Oh, the joys of multi-tasking. So I’m sitting here, writing some Pleasure and Purpose (my book for Berkley Sensation) and it’s going along swimmingly. At the same time, on the same computer, I have a little video window open, and I’m watching Queer as Folk! Mmm, mmm, I love me some Brian Kinney.

Funny thing is, I’m actually getting more work done while watching Brian than I was before I turned him on. Heh. Boy, I wish I could. Turn him on, that is. Yeah, yeah, I know he’s fiction but…did I mention I looooooove me some Brian Kinney?

As Lauren and several others have pointed out so recently, it’s summer. This means I spend a lot of time during the day wrangling kids and running kids around and doing stuff with the kids and playing Wii with the kids…and generally, you know, being a mom. Which means at night, I write.

And finally, finally, after months of struggle, each word like pulling teeth…this story is…

Sweet.

Oh, it’s sweet. It’s like eating candy, licking syrup from a lover’s lips, standing in sunshine after too many days of rain, waking in the night and knowing the alarm won’t go off for another six hours. I’m enjoying it. The words are flowing, the story  makes me happy.

So I’m gonna type type type, type type type! And finish this story so I can go on vacation in a few weeks with a clear conscious! Yay!

And now I’m off to drool over some more BK and write my Mary Poppins Handmaiden — I called her Mary Poppins, you see, because just like MP she swoops in and is all “CLEAN UP THIS MESS, SPIT SPOT!” and the mess gets cleaned up. My goodness, I wish I could be that commanding and be OBEYED!

But isn’t that the joy of writing? Living vicariously through our characters, even for a few minutes? Wheee!

Okay, so it’s late and clearly I’m tired, and Brian Kinney is making me a little giddy. But so is this story, and I can’t tell you what a relief it is!

Yay for me! Yay for dominatrix Handmaidens! Yay for QAF! Yay for late night writing! Yay for summer!

Tell me what you say Yay! About and I’ll put you in a drawing for a signed copy of Tempted.

I know you all have one but…it’s all I got.

M

I had a whole blog started about bathing suits and blogs and how they’re alike in that you want both to make you look GOOD and not make people want to throw up into their mouths, but I figured we’d all heard that before and we knew better than to be morons in public on our blogs, so I’ll just stop right there and talk about something else, ‘kay?

Now if only I had something to talk about. 

We’ve covered hot guys, we’ve covered writing about sex, and we’ve talked about inspiration, the muse (or lack thereof) and the fact that as professional writers it’s our job to put our butts in the chair and hands on the keyboard and write instead of farting around all day on the ‘net or playing the Sims 2 or Guitar Hero on the Wii. We’ve covered music and movies and upcoming books. 

What’s left?

Well, I’d like to talk about all of that again and then some — how being a writer means that everything  you do, every moment, is somehow always tied into the work. At least it is for me. I collect stories the way some women collect shoes. I want to learn about people because listening to them talk about their lives and what’s going on in them helps me find new inspiration every single day. Because even though I have a pretty deep well, not everything I pull up out of it is fit to see the light. Sometimes what comes up in the bucket stinks and falls apart into sludge and I have to throw it away. It really helps, sometimes, to have someone else’s bucket to scoop from.

Something as simple as the story of how a couple met can springboard me into a whole, vast wonderland of WHAT IF. A comment, a phrase, a casual mention of someone’s favorite song can all lead me to add the small details to a character that make him real to me (and hopefully, to you.)

My best friend since junior high got me a t-shirt that says “Be careful, or I’ll put you in my novel.” And that’s so true. Everything I see and hear finds its way, somehow, into the work. Most of the time I change it to protect the not-so-innocent, but it still came from something I came across in my day.

I look at the world through a filter. I listen. I pay attention. And then I get lost in the world inside my head; I let down the bucket and pull it up and sift through the contents and hope to find something worth using. Sometimes I remember where it came from. Sometimes I don’t. But in the end, it’s all big jumbled mess inside my head and I do my best to mash it all together into something palatable.

I can’t imagine what it would be like NOT to be a writer. I can’t imagine how it would feel not to spend so much time taking WHAT IF and turning it into AND THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED NEXT. I can’t imagine not…imagining. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

What is one thing about yourself you can’t imagine ever changing?

M

It’s that time again. End of the school year madness. Gym shows, scouting graduations, school award shows, field trips…half days! OHHHH, half days, how you torture me. I mean, c’mon, we all know those kids aren’t doing any WORK those half days. Either just give them the day off, or keep them the whole day! Mama’s got to work!

Okay, so I digress.

See, I’m staring down the barrel of a loaded pop-gun, here. I have a book to finish and another to finish edits on, and my kids are going to be underfoot in a couple weeks and…I kid you not…every single day between now and then seems determined to undermine my best efforts at writing.

I knew it would catch up with me. Oh, the idle days of internet surfing, the hours of Queer as Folk, the Sims2. Yes. I admit it. I lost myself in “leisure” time when I might have been pounding out the pages. So why, then, does it feel like I’ve been working non-stop without a break?

