genre fiction

Plot Bunnies

I am in this great and terrifying space where it’s time to work on a new project. If you’re not in the writing world, you may not have heard the term “plot bunny.” Plot bunnies are those little snippets of inspiration that can hit you anywhere, at anytime. It can be as small as a character name or as big as an entire plot line. Not all of them are winners but some are. The winners are the ones that stick around, that burrow in and multiply into characters, settings, conflicts, romances, and dialogue fragments. And the time plot bunnies are most likely to strike? Right after you’ve decided what you’re going to work on next.

I had my mind and creative energy all set to work on a particular story that’s been brewing for some time. Then two days ago I was hit with a plot bunny. Last night another one hit me. The two merged and became twice as persistent. As I sat down to begin the plotted story, I found myself instead making an inspiration playlist for the mutated plot bunnies. Where do I go from here? Do I follow my plan and write the book whose sheen has dulled a little? Or do I follow this shiny new idea and see where it leads? The shiny idea that is multiplying so quickly it almost a full fledged outline.

Meanwhile there are all the other ideas I’ve been holding onto for years. All of these partial stories hanging out on my computer, waiting for my return. Some of them have a few chapters, some are over a third of the way written. Now that I know the time and investment writing a book entails I am lost on where to go next. What will be the next thing I pour my creative energy into? What story can I stand to work on for the next few months or years?

I don’t expect an answer. There aren’t absolutes and facts in the writing process. It’s all about taking risks, jumping and hoping there’s a parachute. Sometimes there is, sometimes there isn’t. But like the masochists we are, we jump anyway.

RT Vegas Top Ten

By celiamulder42@gmail.com

In what is now a tradition, here are my top ten moments from this year’s RT Convention!

Meeting up with friends from last year and making new friends. This isn’t a moment, this was the whole five days. I loved seeing my posse again and adding some new members. We’re taking on the world, one romance novel at a time.
Pitching. I pitched my book this time and it was great! Nerve wracking, very scary, and more than a little overwhelming, but great.
Meeting Julia Quinn. A lot! Julia Quinn is on my list of authors to meet during my lifetime and I met her!
The Help! Crazysauce Broke the Interwebz… panel. If I am ever in the middle of a media blitz, these are the ladies I want handling it.
The Smart Bitches Trashy Books reader recommendations party. Basically we went around and recommended books to each other. There’s nothing I love more than hearing someone talk about a book they love. I came away with pages and pages of new books to track down and read.
Lady Jane’s Salon. The above times a thousand because this was authors reading from their books. Nothing makes me want to read a book more than hearing the author of said book talk about it. This particular event led to #7…
Receiving an advanced copy of J. Kenner’s Dirtiest Little Secret. I told her I’d heard her at the salon and desperately needed to read the book she shared so she gave me a copy!
Jennifer Armentrout, who no doubt met hundred of people in those few days, remembered me from one of her panels. Did I feel special? Absolutely.
The romantic comedy panel. Last year’s led me to Wallbanger and everything Alice Clayton. After this year’s I need to read everything by Christina Lauren. It’s on.
Making new friends everywhere. I made a friend while waiting to pitch who I hope to see at Spring Fling in Chicago. I made friends in every line I stood in and waiting for my plane at the airport. Everyone at the convention loves books so we always have something in common.

There are more and the minute I post this I know I’ll think of them. I miss RT already and am looking forward to Atlanta 2017!

Spooky Weird Stuff

By celiamulder42@gmail.com

In this edition of “There’s Some Weird Stuff Out There,” I’m getting in the Halloween spirit. Now there are a lot of directions I could go with this – you would not believe the sort of weird, spooky paranormal stuff there is out there. But instead of going zombie or ghosts or vampires, today I’m talking about shapeshifters. Not werewolves – at this point werewolves are a bit blasé, don’t you think? Without further ado I give you…

WerePanther –

Eat Prey Love by Kerrelyn Sparks

WereTiger –

Here Kitty, Kitty by Shelly Laurenston

WereBear –

Bear Necessities by Isadora Montrose

WereWyr –

Dragon Bound by Thea Harrison

WerePumas –

The Wallflower by Dana Marie Bell

EVEN WereHoney Badger –

Bite Me by Shelly Laurenston

And SO many more. Almost all dangerous, predatory creatures are represented. Except for sea creatures. Where are the were-sharks? The were-shark and the mermaid. Just imagine.

