The Dynamic Trio - Blog

Just a quick post today to wish everyone a wonderful Easter.

My right arm has been giving me trouble, so I’m taking several days off writing and kicking back, relaxing with a few books and catching up on household chores.

I’ve added a few things to my website. There’s a new photo essay page for Playing to Win and a new contest related to my upcoming release, Wanderlust. Quite a few of my books have background stories/photos now. I’m gradually adding to these so do come back and visit often to check out the new features.

Happy Easter!

We were listening to the radio this morning and they were talking about the legal and moral implications of the Elliot Spitzer issue in New York. You know the one, where the Governor of New York resigned his post because he’d been caught getting it on with a prostitute.

The talk show host floated the idea of making prostitution legal. Why? As one caller pointed out, you can sell eggs from your ovaries, men can sell sperm, you can sell blood, you can sell kidneys, you can sell liver, and on it goes… So what’s the difference if a woman (or man) chooses to tell their sex?

On the other hand, prostitution is illegal in most states because of moral qualms. But should morality play into the law? For example, there are plenty of folks who die from the legal use of alcohol. Isn’t there a bit of immorality in that? How many people die each year from having paid sex? Hmmm… Anybody have statistics on that?

My daughter called in and expressed a college student’s view. Did you know that kids pay for sex from their peers? In school? They call it, giving a ‘Love Lesson’ where one kid wants to date another kid, but they can’t, or the other kid isn’t interested. So they offer to compensate the other kid for their ‘time.’ Now that kinda sounds like prostitution to me.

So, not taking a stand on either side of the fence, I’d like to know what you think about this. Should the Governor of New York have resigned especially since he only stepped down because he got caught? Whatcha think?

Today I’m guest blogger at The Romance Studio where I’m talking about Wanderlust and Itchy feet.

I’m also appearing at eCataromance’s suspense evening.

And finally, I have a guest at my blog today. Stacia Kane is talking about why she loves to blog and is giving away a prize. Come along and say hello.

Shelley

Recently an author linked to a site that enables people who call themselves book lovers to thieve from me and other authors by illegally downloading ebooks by the tens of thousands. These people know what they’re doing is wrong and I’ve read page after page of whining about how authors should LOVE It that they steal from us because they buy our books later on.

First of all - no I don’t love it. I hate it and you’re a thief and a liar and I don’t believe you buy the books in some mythical later. You steal them today. You scramble titles and author names to avoid detection and you do it in screen after screen. You don’t put your email or personal info up because YOU KNOW IT’S WRONG.

Here’s the thing - I’m not going to apologize for wanting you to pay for my books. If I wanted you to have the book for free, I’d give it to you through the dozens of free book contests I do yearly or I’d do free story installments at my website or my newsletter. I write books because I love to write, but it’s my profession. I don’t walk into your home and steal your belongings and I don’t see why you think you should be able to do the same. If you create bagels or cupcakes or shoes and you put them up for sale, I’m pretty sure you’d be miffed if they were stolen.

I look around and see the nastiest kids ever. Horrible manners, they can’t share and you know what? I know why. I see their moms and dads on these boards hooting about “whiny authors” but I’d bet they’d have a stroke if I walked up to their table in a restaurant and took their bottle of wine and said, “oh hey, I can’t afford it right now but I’ll totally buy you a bottle later on.”

If you’re going to steal - just own up to it instead of being a coward on top of stealing from me. Just say, “I don’t plan to pay for these books, I never plan to and I don’t care about you. I’m a hypocrite and I plan to use my three thousand dollar computer in the dorm room my parents are paying for to steal as much as I can.” Just own it. You’d still be a POS but at least you’d be honest about it.

Stealing a loaf of bread when you’re starving is one thing, stealing an ebook while drinking a six dollar cup of coffee is another.

Thoughts of urban fantasy have filled my mind recently since I’m about to start chapter one of my very own story in this genre.

Urban fantasy is defined as a contemporary fantasy set in a real city such as New York, Chicago or Melbourne–one that all of us might recognize. The setting is gritty. The stories are often ones of good versus evil. I’ve found in a lot of the stories the magical inhabitants of the cities are very political with lots of jostling for position going on amongst the different races. The stories are usually told in first person and purists prefer to stay well away from romantic sub-plots. Most urban fantasy authors have series with the same recurring characters and for the reader each subsequent book is like a return to friends. I love this! I’d also say that urban fantasies as a whole straddle lots of genres. There’s the fantasy element, the contemporary one, with sometimes a strong suspense plot. A few stray into horror territory. They’re certainly not boring, and I find the genre very exciting.