It’s that way with writing. Maybe it’s that way with lots of things, but since I don’t DO those things, all I can say is…I always feel like I’m writing. Even when I’m only thinking about writing. When I’m actually sitting at the computer and writing (a book, not a blog entry) I’m thinking about how I’d rather be watching QAF or Supernatural. When I’m watching tv, I’m thinking hey…this could be great in a book. 

And now I’m looking forward to the summer and knowing that my writing time is severely diminished, and I think, man, where did all that time go? How will I finish this book and edit the other and edit this one and submit them both before school lets out?

The answer is: I probably won’t. But that’s okay, I’ve got time before deadline, and I’ll still be working. 

Did I have a point to this entry?

I guess it’s that there needs to be balance. Write when you have to, take time off when you can. But don’t let the time fritter itself away while you do other stuff; if your writing is your job, it needs to be done and on time, too. Not wasted.

I plan on working as hard as I can so I don’t have to worry about writing this summer. That’s the payoff! But I know I will be writing, no matter what I say about taking the summer off, because I just can’t stop myself…

M

A Medieval Scotsman!  Woo hoo! 

BRIDGE THROUGH THE MIST
Denise A. Agnew
Available now at Ellora’s Cave www.ellorascave.com

When Alenna Carstairs is hurled through time into 1318, Scotland’s medieval world brings her face to face with hot, sexy Tynan of  MacBrahin. Infuriated with his barbaric manners, and yet sensing
vulnerability within him, she vows to discover the heartbreak that has scarred his soul.
World-weary knight, Tynan of MacBrahin lost two loves to the brutality  of other men. He can’t forgive himself for failing to protect the women who depended on him. When Alenna saves his life, her independent spirit  stirs desires so strong within him he can’t resist her. A depraved baron soon wants Alenna for his own, and Tynan must find a way to conquer this  powerful man to save her.

Alenna struggles with soul-staggering desire for Tynan, but most of all, she must convince Tynan his love is not lethal, and she is the one who can bring shine to his armor again.

Buy it here!

“Recommended Read! There is one word to describe Bridge Through the
Mist…sensational…”
Fallen Angel Reviews

“Four hearts…an exceptional tale of medieval times…The sexual
tension between these two characters was scorching…I highly recommend
this to anyone looking for a lot of action, sizzling passion and a
battle of wills that will keep the reader completely engrossed to the
very last page. Great job, Ms. Agnew. I look forward to reading more
from this wonderful author.”
Romance Studio

A water witch, Isabelle Novak has always led a chaotic, nomadic existence. But her life spins out of control when her sister—her only friend and emotional anchor — is killed by a demon. Driven by grief and a desire for revenge, she turns her back on the Coven and the rede they hold sacred: Harm thee none...

When Isabelle first encounters Thomas Monahan, she’s running on pure rage and sorrow, channeling her pain into power — and trying to freeze the life out of a warlock she holds responsible for her sister’s death. Together, they form an uneasy alliance to hunt and destroy a demon of tremendous power. As head of the Coven, earth witch Thomas must thwart Isabelle’s dark impulses, but his very presence stirs deeper desires she never knew she had…

Buy here! Or here!

I had everything a woman could want.

My husband James. The house on the lake. My life. Our perfect life. And then Alex came to visit. The first time I saw my husband’s best friend, I didn’t like him. Didn’t like how James changed when he was around, didn’t like how his penetrating eyes followed me everywhere. But that didn’t stop me from wanting him. And surprisingly, James didn’t seem to mind.

It was meant to be fun. Something the three of us shared for those hot summer weeks Alex stayed with us. Nobody was supposed to fall in or out of love. I didn’t need another man, not even one who oozed sex like honey and knew all the secrets I didn’t know, the secrets my husband hadn’t shared. After all, we had a perfect life. I loved my husband.

But I wasn’t the only one.

Buy it here or here or here.

So we decided to do our best to support the economy. What better way than by buying…A Wii?

We’ve never had any game system, though when I was a kid we had Atari. But that man I live with and I have never been good enough to our kids to get them any of them thar new-fangled game systems. The Wii will be our first.

And why? Why did we succumb? Simply put, I blame that man I live with. He played one earlier this year and was all “let’s get a Wii!” And I was all “…dude. No.” And he was all “but think of the children!” And I was all “…no.”

But then it came time to you know, step up and support the old economy and well, hellz bellz, we’re American, darn it! So now we are the proud owners of a soon-to-be-shipped Wii. With games. And nunchuks. Or something.

I’m not sure how long the joy will last. I told him he had better play it every darned day. The kids are excited, to be sure, and tried tempted me with “GET WII SIMS! GET WII SIMS!” And I was all “…no.” An they were all “BUT YOU LOVE THE SIMS” and I was all “…the Sims is private and I don’t want to play it on a Wii with you people!” and they were all “GET GUITAR HERO!”

And then I was all “…okay.”

But we didn’t actually GET Guitar Hero because it wasn’t part of the option bundle, which guess what, means someone’s got to go looking for it for a birthday or Father’s Day or something present.

