.

Music And Writing The Happy Balance

I find when I write, I see the story first in my mind but it is often inspired by its own soundtrack. A question was posed, "What song describes one of your books and why?" I can honestly say there is no "one" song that inspired either of them. When I wrote Renegade Night, I was inspired from everything from Puccini's Tosca and Madame Butterfly to Rob Zombie. I love music as much as I love books and there are few genre's that I just refuse to appreciate or listen to. However when I look at Renegade Night and reflect I think the song that comes more often to mind is Apocolyptica's I Don't Care because for my main character Alexi, he's so closed off and hardened because of everything he's lost and the fact that he's the very creature he hates. He tells himself that he doesn't care for Lainey other than being duty bound to her to keep her safe, yet he falls for her. So his "I don't care" attitude is not only questioned and tested but it's found lacking but throughout the book, he has to deal with the conflict of the past and present as well as cope with the barriers that Lainey is breaking down. He doesn't want to be hurt again-he doesn't want to love again, but the die is already cast. When I wrote my 2nd book, a soon to be released E-book, Cursed Awakening I believe if I had to pick one song it would have to be Dare Youby Shinedown. Ivy Morgan is coming into her own-on her own terms and Nyx knows Ivy is right for him but Nyx's family is steeped in tradition right down when it comes to mates. So the song I Dare You I think fits them both in some way. I dare you to live, I dare you to step outside the safety zone, I dare you to love, and I dare you to walk through fire. The final publication of mine is a story I submitted for Lost To The Night that was written with: Denyse Bridger, Brigit Aine, Sara Gonzalas, and Kayden Mcleod for XoXo Publishing. Night Lessons was a bit on the naughty side. What would you do if you had a sexy Lit teacher in college that was a guitar playing vampire who could spout poetry? So what song came to mind when I thought of the very sensual Dante Notte? Bryan Adams Wen You Love A Woman comes to mind because the guitar in that song brings an exotic sensual flavor that is Dante Notte. I was also inspired by Three Dog Night's Mama Told Me Not To Comebecause Ariel is so against anything that has to do with Mr.Notte and going out of her comfort safe zone. However it's not all hearts and flowers-there is some pretty dark things going on as to why Ariel keeps herself at arms length from things. There's a bit of greed and plotting when it comes to a Stepfather who wants his stepdaughter's trust fund and is willing to do what he has to do to get it. Music like writing is an art form. It evokes emotion. For those of us who write music can help keep the creative juices flowing, drown out outside distractions, or help create a mood or emotional moment. It's like the motion picture that's on paper instead of on screen and we all have our soundtracks.