Interview with Mona Karel

Today I'd like to introduce you to Mona Karel, a romance author.

Hi Angelica, thanks so much for having me visit.

You have a few recent posts on blogging, triberr, twitter and building your platform. Do you think you have hit your stride in these media or are you still learning? Do you have any pertinent tips for other bloggers?

I started the Monday Promo Primer to help share what little I've learned so far in the various methods of promoting our books. A lot of it links to some of the better blogs and articles I've found, and owes a lot to Marketing for Romance Writers, Kristen Lamb, Kayelle Allen, and Skhye Moncrieff

Cooking and recipes are obviously a big part of your blog. Where did the Passionate Cooks come from? It looks like a great feature.

Pablo Michaels: The Romantic

Today Pablo Michaels has returned to tell us about the changes to his blog and writing style. What prompted you to switch the focus of your writing from sex to romance?

Actually I never switched to romance, but I have toned down my fiction with much less erotica. My erotic writing always dealt with romance. I try desperately to have happy endings or at least leave it open for the reader to fantasize the characters living and loving contentedly. I found the erotica I wrote was becoming repetitive and boring. When I first started writing with more sex, I was turned on. After a while I found I was writing, using similar words and scenes to describe the sex, which became redundant and boring. I see my failure with erotica in my published novel, Catnip, Rosemary, Rage and Time. A writing coach and editor wanted me to write more explicitly about sex. When the book was almost finished, I had feedback from my husband, saying it had too much graphic sex; he preferred the first draft. So I rewrote the erotic scenes with analogies and symbols to tone it down. In the end it turned out to be purple prose. With my unfinished novel, The Deer in the Forest, I’m currently editing and rewriting, dates back to 1990 for a period piece that begins in the late 1960’s evolving to the present. It is sheer romance with little sex involved. I thought by working on this book, I could bring myself back to the style and emotions I truly enjoy, which is romance without erotica.

One of the things I hear most often is write what you want to read. I'm glad to hear that's what you're doing. Do you have a publisher in mind for your less erotic work?

Blood Stone release with #free #giveaway

I'm so happy to get to take part in Tracy Cooper-Posey's release week blog hop. She is celebrating the release of Blood Stone on September 14, the sequel to Blood Knot which is FREE September14-16 so you can read it before the sequel. So that's free, but we also have a giveaway, of Blood Knot to a commenter who just can't wait until Friday.

Tracy has very active blog, so I asked her a few questions about it. You blog almost daily. Do you ever get burnt out? Where do you turn for something new to blog?

The Tarot Diaries - Elicia Seawell

What would you do if you could find out your purpose in life? Would you want to know or be completely left in the dark?

Katie Jenkins finds out her purpose, but not in a way most people do. After a night of shots of tequila and a bet from her best friend, she is coerced to seek a fortune teller for insight into her future. What she finds out changes her life forever.

Katie comes from a long line of Romanian Gypsies cursed with the ability to not only read Tarot cards, but they also have to deliver the bad news to whomever the cards reveal. She, along with her best friend Phoenix (Finny) Carrington, seeks out those who are doomed and try to change their lives before something awful happens to them.

Can Katie stop a mad man from the deaths that surround her, or will she fall victim to the very same mad man responsible for the death of so many?

I'm very happy to announce a new release from my friend Elicia. She's the one who convinced me to send Blue Moon House to my publisher, so she gets giant props from me. In an odd twist of fate, we both released the same week!

Day 18 #blogflash 2012 - Wild At Heart

No wonder really, I see wild at heart and think sex and romance!

The way I see it, there are two types of erotic fiction: stories about sex and stories that include sex. This post is not intended to be a condemnation in any way! Each has its pros and cons. Just like in real life, sometimes you want to make love and sometimes you just want to fuck. One isn't better than the other, they're just different and each has its place.

I think it's helpful for the reader to know when they crack the spine (or open the file) what they are getting. Blue Moon House is a story about sex. The plot is driven by sex. There is still a good story in there, but it can't be told without the sex.