According to Wikipedia urban fantasy has been around since the 1920s in children’s books. The term became more readily recognizable during the 1980s where it was applied to adult fiction.

During the past two years I’ve read a lot of urban fantasy. I do tend to prefer the ones where there is a romantic sub-plot, but it’s not a deal breaker for me. The Wikipedia lists quite a few popular authors along with some TV shows and movies which fall into the urban fantasy category.

Some of my favorites are Patricia Briggs, Keri Arthur, Kim Harrison, Jennifer Rardin and Jim Butcher.

I’m currently reading Unquiet Dreams, the second book in Mark del Franco’s Connor Grey druid series. This series is also rapidly becoming a favorite with me.

My guest blogger this week is Stacia Kane who has an urban fantasy release coming in April called Personal Demons. She’ll be here on Wednesday, so I hope you’ll visit.

Have you read urban fantasy stories before? Do you like them? Which authors are your favorites?

Hope you all don’t mind - I posted this at the Ladies of the Club blog earlier this week and thought I’d share it here.

As an author of multicultural romance, I’m gonna go out on a limb and share one of the things that cracks me up…at my own expense of course (No, it’s not Hard Gay…this time ;D)

This subject gets danced around sometimes and can be a hot topic, but this is the first time I think I’ve heard a comedian address it in this manner. And as a sistah, it was nice to find that it’s totally positive while still making you laugh your butt off. My kids even put it on their iPods so we can laugh in the car over it. It’s fabulous!

What am, or who, am I talking about? STEPHEN LYNCH! Comedian and all out nutball has a song about interracial dating - it’s called VANILLA ICE CREAM. And it’s funny as hell! So take a listen…

You Tube Video (first 30 seconds in talking, but I promise he’ll get to the song - click HERE

To Visit Stephen’s Site to hear this song (better quality) - click HERE

TJ
..* ´¨¨)) -:¦:-
¸.*´ .*´¨¨))
((¸¸.*´ ..*´ www.tjmichaels.com -:¦:-
-:¦:- ((¸¸.*´* www.dynamicthree.com
CARINIAN’S SEEKER, V.C.O.E. Bk 1 ~ CAPA 2007 Nominee
SERATI’S FLAME, V.C.O.E. Bk 2 ~ In Print June 2008
WILD WINTER, Ellora’s Cave ~ Now In Print
HATSEPT HEAT, V.C.O.E. Bk 3, Samhain Publishing ~ July 2008
JAGUAR’S RULE ~ CAPA 2006 Nominee, Pocket Books ~ Feb 2009

Author and Sister-girlfriend, Ashlyn Chase, recently had a book released called Quivering Thighs. Now when I first saw the title, I thought, “Oh. My. Freaking. God!” And knowing what an awesome writer Ashlyn is, I knew the book would be a hit. But I talk to Ash all the time. This time I figured we’d do something different. So, ladies and gentlemen, meet Kendra Dempsey, heroine and star of Quivering Thighs. She’s an interesting chick, so take a look at what she had to say…

TJ: How did you end up in your current line of work? And what is your profession, by the way?
Kendra: I’m glad you asked. As you know, I was a dancer in Las Vegas, then, when I moved to Hawaii, I became a tattoo apprentice. I really enjoyed that, but my dyslexia kind of got me fired from tattooing at any shop in the Islands–for life! So, after that I went into airbrushing artwork on vans. That was fun for a while, but when Jake and I talked about how to spend my millions, we decided I could start tattooing again. Now I have my own shop, but the only tattoos I do are the Henna kind–because they’re temporary!

TJ: Millions? Would you care to elaborate? Better yet, can I have a loan?
Kendra: A loan, huh? Jake and I aren’t a bank or your parents. But if you want to know how many millions we have and where I had stashed it, you have to read my story.
And by the way…let’s have a contest for those who DO read the book. Anyone who can tell me how much and where I hid the money from the mafia wins a trip to Hawaii! (LOL. You almost fell for that one, didn’t you?)

TJ: So what do you think of Jake? He looks a little rough around the edges, don’t you think?
Kendra: If you think Jake’s rough around the edges, you haven’t seen the Vegas guys! Jake’s a pussycat compared to them, and a damned handsome one too.
Read the rest of this entry �

Wow, I don’t know what I did to please the heavens but this lovely cover landed in my inbox this morning. LOVE IT!

