Year End Reflections on Writing

As 2012 comes to a close, I spend a bit of time reflecting on writing here .

Red Sunset

I'm pleased to report that Dreamspinner Press has accepted my novella Red Sunset. This is the sequel for Blue Moon. It will be published sometime in April or May of next year.

The King's Heart

I read a nice little three star review on Amazon today for The King's Heart. The reviewer admitted they hadn't read The King's Tale first, and was disappointed that there wasn't more drama in The King's Heart. The speculation was that there was probably more drama in The King's Tale, and I reckon they are correct. At least in my mind there is a lot of drama in The King's Tale.

So, this leads me to something I've hinted at before. The original version of The King's Heart did have a pretty dramatic scene in it, but at the request of the publisher I removed it. I could see the publisher's point, and rather than inadvertently send the wrong message, I revised the story. This was tough work, as I had built up the story in a lot of places to counteract this scene I removed. I fought to leave all these scenes in, even though as this Amazon reviewer noted, a lot of the sex scenes were rendered pointless.

In any case, a three star review is a win in my book, so I marked the review "helpful."

Passionate Cooks eCookbook!

The Passionate Cooks cookbook is now available!

I have a recipe included, and you can click here if you want to read a little short featuring Brad and Scott from Blue Moon. They tell how the salad was created in the first place.

Timeless Dreams

The other day I was looking at my titles on Amazon, and I noticed they finally include the "Timeless Dreams" classification. The King's Tale was among the very first books published by Dreamspinner Press in the Timeless Dreams category.

A Timeless Dreams title: While reaction to same-sex relationships throughout time and across cultures has not always been positive, these stories celebrate M/M love in a manner that may address, minimize, or ignore historical stigma.

I'm glad to see this included in Amazon's description of the book, because I have received complaints that the books are not historically accurate when it comes to homosexual history. As I have stated countless times, I chose to ignore the history. It isn't that I was clueless about it, I did research it. My goal with the books was to write classic historical romance novels, like the m/f novels I grew up reading, only with two men instead of a man and a woman. That is why I was glad that DSP had, and still has, this category.

At the end of the day, I'd rather read about the romance.

The King's Heart Reviewed!

Stop by to read about a fantastic review for The King's Heart! Here!

Passionate Cooks

Coming soon from All Romance eBooks...the Passionate Cooks free eBook...more details soon!

FYI...this free eBook includes a recipe for the Dreamy Pasta Salad...courtesy of Rowena Sudbury!

Red Sunset

Yesterday I finished the rough draft on a story called "Red Sunset." It is the sequel for "Blue Moon"...if you're interested in reading an un-edited excerpt, stop by over here .

Historical Romances

Stop by to read some thoughts on The King's Tale as well as an excerpt of The King's Heart.

Click Here...

Summer Vacation

Summer Vacation is nearly at an end...stop by to read what I did for my summer vacation...

Happy Anniversary!

Today is the third anniversary of the release of the first edition of The King's Tale. I'm hosting a giveaway at GoodReads for an autographed copy of The King's Heart...and I will include a copy of The King's Tale when I send the book out to the winner. Stop by and read my meager thoughts on the day.

Third Anniversary thoughts on The King's Tale

Release Day!

It's release day for The King's Tale, edition two, and The King's Heart!

Stop by here for more information!

The King's Tale Fan Page

I have created a fan page on Facebook for The King's Tale series. Today I posted an excerpt from edition 2 of The King's Tale.

Please stop by and "like" the page if you're interested in reading further excerpts. I plan to post all excerpts on that page (for King's Tale books) from now on. Monday, the day The King's Heart releases, I will post an excerpt from that book.

Additionally, I plan to hold a giveaway on July 27, the third anniversary of the release of The King's Tale. Still working out the details, but the winner will be drawn from fans of the page.

http://www.facebook.com/TheKingsTale

Thanks!

The King's Tale, Edition Two

New for 2012, The King's Tale has been re-edited and revised to include a glossary and pronunciation guide for all the Welsh words used. Additionally, a few of the historical inaccuracies have been corrected -- "bed springs" are finally changed back to "bed strings" how I had originally written. I've also done some further research, and corrected some of the problems with the food mentioned. All in all, I'm quite pleased to have my first book go into its second edition!

It is now available for pre-order at Amazon, and it will release on Monday June 11, 2012. On that same day, the sequel, The King's Heart, will also be releasing.

In thirteenth century Cornwall, a fierce king must have a strong partner, and that is what King Christopher of Lysnowydh has in his handfasted mate. Or had before rival King Warin kidnapped and tortured Dafydd to the point that, months later, he is still afraid to leave the castle. Christopher longs for Dafydd to accompany him to the other strongholds in his kingdom and to London to pay tribute to Henry III, but Dafydd is not ready. Christopher begins to wonder if Dafydd will ever recover.

Dafydd hates to disappoint his lover, but he is not sure what to do. Since he will not leave the keep, he renounces his position as king's marshal, vowing to focus on the healing arts instead. Though Christopher continues to pressure him to travel, Dafydd staunchly stays at home—until his second sight shows him he could lose Christopher if he cannot face his fears. Determinedly, Dafydd sets out to prove he can master them.