Because I’ve already been told that the Wii is for me. For “Mother’s Day.”

Well. It beats getting a vacuum cleaner (which has happened) or some other cleaning apparatus, when all I really want is to be left to sleep in and then given breakfast in bed and let to play The Sims2 without interruption. All. Day. Long.

But not on the Wii.

Happy Wednesday, everyone!

M

It all started on Tuesday night with this…

This yummy little thing jumped started a fabulous time in Pittsburgh at RT.  I had a great time.  And can’t complain about one thing.  Not even the fact I had a sore throat. I thought I sounded sexy after that.

The best thing about RT….seeing old friends and making new ones.

My bestest buddy Kimberly Kaye Terry and I.  Good times!

I loved being on the erotic paranormal panel and holding my own on a panel with Caridad Pineiro and JR Ward.  I was nervous as all get out, but managed to get a few laughs.  And from that I sold probably 10 books at the bookfair.   Very cool!

I had a chance to host a big party with my friends the Allure authors, Sylvia Day, Delilah Devlin, Myla Jackson and Sasha White and we signed books to almost 400 people.  It was AWESOME.  And I of course couldn’t resist the marjaritas…

Best of all, I loved hanging out with the ladies of the Bradford Bunch.  Megan, Lauren, Anya (also sexy super agent man) and Ann rocked big time, and of course the lovely Laura Bradford herself.  I couldn’t have asked for a better bunch of authors to hang with.  Beautiful and talented–every single one of them.

It was so good that I’m already thinking about next year in Orlando!

Well, I’m finally recovering from RT 2008. By this I mean I’ve unpacked my suitcase, paid some bills and organized (though not cleaned off my desk,) and started to get back into the swing of family life.  You know. Yelling at the kids, doing laundry, generally being the domestic diva I am.

I didn’t feel well at the convention, unfortunately, and I wasn’t alone. But even so, I came back energized, writing-wise. No, I didn’t come up with a brand-new, shiny, full-fledged idea the way I did last year when Lauren and I brainstormed Taking Care of Business while standing in line. (Though we did talk about a followup to that book!) But I did come home with inspiration and ideas for layering some themes into the edits for my current WIP, Switch. 

I finished SWITCH before I left for RT and had planned to let it sit for awhile while I worked on some other things, but while there my mind kept turning back to it. Switch hasn’t been an easy book for me for many reasons. For one, it took me a lot longer to write than usual, partly because I stopped a few times to work on other things and partly because I struggled with the writing of it. I was really glad to have finished the first draft because it meant I could take a break from it, so to discover when I got back from RT that I really wanted to dive back in was…suprising.

Here’s the thing: I take a lot of my work from my life — not things that have happened to me, necessarily, but feelings and emotions and situations that make me THINK about “what if.” I don’t live everything I write about (my goodness, who has time?) but I do…FEEL it. I do feel what I write. Sometimes I feel it first and hold onto that and use it. Sometimes during the writing I start to feel the work, instead, which is also interesting.

I’d had an inkling about what Switch was meant to be for a few months, and it was pretty far from what I’d first anticipated the book to be. In its first incarnation it was a story about dominance and submission, a woman who finds misplaced notes in her mailbox meant for an anonymous person being given increasingly erotic commands. She discovers she likes the content of the notes — craves it, in fact. But when she discovers who the notes are really for, everything changes and she becomes the note WRITER instead of the note receiver.

The book is still “about” that — it’s what happens, anyway. But somewhere along the way a minor, throwaway character became more important, and now he’s an irreplaceable part of the story. I didn’t expect that.

And somewhere, somehow, the book became about choices. The ones we make, good or bad, right or wrong, and how sometimes no matter how much you think you want something, in the end you don’t take it because not having it is better for you. Sometimes, as Paige, the heroine says, you walk away.

So now I have to finish entering all my receipts and put some laundry away and take a shower and have some breakfast, and then I need to crank up the iTunes and get lost in this world again. But you know what?

I feel it.

M

PS — I was so happy to hang with my lurvely agent the glorious Laura Bradford (or LB as I like to call her) and Lauren Dane, Anya Bast and Ann Aguirre and Vivi Anna, and we missed Cynthia! NEXT YEAR IN ORLANDO!!!!!!!!!!!

Some of my favorite photos –

…are you ready for it?

It’s my first official post here at The Bradford Bunch, and I figured I’d start things off with a…growl!

As an introduction: I’m Megan Hart. I write for a bunch of different publishers from small press to NYC, e-books and print books, in most genres of romance (but perhaps most notably, erotic.)

I have purple hair.

And a purple Impala.

I like strippers.

And Stormtroopers.

And Superman.

Oh, yeah. And I like writing, too. I do it mostly every day except the days I don’t. Those days I just think about writing, or wish I was writing. Sometimes I procrastinate when I’m writing, and those are the days I clean or make anticipatory videos. I’ll be going to RT this year where I intend do some of this:

and some more of this:

and hopefully get another idea for something like this:

M