My upcoming release from Cerridwen Press, Wanderlust is set in India. You might wonder why I mention this since my title is about diaries. For me there’s a definite connection since the only time I write a diary or journal is while I’m traveling.

I recently hunted out all my travel diaries, especially the ones relating to our overland trip from London to Kathmandu and India. When I flicked through them all the small details came back to me, the good and bad. I was reminded of the wonderful temples and natural scenery, the people and the not so good things such as being hellishly sick while in Turkey and Iran. I started to come right about halfway through Iran, having existed on rice for quite a few days, and still remember the cheese omelette I had that tasted absolutely amazing. I remember the markets, the vivid color and friendly people, even though we spoke different languages. Hmm, I’m suffering from a definite case of itchy feet after reading my diary entries.

Do you write a diary?

Recently there have been a number of articles in RWR (Romance Writer’s Review done by RWA every month) bashing erotic romance and those of us who write it. One of the letters printed was written by a person named Madeline Baker (who is actually an author who writes as Amanda Ashley…which nobody bothered to point out) complaining about the ‘F’ word. Letter writers have also called writers of erotic romance ‘prostitutes of integrity’, proclaimed women who cuss ‘gang members’ (death to all those who’ve ever said ass or damn - that’s cussing, isn’t it?)

Now what the hell is THAT about? And why in the world would RWA believe it’s okay to bash fellow authors and chapters? Why does RWA, who seems to promote this derision, continue to print their drivel over and over again (yes, ladies and gentlemen, one letter was printed two months in a row) without any opposing view points? I know at least a few authors who did write such an opposing view, but we haven’t seen their letters in RWR yet. Don’t hold your breath. I will not be responsible for anyone turning blue or purple.

And, if I’m not mistaken, the fabulous special interest chapter, PASSIONATE INK, was singled out (if that’s not correct, let me know as I don’t have the mags anymore). Well, the poor prostitutes of integrity at Passionate Ink are running a tongue-in-cheek survey right now. The survey question is:

In light of recent letters to the RWR, do you think we should change our chapter’s name to Prostitutes of Integrity — you know, to reflect who we really are?

And of the three choices (Hell yes, Maybe, and No), I dare you to take a guess which category is winning so far by a LONG SHOT! So, if you’re an Inker, get your booty over to the PI forum, skip over to General Discussion > Chat > - then scroll down to the Forum Topics section and look for the blue icon for the poll. You can vote without leaving a post.

I don’t know about you, but real sex is anything but staid unless the lovers aren’t hot for each other, the lovers aren’t comfortable with their sexuality (this can go both ways with either the man, woman, or both), or you’re just lying. And while I can’t claim to have done all the things I write about (it is fiction, after all) I can say that sometimes sex is gentle. And sometimes it’s wild, raunchy jungle sex. But am I going to tell the writer’s of plain old vanilla sex that they shouldn’t write it just ‘cause I like it hot? Nope. Am I gonna tell the ladies who believe sex should only be had in the dark, fully clothed, at 8:30 pm on Tuesdays in total silence that they shouldn’t write it ‘cause I like it done in the daytime on Friday? Nope.

So why the hell should they judge me and my fellow authors?

Well, here are some suggestions for those who believe sex shouldn’t be frank in a romance novel:
• If you don’t like erotic romance, don’t buy it.
• If your bedroom partner doesn’t lay it down on you and tell you how much he wants to ____(insert F word here), then kick his ass until he does.
• If you’re unsatisfied with your lover’s skill, send your lover to school or get another one. But don’t get mad at me just ’cause I’m free enough to write it hot.
• If your man ain’t an alpha…well, nothing we can do about that one. Sorry.
• If your woman is an alpha and you’d rather have the job, see the comment above.
• If your lover doesn’t make you have an orgasm and you’re mad, remember to replace the batteries. Or buy erotic romance…and then replace the batteries. Fast.
• If you can’t say ‘come’ without blushing, read more erotic romance. You’d don’t have to write it - we’ve got that part covered.
• If your lover can’t say ‘come’ without blushing, make them read more erotic romance or read it to them…naked.
• If the word ‘come’ makes you feel dirty…hmmm, you’re on your own with that one.
• If you believe that good girls don’t, perhaps a talk with your mother is in order…’cause I’m sure she was a good girl, yet you’re here. Which meant sex happened sometime in order to have you…and probably continued afterward.
• If sex in your house is less than inspiring, buy a Dynamic Trio book.
• If sex in your house is less than inspiring, and you want the rest of the authoring world to write uninspiring sex - Sorry, that train has already left the station.

So whatcha got to say about that *wink*