Books, A Love Affair

2 Comments / By celiamulder42@gmail.com

I’m having a love affair with books. What we have is precious, a once in a lifetime romance. I always have more than one book going at a time in order to keep a well-rounded, healthy reading life. (P.S. my mother says that if I spend as much time and energy on exercising as I do on researching, acquiring, and reading books I’d be in great shape.)

My categories:

The romance novel. This one is partially research for my own writing but mostly a fun, tittilating read. I devour these books. I have to read them within days or else they consume my mind, making it impossible to think about anything but the book.

The non-fiction book. This is usually on my current, personal research topic. At the moment I am researching relationships, dating, and media. You would not believe the number of fascinating books on this topic that have come out in the past year.

The bed stand book. This is also a non-fiction book and, frankly, one that puts me to sleep. I find it relaxing to fall asleep to a book. Though sometimes I start to dream, wake up, and continue reading and often I can’t distinguish what was in my dream and what was in the book.

The self help book. I know. You’re thinking – what can you possibly have to improve about yourself? You’re perfect already.

The book needs to go back to the library but I’m determined to read it before the due date. This happens more often than you’d think.

There you have it. The books of my reading harem.

Mpregs

By celiamulder42@gmail.com

In this week’s edition of There’s Some Weird Stuff Out There, I am discussing mpreg, a sub-genre of m/m romance where in one of those m’s gets pregnant. Really, if we’re going to get technical, these are m/m romance novels with an mpreg plot. But that’s not the point. The point is that people out there (and not just a few) are writing and reading books about men getting pregnant. And why not? It’s a fascinating possibility coupled with some equally fascinating descriptions and diagrams of just how, biologically, male pregnancy could be a thing.

Check it out for yourself:

Alex’s Surprise by Chris McHart

Forbidden Lover by Aiden Bates – this one has a werewolf/dragon romance AND mpreg.

Bear Back Mountain by Artemis Wolffe and Wednesday Raven – get it?

The Degan Incident by Rob Colton

And many, many more. A lot of which are sci-fi, fantasy, and paranormal/shapeshifter books. Maybe because that makes the whole mpreg more believable?

There’s Some Weird Stuff Out There

By celiamulder42@gmail.com

This is the beginning of another blog post series I’m embarking on. In this series I will fill you in on some of the strange and unusual sub-genres that exist within romance. You don’t have to be a romance reader to know the basic ones – contemporary, historical, chick lit, erotica, etc. Those aren’t what I’m talking about. I’m not even talking about the cross genres, YA paranormal romance for example, or stand alone books that don’t fit into any category. I’m talking about sub-genres that have multiple books within them, as in more than one author thought it was a good idea to write this type of romance novel.

The first category I’ll be exploring is one that, if you know me at all IRL, you’ll have heard me talk about because I cannot get over that fact that this is a thing: Dinosaur Erotica. As in books that feature a human-dinosaur relationship.

Let that sink in for a moment. Human-dinosaur romantic/sexual relationship.

Here are some of the books in this sub-genre:

Taken by the T-Rex by Christie Sims (she is actually dinosaur erotica’s most prolific author and has a whole range of books about a whole range of dinos)

Space Raptor Butt Invasion by Chuck Tingle (a series of dino/man erotica set in locations from outer space to a corporate boardroom)

Seized by the T-Rex by Roxy Stone (a dino horror erotica)

A Billionaire Dinosaur Forced Me Gay by Hunter Fox (the second book is set in space)

Jurassic Jane Eyre by Carrie Sessarego (this is exactly what you think it is, Jane Eyre travels back in time to the Jurassic period)

And many, many more. Most with ridiculous, overt, pun-filled titles. I can’t say I’d recommend any of these books but they do serve as a fun tidbit to share at parties when the conversation lulls.

I do have to give a special shout-out of to Smart Bitches Trashy Books for first introducing me to dinosaur erotica. My life has never been the same.