I recently reviews the first book of the Resistance, The Arrangement, on Good Reads. That was a story with sex. Although sex did drive part of the plot, with a lot of work and the magic of 'fade to black' it could be told at a PG rating. I'm glad it's not! Like I said, not judging here. The sex was great, it enlightened us on the characters and their relationship, and well, it was just damn hot. The story would have been less without it, but it would still be complete.

In my opinion, there has been an increased focus on stories about sex thanks to the popularity of Fifty Shades of Grey. Remember, I also wrote a story about sex, so I am definitely riding this wave. Yet, I wanted to remind readers and writers alike that there is ample shelf space and interest in a good story that includes well written sex. If my next novel or novella isn't another Blue Moon story, it will be a story with sex rather than a story about sex. I, for one, need both to balance my diet. My wild side is definitely an omnivore!

A Page in the Life - Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy

Today I welcome Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy. She maintains more than one blog so I'm going to run through them quickly to let you get a feel for each one. The first, which she pointed me to in our introductions, is A Page in the Life. Here she shares excerpts from her novels and relates them to current events (like the Queen's Jubilee). SeanachieStories is her Tuesday Tales blog where she posts weekly fiction pieces. Sometimes these are associated with fellow writers, using the same prompts. The Dirty Dozen was where she would post a dozen lines from one of her works. And finally, there is Author In The House where she features and interviews other Authors.


Is Lee Ann busy? Did you really have to ask?


As if all that weren't enough, she regularly guests on other blogs, including Sundays on Pop Culture Diva. Somehow, she found a few minutes to answer my questions. 


Most of your posts on A Page in the Life seem to be participation in blog hops. How do you find these hops? Do you have any other planned in the next month or two?

On "A Page In The Life" I do participate in a lot of blog hops. I love them because they draw traffic and find new readers. I pick up a lot from various author groups I belong to on FB and Yahoo groups. I also occasionally find them by a Google search.

Starts her handy memo program. Search blog hops on Google.

Upcoming I'll be participating in the Lovestruck Giveaway Hop June 15-22, a blog hop for Rebel authors on Long And Short Romance Reviews, June 1-8, a huge Independence Day Blog Hop July 1-4, the Cocked and Loaded Shooting Stars blog hop July 5-11, and Kharisma Rhayne's Birthday Blog Hop July 14-20. Between blog hops I write a variety of posts, everything from some of my memories to author advice for would-be writers, spotlights on my books, etc. Sometimes I put up a little original fiction or recipes. Sometimes I host an author on both Author In The House and A Page In The Life.

Wow, that's a LOT of blog hops. I'm slated for one so far.... blush You guest on many blogs for each genre/sub-genre. Do you find readers between them? How often do you post to each?

Fink Studio & Ethos

Welcome Desiree Finkbeiner, author of Ethos: Morning Star. Let's start with a little about your book and its protagonist. 

Desiree Finkbeiner

She’s a normal college girl until she has an accident that warrants a trip to the hospital. Her injuries heal quickly and her lab results are off the charts. It’s a mystery as to why bizarre happenings are overshadowing her, until Kalen, the hero, enters the picture.

He reveals to her an ancient prophecy that transcends time and the planes of existence, challenging her take on reality, and Brianna is thrust into a race for her life. With the balance of their worlds at stake, Kalen takes Brianna to his world, where he can better protect her.

During their perilous adventure, they find themselves facing the ultimate choice. They are tempted by forbidden love, knowing they can never be together, but it’s that same temptation that leads them to find their greatest strengths.

It’s a story about integrity, duty, agency and self mastery. My series is a call to action; to act or be acted upon. It’s about choice, the very thing that makes us superior beings… and the same element that can ultimately lead to destruction, if not exercised wisely.

Where can readers find you?

On twitter: @finkart
On Facebook: www.facebook.com/finkartstudio
On Google+: https://plus.google.com/116389190274070035894