When Christopher returns home to find Dafydd gone, he knows exactly what Dafydd must have seen. As he once promised he would, he follows his heart across his kingdom—but even if he finds Dafydd, he may not be able to heal the rift between them. 

A Timeless Dreams title: While reaction to same-sex relationships throughout time and across cultures has not always been positive, these stories celebrate M/M love in a manner that may address, minimize, or ignore historical stigma.

This book will be available at Amazon, but it is available for pre-order at Dreamspinner Press

The King's Heart

Coming from Dreamspinner Press on June 11, 2012: The King's Heart, sequel for The King's Tale.

Additionally, The King's Tale has been re-edited and revised to include a pronunciation guide and glossary, and it will also be available on June 11. Some of the historical inaccuracies have been corrected.

Use this link for The King's Heart. And if you're interested in reading my journey about this project, use this link.

Getting my groove back...

Stop by and read my thoughts on Getting My Groove Back ...

Sometime in the next month I will have good news regarding The King's Heart...and something else!

More great reviews for Blue Moon

Hearts on Fire Reviews



Man Oh Man Reviews


 And finally, stop by and read my take on Good Reads Reviews.

The King's Heart

The King's Heart has now entered the editing stage! Exciting news on the horizon!

This of course means Red Sunset has been moved to the back burner, but it's only seven weeks until Summer Vacation!

Picture courtesy of Free Digital Photos.

Inspiration?

Stop by and read about Inspiration...

Wrote that blog in the morning, and then spent a few hours on the manuscript...just over 7k words done now!

Red Sunset

I am working on a sequel for Blue Moon. Red Sunset will continue the story of Brad and Scott as they explore newfound love, and must endure a separation that neither wants. Will they be able to handle the harshness life dishes out?

I'm really liking these characters. 5300 words "in the can" and still going strong.

Time for a Contest!

Want to win a free eBook of your choice? Come on over here to find out how!

The Stages of Writing

Please stop by my blog to read my take on "The Stages of Writing"....

Happy Valentine's Day

Please stop by my blog for information about a Valentine's Day promotion from Dreamspinner Press, as well as the answers to my Valentine's Day interviews with my characters.

Click here!

Reviews for Blue Moon

Blue Moon has gotten some pretty nice reviews, and I'd like to share them with you.

 Elisa Rolle

 A Bear on Books

 Top2Bottom Reviews

 Book Reviews and More by Kathy

 MM Good Book Reviews

Quite pleased that the book seems to hit the right notes with so many people.

Valentine's Day!

Have a burning question for Dafydd? Something you've always wondered about Sean? Want to get to know Brad better? Well, now's your chance!

For Valentine's Day, I'm opening the floor to you, the readers. You can leave your questions here or send them directly to me via Facebook message or email [rowenasudbury{at}gmail.com]. If you wish to remain anonymous let me know!

I will post the questions and answers on Valentine's Day, just bear in mind that I am on the West Coast of the U.S. AND I work all day, so you might not see the answers 'til the wee hours of the morning. ^^

Any of my characters are willing to answer questions:

The King's Tale

Christopher
Dafydd

Promises and Lies

Sean
Jeff
Gabriel
Mark

Blue Moon

Brad
Scott

If you've read "Silent Night," "If," or "Touched"...or even "Depth Perception" I'll try to get those characters to respond as well.

Image from www.icondrawer.com

Blue Moon reviewed!

Blue Moon has received several fantastic reviews!

Elisa Rolle

Book Reviews by Kathy

A Bear on Books

MM GoodBook Reviews

To top things off, Dreamspinner Press is having a Winter Warm Up Sale this weekend. Take 20% off any title. Now is a good time to pick Blue Moon up, if you haven't already!

Dreamspinner Press Store

The King's Heart

Stop by and read about The King's Heart, sequel for The King's Tale.

This book is coming from Dreamspinner Press in May or June of this year!

Read about it here!

Facebook Fan Page

I like to post updates about what I'm up to on my Facebook Fan Page. For example, I recently had a giveaway for my latest release, Blue Moon. Stop by and click the "like" button...you never know when the next event will occur ;)

Available now: Blue Moon

Blue Moon is now available from the following sources:

Dreamspinner Press

Amazon Kindle

AllRomance eBooks

Daredevil wrestler Brad Fraser throws his body around the ring to the cheers of the crowd, but when the lights go dark, he throws it from bed to bed to alleviate the boredom of travel. It all comes crashing down one night at the hands of the resident bad guy, but Brad finds himself rescued by the cool, suave Scott O’Doul, and the two men make a pact based on the illusion of control.

Though their relationship begins as an arrangement of pleasure rather than commitment, over the course of a year on and off the road, Brad finds himself trusting Scott more and more. But Scott plays things close to the chest, and Brad isn't sure where he stands—until the night Scott nearly pushes him too far.

So far I have found one review here!

Although the book is rated as BDSM/Kink, there is no real BDSM involved, just kink.